Entry 70- Week 25: Gift of Tulips & Spook Manor

 

        We are still working on moving but are getting close to being done so sitting down and playing a longer game was out of questions especially when I worked (remember that I am self-employed and work when I get hired by attorneys) and my wife and I had a few doctor’s appointments in the mix as well. 

        We did find the time to play a couple of easy games that we got from our Kickstarter backings that we both fun and enjoyable to play. Let’s dive right into the first one. 

GIFT OF TULIPS (2022) 

        Gift of Tulips by Weird Giraffe Games was a Kickstarter project that when we backed we immediately went for two copies with the idea that it would be a Mother’s Day gift for my mom. Well, it did not arrive in time for Mother’s Day and we didn’t want to wait to play it until next year. 

        Was this game a hit for us or will the tulips just wither away? 

BGG Description

In Gift of Tulips, tulip enthusiasts explore Amsterdam's tulip festival to build colorful bouquets, give tulips to others (scoring points in the process), and manipulate the value of the market. 

The deck includes tulips of four colors, with values 2-4. Lay out four festival cards based on the player count, with these cards showing the number of points scored for giving away tulips, keeping tulips, and having a majority of certain colors at the end of the game. Draw two cards of different colors, and place them under the festival cards in first and second place based on their value. Deal two cards to each player; keep one card face up in front of you and add the other face down to the "secret festival" pile. 

On a turn, draw a card from the deck and KEEP/GIVE/ADD it, then draw a second card and take one of the actions you didn't just take. The actions: 

• KEEP: Place the card face up in front of you, scoring points for it if that color is currently ranked third or fourth in the festival. 

• GIVE: Give the card to another player, who places it face up in front of themselves; you score "giving" points based on the current ranking of that color in the festival, plus points equal to the value of that tulip. 

• ADD: Place the card face down in the secret festival or add it face up to the festival, altering the ranking of colors if needed so that the color with the highest sum is first, etc. 

When the deck runs out, shuffle the cards in the secret festival, then draw five at random and add them face up to the festival, adjusting the ranking as needed. (If fewer than five cards are in the secret festival, add all of these cards to the festival.) For the three highest ranked colors in the festival, whoever has the most and secondmost cards in these colors scores points as listed on the festival cards; in games with five and six players, the player with the thirdmost cards of a color also scores points. In case of a tie for card count, the tied player with the higher value of a color wins that tie. Whoever has the most points wins.

Weight 2.0/5 

A Little More Info 

         The above description really sums up how to setup and play the game from start to finish. Is it really that simple? Well, yeah, it actually is. One other thing to note is that this is a 2-6 player game. 

What we like about the game 

        We, meaning my wife and I and my mother, love how fast the game plays. Even on our first playthrough of the game we got done around the 20 minute mark which is what the publisher states is the game time.

        With only three actions to choose from, the game is simple and easy to understand. The only catch is that you cannot pick the same action twice in a turn which we sometimes wish we could have done. 

        The scoring in the game is easy to understand as well. The symbols on the festival cards do help with reminding you what points you ean with each action.

         Oh, another thing about the game is that the cards are beautiful. With only four different types of tulips, you are not overwhelmed by more cards than needed. 

What we don’t like about the game 

        Even though they look nice, the wooden player pieces in the game are a bit awkward for the scoring cards. The tulip markers are great and fit the tracker card nicely, but the player tokens are too big for the scoring card. 

        The best remedy to this is either redo the current scoring card so the scoring spots are larger or to have a larger score card. We understand that having one size of cards in a game is wonderful, but this time two sizes would have been better. 

SPOOK MANOR (2022) 

        Spook Manor is the separate “mini” game that goes along with Monsters on Board by Final Frontier Games whose Kickstarter campaign is currently still in fulfillment mode. 

BGG Description 

It’s been fifty years since Startleton was terrorized by monsters in motor carriages. They were never to be seen or heard of again, and so with time the monsters become nothing but a part of old folks tales and scary campfire stories. 

