Sanctuary

Begin by placing the display board in the middle of the table. Shuffle all hexagonal tiles face down and stack them in piles next to the display board. Draw six random tiles and place them face up on the display board. Set aside the conservation markers, pouch markers, and end-of-game markers next to the display board. Place the conservation board next to the display board. Shuffle the 10 conservation objectives face down, then reveal five at random and place them on the conservation board (order does not matter, but placing continents and animal icons together can simplify things). Each player receives one zoo map (use side 1 for the first game), four different action cards (turned to side 1), and four upgrade markers and four conservation achievement markers of their chosen color. Randomly determine the first player, who places their 'Projects' action card in the leftmost slot under their zoo map. Subsequent players place their 'Projects' action card one slot further to the right in clockwise order, so arrows point to values 2, 3, and 4. In a five-player game, the last two players place their 'Projects' action card in the same slot. After placing the 'Projects' card, randomly place the other three action cards in the remaining slots. Each player also gets a tile holder for acquired tiles, but starts with none.

In Sanctuary, players aim to build and manage a modern zoo by strategically adding animals, buildings, and projects from a pool of 135 unique tiles. The goal is to earn the most points by the end of the game, which is triggered by specific conditions related to conservation, zoo completion, or tile supply.

On your turn, you always perform two main actions. First, take one tile from the display; the white arrow on your 'Projects' action card indicates the maximum position from which you can take a tile (e.g., if it points to 3, you can take from positions 1, 2, or 3). Your 'Projects' action card does not move after this step. Second, perform one action using one of your action cards. Choose an action card, pull it downward in its slot, and then perform one of the two listed actions: either gain tiles (draw two from the pile, or take one/two from the display if upgraded) or play tiles from your hand. When playing a tile, the action card's strength must meet or exceed the tile's requirements. Animals and projects have levels, and your action strength must be at least that number. Building tiles have specific placement conditions. Tiles with arrows on their edges must point to open areas (either printed on your map or created by placing face-down tiles). You cannot place a tile so its arrow points off the map or at an already face-up tile. If you cover a placement bonus space, you gain that bonus immediately. Some tiles have immediate or ongoing effects. After performing your chosen action, move the action cards to the left of the used card one slot to the right to close the gap, and place the used action card in the leftmost slot (unless it was already the leftmost card). You can also possibly play one building per turn, support one conservation objective by meeting icon requirements and placing an achievement marker, or upgrade one or more action cards from side 1 to side 2 if conditions are met, making them stronger. Finally, during administration, check your hand limit (max 6 tiles), replenish the display by sliding remaining tiles and drawing new ones, and check if any end-game conditions have been met.

Final scoring begins once an end-game condition is met. First, tally points from all tiles in your zoo: animals (some with fixed values, others dependent on adjacent or zoo-wide icons), buildings, projects, and open areas (1 point each). Next, add points from conservation achievement markers on your conservation board. Then, add two points for each pouch marker and each remaining conservation marker in your possession. Finally, add points from any end-of-game markers you collected (10 points for triggering the end, 5 points for meeting a condition after someone else triggered it). The player with the most points wins. In case of a tie, the player with the most animals in their zoo wins. If still tied, players share the victory.

The game ends when any of three conditions are met: 1) a player has supported four conservation objectives (all four of their achievement markers are on the conservation board), 2) a player has completely filled their zoo map (no empty spaces remaining), or 3) the face-down tile pile is empty. If the first two conditions are met, the player who triggered it takes a 10-point end-of-game marker, and all other players get one more turn. If the face-down tile pile is empty before either of the first two conditions are met, the game ends immediately after the current player's turn, and scoring begins directly. If a player meets a game-end condition (supporting 4 objectives or filling their zoo) on their last turn after someone else triggered the end, they take a 5-point end-of-game marker.