LOTUS

OBJECTIVE OF LOTUS: The objective of Lotus is to have the most points at the end of the game. 

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 to 4 Players 

MATERIALS: 4 Player Decks, 30 Scoring Tokens, 12 Power Tokens, 4 Elder Guardians, 8 Insect Guardians, 20 Wildflower Cards, 5 Petal Cards with 2 Guardians per Player, 26 Petal Cards with 1 Guardian per Player, and Instructions 

TYPE OF GAME: Area Control Card Game 

AUDIENCE: Ages 8 and Up 

OVERVIEW OF LOTUS 

Lotus is a peaceful game as the players manage their beautiful Lotus flower gardens. Each player will take care to nurture and grow their gorgeous flowers that provide wisdom when they are picked. Other players want these magical flowers, and they will come for them forcefully. You must ask for help from various creatures in order to protect them! 

SETUP 

To begin setup, the players will select a color to help them throughout the game. The player decks are then prepared. For each player over two players, there is one petal card of each type removed from each of the decks. Each deck is then shuffled and placed in front of the chosen player.  

The wildflower deck is shuffled and placed face down in the playing area. Four cards are then drawn from it and placed faceup within reach of the players. Each player is given two guardians that match their color. The elder guardians, special power tokens, and scoring tokens are sat to the side. The game is then ready to begin. 

GAMEPLAY 

When the game begins, each player will draw four cards from their deck, forming their starting hand. These cards are to be kept hidden from the other players. The player who is the green thumb will begin the game, and gameplay will continue clockwise around the group. Players must perform two actions during their turn then refresh their hand.  

During a turn, a player may choose to play petal cards, exchange petal cards, or move a guardian. They are only allowed to complete two of these three actions during their turn. If they choose to play petal cards, they may play up to two cards from their hand to one flower in the Garden. If they want to exchange petals, the player may place up to two of their cards from their hand to the bottom of their deck and draw an equal number of cards from the top.  

When a player decides to move a guardian, they can move them to a flower that is not complete. They are able to complete any two actions, even if it consists of the same action being completed twice.  

A flower is completed once it has the number of petals that is written on the card. The player who has control, or the most guardians on the flower, will earn a special power token or a scoring token. The player who completed the flower will gather all of the petal cards, adding them to their scoring pile. 

Once a player takes their turn, the next player will complete their turn. The game continues in this manner until a player draws the last card in their deck.  

END OF GAME 

The last round of the game begins whenever a player draws the final card in their deck. The players will then take one last turn. Whenever their turns are complete, the flowers that are not completed are claimed by the players whose guardians have control over them. Points are then tallied.  

The cards in a player’s hand or in their deck are not worth points and can be sat to the side. Every petal card is worth one point and every scoring token is worth five points. The player with the most points, wins the game! 

Ellie Phillips
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