Since then, Spook Manor has sat empty and fallen into disrepair. Recently, a local group of children decided to prove that “there are no such things as monsters ”and so they gathered up the courage to go on an adventure and explore the manor. 

You overheard that a group of brave kids are planning to stay the night here soon—this is the perfect opportunity to restore Spook Manor to its former terrifying glory and show them just how wrong they are! 

Over the course of the game, you will draft and place twenty Room cards in an effort to restore Spook Manor. Different kids have different fears, and scaring them properly will award more points. In addition to rebuilding the manor and scaring the kids, you’ll also want to invite lots of monsters! Spook Manor was once famous among monsters as a party house. Monsters are terrifying, sure, but they also need something to do, so make sure you’ve got plenty of entertainment lined up for them to get down to. The player who has the best plan (most VP) to restore Spook Manor at the end of the game, wins! 

—description from the publisher 

Weight 1.25/5 

A Little More Info 

        The game play is simple enough to understand, after you play your first card (from the initial four), you pass the other three and then draw a new card from your stack. Repeat until you cannot draw another card. 

        A hint for doing well in the game is to have a well rounded manor built and to do you best to use all the Creeples, yes they are called Creeples, to leave your lobby empty. 

What we like about the game 

        Just like with Gift of Tulips, this game does play quickly. Box says 30 minutes but if you know what you are doing it plays faster. Heck, we can’t even get a pizza delivered in 30 minutes or less anymore. 

        We love the look of the Creeples. Good quality and great vibrant colors. We love that Final Frontier Games decided to not use the standard game meeple for this game. 

    The instruction manual is easy to follow once you understand the symbols on the cards. The solo mode rules included in the game is also easy to follow with another variant to solo play include to make it more challenging. 

What we don’t like about the game 

        Same with Gift of Tulips, the scoring card used for the Lighting Cards could be a little bigger to better fit the Creeple placement for scoring this section. Other than that, we have found no other fault in the game. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

        We thoroughly enjoyed both games this week. We love that both games can play up to six players and finish in 30 minutes or less. Both games do not take up a lot of table space either. Which is a huge plus especially at a higher player count. 

    We would recommend both games to be played with younger gamers as well since the rules are simple and easy to learn. 

    We were surprised to see that Gift of Tulips had a higher weight than Spook Manor. We thought it would be the other way around.

    So who would like to "tip-toe through the tulips" on their way to creating their own spooky manor filled with Creeples?

Entry 69- Week 24: Tiny Towns & Ark Nova

         This week has been a really wild and crazy one for us. We are still in the middle of moving, getting all of our games over to the new place and working on the rest of our items too (still not done with moving); because I am self employed, I work when I get hired and this week (and next week) has been super busy with last minute jobs; and on top of that…. sorry, dozed off, what was I saying? Yeah that’s right, our energy level to sit and play games have been lacking greatly because of everything that is going on. 

        Therefore, I want to ask for forgiveness ahead of time if this week’s blog is not as in depth as previous ones. 

TINY TOWNS (2019) 

        We played this game because of the game description plus the fact that we picked up a copy with one expansion from a Buy/Sell group I follow on Facebook. With how busy we have been we thought it would be an easy game to grasp and simple enough our tired minds and bodies could handle. 

        We just played the base game and not the expansion that we got with it. There are a handful of expansions and micro-expansions for the game that we can’t wait to try out as well. 

BGG Description 

You are the mayor of a tiny town in the forest in which the smaller creatures of the woods have created a civilization hidden away from predators. This new land is small and the resources are scarce, so you take what you can get and never say no to building materials. Cleverly plan and construct a thriving town, and don't let it fill up with wasted resources! Whoever builds the most prosperous tiny town wins! 

In Tiny Towns, your town is represented by a 4x4 grid on which you will place resource cubes in specific layouts to construct buildings. Each building scores victory points (VPs) in a unique way. When no player can place any more resources or construct any buildings, the game ends, and any squares without a building are worth -1 VP. The player with the most VP wins! 

