Ready…

This guide gets you up and running in a two player game - instructing you how to make your first few turns, they aren’t necessarily the best moves to take, but cover a wide range of options. It ignores a few things like the volcanic powers and sacrifices - you can skip them for the first playthrough or add them later for a more indepth experience.

Disclaimer

For the latest rules, please see https://volcanique.rocks/rules

Set

Connect 2 smog tiles in the middle of the play area

Two smog tiles in the center of the play area

Each player selects a critter colour and adds all critters of that colour to their hand.

Quickstart player hands

Place all remaining tiles and all resources in stacks at the top of the playing area - this is the supply.

The supply set-up suggested configuration

Create your starting islands and place your critters by matching the diagram:

Place your critters on your starting island

Collect your first resources - collect 1 resource of each individual biome your critters are on.

Collect your first resources

Player 2 (Blue) collects the following bonus resource as the final step of preparation:

2 x Dark blue resource

Let’s begin!

GO! Turn 1 - Player 1

Red (Player 1) has these resources at the start of their turn

Red buys a trio tile for 2 x any (in this case, 1 x light green and 1 x dark blue) resource from the Supply

Red rotates and places their tile onto Blue's starting island, squashing one of Blue's critters

Red doesn't move a critter, so claims an unlcaimed biome on the empty tile by placing their critter down, Blue's squashed critter is returned to their hand

Red collects the above resources, ending their turn

Turn 1 - Player 2 (Blue)

Blue has these resources at the start of their turn

Blue buys a duo tile for 2 x matching resource (in this case, 2 x orange) from the Supply

Blue rotates and places their tile onto Red's starting island, forcing Red's critter to migrate. Blue then chooses to moves one critter

Blue claims the unclaimed biome on the empty tile with their critter, Red's critter remains where it was migrated to

Blue collects the above resource, ending their turn

Turn 2 - Player 1

Red should have these resources starting their turn

Red buys a duo tile for 2 x matching resource (2 x orange) from the Supply

Red places their tile onto Blue's starting island, squashing Blue's critter

Red claims the unclaimed biome on the empty tile with their critter

Red collects the above resource, they now have more than the maximum resources

Red has to discard 2 resources to meet the maximum of 6 resources

Turn 2 - Player 2

Turn 3 - Player 1

Turn 3 - Player 2

Gameplay summary

Progress all lava flows. If there is no active lava, skip this step.
Buy and stack a tile. Spend your resources to buy a tile from the supply. If the purchased tile was a volcano, select a new volcanic power.
Move up to 1 critter anywhere within a connected biome or into an unclaimed biome on the current tile.
Claim all empty tiles by placing a critter on the unclaimed biome of your choice.
Sacrifice up to 1 critter
Collect resources

Turn summary

Quickstart

Get up and playing in 5 mins