~ThunderGryph Games
Tang Garden is one of the first games that my wife and I had backed on Kickstarter and at the time it was the most expensive one too (for the complete package). We didn’t back this game right away though; after much internal debate as to whether or not to back the game my gut was to go ahead and take the chance. As a result of this, I was actually able to play online via Tabletop Simulator and fell more and more in love with it. The beauty and design of all the pieces showed me that this game company wants to make sure their products are top-notch.
Tang Garden’s production is one that actually frustrated a lot of backers because it was delayed multiple times and delivered over a year past the estimated delivery date (mind you estimated delivery dates not actual release dates are provided on Kickstarter). In that time span though, improvements were made and the production process ran into a few snags but all that paid off in the end. During the time that the game was being made, my wife and I would attend quarterly game swaps (pre-Covid times) and during one we had found KS editions of previous games by ThunderGryph Games so we picked them up and played them so we knew ahead of time that we would be getting a great quality product.
Fast forward to delivery day, a huge box came with my name on it (thanks to tracking numbers I knew the moment it arrived). When I got home from work I carefully opened the box to see all the “goodies” inside. My heart jumped for joy when I opened the box and started pulling out my long-awaited game. One thing I did not mention is that a second copy was inside the box as well but in German instead of English; the reason for this was that some people were upset about all the delays so I told them if they didn’t want their copy I would get it… so I did.
The first people to play Tang Garden in our home was my wife and I; I don’t recall who won the game, but what I do remember is that instantly it became my favorite. I have since introduced the game to my parents, sister, and many friends. My love for this game is so great that I am even friends online with one of the designers of the game, Francesco (whose other games, by the way, are just as great as this one).
Now you may be asking, why do I love it so much? The answer is simple. Replayability. It is a 1-4 player game (solo mode, a big plus). The game mechanics mesh beautifully together which makes the game work in such a way that each game will be different every time you play. The first mechanic being tile laying. Similar to Carcassonne, you must play tiles that have matching edges. Carcassonne was one of my gateway games into that genre and is one that gamers often reference. In Tang Garden you move up on your player boards and/or earn coins (points) based on what matches on the tile you just placed.
The second mechanic to mention is set collection. In the game, instead of playing a tile, you have the option to place a decoration onto the board from the decoration cards you draw. There are trees, birdhouses, fish, pavilions, bridges, and flowers. You earn coins at the end of the game based sets you collect and place on the board. For example, coins you earn at the end of game for placing different trees increase for every type of tree placed.
Now, I can’t end this with out mentioning two more items from the game that fuels my love for it, the panorama’s and the miniatures.
Once you place a tile on the board that contains a landscape token you draw and place one of the panorama’s (large or small). The artwork on each one actually matches up to all the others of the same size. The left and right sides line up to make one large beautiful picture no matter which landscape it is placed by. That being said, you potentially can have 8 different completed panorama’s per game that are completely different each time you play. Each landscape can be placed using either front or back side as well.
This ties into the use of the miniatures. Once your player boards reach certain milestones you can place a character into the garden. Each character scores in different ways at the end of the game; some focus on the symbols on the landscapes, some focus on the terrain, and some focus on other characters. You will have a starting character that also aides you in moving up on the player board and/or gaining coins. Again, each game will play differently based on all the factors I have mentioned.
The overall aesthetics of the game stands out in such a beautiful way that, to me, no other game can match. The game board is starts plain but gets filled with vibrant color. Oh, one more thing to mention…. There is a game soundtrack that you can download or stream online as you enjoy this game (I also became friends with the composer). It helps set a nice mood for the game and also invokes emotions to “stimulate the senses.”
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