-description from publisher 

Weight 2.07/5 

A Little More Info 

        In a nutshell… 

        This game is designed to play fast, even with 6 players. The active player selects the resource that everyone places in their towns. Once you are able to create a building, you remove the matching resources and place the building in one of the spots that had a resource in it. 

        What about the buildings you say? There are seven different main classifications of buildings with four different types in six of them. The one that remains the same for each game is the cottage. Each building has different scoring rules for the end of the game and/or abilities for in-game. 

        But wait, there is more. Each person at the start of the game is dealt two monument cards and from those two they keep one. This is a special building with special abilities that you can build only once in the game. 

        As mentioned in the description, the game ends when everyone is unable to take resources and/or place buildings. Then final scoring happens and the winner is declared. 

         …”and that is all I have to say about that.” – Forrest Gump 

What we like about the game 

        We love that the game plays fast. If you are looking for something that even with a higher player count that will end pretty quickly, then this is your game. 

        We also love that the different shapes that are needed for the various buildings are simple and easy to follow. The tricky part is to make sure that when you are adding resources and/or the buildings, you don’t block yourself out from further creations. 

        The wooden pieces to the game are good quality and will last if taken care off. When filling out your 4x4 game board the buildings and wells look pleasing when placed.

What we don’t like about the game 

         If you struggle with spatial reasoning, then this game might not be the best match for you. My wife struggled in the game a little over it but overall enjoyed the game and would play again. 

        As with a lot of reviewers of the game, the 4x4 board seems a bit small, tiny even (pun intended). A 5x5 board would keep the game play manageable and afford you more options in building up your tiny town. 

ARK NOVA (2022) 

        My wife and I played a partial game with my mother on the first attempt (ran out of time to finish) which helped us to play the complete game yesterday at an event hosted by a member of our gaming group. 

        The partial game helped us to better understand the game since we knew we would be playing with a handful of new players on our second game. The full play of the game was greatly satisfying because we were able to see other areas of the game that we did not on the partial. 

        Is this game worth all the hype? Read on, please. 

BGG Description 

In Ark Nova, you will plan and design a modern, scientifically managed zoo. With the ultimate goal of owning the most successful zoological establishment, you will build enclosures, accommodate animals, and support conservation projects all over the world. Specialists and unique buildings will help you in achieving this goal. 

Each player has a set of five action cards to manage their gameplay, and the power of an action is determined by the slot the card currently occupies. The cards in question are: 

        • CARDS: Allows you to gain new zoo cards (animals, sponsors, and conservation project cards). 

        • BUILD: Allows you to build standard or special enclosures, kiosks, and pavilions. 

        • ANIMALS: Allows you to accommodate animals in your zoo. 

        • ASSOCIATION: Allows your association workers to carry out different tasks. 

        • SPONSORS: Allows you to play a sponsor card in your zoo or to raise money. 

255 cards featuring animals, specialists, special enclosures, and conservation projects, each with a special ability, are at the heart of Ark Nova. Use them to increase the appeal and scientific reputation of your zoo and collect conservation points. 

—description from the publisher 

Weight 3.72/5 

A Little More Info 

        There is so much to this game that I just don’t have the energy to write about. Let’s just say that every aspect of the game has some form and function that works together to complete the game. 

        Yes, there is a lot going on and at first it is overwhelming… even for us who love some complex games. However, as you progress in your first game, things become easier and easier as you learn the five different main actions cards. 

        The best advice I can provide right now is to watch some of the videos that explain the game better. Click here for the one that helped us best. 

What we like about the game 

           The first thing we love about the game is the way that the action card gain their “power.” In the game the action cards are laid out from left to right with power of one up to five. After using one of the cards, it gets put all the way to the left at a power of one and the other cards shift to the right. You can also add modifiers to increase the value of the cards. 

