2021 · Environmental
Codex Naturalis
Players assemble an illuminated manuscript of forest life by laying overlapping cards that represent plants, animals, insects and fungi. On a turn, a player places a card from hand overlapping the corners of one or more cards already in play, revealing resource symbols or covering them; resource cards are free to play while gold cards require visible resource combinations and immediately score points. Players may instead play a card face down as a neutral page with one resource but no points. Draws refill the hand, and the game ends after a player reaches a points threshold and a final round, followed by scoring against two public objectives and one secret objective.
- Players
- 1–4 best 2
- Playing time
- 20–30 min
- Age
- 7+
- Complexity
- 1.8 / 5
About the game
- Design
- Art
Photos from Ludoya tables
All photos in Ludoya
Where to buy it
Shop prices and second-hand copies, checked every day.
On Ludoya's tables
Full stats in Ludoya- 1,045
- Plays logged
- 702
- Players
- 24m 2s
- Average play
- 301
- In collections
- 9
- On wishlists
- 1
- Pre-ordered
7.6/10
from 123 Ludoya reviews
By player count
Flem10.0 Appeal 5/5 · Uniqueness 3/5 · Replayability 5/5
Played it 6 times
- Base -
Played it 19 times
Diversión 4/5 · Interacción 2/5 · Atractivo 5/5 · Originalidad 4/5 · Rejugabilidad 5/5 · Accesibilidad 3/5
No plays logged
Rules questions
Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.
Do my played cards have to cover corners of my existing cards?
Yes — each played card must cover one or several visible corners of cards already in your play area and cannot cover more than one corner of the same card; only cards already in the play area may provide those corners. (p.4)
Do I have to have the resources visible before I place a Gold card, or can I place it first and then reveal resources?
You must have the indicated resources visible in your play area before placing a Gold card, though those resources may be covered after you place the Gold card. (p.4)
When do I score points from a card I just played — immediately or at the end?
If the card you place allows you to score points, you add those points immediately to the Score track; Objective card points are counted and added at the end of the game. (p.4, p.5)
After I play a card, can I take one of the four faceup cards in the center or do I have to draw from a deck?
After placing a card you choose either one of the four faceup cards in the center (which is then replaced) or the top card from one of the two decks. (p.5)
What exactly triggers the end of the game, and do players get a final turn when it happens?
The end is triggered when a player reaches 20 points (or more) or when both decks are empty; players finish the round and then each have one final turn before the game ends. (p.3, p.5)
Can the same card be counted multiple times when scoring identical-pattern or object objectives?
No — each Resource or Gold card may be counted only once when tallying objective points, and objective patterns must respect the required direction and colors. (p.7, p.6)
Free, on web, Android and iOS
Play Codex Naturalis with Ludoya
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.