Alpino
The mountain is calling:

The unique animal world of the majestic Alps is at the centre of the new family game “Alpino” from Piatnik. Tile by tile, new habitats are created for ibexes, lynxes, buzzards and co. If you want to win, you need a good tactic: specialise in one animal species or go for diversity? However, the competition never sleeps and so the value of the different animal species changes from round to round. In the end, however, points are only awarded for the largest group of each animal species. This means you have to be particularly vigilant and flexible and keep an eye on the competition’s territories.

In “Alpino” there are 40 alpine tiles showing the animals of the Alps in different landscapes. There are two animals or waterholes on each card. Depending on the
number of players, a certain number of tiles are placed face up in the centre of the table each round. Before the start of the game, the scoring tiles with the different animal species and the waterhole are also placed in a row. During the course of the game, they indicate how valuable each animal species or waterhole is. Everyone receives a secret tile at the start of the game, which can potentially turn the tide at the end of the game and keep the excitement going until the very end.

The game is played over several rounds, each of which brings new challenges and opportunities. Each round is divided into three phases. Phase 1 involves expanding your territory: On your turn, you choose one of the face-up tiles and place it in your display. As with dominoes, you may only place a tile if at least one landscape type of the new alpine tile matches at least one neighbouring landscape type of a tile already on display. If this is not the case, the tile may be turned over. Two water points are depicted on the back of each tile, which can be placed anywhere in the player’s territory. As soon as everyone has performed this action exactly once, phase 2 begins: Increase animal population. The person with the starting tile grabs the remaining alpine tile from the display and places it under the matching point tile, such as the lynx. This means that the area with the largest lynx population is now worth two points. Once you have reached phase 3, you prepare for the next round, which can begin immediately. This is repeated until no more new alpine tiles can be placed in the general display. Now it gets exciting, the secret tile is used. One after the other, everyone places it anywhere in their area and perhaps the largest group of an animal species will be found after all. Because this is the only way to score points. The number of Alpine tiles under the scoring tiles determines how many points are awarded. Points are awarded for each of the five animal species and the waterhole. Whoever has the most points in total wins this tactical game for the whole family.

– Age: 8 years and up
– Persons: 1-4
– Duration: approx. 20 minutes