You and your fellow cattle ranchers are competing to grow the largest herd filled with the longest possible cows. Play cards to assemble cows of all different lengths and breeds.

At the same time, thwart your opponents with attack cards to shrink their herds. Earn bonus ribbons for first cow, longest cow, and biggest herd. Whoever scores the most points wins.

Components

• 90 cards
• 2 "ribbon" markers
• 1 "mooer"

Setup

1. Shuffle the deck and deal each player 6 face-down cards. (Look at your cards but keep them secret from opponents).

2. Stack the remaining deck face down in the middle of the playing area and flip the top card to start the discard pile.

3. Place the ribbon markers and mooer within easy reach.

Game Play

The game starts with the last person to have seen a real cow and continues to the left. On every turn, start by drawing either two cards from the top of the deck, or any one "cow" part (head middle, or tail) card from anywhere in the discard pile.

Then play as many cards as you wish from your hand. Alternately if you do not wish to play any cards, simply pass by saying, "Your Mooove!"

Important: You may have a maximum of 10 cards in your hand at the end of a turn. If you cannot play then, you must discard down to 10.

There are many different types of cards you can play:

Cows

There are 3 breeds of cows that make up the majority of the deck:

To play a cow, select the matching parts from your hand and play them face up in front of you. These form your herd.

Note: You can play one or more cows, of any desired length during your turn. However, each cow must have a minimum of one head and one tail card to be a cow.

Wild Cards

Wild body parts work with any breed in place of a particular body part. They include heads, tails, and middle parts. You may play wild cards when you initially place a cow or add them to an already played cow when coupled with a food card.

They are not considered any breed. For example, you could play a cow with a wild head, Holstein middle, wild middle, and a Holstein tail. This would be considered a Holstein.

Calves

Calf cards are worth 1 point each and are considered 1 cow when counting cows. A calf cannot be played until you have first played at least 1 adult cow.

Cross-breeds

Several cards allow you to cross-breed cattle. Cow Love allows you to cross breed 2 types of cows. Mad Scientist and Franken-Cow allow you to cross breed up to 3 types. Wild cards are not considered other breeds.

Discard the cross-breed card when you play the cow.

Food

Food cards (hay, water, corn, etc). allow you to grow an already placed cow. If you have a food card, discard it and then play 1 cow middle card from your hand that matches its breed (or 1 wild middle card).

Attack Cards

Attack cards are played during your turn towards opponents herds. Some cards attack an entire cow, some only remove the middle of a cow, or one calf. See each card for details. Place the attack card, along with any targeted cow parts, in the discard pile..

Defense Cards

Some cards are used to defend against attacks. Most defense cards are played instantly (out of turn), but the Branding Iron and Barn cards areplayed in advance to protect any of your cows, not during an attack.

See each card for details. If a defense is successful, place that card, along with any attack card, in the discard pile.

Special Cards

A few cards allow you to take special actions, like steal from another player's hand or take another turn. See each card for details. Discard the card after you play it. Note: Defense cards do not work against special cards.

Bonus Ribbons

During the game, ribbons are awarded (and sometimes taken away).

First Cow Played

Awarded to the first player to play a complete cow, and is worth 1 point at the end of the game.

This award cannot be taken away and cannot be awarded to a calf since a calf cannot be played before a cow. There is no minimum length for this award. It could just be a head and a tail card.

Biggest Herd

Awarded to whoever has the most cows in play at any given time, with a minimum of 3 cows. Calves count towards the total number of cows. This bonus is worth 2 points at the end of the game.

If there is a tie, the person who reached that total first holds the ribbon until someone has a higher number.

Longest Cow

Awarded to the player who has the longest cow at any time with a minimum of a 5 card cow, and is worth 3 points at the end of the game.

If there is a tie, the person who reached that length cow first holds the "mooer" until someone has a longer cow, or their cow becomes shorter due to an attack.

End of the Game

The game ends when the last card has been drawn from the draw deck. However, everyone else gets one final turn to play any remaining cards in their hands.

Tally the cards in front of you as follows:

• Each cow part card played (head, middle, or tail, including wilds) is worth 1 point.
• Each calf is worth 1 point.

Add in any bonuses:

• First Cow Played - 1 point
• Biggest Herd - 2 points
• Longest Cow - 3 points

The person with the highest total wins.

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