On this Saturday, March 9, 2019, your mission, if you accept, will be to go to Epinal to discover the fun festival and come back with game reviews. Confident in our abilities, proud to receive this quest, we set out on a fun adventure. For the first time, I went to the festival Jeux et Cie d'Epinal, in France. Fortunately, to help me and support me in this heavy task, Barry (second time at Epinal) accompanied me and guided me in the pouring rain (as well as play the role of chauffeur). After several hours of driving, we arrived at the site: the Congress Center. Easily found, rather well located when you come from far away and with plenty of available parking spaces, the mission seemed to be starting on a good track. This is a free festival, which offers you the chance to discover new or old games in a good atmosphere and for all tastes. That's what the poster promised us. Once inside the room, we actually find ourselves in a family atmosphere, dare I say zen. The stands were quite spaced out, a lot of tables available, people were smiling, even very welcoming. On site, besides the games we found some service in terms of restoration (although I found the thing a bit expensive), games to bring back (wide choice in the local game stores). As for the types of games, the target audience is still family and children even if, here and there we did find games a little more focused on the expert public. The demonstrators and volunteers present were very good, friendly and quick to explain the rules with joy and good humor. A nice surprise for a festival this size. It is regrettable that some publishers did not make the trip or bring protos to test, while others were just not present. Overall it's really nice. Too bad it is a bit far, (a 3 hour plus car journey) if not with pleasure I would go back (especially in such a charming company). Especially since the festival only lasted for three days! Wow. As for our original mission ... So we tried no less than thirteen games. Here are these titles with a (very) short summary and opinion. Plus we pick out our top 3 gaming experiences of the event. Attention, these opinions are first impressions within the framework of a festival (noise/fighting for a table/rules not explained correctly/fatigue from continuous playing), as always in this type of events. These opinions can change by playing the game in other configurations, like at home or different player counts or after watching a Rodney Smith video =). Res Arcana |
But that is exactly what happens in a new game from Blue Orange Games called Photosynthesis. And photosynthesis is exactly what this game is about and even how it feels. |
A rare thing in my arc of gaming is playing what is essentially an abstract game that has a sap dripping theme. Normally, abstracts are moving pieces or placing pieces to give a strategic win. Not here. You will start by placing a few small trees on the boarder of a forest. And that is where the abstractness ends. As the trees will then gain you energy, which you use as action points, if they are in direct line of sunlight.
Actions range from making your trees grow from one size to the next, laying a seed on another part of the forest and when trees have reached their full height, letting them shuffle of their mortal coil. Or they just fall over, leaving the space empty for another life to shoot. This is how you gain points. Ending the life of a tree in the center of the board will give you big scoring tiles while on the boarders of the forest, the scoring tiles are not so generous. And there lies the part of the strategy of the game. Having your trees grow in the middle to give you big point, but with the possibility of collecting the suns energy. Or vice versa.
Each round will start with a lager sun tile, moving around the outside of the board. Trees in the sun gain you a point of energy for their size. Small trees 1 point, 2 for a medium and 3 for a large. Although, each tree will cast a shadow, like sitting behind a big headed person at the cinema, you can't see the screen. If your tree is in the shadow of another tree, whether it be another players or your own, it gains no energy for you. The more energy you gain, the more actions you can preform on your turn.
And that's not the only thing you need to think of. Each player has a bank that holds their components (trees and seeds) and a reserve of trees and seed that are used to place and replace the pieces on the board. Energy is also used to pay for these items to be removed from the bank to be placed into your reserve. The bigger the tree, the more it costs. And the more of a particular size of tree you place on the board or into your reserve, the more they cost also. The cycle of life theme doesn't just end with the photosynthesis recuperated from the trees. Every time you remove a piece from the board, whether it was replaced by a larger one of felled, it goes back into the bank...as long as there is a space.
I will tip my hat to Hjalmar Hach for coming up with such an elegant playing and uniquely themed game that feels challenging but leaves you feeling calm, as if you have just had a picnic in that there forest. Find out more about the game by watching the video...
Authors
Barry &
Guilou & Arnauld
shortcuts
All
1st Impressions
99 Monkeys
ABACUSSPIELE
Act In Game
Alderac Entertainment Group
Ameritrash Games
Arnauld
Asmodee
Atalia
Aurora Games
Barry
Bellwether Games
Blackfire
Blackrock Games
Blog
Blue Orange Games
Bombyx
Bonjour Games
Burky & Badger
Buzzy Games
Catch Up Games
Choice Provisions
Clyde & Cart Press
CMON Limited
Cool Mini Or Not
Cosmo Duck
Cranio Creations
Cryptozoic Entertainment
Czech Games Edition
Draco Ideas
Druid City Games
DV Giochi
Eagle-Gryphon Games
Eclipse Editorial
Edge Entertainment
Eggertspiele
Elwin Klappe
EmperorS4
Essen Spiel
Events
Fantasy Flight Game
Filosofia Editions
Flying Carpet Games
Flying Frog
Funky Sheep
Game Brewer
Game Works
Gen Con
Gigamic
GMT Games
Golden Egg Games
GREIFERISTO
Grimlord Games
GRRRE Games
Guillotine Games
Guilou
Haba
Hasbro
Helvetiq
Hexy Studio
Holy Grail Games
Homosapien Lab
Homosapiens Lab
Horrible Games
How To Play
HUCH!
Iello
Imperial Publishing
Impressions
Inside Up Games
Interview
Intrafin
Itten
Japan Brand
Jeux Opla
Jolly Dutch Productions
Jolly Thinkers
Jumping Turtle Games
Junk Spirit Games
Karma Games
Kickstarter
KOSMOS
La Boite De Jeu
Last Night
Lifestyle Boardgames
Lucky Duck Games
Ludonaute
Ludonova
Mandoo Game
Matagot
Meeple City Games
Modiphius
Monolith
Monthly
Moonster Games
Morning
MOZI Game
My Cup Of Tea
Mythic Games
Nauvoo Games
Next Move Games
Norsker Games
North Star Games
Nürnberger-Spielkarten-Verlag
Oink Games
Oka Luda Editions
Osprey Games
Oya
Ozaku Brand
Oz Editions
Pandasaurus Games
Paris Est Ludique
Parker Brothers
Pegasus Spiele
Pixie Games
Plan B Games
Player 3
Podcast
Precisamente
Preview
Quantum Quiz
Queen Games
Renegade Game Studios
Review
RUNES Editions
Say Cheves
Schmidt Spiele
Second Gate Games
Serious Poulp
Sit Down!
Sorry We Are French
Soundscape
Space Cowboys
Spielworxx
Steamforged Games
Stronghold Games
Superlude Editions
Super Meeple
Sweet Games
Tasty Minstrel Games
Tested
The Flying Games
ThinkNoodle Games
Tiki Editions
Top Ten
Treefrog Games
Twitch TV
TWOPLUS Games
UK Gaming Expo
USAopoly
Weta Workshop
White Goblin Games
Yoka By Tsume
Z-Man Games