Frequently Asked Questions

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The goal is to be the first player to save all 13 unique animals by collecting them in your play area.

1. Shuffle all 58 cards and place the deck in the center of the playing area.
2. Turn over the top card to start the discard pile. (Note: if the top card is a Poacher, return it to the middle of the deck and turn over the next card.)

On your turn, you can:

1. Take the top card from the discard pile and place it face up in your play area, or
2. Draw the top card from the draw pile.
       If you draw a new card, you must decide whether to:

• Keep it and add it to your play area, or
• Discard it.

You discard a card in the following situations:

1. If you draw a card from the draw pile and decide not to keep it.
2. When a Poacher card requires you to discard animals from your play area.
3. If you draw and choose not to keep a special card.

  What are Poacher cards?

• Poacher Card: Requires you to discard one animal card from your play area.
• Poacher Ambush Card: Requires you to discard three animal cards from your play area.
• After a Poacher card is played, return it to the middle of the draw pile.

1. Defend against Poacher cards:
   1. 1 Camo card saves 1 animal from a Poacher.
   2. 2 Camo cards save 3 animals from a Poacher Ambush.
2. Block trades: If another player attempts to trade hands with you using a #4 card, you can block the trade by playing a Camo card.
3. When a Camo card is played, reshuffle the discard pile into the draw pile.

1. #4 Card: Trade hands with another player (unless blocked by a Camo card).
2. #7 Card: Draw two additional cards from the draw pile (if a Poacher card is drawn, it must be played, and your turn ends).
3. Poacher Card: Discard one animal card immediately, unless you have a camouflage card
4. Poacher Ambush Card: Discard three animal cards immediately, unless you have a camouflage card

 No. Special cards, such as the #4 and #7 cards, must be played immediately when drawn or discarded if not used. 

The first player to collect all 13 unique animals in their play area wins the game.

If the draw pile is empty, reshuffle the discard pile to form a new draw pile and continue the game.

No. The 4 individual colors are not integral to game play. For an extra challenge, you may choose to collect only the 13 animals in one color group; however, doing so does not affect the rules of the game.

 No. You can only trade hands with another player if you play a #4 card, and the trade can be blocked if the other player uses a Camo card. 

 Yes! The game is designed for ages 5 and up, making it family-friendly and engaging for both children and adults. Through our personal experience, we have discovered that PROTECT:Africa is a fun and easy way for younger audiences to learn colors, numbers and basic sorting techniques.

Absolutely! While the rules are designed to create a balanced and engaging game experience, you are absolutely free to adapt or make up your own rules to suit your preferences or the players’ enjoyment. Here are some ways you can tweak the game:

1. Simplify the Rules for Younger Players: Remove special actions or poacher penalties to make the game easier for younger children.
2. Add Cooperative Play: Instead of competing, players can work together to save all 13 unique animals before the Poachers "win."
3. Create House Rules: Decide as a group on custom rules, such as how many cards to draw per turn or whether to allow saving special cards for later.
4. Introduce Challenges: Add your own twist, such as requiring a specific color set to win or doubling poacher penalties.
5. Speed Round: Limit the number of turns or set a timer to make the game faster-paced.

Customizing the game can make it more fun, inclusive, or suited to your group’s play style. The most important thing is that everyone has a great time while enjoying the theme of protecting wildlife. If you come up with new rules or variations, we’d love to hear about them! 

We ensure quality through direct communication with our trusted partners in Nigeria. We verify the use of high-quality materials through video calls and regular updates. Additionally, the game has been independently tested in a US-based laboratory and meets all U.S. safety standards under CPSIA Section 101, CPSIA Section 106, and CPSIA Section 108.

We donate $5 from each game sold directly to support animal conservation efforts in Africa. The additional proceeds are recycled back to Africa through tabletop game initiatives and to continue to support the production of PROTECT:Africa

Our vision is to expand our impact by developing more games that inspire meaningful connections and support important causes. We aim to increase our contributions to animal conservation efforts, collaborate with more global partners, and introduce new initiatives to engage our community. Stay tuned for upcoming projects and exciting developments!