Starling Games | Everdell: Bellfaire | 1-6 Players | Ages 14+ | 40-120 Minutes Playing Time

Product Information

At the end of the game, the player who has the most cards in their city of the type listed on the Garland will gain an additional 6 points. Second place will gain an additional 3 points. Law, Keith (August 13, 2018). "The Best Games at Gen Con 2018". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on September 30, 2019 . Retrieved January 18, 2019.

You may only do this 1 time for each Production card (you may not use this ability to activate a Production card 3 times). You must discard the card before you activate the Production card. First, I recognize how important solo gaming can be within the hobby. I know the original Rugwort solo experience was viewed with mixed sentiments. Too punishing: I think that is the common phrase that accompanies the rat. With Nightweave, however, there is now a solo experience that feels more like the actual game with several twists.I am not a solo gamer. In fairness to my love of Everdell, though, and in my desire to represent the full breadth of options well, I sat down to Mistwood and a mono e mono showdown (does Nightweave even have hands?!) with the spider. This expansion did not convert me. But there are two reasons I look at Mistwood so favorably on this list. Asymmetry has come to the land of Everdell! One of the most interesting modules added by Bellfaire are the unique player abilities. Each critter type, including all those from the collectors editions, get their own critter card with a totally unique ability or power. If you like asymmetry in your games or just fancy a bit more variation this is a really nifty way to achieve it. Each set of rules are concise enough to fit on a very small card but can change the way you play appreciably. Critter comforts Likewise, the Expedition map tiles add a bit of the good stress by looking toward the endgame in anticipation of leftover cards, pebbles, resin, and the like. Building the path of a one-way journey adds an appropriate bit of intrigue. My favorite addition comes from 15 cards which introduce asymmetric player powers. At the start of the game, each player gets 2 player powers and chooses 1 to keep. These are small bonuses that help guide your strategy. For example, the “Mice” player power allows you to gain 1 of a resource you don’t have when you visit a basic or forest location. The “Otters” can use resin as any resource. The “Cardinals” have a hand limit that is 2 higher (so 10 instead of 8 initially), and, when they draw cards, they draw an additional one. In all, there are 15 new player powers, and they add an interesting and engaging amount of asymmetry without adding much complexity. Though they aren’t necessary (and may clash) with the other expansions, this is a straightforward and effective way to spice up Everdell for experienced players.

I can almost guarantee that everyone’s first play featured mildly neglected cities or cities engineered specifically to grab pearls to get the big Wonders, just to see if they pay off. I can still remember my daughter striving to build the EverTree—her favorite card—only to then trash it via the University or Ruins for a bonus and a chance at the twenty-five point Starfalls Flame. It was exciting, but why must the inclusion of a River eradicate celebrated Events and thrust play in one specific compass direction? The idea that a natural setting could upend the and eliminate key bits of creaturely life seemed odd then, and still does. Finally, a word of praise for the board itself in all its unorthodox glory. No rectangles here, folks! I applaud the decision to use rounded edges, insets, and interesting contours. I think Everdell feels more like a world right out of the box because the board is so very strange. Even in its unusual dimensions, it is terribly efficient and a fit showcase for the game. The Bellfaire board contains the Market location, and spaces for the Flower Festival Event and Garland Award tiles. Regardless of the merits, I knew from the start that Bellfaire would have to appeal to me somewhere other than the player count. The setup was no joke, obviously, but once laid out the game is quite stunning on the table. Assuming, that is, that a table of sufficient size is available. I’m not sure I’d have been half as happy playing on the floor! By game’s end, our dining room table might have been able to bear a third player, but even at two we were often standing for portions of our turn because the needed component was out of arm’s reach. The scores were bloated, but not to an extreme. Honestly, they were only a small percentage higher than my most recent play of Newleaf.Hall, Charlie (December 11, 2018). "The best board games of 2018, as chosen by the Board Game Geek community". Polygon . Retrieved June 27, 2019. Hasty: During Rugwort's Prepare for Season action, he will immediately achieve the leftmost special Event. You may pay as many berries as you would like. Example: You could pay 6 berries to decrease the cost of a Construction by 3 resources. And there you have it, I’ve reached my conclusion earlier than I should have, but I truly hold very few reservations about Everdell . I love the look of it, from the squishy berries to the gorgeous card art. Even the slightly over the top Evertree looks fantastic. Given that the creatures here are simply adorable, you might think that Everdell could be a bit saccharine for adult players, but it’s not — it’s an attractive, detailed theme that reminds me of warmth and love and childhood, but it never made me feel condescended to. As such, I can look at Everdell all day and I can’t wait to show my own children when they are older.

EVERDELL New Expansions And Complete Collection Includes Spiders With Top Hats!". GeekTyrant . Retrieved 2022-11-21.The expansion doesn’t add any new ways to win just changes how you get resources and how easy it is to get events and awards. The replayability of the game is increased with 15 vastly different player powers, lots of new events, 4 more forest locations and the new market space which fluctuates during the game. The game end scoring remains identical to the base game.