The evil genius of Arboretum

My friend Yaj came to stay with me for a week and whilst we did a work from home/staycation he wanted me to introduce him to some games. What could be more relaxing after a hard day of work than tending to a botanical garden devoted to trees?

The rules are simple, there are 80 cards consisting of 10 different trees (this is scaled for the number of players, e.g. 2 players would use 6 types of trees) that are each numbered 1-8. Each player begins with 7 cards and on their turn they take two cards, play one card by placing it in front of them and then discard the other card. 

There is a has a tile-laying mechanic for playing the cards from your hand as you can only place cards that are either larger or smaller than what’s already been placed. As your arboretum grows, this becomes more and more difficult. At the end of the game, your score is calculated by taking your ‘best path’ from smallest to largest for each tree type. For paths that only contain 1 tree type, the numbers 1 and 8, more than 4 cards there are additional bonuses with each card being worth its numerical value.

So far so good right? Seems like a relaxing game!

This is where the evil genius of Arboretum comes in and why it is one of my favourite games. 

You only score for any tree if you hold the highest total value of that tree in your hand. So not only are you trying to place cards down, you must also save cards or ensure that your opponent(s) do not get to score. Lastly, if you hold an 8 but someone holds a 1, the 8 becomes worth 0.

It is, therefore, a painstaking game of decision making and holding on to cards that you don’t particularly want just to make sure your opponent cannot get them. I can just remember how my heart would sink every time I would discard something, and Yaj would instantly pick it up.

Yaj and I probably played 20 games or so of Arboretum over the week. It was filled with moments of joy and utter frustration but always left you wanting to play ‘just one more’. It’s a perfect weekday night game or a filler game on the weekends whilst waiting for everyone to arrive or for the last stragglers to leave. 

Great value, compact, with beautiful functional cards, I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys direct interactions, a high level of "take-that" and hand management. It is an easy game to pick up with a low rule set and plays equally well from 2 to 4 players.