Board Game Geek Rating: 6.99. Board Game Geek Avg Player Rating: 7.34. This strategy card game, Arboretum, is designed for 2 - 4 players aged 10 and up. It combines set collection, tile - laying, and hand management and takes about 25 minutes to play. Published in 2015, this is the retail edition of the Arboretum board game. The goal is to create beautiful garden paths for visitors and score the most points by the game's end. The deck has 80 cards in ten colors, each representing a different tree species, numbered 1 through 8. The number of colors used depends on the number of players. Players start with seven cards. Each turn, draw two cards (from the deck or discard piles), lay one on the table for your arboretum, and discard one to your personal pile. When the deck runs out, compare remaining hand - cards to score colors. The player with the highest - value cards of a color scores for a tree path in their arboretum starting and ending with that color. Score one point per card in a scoring path, or two if the path is all one color. Zero points if you don't have the most value for a color. The highest - scoring player wins. We're happy to back campaigns so you can buy games like Arboretum Core Game online at TheGameSteward. A large part of your spending on this game will go towards backing new Kickstarter games. Contact us at The Game Steward if you have purchase questions or need game advice.
How to play: First, start with a hand of seven cards. Each turn, draw two cards either from the deck or one or more of the discard piles. Then, lay a card on the table to build your arboretum. After that, discard a card to your personal discard pile. Keep doing this until the deck is exhausted. When the deck runs out, compare the cards in your hand to determine scoring. For each color, if you have the highest - value cards of that color, you can score for a tree path in your arboretum that starts and ends with that color. Remember, a path is an orthogonally adjacent chain of cards with increasing values. You'll get one point per card in a scoring path, and two points per card if the path is all the same color. If you don't have the most value for a color, you won't score any points for the path starting and ending with that color. The player with the most points at the end wins. Note: Make sure to follow the rules about drawing and discarding cards each turn. Also, keep track of the cards in your hand and on the table for accurate scoring. Maintenance: Keep the cards in a dry and cool place to prevent damage. You can use a card protector to keep them in good condition for a long time.
