# Cascadia ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2021 - **BGG Rating**: 7.9 - **BGG Rank**: #60 - **Players**: 1-4 (Best with: 2) - **Duration**: 30-45 min - **Weight**: 1.84 / 5 - **Designers**: Randy Flynn - **Artists**: Beth Sobel - **Publishers**: Flatout Games, Alderac Entertainment Group, Boardgame Mall, CMON Global Limited, CrowD Games, Delirium Games - **Categories**: Animals, Environmental - **Mechanics**: End Game Bonuses, Hexagon Grid, Open Drafting, Pattern Building, Solo / Solitaire Game, Tile Placement, Variable Set-up ## Verdict If you're looking for a wonderfully chill and strategic puzzle, Cascadia is a fantastic choice that excels at creating a satisfying ecosystem-building experience. It's perfect for those who enjoy elegant tile-laying with clever animal placement. Relaxing, yet engaging spatial puzzle Elegant tile and token drafting Satisfying ecosystem building High replayability with variable scoring Excellent solo play experience Can feel a bit solitary Theme is pleasant, not deeply immersive HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description Cascadia invites you to dive into the wild beauty of the Pacific Northwest, in a super relaxing game of tile-laying and token-drafting. Your mission is to create a thriving ecosystem by expanding your territory with hexagonal habitat tiles and populating it with local wildlife. You start with a few habitat tiles, and each round, you choose a new terrain tile that comes paired with an animal token. The trick is where you place these tiles and animals: each creature has a habitat and neighborhood preference, and you need to optimize these arrangements to score well. For example, bears might want to be in pairs, while foxes prefer a variety of animals around them. The game challenges you to create the largest corridors of the same habitat type, avoiding fragmentation of your ecosystem. Four options of tiles and tokens are available, and you have to make the best possible choice each time. If you have nature tokens, you can even 'cheat' a bit and choose the tile and animal separately, which can save your strategy. In the end, scoring comes from the extent of your contiguous habitats and how well you managed to satisfy the scoring conditions for each animal species, which vary each game. It's a double-layered puzzle that unfolds organically and very satisfyingly. ## How to Play Objective of the Game Welcome to Cascadia, fellow nature enthusiasts! Get ready to dive into the breathtaking beauty of the Pacific Northwest and create your very own thriving ecosystem. In this puzzly tile-laying and token-drafting game, your main goal is to build the most diverse and harmonious environment. You'll be drafting Habitat Tiles and Wildlife Tokens to construct a beautiful landscape mosaic, all while competing to create the largest contiguous habitat corridors and arranging wildlife into clever point-scoring patterns. The player who has cultivated the most harmonious ecosystem, earning the most points, will be crowned the ultimate Cascadia champion! Preparation (Setup) Alright, let's get our wilderness ready! Here's how to set up your game of Cascadia: First things first, grab the Cloth Bag and toss all 100 Wildlife Tokens into it. Give it a good shuffle! Next, you'll need to gather your Habitat Tiles. The number of tiles depends on how many players are joining the adventure: For 1 player: 43 tiles For 2 players: 63 tiles For 3 players: 83 tiles Randomly select the appropriate number of tiles without looking at them. Any unused tiles go back in the box. Shuffle these selected Habitat Tiles thoroughly and stack them face-down in one or more piles within easy reach of everyone. Now for the scoring! Randomly pick one Wildlife Scoring Card for each of the five wildlife species (Bear, Elk, Salmon, Hawk, Fox). Place these five cards face-up in the center of the play area so everyone can see them. (For your very first game, we recommend using the 'A' cards in the bottom right corner – they're great for learning!) The rest of the scoring cards go back in the box. Each player gets one Starter Habitat Tile. Distribute these randomly, placing them face-up in front of each player. Any extra Starter Habitat Tiles return to the box. Time to reveal the market! Draw 4 Habitat Tiles from the face-down stacks and place them face-up in the center of the play area. Then, draw 4 Wildlife Tokens from the Cloth Bag and pair each one, in order, with one of the 4 face-up Habitat Tiles. You should now have four distinct