Last Updated on February 26, 2026 by The Official Game Rules Team

In Harmonies, players construct Landscapes by placing colored tokens and establishing Habitats for Animals. The game’s objective is to accumulate the most points by strategically integrating Habitats within Landscapes and maximizing the number of settled Animals.

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How to Play Harmonies

Q: What are special abilities?

Certain characters or cards may have <strong>special abilities</strong> that let you manipulate cards, gain extra points, or adjust gameplay. Use these strategically to maximize your score.

The game includes: 1 Pouch, 1 Central board, 4 Personal boards, 4 Reminder cards, 120 Tokens (23 gray, 21 brown, 19 green, 19 yellow, 15 red), 66 Animal cubes, 4 Nature’s Spirit cubes, 32 Animal cards, 10 Nature’s Spirit cards, 1 Scoresheet pad, and 1 Rulebook.

Setup

Place the Central board with the 2-4 Players side faceup.
Put all tokens in the Pouch, then place the Pouch next to the Central board.
Fill each of the 5 spaces of the Central board with 3 tokens drawn randomly from the Pouch.
Shuffle the Animal cards and place 5 cards faceup next to the Central board. Place the remaining cards nearby as the draw pile, and keep the Animal cubes within reach of all players.

NOTE: It’s recommended to play several games before using the Nature’s Spirit cards. Keep the corresponding cards and cubes in the box.

Each player takes a Personal board and decides collectively which side to use. All players must use the same side faceup. Each player also takes a Reminder card, ensuring the side matches their Personal boards.

NOTE: For the first few games, it is recommended to use Side A of the Personal boards.

The player who last saw a magnificent landscape goes first. Point the Central Board’s arrow towards them.

Harmonies landscape building game setup illustration

Gameplay

Players take turns in clockwise order, performing these actions:

Mandatory Action

Take and place tokens.

Optional Actions

Take 1 Animal card.
Place 1 Animal cube.

At the end of each turn, draw 3 tokens from the Pouch to refill the Central board and replenish the row of Animal cards to 5 faceup cards if necessary.

Take 1 Animal Card

This action is optional and can be taken once per turn. Players select 1 Animal card from the 5 faceup cards, placing it above their Personal board. A player can have up to 4 cards above their board at a time. Players then take Animal cubes from the reserve, placing one on each space of the Animal card. These Animals can be placed onto the Landscape.

Animal Card Description

Animal Cubes: These are placed here until they can be moved onto the Personal board.
Points: Indicates the points awarded for the card.
Habitat Pattern: The token arrangement required on the Personal board to create the Animal’s Habitat.
Animal Cube Placement: The space where the Animal cube must be placed within the Habitat.
Token Color Reminder: Indicates the token color where the Animal cube must be placed.
NOTE: It is recommended to avoid having multiple Animal cards with cubes placed on the same color, especially in early games. The colored stripe on the card’s side indicates this color.

Take and Place Tokens

This mandatory action involves placing features to form your Landscape. Players take 3 tokens from any space on the Central board and place them on their Personal board according to placement rules. After placing a token, optional actions can be performed before placing the next token.

How to Place a Token

Tokens can be placed on an empty space.
Tokens can be stacked on 1 or 2 previously placed tokens to create Trees, Buildings, or Mountains.
Tokens cannot be placed underneath previously placed tokens or on a space with an Animal cube.

Place 1 Animal Cube

Animals can inhabit your Landscape once their required Habitats are formed. This optional action can be performed multiple times per turn.

Placement Requirements

The Habitat pattern must precisely match the card and be correctly oriented on the Personal board.
Tree and Mountain heights must match the card.
The token for Animal cube placement must be unoccupied.
Buildings can be of any type (red, brown, or gray bottom token).

If these conditions are met, the bottom-most cube from the Animal card is placed on the corresponding token in the Habitat on the Personal board. Once all cubes from an Animal card are placed, that card is complete and placed next to the Personal board, no longer counting towards the 4-card limit. Each completed Animal card earns victory points at the game’s end.

NOTE: A single token can be part of multiple Habitats. Also, Animal cube placement is final, even if the initial Habitat pattern is later altered on the Personal board.

End of Game

The game concludes when either:

The Pouch is empty, and the Central board cannot be refilled.
A player has 2 or fewer unoccupied spaces on their Personal board at the end of their turn.

