Game rules : Among the olive trees

Goal

To cultivate an olive field while overcoming weather-related and climatic incidents, while respecting the cycle of the four seasons.

Number of players

The game can be played with 2, 3, or 4 individual players.

It can also be played in teams, with each team cultivating the same olive field. Players from the same teams play in turns. Each team player has their own cards, which they do not show they teammate.

Game preparation

  • Mix the cards and distribute 6 cards to each player, face down.

  • The other cards are placed in a pile, face-down.

  • The first card is turned over and set next to the pile, face-up, to constitute the first card of the discard pile.

  • Each player looks at their cards without showing them to the other players.

  • The area where players place their cards, showing the progress of their olive trees, is called the olive field.

Game principles

Each player, in clockwise order, draws a card from the face-down pile or takes the face-up card from the discard pile.

To keep only 6 cards in hand, each player then needs to either :

  • Place a card in his olive field, if possible.

  • Place an “incident” card in another player's olive field that will hinder their progress (e.g., rain, broken pruning shears, etc.).

  • Discard a card.

End of the game

The winner is the first player/team to grow 250 olive trees per season and ultimately place an oil press card in their olive field.

The game may continue with the remaining players.

How the game works

1.        To start, each player needs to place a sun card in front of them.

2.        They then need to put down a winter card, leaving the sun card visible.

3.        They then need to put down, on the right side of the winter card, cards representing olive trees, until exactly 250 trees, no more, no less.

4.        They can then move on to the next season by placing a spring card in the space below the winter card and then placing olive tree cards to the right of it, up to a maximum of 250.

5. In the same way, the player will then be able to move on to the summer season, then the fall season.

6. When they have finished placing the cards totaling 250 olive trees in the fall, the player must finally place an oil press card to be the winner.

Incidents, their solutions, and prevention

A player can block another player's progress in two ways:

  1. By placing a rain card on the opponent's sun card, which completely prevents them from tending to their olive field. However, they can still place incident cards in other players' olive groves. In order to continue cultivating their olive grove, the blocked player will need to cover the rain card with a sun card.

  2. By placing an incident card from the corresponding season in an opponent's olive grove. A player blocked by an incident card cannot place any cards in their olive grove, but can continue to place incident cards in other players' olive groves. In order to continue cultivating their olive grove, the blocked player must cover the incident card with a solution card.

Prevention cards prevent other players from playing incident cards. They are linked to a single season and cannot be used in other seasons.

  • When a player blocks another player, if the latter has the corresponding prevention card, they can play it immediately. In this case, they immediately draw a card to have six cards in their hand again, and the game resumes with the player to the left of the player who initiated the block. Once a prevention card has been played, it is no longer possible to block the player with the corresponding incident cards.

  • To protect themselves from future incidents, players can also place a prevention card in their olive grove at any time, provided that it corresponds to the current season.

Incident cards, solution cards, and prevention cards are all linked to a single season and cannot be used for other seasons.

  • Winter: the only possible incident is broken pruning shears, and the only solution is the repaired pruning shears card. The prevention card is the tool store. All these cards are blue.

  • Spring: the only possible incident is running out of gas, and the only solution is the gas can card. The prevention card is the gas station. All these cards are green.

  • Summer: the only possible incident is flies, and the only solution is the treatment card. The prevention card is the fly trap. All these cards are red.

  • Fall: the only possible incident is a torn net, and the only solution is the repaired nets card. The prevention card is the tear-resistant net. All these cards are orange.