18.0 Ending the game

The game ends at the end of the turn during which one of the following happens:

1. The last Period Deck (the Tertiary, see 3.8) runs out of cards.

2. Either the Mesozoic or Cenozoic Era Pool runs out of era tiles.

Optional: If the Mesozoic Era Pool runs out, start drawing from the Cenozoic.

3. The Greenhouse goes to Snowball Earth or Hothouse Earth (see map).

Note: The game continues even if all players have lost their populations.

Important: A scoring round (4.4) occurs when the game ends.

18.1 Determining the Winner.

After the final scoring round (4.4), each player counts the tiles in his accumulated fossil record (4.4e). Each is worth one victory point (VP). Additional VP are awarded as follows:

1. Genotype cards. Genotype cards in your fossil record count as a number of VP equal to the length of the DNA attributes on the card. For instance, a GAA genotype is worth three VP.

2. Ending Population and Culture Animals. Each map animal and culture animal (9.2) is worth 1 VP.

3. Tiebreaker. The most number of genes.

18.2 Flowing this game into an Origins Game.

At the end of the game, you may decide to start an Origins game (Sierra Madre Games, 2007). Use one of your species and its acquired instinct icons (9.1) as your starting hominid in the game.

1. Purchasing Instincts. After the Bios Megafauna game has concluded, you may buy additional instincts by paying 4 genes each.

2. Brain Map Assignment. Then, the player with the most instincts is awarded first choice of brain maps; the second most has second choice, etc. (The tiebreaker is victory points).

3. Starting Encephalization. All brain maps start with the instinct icons uncovered that your best surviving species has acquired in Bios Megafauna. Extra cubes needed to cover icons come from population, and excess cubes not needed on the brain map go into the innovation track.

Note: Players without instincts are disqualified from entering the Origins game.

4. Greenhouse. The Origins Game starts in an Ice Age if the Megafauna Greenhouse ended at 400 ppm or less, and in a Tropical Age otherwise.

19.0 Solitaire game

19.1 When Two-Tuskers Ruled the World (Solitaire).

The Triassic was a time of struggle between dynasties. Shortly after the holocaust, one species of two-tuskers represented 90% of megafaunal populations world-wide. By the end of the Triassic, the two-tuskers (along with the chisel lizards and dog-faces) went extinct or almost extinct, leaving the dino-crocs supreme.

Your Opponent is the two-tusker. Its animals are always size 3 herbivores of its archetype species. All 24 of its white animals are considered this species, so ignore their silhouette. It collects tarpit tiles normally during scoring rounds. If it goes extinct, it is out of the game (but you continue playing).

Set-up. The two-tusker starts the game at size 3 with 10 genes, while you start with zero. The rest of the Set-up is per 3.0

On your Opponent’s turn. On every two-tusker turn, consult this list and perform the first one possible, if the two-tusker has the genes for it.

1). Acculturate (if it has the requirements).

2). Expand into the lowest-climax habitable biome in range. If it has a choice in a given habitat, it will expand into the rooter triangle first (if suited), then the herbivore slot.

3). Buy the cheapest mutation card allowing expansion into a biome where it can survive. However, the two-tusker will never purchase a card that would cause it to become a sea animal if played.

4). Buy the cheapest card, and play it if can, and discard it if it can’t.

Note: The two-tusker will not buy genotype cards, or mutation cards that would cause it to become a sea animal (more than one M DNA). It will skip its turn if this is its only option.

Victory. You win if at the end of the game you have at least 10 victory tiles and you beat the two-tusker score.