        Second thing we like, no love, about the game is that almost every component in the game is aesthetically beautiful. The one thing that stands out the most are the cards in the game. All of the artwork is just gorgeous and makes you want to stop for a second and look at each one. 

        Next up, the downtime between turns for the most part is minimal. Even in a four player game the turns go pretty quickly because you can plan ahead what your next action might be. Even if someone triggers the Break (where you reset some things in the game, go down to your hand size, and even earn the income that allows you to build buildings/enclosures and play your animal cards ) or takes a card you might have been eyeing, modifying your planned turn typically is quick. We have not seen a lot of analysis-paralysis with the game .

        Another thing is that there isn’t really much “take that” actions. Yes there are a few ways to slow down opponents but that is short lived especially when the Break happens. 

        We do love that you cannot just focus on one area, type of animal, or one action to win the game. You must learn to balance everything out to succeed. This creates a well-rounded game. 

What we don’t like about the game 

        Only three things that we find that lacked in the game… 

        The first, the break token shaped like a coffee cup big and awkward looking. Most of the time if it gets knocked over you wouldn’t notice. If they made it half the width, it would look better. 

        The second, the money tokens are square and plain looking. No real designation that they are supposed to represent money except they match what is on the cards. We can see so many people substitute them with other coins and poker chips. 

        The third, what a TABLE HOG. On a 4’x3’ dining room table, there was little space left. For some comfort, a 4’x4’ table is the minimum I would recommend. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

        If you are looking for a fun game with higher player counts, small table space, and fast game play, Tiny Towns is the game for you. 

        If you are looking for a game that takes up the whole table, plays in a couple hours at the minimum, but is one of the hottest and most complete and beautiful games out there then for sure, get your hands on Ark Nova. 

        Do we have a preference as to which is better? Nope. Because each game is unique in its own right. 

        Currently Tiny Towns has a handful of expansions that adds more to the game and Ark Nova has the potential to add more content to enhance the game without changing the actual gameplay (such as adding more building, animal, etc.) 

        Also regarding Ark Nova, don’t be afraid of this game. Once you get going the overall game play is not hard to grasp. A friend of ours had stated that there is a difference between a 2 player game and a 4 player game (my wife and I felt that there was not much difference between as 3 and 4 player game) but it doesn’t change the overall play of the game much; just that you can better plan for when the Break comes.

    So to answer the question of is Ark Nova worth the hype? We say yes. Yes it is worth all the hype. 

Entry 68- Week 23: Cupcake Empire

       

        A few months ago my wife had seen somebody post on Facebook that an online retailer had this game listed for half the normal retail price. She had asked me with “puppy dog eyes” if we could get it. The comments about the game on Facebook had been overall positive so I told her to go ahead and get it. 

        Flash forward to just a few days ago we finally got this game to the table. One of the reasons we played it now is because we are in the middle of moving from our current place to move in with my mother-in-law and we wanted an easier game to play due to how tired we are after each day of moving (slow process due to having to take one load at a time and put things away before taking next load over). Anyways, here is our review of Cupcake Empire by Ludonova. 

Cupcake Empire (2018) 

BGG Description 

Cupcakes are at the height of fashion in the city. It's the perfect time to expand your business. Even though at the moment you only have one small Bakery, the dedication and the level of creativity of your employees means that there are no limits to your ambition. Your task will be no piece of cake since your competitors share your same goals and they are not going to make it easy for you. Only those who work the most efficiently and effectively will manage to build their own cupcake empire. 

Cupcake Empire is mainly a dice game. Your personal board represents your business and the dice your workers. In each of the columns of the board you can carry out one specific action; create new recipes for cupcakes, open new stores, serve customers, hire new workers, etc. On each turn you will have to decide which column you are going to activate, taking into account that the more dice there are and the more specialized they are, the more effective the action will be. Through these actions you will increase your level of sales and production, trying to get them to grow in equal measure since at the end of each of your turns your Income will increase by the amount indicated by the marker that is the furthest behind i.e. that has made the least progress. 

