Everdell Spirecrest, Multicolor

My wife loves this game and we crack it out occasionally to relax after a stressful day. The game is easy to play, seems very well balanced (our final scores are usually within 10 points of each other), the art is wonderful, and it's quick. Pros: - Great worker placement/engine builder that is easy to teach - Wonderful art and theming - truly delightful, even for a cynic like me. - Quick to play and easy to teach* (more on that in a second) - most of our games take 30-40 minutes. - Card-based nature gives it a bit of (shared) randomness and replayability. - Simple, elegant design, not a lot of bloated rules or unneded complexity. Cons: - I've heard this is true of many Starling Games, but the manual is not well written and poorly laid out. My wife is a rulebook fan, but we both needed to watch a round or two being played online to understand it. There's also some imprecise wording on some of the cards that are open to interpretation. Nothing a good copy edit and wording changes in a second edition wouldn't fix, but it can make the first game or two a little frustrating. - Full sized cards (preferably with sleeves), the big standing tree, and large play area mean you'll need a lot of table space for this. I wish the cards were a smidge smaller to reduce its footprint.

Everdell is a fantastic game that synthesizes the best game mechanics of a number of its peers. It blends the resource gathering / worker placement component of games like Agricola or Lords of Waterdeep, with the card draw / card synergy of Dominion, with the city building / planning of 7 Wonders. Considering I absolutely adore all of those games, Everdell immediately shot into the Top 3 Games in my collection. The card draw / card management aspect is the most unique and fun part of the game. Cards act as "quests" or "contracts," but also can be used as part of resource management, and you'll also need to have a keen eye for planning ahead to give yourself "bonus" actions / rewards. You start with a set of cards in your hand, and you'll send out your workers to gather resources to put those cards into your city, but there's also a community "pool" of face-up cards that can be bought by any player. The icing on the cake for all of this is that the theme, presentation, and artwork are a pure delight. There's just a magical "something" about the way the art captures the small details of the imagined premise of play that draws you in. It's a bit pricy, but when you see the quality of construction and the art, combined with the engrossing gameplay, it's worth every penny and more. If you have any interest at all in Euro-style board gaming, Everdell deserves---no, practically demands---space on your shelf.

As the title says, this is a cornerstone for your gaming library. I have played a good amount of Euro-games and currently own Viticulture, World's Fair, Imperial Settlers and now Everdell. Everdell is a slightly more advanced version of Viticulture. There are slightly more options for your meeples and the cards you get, whether Locations or Critters, always have some kind of ability that will help you now or later in the game. The artwork is simply stunning, some of the best, truly top-notch. It really immerses you and makes you excited to read the small quote or details that come with the critter or location. The pace moves quickly and crazy enough my 8 year old and 11 year old not only wanted to play but were able to strategize and play along in a game I was extremely certain was far above their ability (The publisher recommends 14+). That not only didn't stop my youngest players but it even captivated them for the 3 hours it took to complete the 4 player game. I have only played this once, right out of the box and its an instant hit in our boardgaming families library. We talked about the game well after we finished and my wife and I are attempting to play again this evening in a 2 player game. If you are looking for something slightly more advanced than Viticulture, this is your game. If you have never played a Euro game, this is your game. If you love animals, this is your game. I don't know many people who wouldn't thoroughly enjoy this game. Well done, Startling Games. This is one of your first games I have ever played and if any of the other games that are soon to come out are anything as good as this, then we have ourselves a new head honcho publisher that has entered the market. Which really excites me!

This is a 5-star game for me. It ticks all the boxes of engagement, complexity, theming, AND it plays great at two-player which is a must for me since most of the time I play with my wife. This game has hit the table a ton since purchasing it a year ago, and it's always a hit. It's a deep game with lots of decision making and a few paths to victory, but it's not overly complicated. I can teach it to friends who aren't heavy board game players in about 10-15 minutes and they're usually good to go. I've recently backed the Kickstarter for two of the newest expansions, though I think the base game is more than enough and definitely worth $60 or so. My sole complaint of this game is the Ever Tree. It's kind of a pain to put together, and it's incredibly flismy. I broke it on my second playthrough.

On first order, I received a Japanese, regular (not collector) edition. After re-ordering, I did receive an English version, but still NOT the Collector's Edition.

Bellissimo

Beautiful and fun game. Worth gifting to someone that enjoys tabletop games.

After 5 games under my belt, this has become one of my favourites. I don't normally splurge to this extent -- money's tight -- but I'd heard really good things about it enough to make this a bit of a birthday treat. Contrary to all appearances it is not a "gateway" game. There is a learning curve... steeper for some depending on experience. Be prepared to spend more time on the first few games than is being advertised. The theme though evocative of Wind in the Willows, Beatrix Potter and Watership Down, this is not a "children's" game although the entire family can have fun with it. The game certainly deserves all the praise it has gotten for it's beautiful artwork and delightful components. My copy (seems to be the second printing) came with the upgraded wooden twigs as well. Replayability factor is high. Every game so far has been different depending on the movement and pick of cards in hand, in the Meadow and around the forest locations. It does take a while to get acquainted with the deck to play more tactically but it's worth it to see improvements in how the tableau and engine shapes up. The worker placement in this is also very cleverly designed. Save your pennies as I highly recommend this for those who want a bit more of a challenge in terms of tactics and strategy.

I like how the game design and mechanics fit satisfyingly well around the central theme of building a flourishing forest city. The art design on the playing cards is delightfully cute, and the pairing of critters with their corresponding construction in the artwork is a lovely feature. I've mostly played the 2-player game with my partner, but have also played with 3 or 4 players, where more of the unique cards and events can be showcased per game. A single player option is also available. Once players are familiar with the rules, each person's individual turn is relatively short, so that the game can progress fairly quickly without people getting bored waiting for their turn. There are good videos available online explaining the rules in around 20 minutes or less, and I would generally recommending checking these out so you can try before you buy. The paper rulebook provided also contains more artwork and lore about the game world. My family and friends have enjoyed playing this game together multiple times, so I would say this represents decent value for money. Overall quality and durability of the physical pieces (cards, resource markers, player markers, board) is very good, though I would recommend taking care when constructing the Evertree part of the board as this is the most easy part to accidently damage due to frequent construction and deconstruction.