The current round finishes so all players have played an equal number of turns. Players then tally points for their Landscapes and placed Animals. The player with the most points wins. In a tie, the player with the most placed Animal cubes wins; if still tied, players share the victory.

Tallying Points

Landscapes

Trees: Formed by 1 green token on top of 0, 1, or 2 brown tokens. Points are awarded based on the Tree’s height.
Mountains: A stack of 2 or 3 gray tokens. Points are based on the Mountain’s height, but a Mountain without an adjacent Mountain is worth 0 points.
Fields: Formed by at least 2 contiguous yellow tokens. Each Field of 2 or more contiguous yellow tokens scores 5 points. It’s best to create smaller, separate groups for maximum scoring.
Buildings: Made of 1 red token on top of 1 brown, gray, or red token. Each Building scores 5 points if surrounded by at least 3 tokens of different colors. Only the top token on each adjacent space counts. Buildings not meeting this criterion are worth 0 points.
Water – Side A: The River: A string of consecutive blue tokens. The River’s length determines the points scored, counting the shortest path from one end to the other. Only the best river is scored. Rivers longer than 6 tokens score 4 points for each token beyond the 6th.
Water – Side B: The Islands: Spaces or groups separated by blue tokens form an Island. Each island scores 5 points. Note that there is always at least 1 island, even without separations.

Animal Cards

For each Animal card, completed or not, score the points indicated in the topmost space without an Animal cube. Cards with all cubes still on them are worth 0 points. There’s no penalty for not removing all cubes, but the card will be worth fewer points.

Nature’s Spirit Cards

After several games, Nature’s Spirit cards can be used for a richer experience.

Setup

Shuffle the Nature’s Spirit cards and deal 2 facedown to each player. On their first turn, players choose 1 card to place faceup above their Personal board and return the other to the box, placing a Nature’s Spirit cube on the chosen card. These cubes follow the same placement rules as Animal cubes.

Game Turn

A Nature’s Spirit card counts towards the 4-card limit until completed by placing its cube on the Personal board.

End of Game

Nature’s Spirit cards are scored like Animal cards. Points are awarded if the cube is placed on the Personal board. Points are based on the Landscapes created and are tallied at the end of the game. Some cards reward points for specific Landscape combinations.

Solo Mode

The solo mode allows players to discover the game, practice, or aim to beat their highest score.

Setup

The Central board’s Solo side, with only 3 spaces, is used. Only 3 Animal cards are placed faceup near the board.

Game Turn

At the end of each turn, the remaining 6 tokens are discarded (not returned to the Pouch), and each of the 3 spaces is refilled with 3 tokens. If no Animal card was taken, 1 card can be discarded from the center and replaced with the top card from the draw pile. All other rules remain the same.

Scoring

In solo mode, players earn suns representing their success level, based on their score, the Personal board side used, and the chosen Nature’s Spirit. Players aim to achieve their highest score in each configuration.

Player AID (Reference Sheet)

Harmonies FAQ

What is the objective of Harmonies?

The goal is to create the most harmonious combinations of cards or tiles, scoring points based on how well the elements match. The player with the highest total points at the end of the game wins.

How many players can play Harmonies?

Harmonies is best with 2–6 players. The game scales well for small or mid-sized groups and remains engaging for all player counts.

How do I start the first round?

Shuffle all cards or tiles and deal each player their starting hand. Choose a starting player randomly, or let the player who most recently listened to music go first. Play proceeds clockwise.

Can I swap or trade cards during my turn?

Yes, some versions of Harmonies allow players to exchange cards or tiles according to the rules of their special abilities. Check the rulebook for which actions count as a turn.

What are special abilities?

Certain characters or cards may have special abilities that let you manipulate cards, gain extra points, or adjust gameplay. Use these strategically to maximize your score.

How does the game end?

The game ends when a set number of rounds have been played, or the draw pile is exhausted. Players then tally points from their collected harmonies.

How are ties resolved?

If two or more players have the same score, the winner is the one with the most completed harmony sets. If still tied, use the number of special bonus points or remaining cards in hand to break the tie.

Conclusion

With a clear understanding of placing your Habitat Tokens and earning victory points by harmonizing the wildlife cards with the natural features of the landscape, you are now ready to begin the serene challenge of Harmonies. Strategically plan your ecosystem, connect your tokens, and build the most vibrant natural display to emerge victorious. Good luck, and may the most harmonious landscape win!