combinations of 1 tile and 1 token. Place the Nature Tokens (those cool Douglas Fir cones!) within easy reach of all players. Finally, determine the first player. The player who most recently saw one of the wildlife in the game gets to go first. If you can't remember, a random selection works just fine! You're all set to begin your journey through Cascadia! The Turn of Play Starting with the first player and moving clockwise, players will take turns building their environment. Each turn is a chance to expand your landscape and populate it with magnificent wildlife. At the start of every turn, you'll see four Habitat Tile and Wildlife Token combinations in the center of the play area, offering four choices. But before you pick, let's check for some wildlife drama! Overpopulation Check Sometimes, the wildlife gets a little too cozy. Before you make your selection, look at the available Wildlife Tokens: 3 of the same Wildlife Token: If three of the available Wildlife Tokens are identical, you (the active player) can choose to "wipe" them. Take those three tokens and set them aside. Then, one by one, draw three new tokens from the Cloth Bag and pair them with the remaining Habitat Tiles. You can only do this once per turn. 4 of the same Wildlife Token: If all four available Wildlife Tokens are identical, they are automatically wiped! Take all four tokens and set them aside. Then, one by one, draw four new tokens from the Cloth Bag and pair them with the Habitat Tiles. This can happen multiple times in a single turn if the new tokens also cause an overpopulation. Once any overpopulation issues are resolved, return all wiped tokens to the Cloth Bag. 1. Select a Habitat Tile and Wildlife Token Now for the fun part! You'll choose one Habitat Tile and Wildlife Token combination from the four available. Usually, you have to take an existing pair. However, you have a special power: Spend a Nature Token: You can optionally spend a Nature Token to gain more flexibility. If you do, you can choose to: Take ANY one of the four Habitat Tiles and ANY one of the four Wildlife Tokens (mixing and matching!). Wipe ANY number of Wildlife Tokens and replace them (following the overpopulation rules for replacement). The spent Nature Token goes back to the supply. You can spend as many Nature Tokens as you have on your turn! If you're out of tokens, you must take an existing combination. 2. Place the Tile and Token into Your Environment Once you've made your selection, it's time to integrate them into your growing environment. You can place the tile and token in any order. Placing the Habitat Tile: Your new Habitat Tile must be placed according to these rules: It must be placed adjacent to any Habitat Tile already in your environment. This means it needs to touch at least one side of a previously placed tile, including your Starter Habitat Tile. You cannot place a tile on top of another, and you can't move any already placed tiles. (Remember, matching terrain isn't a placement rule, but it's super important for end-game scoring!) Placing the Wildlife Token: The Wildlife Token gets placed onto a single Habitat Tile, following these guidelines: The Habitat Tile you choose must not already have a Wildlife Token on it. (Each tile can only host one animal!) The Habitat Tile must show the matching wildlife type. (Tiles usually display 1-3 options for what can live there). You can place the Wildlife Token on the Habitat Tile you just selected, or on any other available Habitat Tile in your environment. Important: If you place your Wildlife Token onto a Keystone Tile (these tiles have a special symbol), you immediately take a Nature Token! If you can't legally place the Wildlife Token (no open tiles support that wildlife, or you simply choose not to), return the token to the Cloth Bag. End of Turn Refresh After you've placed your tile and token, you need to refill the central display: Replace the selected Habitat Tile by drawing the top tile from any face-down stack. Replace the selected Wildlife Token by drawing one randomly from the Cloth Bag. Just refill the empty spots; don't move the existing tiles and tokens around. Your turn is now complete! Play passes clockwise to the next player. End of Game and Scoring The game comes to an end when there are no more Habitat Tiles left in the face-down stacks to replace one selected by a player. Each player will have taken exactly 20 turns. Once the game concludes, it's time for the grand scoring! Grab the Scorepad and tally points for the following