Weight 2.79/5 

A Little More Info 

        The description above is just a teaser into the game. So let’s dive into a little bit more (well, a lot more)… 

Components (mixed with game play) 

        City & Personal Boards: The city board (which I will call the game board) is the central board that every player uses. This is where the neighborhoods are located (grey, yellow, & beige) with the customer meeples you sell to, where you build your retail outlets and bakeries, and track your victory/income points. 

        The personal (player) boards contain the five different action columns (which is discussed in this section with corresponding pieces), where you earn your “bright ideas,” the rest area (for dice number 6), the customer board (where you place the customers you sold cupcakes to), and the Production & Sales Level tracks. 

        Cake bases and frosting: In the game there are simple and mixed pieces. The cake bases are chocolate, vanilla and swirl (combination of the two). The frosting has four basic (strawberry, mint, chocolate, and lemon) and 6 different combinations of the mixed (two flavors swirled together). 

        These are important for a few reasons: 1) the combination of frosting and cake base increases your Production Level by two, three, or four points and 2) the combination you create helps you to sell to the customer meeples (see below). Two simple pieces together can match you up to only one customer whereas two of the mixed pieces gives four different combinations of customers to match. 

        To earn the mixed you pieces you need to make it down to Level 2 on the Bake Bases (purple /dice number 1) and Prepare Frosting (yellow/ dice number 2) action column. 

        Retail Outlets: These pieces are the little cupcake buildings in the game. You need to place a building in the yellow and beige neighborhoods in order to be able to sell your goods to the customers in that column (you could also use a bakery instead of a retail building; see below). 

        When placing the Retail Outlet you also increase your Sales Level by one point. To place in the yellow neighborhood you need to reach Level 1 on the Open Retail Outlets (orange/ dice number 3) action column. Level 2 allows you to place it in the beige neighborhood and Level 3 lets you place one in each. 

        Due to the limited number of retail spaces on the game board, other players can replace your store. If this happens, the sales level point you earned is taken away. 

        Customers: The game has 24 customers in 8 different color combinations. The pieces are placed randomly during setup onto the game board; one on each level in each neighborhood. 

        The color of the legs refer to the cake base and the shirts on the meeples refer to the color of the frosting. You can only sell to the customers that match your cupcake combinations. The Sell Cupcakes (green/ dice number 4) action column tells you know which level of customer that you can sell to. Remember that you have a retail outlet or bakery in that neighborhood first. Level 1 reaches up to the second row up in the neighborhood; Level 2 reaches the third row, and Level 3 reaches the fourth (top row). 

        Each customer you sell to increases your sales level either one, two, or three and one each 3rd or 4th row customer earns you at least one victory point (up to five). You then place the customer on your player board in the corresponding customer area on your player board. 

        Bakeries: Each player has three bakeries in the game. The first one is placed in the grey neighborhood on the game board. On the Contract New Staff and Expand Business (pink/ dice number 5) action column is where you can place a bakery. Level 3 lets you place it in a yellow neighborhood and earn an Improvement tile (see below); Level 4 let’s you place a Bakery in a beige neighborhood or activate any action in any column on your player board regardless of the number of dice there. When you place a Bakery you also gain either one or two steps in both your Sales and Production tracks. 

         There are two other Levels on this action column that deals with other items (see below). 

         Take note, that once a Bakery is placed it can not be removed by another player. 

        Improvements: There are 24 improvements tokens (six different, four each) that allow you to take extra actions if you activate a level of an action column. At the start of the game you have one that you place on any column you choose on the player board and you can earn more by using the Contract New Staff and Expand Business column and/or using a Special Action (once again, see below). 

        The six improvement actions are the following: choose a simple cake base from the reserve (where the extra components are kept until selected), choose a simple frosting from the reserve, open a Retail Outlet in a yellow neighborhood, Sell Cupcakes to a row one or two customer of an eligible neighborhood, Advance three income (victory points) steps, and move you Bright Ideas marker two steps (see below).

