Mariposas

Why it's in our library

Mariposas sits on our families-and-adults shelf, for tables that enjoy planning ahead across a longer game. Each player looks after a family of wooden markers on a shared hex map, and the fun is in choosing routes, gathering flowers and growing that family one season at a time.

How to play

The game runs over three seasons: spring, summer and fall. Each season has its own goal card, and you score after each one. The player with the most points after fall wins.

To set up, each player places a first-generation marker on the large Michoacán space at the bottom of the map and takes two action cards.

On your turn, play one action card and move as it shows. That might be several short hops or one long move, and you can split it among your markers. Then draw back up to two cards. Where you land matters. A flower space gives you its flower tokens. A city gives you a life cycle card or a bonus move card, and the first player to reach it also rolls the flower die. Land next to a milkweed icon and you can spend flowers to hatch a new marker there. Each new generation costs more than the last. Collect a full colour row of life cycle cards and you unlock a special ability.

Spring lasts four turns each, summer five and fall six. When a season ends, everyone scores its goal card, the lowest scorer goes first next season, and the oldest generation leaves the board. At the very end, add points for fourth-generation markers back in Michoacán and one point for each life cycle card.

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