EcoTopAnimation of an EcoTop game

Copyright© R. Botha (2014)

Selection of boards and cards• Important: Read game rules and principles before

watching this animation. Rules can be found on webpage (http://www.kb-projects.com/activities.html)• Players throw dice to decide who selects first.• Player 1 throws a 3.• Player 2 throws a 5.• Player 2 selects first.

Selection of boards and cards: Player 2• Player 2 selects the Savanna board.

Selection of boards and cards: Player 2• Player 2 selects 28 cards (trophic level and special cards) and draws 2 weed

cards at random.

Special cards: 2 redlist species

Special cards: 3 attacking cards

Special cards: 2 weeds

Selection of boards and cards: Player 1• Player 1 selects the Grassland board.

Selection of boards and cards: Player 1• Player 1 selects 28 cards (trophic level and special cards) and draws 2 weed

cards at random.

Special cards: 1 redlist species

Special cards:1 attacking card

Special cards: 2 weeds

Special cards:1 defending card

Start of play• Players do NOT reveal their hands to each other.• Teacher sets time for game on 15 minutes.• Player 1 selected last and thus gets to start first.

Player 1 – round 1 Plays T1 → Fruit plant

1

Player 2 – round 1 Plays T1 → Fruit plant

2

Player 1 – round 2 Plays T1 → Nectar plant

1

Player 2 – round 2 Plays T2 → Fruit eating bird

2

Player 1 – round 3 Plays T2 → Nectar consuming insect

1

Player 2 – round 3 Plays T1 → Seed plant (grass)

2

Player 1 – round 4 Plays T1 → Seed plant (grass)

1

Player 2 – round 4 Plays T2 → Seed eating bird

2

Player 1 – round 5 Plays T2 → Grass consuming antelope

1

Player 2 – round 5 Plays T1 → Nectar plant

2

5 minutes gone

Note• Both players have finished 5 rounds.• Player may now start to attack opponent’s board.

Player 1 – round 6 Plays T1 → Fruit and leave plant

1

Player 2 – round 6 Attacks!!! → Reaper: take 1 medicinal card from opponent’s board

1

No food left!Disappears!!!

1 medicinalplant is taken

Player 1 – round 7 Attacks!!! → Climbing weed: Category 1 → Take 3 cards from opponent’s board

No food left!Disappear!!!

2

3 cards are taken

Player 2 – round 7 Plays T1 → Nectar plant

2

Player 1 – round 8

1Plays T1 → Nectar plant

Player 2 – round 8 Plays T1 → Fruit and leave plant

2

Player 1 – round 9

1Plays T1 → Insect plant

Player 2 – round 9 Plays T2 → Leave consuming insect

2

Player 1 – round 10

1Plays T2 → Seed/nut consuming small mammal

Player 2 – round 10

1

Attacks!!! → Veld fire: take 2 plants, 2 insects and 1 animal from opponent’s board

Save: Fire resistant 10 minutes

gone

2 plants are taken

no insects on board; 1 animal is taken

Player 1 – round 11

1Plays T1 → Redlist plant (food for nectar eaters)

Player 2 – round 11 Plays T2 → Leave and flower consuming reptile

2

Player 1 – round 12

1Plays T2 → Leave and grass consuming antelope

Player 2 – round 12

1

Attacks!!! → Bulbous weed: Category 3 → Take 1 card from opponent’s board

STOP!!!!!

Player 1 has alternative for bulbous weed to play

take 1 card

Player 2 – round 12

1

Attacks!!! → Herbaceous weed: Category 3 → Take 1 card from opponent’s board

Weed are removed from board and no other cards are removed (alternative can be played by Player 1 in any of his future rounds)

STOP!!!!!

Player 1 has alternative for bulbous weed to play

Player 1 – round 13

1Plays T3 → Predator consuming small mammals and birds

Player 2 – round 13

2Plays T1 → Redlist plant (food for nectar and pollen eaters)

Player 1 – round 14

2

Attacks!!! → Air pollution: take 1 plant and 2 animals from opponent’s board

1 plant is taken

2 animals are taken

Player 2 – round 14

1

Attacks!!! → Acacia weed: Category 2 → Take 2 cards from opponent’s board

No food left!Disappear!!!

2 cards are taken

Player 1 – round 15

1Plays T1 → Nectar plant

Player 2 – round 15

2Plays T1 → Redlist plant (food for nectar and pollen eaters)

Time is up!!!!!

End of play• Determine scores

Player 1 – Score (add points of cards still on the board)

1

= 23

+4 5+5+3+1+5

Player 2 – Score (add points of cards still on the board)

2

5+5+10

=20

End of play• Player 1 has 23 points• Player 2 has 20 points• Player 1 wins• CONGRATULATIONS TO PLAYER 1!!!!!!!!!

End of play: Cards not played by Player 1

Special cards: 1 redlist species

Special cards:1 attacking card

Special cards: 2 weeds

Special cards:1 defending card

End of play: Cards not played by Player 2

Special cards: 2 redlist species

Special cards: 3 attacking cards

Special cards: 2 weeds

Research Project: use the pupil’s game as basis for a research projects

Possible format for the project:Write a report of your game in which you emphasize the following aspects:• the selection of cards to ensure a balanced ecosystem;• the influence of ‘attacking cards’ (environmental degraders, reapers and weeds) on the game and thus on the ecosystem;• what did you learn about ecosystems from this game? (50 points)

ORLet the pupils answer the questions in the following slide.

Research Project: use the pupil’s game as basis for a research projects

1. The ecosystem is build in the form of a pyramid with T1 as base, having space for 7 cards while T4 has only space for one card. (10 points)

2. Look at the cards of Player 2. Think about the functions of bees and a lion within an ecosystem and discuss why the bee has a greater score than the lion. (10 points)

3. As you can see, an attack by a weed (especially a Category 1 weed) has an enormous impact on an ecosystem. Discuss the negative impact of alien invasive weeds on natural ecosystems. (10 points)

4. I am sure you have noticed that environmental degraders (veld fires, pollution, erosion, etc.) not only reduce the number of species in an ecosystem, but also change the composition of species. Discuss some reasons why environmental degradation changes the species composition of an ecosystem. (20 points)

• If you need help with the memorandum for this Research Projects, contact me and I will help you.• kbproj@gmail.com