        Also take note that you cannot place two of the same Improvement Tokens in a single action column. 

        Dice: The dice in the game is your “engine builder” and are your “employees.” They serve two main purposes: 1) Based on the number that is shown when you roll the dice, they are place in the specific action columns (as described above) with the exception of a dice roll of 6 which are placed in the Rest Area (more about this in a second) and 2) The non-grey dice are Specialists (pink dice are wild and called Jokers). 

        If the specialists are placed in the matching action column, you are allowed to jump to the next available action Level (skipping any holes), the Jokers do the same for every column they are placed in.

        Any dice roll of 6 is placed in the Rest Area. First die there gives you a Bright Idea token, each additional die place advances you around the Bright Idea track. Once you make the full circle (3 steps) you receive an additional Bright Idea token. 

        Bright Ideas (& Special Actions): You can hold a maximum of three Bright Idea tokens at once. They are used for taking an action in the Rest Area and for taking a Special Action. 

        Bright Idea actions are the following: 1) Rest Area: use a token to move any or all of the dice in the rest area to any one action column, 2) Special Action: return Bright Idea token to the reserve and choose an improvement from the reserve and place it on your player board in an open Improvement spot, and 3) Special Action: Return a Bright Idea token to the reserve to move a single die to another column that you are going to activate (if a gap is created move the remaining dice up). 

        The Rest Area has another action you can use instead of using an Bright Idea token. You can decrease your income track one point for each die you remove from the Rest Area. 

        The Special Actions have two additional non-Bright Idea token actions too. The first is that you can lose two income points to receive a Bright Idea token and the second is move back three income points for each die you want to relocate to another action column. 

        Objective Tiles: The game also has 20 different objective tiles that are divided in four groups of five. At the beginning of the game, you randomly select one from each group. During the game if you meet the requirements of the objective you then place one of your round discs on it and gain the six income points (if you no longer qualify you still keep the points). 

        Additional Components: The additional items for each player are 3 cubes for tracking Bright Ideas, Sales, and Production levels; 5 round discs for keeping income points and completed objectives; lastly, four player aides that one side shows you the special actions and the other side is a reminder of the production values of the cake bases and frostings. The rulebook and a first player marker that depicts the fine “cupcakes under glass” is also included. 

Gameplay and End Game Condition 

        Each turn a player takes has three required actions (with certain optional) and two “anytime during your turn” optional. Let’s look at the required ones first. 

        Required: The first step you must do is activate one of the five action columns on your player board that reaches a Level 1 action or greater. During this step you can also activate any of the Improvement tokens that are in the column. 

        The second step is advance your income marker by the number of steps indicated on the tack that is furthest behind of your Sales and Production tracks, This is also where you will score the one-time bonus of any of the Objective Tiles you complete. 

        The last required step is to roll all the dice in from the column you activated and place them in corresponding columns. Remember that any number 6’s you roll go to the Rest Area. 

         Anytime Optional: Anytime during your turn you can use the Rest Area and Special Actions (this time see above this time). Using these can help improve your efficiency during your turn. 

        End game condition: Yes, you read that right, end game condition (singular). The game ends when a player reaches the end of the income track around the game board (70 points) or beyond. The game is over after each player has taken the same number of turns once triggered.

What we like about the game 

        Since there are only a few video reviews out there for the game we had to rely more on the rulebook which is done beautifully. It wasn’t hard to read or follow which is nice. The rulebook had a nice flow to it. 

        Speaking of videos, the Dice Tower review by Tom is spot on (you can watch it here). He does a pretty good job of proving the overview of the game and we agree that this game is really fast to play. The box estimates that a game (assuming 4 player) can be done in about 60 minutes. Based on our two player games we played, we find this to be accurate. 

        My wife and I found that this game is not difficult at all to learn and play. We feel the weight of the game should be less than what is rated on BGG. 