categories: Wildlife Scoring Cards For each player, score points for each of the five wildlife species based on the specific Wildlife Scoring Cards chosen at the beginning of the game. These cards detail unique patterns and conditions for scoring points with your bears, elk, salmon, hawks, and foxes. For example: Bears: Score for creating groups of bears of various sizes. Salmon: Score for creating "runs" of adjacent salmon where each is adjacent to no more than two others. Elk: Score for creating groups of elk, often in specific shapes or formations. Hawks: Score for spreading out over the landscape, either individually, in pairs, or for lines of sight between them. Foxes: Score for adjacencies to other animals, individually or in pairs, based on unique animal types nearby. (The Family Variant uses a simpler card where you score based on the size of any group of the same wildlife.) Habitat Tile Corridors For each of the five habitat types (Mountains, Forests, Prairies, Wetlands, Rivers), identify your largest contiguous habitat corridor. A corridor is a group of matching habitat tiles connected by at least one shared edge. You score 1 point for each Habitat Tile in your largest corridor for each habitat type. Example: If you have a group of 3 Forests and a separate group of 4 Forests, you score 4 points for Forests, as 4 is your largest group. Habitat Tile Corridor Majorities Bonus points are awarded for having the largest contiguous habitat corridor for each of the five habitat types. The number of bonus points varies by player count: 2-player game: 3 bonus points to the player with the largest corridor. If tied, each player gets 1 bonus point. 3/4-player game: 2 bonus points to the player with the largest corridor, and 1 bonus point for the second largest. Ties for largest give 2 points each (no points for next largest). Ties for second largest give 0 points each. Solo game: 3 bonus points for each habitat type with a group size of 4 or more. Nature Tokens Any unused Nature Tokens you have at the end of the game are worth 1 point each. Finally, tally up all your points! The player with the most points wins. In case of a tie, the player with the most Nature Tokens wins. If still tied, they share the victory! Tips for Winning Ready to dominate the Cascadia landscape? Here are a couple of tips to get you started: Balance Wildlife and Habitats: Cascadia isn't just about one thing. You need to pay attention to both your Wildlife Scoring Cards and creating large, contiguous Habitat Corridors. Sometimes a tile-token combo might be perfect for your wildlife, but not so great for your habitats, or vice-versa. Try to find choices that benefit both! Don't Forget Nature Tokens: Those little cones are powerful! Spending a Nature Token allows you to break up a pre-set tile-token combination, giving you much-needed flexibility to grab exactly what you need. Also, remember that placing a Wildlife Token on a Keystone Tile earns you a Nature Token, so keep an eye out for those opportunities to replenish your supply. Having a few Nature Tokens on hand can be a game-changer in later turns! ## FAQ ### How many players can play Cascadia? Cascadia can be played by 1 to 4 players, making it super versatile for different groups and even for those who enjoy a solo gaming session. ### What is the average playtime for Cascadia? A game of Cascadia typically takes between 30 to 45 minutes. It's quick, so you can fit in multiple games or play on shorter evenings. ### What is the complexity level of Cascadia? Cascadia's complexity is considered light (BGG weight of 1.8422/5). It's easy to learn, but offers plenty of strategy for those who like to think about their moves. ### Is Cascadia a good game for beginners? Absolutely! Its intuitive rules and the depth that reveals itself with practice make it an excellent gateway game for the world of board games, but it also appeals to veterans. ### What are the main components of the game? The game comes with hexagonal habitat tiles, wildlife tokens, and scoring cards for the animals. All of excellent quality for an immersive experience! ### What is the ultimate goal in Cascadia? The goal is to create the most harmonious and highest-scoring ecosystem by connecting habitats and positioning wildlife to meet the specific scoring goals of each species. ### Who is Cascadia best suited for? It's ideal for families, casual players, and anyone who enjoys puzzle and tile-laying games with a natural theme. 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