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Game Components
Game Board
The 22 inch X 22 inch game board is an aerial view of the Serengeti game preserve. Around the edge of the board, the four seasons, Hot & Dry, Heavy Rains, Cool & Dry and Light Rains. These seasons modify the game scenario, and track progess of the game. At the beginning of each season, a new deck of cards is used.
The board contains an array of nodes with vector arrows. The number in the node indicates the movement cost for entering the node. The arrows indicate the directions that may be taken when exiting the the node. The color of the node indicates the type region it represents. Each of the regions on the board is a unique habitat supporting specific animals.
 | Desert
Roll two dice to determine losses
|  | Forests
Movement is slow and only along diagonals
|  | Lakes
Roll five dice to determine losses
|  | Lakeshore
Easy movement around a lake
|  | Riverbed
Movement is only downstream
|  | Savanna
Movement is fast across the open plains
|  | Swamps & Marshes
Movement is slow and along the orthogonals
|  | Volcano
Lose your entire herd
|  | Cliffs & Escarpments
Cannot be crossed in normal movement
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There are twenty-six buttons on the board indicating the victory points that may be gained during the course of the game. Sixteen for each of the four grazing areas available during each season, and the end-of-season goals - Largest Herd, Most Juveniles, Most Diversity, and Most Zebras.
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Player's Boards
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There are six player boards corresponding to the player avatars, Elephant, Gorilla, Hippopotamus, Jaguar, Lion and Rhinoceros. These boards are used by the player to collect their victory points and keep track of their herd.
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Avatars
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The six tokens, Elephant, Gorilla, Hippopotamus, Jaguar, Lion and Rhinoceros, are used to indicate the location of the player's herd on the board. There are six special cards with wide GREEN borders corresponding to each of these avatars. If a player draws and plays the corresponding card, they recieve one extra victory point | 
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Dice
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The game contains five six-sided dice. One die is rolled by a player to determine their movement. Up to five dice are rolled to determine the player's losses when attacked by a predator.
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Chips
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The game contains two sets of chips. One set of chips represent victory points. A player's victory points are kept on their score card along with their herd cards. The other set of chips are terrain change indicators that are placed on the board when a terrain changes.
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Cards
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The game contains four decks of cards, one for each season. There are three types of cards - Herd Cards, Non-Herd Animal Cards and Region Cards.
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There are three types of cards : Region Cards, Herd Cards, and Non-Herd Animal
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Region Cards
Each of these cards contains special environmental events that cause temporary terrain changes. Each of these cards contain the symbol -
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| Terrain Change
For the duration of the season, the nodes in the region are changed to those indicated on the card. Region change tokens are used to indicate the change
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In addition, each card contains a region layout indicating the effect of the terrain change.
In this example, the cells in and around the lake are converted to desert cells as a result of a drought. Desert chips are placed on top of the river cells.
Some environment cards have special effects. Specifically they can cancel the effects of other cards in the same area.
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Drought cancels flood
Flood cancels drought
Monsoon cancels fire
Fire cancels locust
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Some environment cards indicate that Xs are to be placed over nodes, such as -
In this case, a volcano erupts. Any herds located on the Xed nodes must role four dice to determine their loses
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1-4 No loss
5-6 One herd card to the discard pile
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For the remainder of the season, the Xed nodes may not be entered by any players.
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Herd Animal Cards
Herd cards have the denominations - 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500, indicating the number of animals in the herd. Cards with 'J' notation are for juvenile animals.
  
  
At the end of each season, all herd cards must be placed on the player's board in their herd's location. At the end of each season except the last season, the player with the largest herd receives two victory. At the end of the last season, special end of year victory points are allocated.
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Non-Herd Animal Cards
Each of these cards contain special symbols indicating how the card is to be used.
These symbols are:
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| Victory Points
The number indicates the victory points that are gained or lost. Add or remove these points from the player's total.
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| Dice Roll Losses
The number indicates the number of dice that must be rolled to determine losses. The attacked player may lose herd cards to either the discard pile or the attacker:
1-4 No loss
5 One herd card to the discard pile
6 One herd card to the attacker (Sixes must be resolved before fives).
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| Movement
Move the avatar the indicated number of nodes, in the any of indicated directions. Movement must agree with the arrows and may not cross cliffs. These cards may only be played in favor of the player.
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| Forced Movement
Move the avatar the indicated number of nodes, in the indicated direction. Movement need not agree with the arrows and may cross cliffs. These cards may only be played against an opponent. These cards cannot work be used against an opponent in primary pasture.
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| Take & Discard Cards
Take and discard the indicated number of cards. If negative, take the cards from a player's hand. If positive, take the cards from the draw stack. Discard the same number of cards as taken.
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