The zodiac animals need help on their journey to ascend the tree of life from earth to heaven. To achieve this, they require the aid of the other animals and elements. Some animals may not fully ascend, but the hope is for all 12 to reach their final form before the 60-year cycle completes.
Stem & Branch is a strategy card game inspired by the animals and elements of the 60-year Eastern zodiac calendar. Players compete or cooperate to rebuild the calendar from beginning to end with the help of their spirit animals. By utilizing the elements and supporting the animals, players gain years throughout the game. The player with the most years at the end wins.
Summary
The game's deck represents the 60-year calendar, with each card symbolizing a single year. Every card features a unique combination of an animal and element, each with different costs and uses. Players rebuild the calendar by drawing from a revealed set of cards and playing cards from their hand into a shared calendar tableau.
Card costs relate to the animal's level and element type, and are paid by discarding matching cards. Animals already in the tableau can also support cards of their matching element, reducing costs. In cooperative play, players work together to help all the animals ascend before the cards run out. In competitive play, players vie for control of animal statues, aiming to contribute the most years to the animals' journeys.
The game ends when the deck runs out of cards. Players then add up their accumulated years, and the player with the most wins.
—description from the publisher