Players start the game with an Ark building placement token on the board, and a starting delivery path consisting of three cargo trails and one hut. The presence of huts, camps, and the ark building token are important because players will have the chance to earn resources every time the dice are rolled. With a goal of gathering resources to build ark pieces and additional resource-generating huts and camps, player have three options each turn. First, players can roll the dice and move their mammoth; second, roll their dice and collect or deposit resources with mammoth; and finally buy or build. To buy or build, players simply pay the cost printed on their unique player boards. There are five resources in the game attainable by land tiles, water, which is obtained through trade or story cards, as well as coins, which are obtained through cards and the bonus board, and can be used for strong benefits.
If the card icon is rolled, the active player draws a card. These cards advance the story by providing valuable limited resources, and can also have negative effects. Critically, the story cards labeled sin and mercy control when the flood will arrive. Sin cards move the lightning token closer to stormy weather (and the flood), and the mercy token returns the lightning token to the previous weather pattern, giving players more time to build their arks. When the lightning token does reach the last icon in the weather system (Gust) the flood begins. When the gust icon is reached, the active player again rolls the dice. Any tile depicting the rolled tool icon is now flooded, and no longer produces resources. When the weather token passes the final weather space, the game ends. The first player to build their ark wins, but if no player manages to build their ark and save the animals before the flood comes, all players lose.
