Ark Nova

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Ark Nova reference sheet — setup, turn structure, scoring and FAQ at a glance.

Top Ark Nova questions

How does the Action Card movement work? — 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 Car…
How does adjacency work with enclosures? — Enclosures must be built adjacent to an existing building (sharing at least one edge), except the first building, which must be placed on a border space of the zoo map. Kiosks require at least 2 space…
Can I play Conservation cards from the discard pile? — No, you cannot play Conservation Project cards from the discard pile. They can only be played from your hand or (with an upgraded Association action) from the display. Conservation Project cards are p…
Can a Size 3 animal be placed on a Rescue Station? — No, a Size 3 animal cannot be placed on a Rescue Station, as Rescue Station is not a recognized special enclosure in the provided rulebook excerpts. The rulebook excerpts specify three special enclosu…
Can X-tokens boost action strength more than 5? — Yes, X-tokens can increase action strength beyond 5, but some actions stop improving at higher strengths. X-tokens can be used to boost action strength without a strict cap. Each X-token adds +1 to th…
Why can't I play Blue Mountains National Park from the display? — You can only play a Conservation Project card like Blue Mountains National Park from the display if you’ve upgraded your Association action, the card is within your reputation range, and you can pay t…
Where can Kiosks be placed on the board? — Kiosks must be placed at least 3 spaces apart from each other, adjacent to existing buildings (or on a border for the first building), and not on water/rock spaces unless the Build action is upgraded.…
When do I gain +1 reputation for playing an animal action? — You gain +1 reputation when playing an Animal card with a reputation-increasing effect or when using the upgraded Animals action with strength ≥2. 1. Animal card effects: Some Animal cards explicitly…
Can you lose points from completed conservation projects? — No, once you complete a conservation project by placing your cube on it, you do not lose the points gained from it. When you support a conservation project (via the Travail de conservation mission in…
How does replenish interact with break? — During a break, the display is replenished by discarding the two bottom cards (folders 1 and 2) and refilling from the deck. The replenishment of the display occurs as part of the Break phase, specifi…
Can a player turn down income at the break? — No, players must take all income during the break; it cannot be declined. During the break phase, players collect income in three parts: 1. Appeal-based income: Players take money based on their curre…
how do I set up the game — Summary Game setup involves two main phases: placing the shared components on the game board and organizing personal components for each player. This includes setting up the map, cards, tokens, tracks…