Two small games to end this wonderful week, with a trendy nature theme: trees, gardens and... flowers!
In Arboretum, players curate their own garden of vibrant trees, represented by a deck of 80 cards spread across ten species, each in a distinct color and numbered from 1 to 8. The number of colors used scales with player count, ensuring a balanced and engaging experience for every game.
Each player begins with a hand of seven cards. On their turn, they draw two cards—choosing either from the central deck or from any visible discard pile—then lay one card into their personal arboretum and discard another to their own discard. These decisions form the heart of the game’s strategy, as players must balance the desire to build beautiful paths with the need to control what cards opponents can access.
The goal is to craft paths of increasing value, orthogonally adjacent, that start and end with the same tree species. But scoring is not as straightforward as it seems: at the end of the game, only the player with the highest total value of a color in hand earns the right to score their paths of that species. Each card in a valid path scores one point, or two points if the entire path is made up of a single tree type and longer than 4 cards.
This clever scoring twist transforms every turn into a tense, multi-layered puzzle: should you play a valuable card into your arboretum to improve a path, or keep it hidden in your hand to secure scoring rights? And what will you discard, knowing opponents can scoop it up?
Click the link below, there is a tutorial and that is the best way to learn a game in no time:
https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=arboretum
And let's thank Renegade Game Studios, Dan Cassar and the development done by MGoulet for this title to be playable on most devices!
Why not put a step into the vibrant heart of 17th-century Amsterdam with Tulip & Rose, the latest strategic delight now available on Board Game Arena. Set during the height of the Dutch flower trade, this game invites 2 to 4 players to become savvy merchants navigating a bustling two-day flower festival, where beauty and business go hand in hand.
In Tulip & Rose, players compete to amass the most wealth and prestige by acquiring and selling the most coveted tulips and roses in the market. The game blends elegant auction dynamics with a clever twist on the classic “I cut, you choose” mechanic—forcing players to carefully divide and select flower lots to maximize their profits while outwitting the competition.
Each round, players must make tough decisions: how to split flower cards into appealing yet strategic groups, and how to spend their limited coins to claim the best selections. Every choice carries weight. Do you keep rare flowers to complete your personal collection, or sell them at the perfect moment to turn a tidy profit?
The game unfolds over two in-game days, with each day bringing new opportunities, fierce rivalries, and shifting market dynamics. Only the player who plans smartly, bargains shrewdly, and times their plays perfectly will emerge as the most successful merchant in the festival.
With its historical flair, interactive gameplay, and beautifully thematic setting, Tulip & Rose is a captivating blend of elegance and economics.
Ready to test your merchant mettle? As usual, click the link below to know more about it:
https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=tulipandrose
This time it's because of Kaissa Chess & Games that you can play this game on BGA. We need to thank George Manios, and the work done by kolofardos.
Which one has your favor for this end of the week?
Let us know, and as always...
Take care and play fair!
