Friday Night Shots – Nature-Themed Games

It’s another week, and another week toward Christmas. Time is really flying to the end of the year.

So I appreciate you spending a little time with me at the bar! I guess we all need a break from all of that Christmas shopping.

Or all of the stuff required for your holiday of choice.

Have a seat and I’ll pour you something cool and refreshing.

Or would you like something hot instead?

Maybe some hot chocolate?

No, not that kind of hot chocolate!

Though that is on my jukebox…

Anyway!

Let’s talk boardgames, since I know that’s why you’re here.

I hope you’re not here for an argument.

Since it’s getting colder outside, and a landscape full of snow falling through the trees is one of those beautiful things in the world, let’s talk about nature-themed games.

Because we all love nature.

Well, most do.

Let’s chat!

In the last few years, it seems that nature themes have almost outpaced zombies and trading in the Mediterranean as topics for games.

These themes go in cycles, though, so who knows whether that will continue?

It almost seems like as there becomes more and more controversy about historical or colonial themes, game designers have decided to go the safer route and use themes that are almost universal.

Like nature!

This post was kind of inspired by yesterday’s BGG News post by Eric Martin, detailing a few upcoming nature games.

Like Snowfall Over Mountains, a new solitaire game coming out from Pencil First Games (who have done many nature-themed games).

This is a solo game, which sounds really intriguing.

Blurbing from the game’s BGG page:

“Discover the beauty of nature in the peaceful silence that fills the mountains in the wake of freshly fallen snow. Set out from your cabin to follow paths, look for animal tracks, and find plants amidst a new winter morning. Enjoy the solitude of a calm walk through the snow.

Explore the mountains around your cabin by placing and connecting tiles with different features. Find ways to earn points through goals for arranging animal tracks, ponds, trees, and shrubs in your environment.”

Could be good? I’m starting to get into solo games a bit.

We’ll see.

But really, what are your favourites?

I have a couple of them.

Wingspan is always at the top of the list, though I really only play it digitally right now.

It’s gotten too big! I have it and the first two expansions and I just haven’t brought it out.

But I love the app.

Especially with the Oceania expansion coming out in two weeks.

Of course, it looks gorgeous on the table.

How can a nature-themed game be any good when it doesn’t look pretty?

Of course, some people really hate this game, or think it’s solved.

Personally, I just find it fun.

I like the gameplay of adding birds to your player board, having them lay eggs, gathering food, and letting you draw more cards.

It’s also a game that you can play with non-gamers, though you may have to help them through the “no, playing a bird in a habitat doesn’t activate the birds in the habitat” process.

Another favourite of mine is Cascadia, even though I’m not very good at it.

Though I did almost win at Dragonflight in August!

This is a great tile-laying game where you are drafting a habitat tile and an animal token and you have to put both into the tableau that you are building.

Hopefully you have a space for that animal!

And if you did, hopefully it won’t torpedo your scoring plans!

I do like how it all fits together and the animal goal cards. You can’t try to be a jack (or jill) of all trades with them or you will lose.

Just watch me.

But if you can concentrate on a couple and maybe score a few points with the others, you could do well.

The animal cards are just beautiful and the land that you create with the tiles you are laying down can be quite colourful as well!

Though I do have to question how some of the tiles have an animal on them that could never actually live there.

A fish in the field?

Could it be…a land shark?

(yes, I know sharks aren’t fish…way to ruin the joke)

Speaking of mean and nasty, let’s get a little cutthroat and go to the Arboretum.

What? How could a nice area full of trees be bad?

You haven’t played this game.

As I explain in my review linked above, this game is mean and nasty.

You are laying out a card into your arboretum each turn, as well as discarding a card (after drawing two cards, of course).

For each type of tree in the game, you are trying to score for a chain of adjacent cards numbered from lowest to highest (no repeat numbers and no numbers that are the same) that begin and end with that type of tree.

If it is a long path and they mostly have the tree you are trying to score (I guess you get more points if your visitor is actually able to see the tree they want to see?), then you could get a bunch of points.

But the problem is that in order to score that type of tree, you have to keep the highest total value of that tree’s cards in your hand.

If somebody has a higher total value, then they get to score it, not you.

Even if they don’t have any in their arboretum!

It’s like a sword fight in a small closet.

But it is a great game.

And pretty!

Not as pretty, but even more vicious, is our final game we’re going to talk about.

The game that I just talked about on Wednesday.

Yes, I’m talking about Dominant Species.

A nature game?

It’s not on the BGG list of nature-themed games, but I think it should be.

It’s the harshness of nature as it evolves!

It also doesn’t qualify in the “pretty” category, though it is quite colourful.

It’s just not “gorgeous” like the rest of these are.

Ok, maybe I’m just infatuated with this game somewhat.

But it is about nature!

Nature in all its violent glory.

There are, of course, many other great nature-themed games, but I’m sure you’d like to head home after finishing that drink.

You can always check out Herbaceous or Morels for quick card games with great art.

Or Takenoko if you want to Zen out.

Or many others!

What are some of your favourite nature-themed games?

Let me know in the comments.

This post brought to you Jack Daniels, the number 364, and the letter N