E Lele! Rules

Objective 

Play is similar to Go Fish (E Lele = Go Fly)  – ask other players for cards and try to make sets consisting of bird pairs (♀+♂)* in their nesting habitats, which are laid down in front of the player to create an environment of bird colonies. Each habitat has a capacity to host a number of nesting pairs, each representing a thriving colony. Nesting pairs are worth points. 

Each player can also play Threats that block other players’ colonies, and Protections that counter the Threats on their own colonies. 

The object of the game is to collect sets of nesting pairs (colonies) of birds in their habitats. The winner is the player with the most bird points at the end of the game.

* Mōlī (Laysan albatross) contain one ♀♀ pair.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3 – 8 (?) players

CARDS: Custom deck with 123 cards (plus two key cards and one cover card)

CATEGORY: Card Game, Educational, Animals: Birds, Ecology, Environmental

MECHANISM: Matching, Set Collection, Memory, Hand Management, Take That

AUDIENCE: Family, Educational

PLAY TIME: 45-90 minutes, with option to set time or turn limit for shorter game 

Card Types

Four types of cards:

• 72 BIRDS (36 Pairs) - 20 species with wahine (♀) and kane (♂) of each pair

• 23 HABITAT cards - 8 Habitat types with capacity from 2-4 nesting pairs

• 11 THREAT cards - 10 Threats

• 17 PROTECTION cards  - 12 Protections

Option: for a simpler version, for example if playing with younger children or just learning the game, you can remove the Threat and Protection cards, and just play the game with the Habitat and Bird cards.

See Card Types for more details about each card type.

Dealing

Before dealing, sort the deck into two piles, Bird and Habitat cards in one pile, and Threat and Protection cards in another pile. 

Shuffle each pile, and deal each player 7 Bird/Habitat cards, and 2 Threat/Protection cards. 

If you have a large group, like 7 or 8 players, you may consider dealing each player 6 Bird/Habitat cards, and 1 Threat/Protection card. 

Make two face-down draw piles, one with Bird/Habitat cards, and one with Threat/Protection cards. 

A discard pile will be made when Protection cards are used to remove Threats cards.

Beginning the Game

💡Tip: Organize your cards to have matching types of cards together i.e. habitats, birds, threats and protections grouped together.

Before turn play begins, any matching set any player is dealt (one female and one male of the same species with a nesting habitat) can be immediately laid down on the table in front of the player in their ‘bird environment.’

Turn play

Turn starts to the left of the dealer.

No Bird Cards - Draw 2 Cards 

• If at any point during their turn (including at the start of a turn), a player has no bird cards in their hand—either from laying down their last bird pair or having their last bird taken by another player—they draw two cards from the Bird/Habitat pile. If no bird cards are drawn, they keep drawing one card at a time until they get a bird card. This way, each player always has at least one bird card in their hand during their turn.

Pass and Draw 2

• Once per game, each player, instead of asking for a card, may pass (“hala”) and draw two cards, from either draw pile. They may still lay down cards, or play threats or protections, during their turn. 

Asking for a card

1. Each player starts their turn by asking any other player for a Bird, Habitat, Protection or Threat card.

Ask another player for a Bird card, “He inoa manu  kāu?” Do you have a bird name?

• In order to ask for a Bird Card, the asker must have at least one of those cards in their hand. Ask for the species, but not the gender. 

• If the player being asked has the card asked for, they hand over all the birds of that species, male and female, that they have in their hand.

• If the person whose turn it is gets the card(s) they asked for, their turn continues; they can ask any player for another card.

Ask another player for a Habitat Card, “He ʻano noho kāu?”

• The asker must have at least one bird that can nest in the habitat asked for.

• The player being asked hands over ONLY ONE of that card, even if they have multiple. They can hand over the one with the lowest capacity. 

• If asker gets the card(s) they asked for, their turn continues; they can ask any player for another card.

Ask another player for a Threat or Protection Card, “He type of threat/protection kāu?”

• The person being asked hands over ONLY ONE of that card.

2. If the player being asked doesn’t have the card, they say “E Lele!” (Go Fly!), and the asker draws one card from each pile (Birds/Habitats and Threats/Protections), until the Threats/Protections pile is exhausted.

3. If the player draws the card they ask for, they can show the card and their turn continues. 

4. If the player doesn’t draw the card they asked for, the asking phase of that player’s turn is done.

Laying down cards

The player can take multiple actions of laying down cards. 

Note: Players are free to lay down cards any time during their turn, it is just explained in separate sections for the sake of clarity.

1. Lay down a Habitat card with a nesting pair (♀+♂) side by side on top of the habitat, so the top section of the Habitat card with the type and capacity visible. (Make sure the sex of both birds are visible so players can make sure it is a pair.)

   • Subsequent Bird pairs can be laid down on the habitat up to its capacity. 

2. Lay down Threat cards on other players’ cards. Lay Threat cards across a Bird pair for Bird pair level threats, and across a Habitat for Habitat level threats. 

   • If the player who the Threat was played against has a Protection card in their hand to counter the Threat card, they may play it immediately to remove the Threat card; this is the only time (other than start of game) that a card may be played out of turn.

3. Lay down Protection cards on your own habitats, to prevent or remove Threat cards or protect Habitats. 

If a player has a bird pair with a Habitat that can be played, they must lay them down. (No holding onto high point birds to the end of the game to avoid threats.)

Laying down Threat and Protection cards is optional. i.e. If you want to hold onto a card to play it strategically.

💡Tip: To increase the educational value of the game, each player reads the factoid on their bird cards when they lay them down.

End of Turn

Once done asking and laying down cards, say “Ua pau” and the turn moves to the next player.

End of Game

Alternative 1: Game ends when the Bird/Habitat pile is exhausted and then one player has no Bird cards in their hand (whether through laying down a Bird pair or giving their last Bird to another player). 

Note: it is possible–especially if Sea Level Rise card has been played–that Bird pairs may be ‘stranded’ in the players’ hands and not have any suitable Habitat available in players’ hands. If this appears to be the case, players may need to count up the Habitats that have been played on the table, and once it is determined that no additional bird pairs may be played, then the game play is exhausted.

After no more Birds or Habitats may be played, play one round for each player to play any Threats they have in their hand. If a player has a Threat that can be played, it must be played. 

Then play one final round of turns for each player to play any Protections in their hand that can be played. 

After this round the game is over.

Alternative 2: The game may be ended after a set period of time, or just when all players agree to end the game, with a full final round so all players get the same number of turns.

Winner

At the end of the game, each player counts up the total point value of all the Bird cards they have laid down, that are not canceled by Threats. (Each bird is worth points, so a pair of 3-point birds is worth 6 points.) The winner is the player with the most points. 

A tie–with two or more winners– is possible.