How To Play: Planet of the Apes

Overview

If you’ve ever wanted to yell, “Take your stinking paws off my meeple!” while playing a board game, then Planet of the Apes is for you. In this guide, I’ll break down the rules, share some battle stories from my own game nights, and show you the best strategies for winning. By the end, you’ll know How To Play planet of the apes and not look like a banana-brained human.

What’s in the box

• 1 Main game board
• 4 Character boards
• 40 Timeline cards
• 8 Encounter cards
• 4 Custom dice
• 1 Rulebook
• 1 Threat tracker
• 1 Sands of Time tracker
• 50 Influence tokens
• 16 Skill tokens
• 9 Wound tokens
• 4 Plastic stands

How To Play Planet of the Apes: Rules Summary

Setup

1. First, lay out the board in the middle of the table. Make sure everyone can reach it. Unless you have T-Rex arms, in which case, scoot closer.
2. Shuffle the event deck and the story deck separately. If your shuffling skills stink, just pretend you’re making a salad.
3. Each player chooses a leader ape token. Don’t fight over Caesar, you can play rock-paper-scissors for it.
4. Give everyone their starting skills and resources, as shown in the rulebook.
5. Place the threat and hope trackers on their starting spots. You want hope high, threat low. Just like my cholesterol.

Gameplay

1. On a player’s turn, reveal an event card. I promise, at least one will give you anxiety.
2. Players discuss and choose actions: you can try to solve story challenges, gather resources, or work together. Ignore anyone who says, “I know what I’m doing.” They don’t.
3. Roll the dice to resolve actions. Use your skill cards to boost your odds, unless you like living dangerously.
4. Advance the threat tracker if you fail a challenge. Cry a little, but keep playing.
5. Continue clockwise, repeating until you either win or the apes go bananas.

Winning

1. Work together to finish all story challenges before the threat tracker reaches disaster. Remember, nobody likes a sore loser. Or a sore winner.
2. If you finish the last challenge and the world is not on fire, congrats! You win. Do a happy dance. It’s the law.

Special Rules & Conditions

1. If a player’s ape is knocked out, they must sit out 1 turn. Spend it planning revenge.
2. Certain events force everybody to lose resources. Groan loudly, then adapt.
3. Watch the hope tracker. If it drops to zero, it’s game over. Blame the player who suggested a risky move.
4. Some cards give special actions or one-time bonuses—use them wisely, like the last cookie in the jar.

And there you go! Now you know How To Play Planet of the Apes. Gather your fellow apes, set up the board, and remember: work together, or you’ll all go extinct. Good luck, and may the bananas be ever in your favor.

Best Planet of the Apes Strategies

Master Your Resources to Outsmart the Apes

Keep an Eye on the Card Hand

First, always count your cards. You can’t win if you waste them! While playing with my pals, I learned the hard way. Now, I do this:

1. Save strong cards for tricky rounds.
2. Play weaker cards when the pressure is low.
3. Trade cards with teammates when allowed.

Use Skills and Actions Wisely

How To Play planet of the apes: timing is everything. My buddy Tim once burned all his actions and we almost lost! Instead, try:

1. Choose the best skill for each event.
2. Share skill tokens as needed.
3. Never spend all your skills on one test.

Balance Hope and Fury

One time, I let Fury get too high and paid the price. To avoid disaster, I always:

1. Watch the Hope and Fury trackers every round.
2. Spend resources to boost Hope or lower Fury early.
3. Warn teammates if things look dicey.

Mastering Cooperation and Roles for the Win!

Assign Roles Wisely

1. First, decide who is best at handling cards, talking, or making tough choices. Play to your strengths. My friend Lisa became moral leader, and we actually survived!

2. Then, switch it up if someone is struggling. Don’t be stubborn—flexibility is key.

Communication is King

1. Always share your plans and listen to others. I once kept quiet, and we all lost—nobody likes that!

Plan Moves Together

1. Next, talk through tricky events as a team. Don’t rush; group thinking beats solo heroics every time in Planet of the Apes.

Remember, knowing how to play Planet of the Apes means working as a tight group. Teamwork really is the secret sauce.

Mastering the Event Deck in Planet of the Apes

Keep Your Eyes on the Deck

Every event card in Planet of the Apes wants to ruin your day—trust me, I’ve seen it happen. Yet, you can get ahead with a little planning. Watch which cards have shown up and what’s left to come.

Prioritize High-Impact Events

1. Always check the event card before taking action. Expect the worst, hope for bananas.
2. When a nasty event is coming, assign your strongest skills to that round.
3. Don’t waste good cards on easy events. Save them for disasters!

Adjust Your Strategy

1. Switch roles if you see the deck favoring one skill type.
2. Keep event synergies in mind. Occasionally two bad cards in a row will hit the same tracker.

Every time I tried to ignore upcoming events, disaster struck. Use the deck as your guide, and you’ll outwit those ape-hating cards. For more tips, check out ‘How To Play planet of the apes’ for a full breakdown.

Go Apes or Go Home!

Well, there you have it, folks—my best tips for ruling the monkey kingdom. If you manage your bananas (er, resources), talk to your team, and keep an eye on that pesky event deck, you just might escape the Planet of the Apes with your dignity and fingers intact. I’ve seen my crew go from panicked humans to savvy survivors just by following these steps. Remember, when the apes get wild, it’s all about teamwork and a bit of luck. Now swing into action and show those apes who’s boss! For more on How To Play planet of the apes, keep reading my guides. Good luck, and don’t forget the snacks.

Want to know what we think of Planet of the Apes? Read our detailed review of Planet of the Apes here