How To Play: Yellowstone

Overview

If you’ve ever wondered how to outsmart your friends and win big when playing Yellowstone, you’re in the right place. After many wild nights of laughter and rule mishaps, I’ve put together this guide. Inside, you’ll find a quick outline of the How To Play yellowstone rules and the best tips I picked up for crushing the competition. Spoiler: elbowing isn’t allowed, but clever strategy is.

What’s in the box

• 1 Game Board
• 90 Resource Tokens
• 40 Trail Tiles
• 30 Wildlife Tokens
• 5 Player Boards
• 5 Wooden Ranger Meeples
• 50 Tourist Tokens
• 1 Park Ranger Van Miniature
• 25 Campsite Markers
• 60 Wooden Cubes
• 1 Rulebook

How To Play Yellowstone: Rules Summary

Setup

1. Lay out the board in the center. Place Yellowstone tiles in a shuffled stack nearby.
2. Give each player a set of colored tourists, starting resources, and a player reference card. My friend Dave always grabs the green ones—no idea why.
3. Shuffle and deal attraction cards, placing three face-up. Put the resource tokens and park rangers within everyone’s reach.
4. Pick a starting player. We usually let whoever most recently saw a bison go first. Trust me, it gets heated.

Gameplay

1. On your turn, draw a tile and add it to the board, making sure it connects to another tile.
2. Collect resources from the tile if you meet its bonus, and place tourists in attractions if you can.
3. After placing a tourist, you can move it if you pay the required resource to the supply. My buddy Tina always forgets this and then whines for a redo.
4. Draw a new attraction card if one was claimed. Rinse and repeat in clockwise order.

Winning

1. The game ends when the last Yellowstone tile is placed, or all tourists have checked into attractions.
2. Tally up your points—attractions, resources, and bonus cards all count. Three games in, and I still mix up which bonuses go where.
3. The player with the most points wins. Winner gets bragging rights and the best s’more at the next game night.

Special Rules & Conditions

1. If you block an area with a ranger, nobody can put tourists there until the ranger moves. Use this power wisely—or to get back at whoever stole your favorite color.
2. Some tiles trigger special bonuses, like instant extra moves or resource swaps. Keep an eye out, or you’ll miss easy points.
3. If you run out of a resource, too bad! Plan ahead and maybe bribe your little brother with snacks to help you out.

So, that’s How To Play Yellowstone. With these rules, even newbies in our group managed to claim a win—and believe me, they let me hear about it for weeks.

Best Yellowstone Strategies

Mastering Yellowstone: Resource Management Secrets

Know Your Resources

First, always keep track of your tokens and cards. Missing out on a resource early can haunt you for turns. Stay alert!

1. Always check your pool before each turn.
2. Plan ahead for upcoming needs.
3. Don’t hoard items you don’t need.

Smart Acquisitions

Next, pick up only what benefits you soonest. For How To Play yellowstone, holding resources for a long time backfires more often than not.

1. Target resources tied to your immediate goals.
2. Trade only if you gain an advantage.

Don’t Get Greedy!

Finally, be careful not to chase every shiny thing. Spreading yourself too thin makes you an easy target for your friends—trust me, I learned the hard way!

Mastering Park Layout Planning in How To Play yellowstone

Start With Smart Placement

You always want your first tiles to be as flexible as possible. This way, you keep all your options open for future turns.

1. Place your entry point near valuable resources.
2. Avoid bottlenecks that slow down tourists later.

Chain Attractions Strategically

If you put similar attractions next to each other, you boost visitor movement and get more points. Believe me, I have learned this the hard way!

1. Connect trails for quick access.
2. Group matching icons close together.

Block Your Rivals

Whenever possible, position tiles to limit your friends’ options. It’s not mean, it’s just business. I once won by blocking Dan’s favorite route. He still brings it up.

1. Keep an eye on their layouts.
2. Cut off easy access to high-scoring areas.

Keep Tourists Moving: Timing Tricks for Yellowstone Winners

Keep an Eye on the Map

Tourists wander like distracted ducks, but you control their waddle! Always scan the board. This helps you react fast when new paths open up.

1. Check every route each turn.
2. Spot shortcuts your opponent misses.

Pounce on Bonus Spots

Sometimes a tourist lands on a bonus that gives juicy rewards. When that happens, grab it before your friends do. I’ve lost games for being too slow.

1. Plan two turns ahead.
2. Prioritize bonuses over slow play.

Bluff and Bamboozle

Take unpredictable paths now and then. I once faked left, then ran my tourist right past my friend’s park.

1. Switch up your route timing.
2. Mislead by moving tourists at odd moments.

Mastering these tactics for tourist movement timing is the unsung hero of my How To Play yellowstone victories. Ignore it, and you’ll see your tourists camping in the wrong spots!

Ready to Outsmart Bears and Buddies?

There you have it, my Yellowstone board game survivors! These tips have served me well—except for that one time I let Dave manage all the geysers (bad idea). Remember, smart moves and a little mischief go a long way. Try not to laugh too hard when you block your friend’s perfect path. Good luck, have fun, and share your own How To Play yellowstone stories with us—especially if they involve runaway bison!

Want to know what we think of Yellowstone? Read our detailed review of Yellowstone here