Ark Nova · Board game rules
How does the Action Card movement work?
Quick answer
Choose an Action card, shift it down to mark it's being used, perform its action at that card slot's strength, then move it to slot 1 while shifting other cards right. [p.8 — A Turn / The 5 Action Cards]
Details
On your turn, you select one of your five Action cards positioned in slots 1–5 below your zoo map. Each slot has a strength value: slot 1 has strength 1, slot 2 has strength 2, and so on up to slot 5 with strength 5. [p.8 — A Turn / The 5 Action Cards]
When you choose a card, first shift it downward to indicate it's being used, then perform that action using the strength of its current slot. After completing the action (including all effects), remove the chosen card from its slot. All Action cards to the left of the now-empty slot shift one position to the right, and place your chosen card in the leftmost empty slot (slot 1). [p.8 — A Turn / The 5 Action Cards]
This cycling system means frequently-used actions gradually move rightward (gaining strength) until you use them again, at which point they return to slot 1. You can spend X-tokens to temporarily increase an action's strength before performing it. [p.8 — A Turn / The 5 Action Cards]
Watch out: You set the strength of your action (including any X-tokens) before you perform it. You cannot use X-tokens or bonuses gained during your action to increase that same action's strength. [p.8 — A Turn / The 5 Action Cards]