        We also love the cupcake theme which holds true throughout the whole game. It is adorable and the aesthetics of all the components are overall beautiful. Even all over the box it screams of cupcakes. We do have a favorite cupcake/cake place that made us crave some of their goodies for when we play the game again. 

What we don’t like about the game 

        This is not a deal breaker but when they talk about the yellow neighborhood, the color is more lime green. Likewise, the beige neighborhoods’ color is more like a salmon color. This was an initial issue with us because we wanted truer colors. 

        We also agree with Tom that the wooden components could be larger. The small size can be easily lost if one rolls of the table onto the floor or carpet. 

        

    Other than that, a solid game overall. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

        This game is a hit for us. It is enjoyable due to the cupcake theme and the gameplay does not deter from that at all. From beginning to end it is all about the cupcakes. 

        Even at full retail price we would say this game is worth it for families to have and play. This game would be great to bring out at parties for a small group to play. 

        Tell me in the comments what your favorite cupcake is. Be as vivid as possible since we would like to “taste it” based on your description. Yum!!!

Entry 67- Week 22: Kōhaku

A short entry this week...

Would you like to be able to build your own koi pond and fill it with rocks, statues, frogs, butterflies, and fish? If you answered yes to this question, then we have the game for you. This week we are looking at Kōhaku by 25th Century Games. 

Kōhaku (2020) 

BGG Description 

Kohaku is a peaceful koi-pond-building, tile-laying game. Each turn, players will draft both a Koi and Feature tile from the central pond board to place into their personal koi pond. Score points by surrounding flowers with koi containing matching colors, placing frogs next to koi tiles that have dragonflies, and ensuring that baby koi have a safe place to hide by placing them near rocks. 

Butterflies score based on line of sight, so make sure to line them up with similar-colored koi. Turtles and statues bring a sense of balance to your pond and score points more easily, but sometimes aren’t as valuable as some of the other features. 

You must carefully plan the placement of your tiles, because once they are in your pond, they can’t be moved! With no restrictions on the shape of your pond, you can build a unique layout to maximize your koi pond’s appeal. 

After there are no koi tiles available to refill the central pond board, the game ends. Players will total the points scored by each feature in their pond. The player with the most points wins.

—description from the publisher 

Weight 1.7/5 

A Little More Info 

        The setup of the game only takes a few minutes to do. All of the feature tiles are shuffled and stacked for use in the game. The koi tiles are mixed based on the number of players (additional tiles are added for three and four player games) and then either five or seven tiles are removed randomly from the game. 

        Tile selection and placement of tiles in the game is easy to understand. From the pond mat, you selected adjacent koi and feature tiles and place them into your own pond that you are building. Placement rule is simple, koi tiles cannot be next to koi tiles and the same goes for the feature tiles. 

        As stated above, once there is no more tile to be placed in the central pond the game is over and you score each feature tile in your personal pond. 

        Sounds easy you say? Well, yes, it is just that easy. Not a complicated game at all to play. 

What we like about the game 

        We love that this game is simple. It is a great game for young players and old pros. All you do in the game is select tiles and place tiles. There are no other actions to worry about, no cards or icons to figure out and learn. 

        We also love that you can play by yourself or with up four total players. Regardless of player count you can complete two or three games in the span of one hour. 

        All the images on the tiles are beautiful and easy to see and understand. We had no issues at all figuring out what each tile means. 

What we don’t like about the game 

        There is absolutely nothing about this game that we don’t like. Even the rulebook is done in such a way that it is easy to read and understand. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

        This game is a must have for your collection if you have young gamers in the family. Even if you don’t have young gamers in your home, this game would be a great addition if you like serene and calming games. 

        After playing a few times, it gives me the desire to go visit a Japanese Garden and be “one with the fish.” The retail version of the game is great but if you are blessed with finding a deluxe version of the game, the tiles are thicker layered acrylic ones that gives an added “POP” to the game. Those in our game circle that have game are now wanting to find a deluxe copy for themselves. If you have one or two extras in your collection that you are will to part with, let us know. They would be going to homes of people who love our hobby.