# Everdell ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2018 - **BGG Rating**: 8.0 - **BGG Rank**: #43 - **Players**: 1-4 (Best with: 3) - **Duration**: 40-80 min - **Weight**: 2.83 / 5 - **Designers**: James A. Wilson - **Artists**: Andrew Bosley, Cody Jones, Dann May - **Publishers**: Starling Games (II), Abraxas, Arclight Games, CMON Global Limited, Fantasmagoria, Galápagos Jogos - **Categories**: Animals, Card Game, City Building, Fantasy - **Mechanics**: Contracts, End Game Bonuses, Hand Management, Income, Open Drafting, Ownership, Set Collection, Solo / Solitaire Game, Tags, Variable Set-up, Worker Placement ## Verdict If you adore charming aesthetics and satisfying engine-building, Everdell will whisk you away to a delightful forest world. It's a perfect fit for players who enjoy strategic card play and worker placement with a touch of whimsy. Beautiful art and component design Engaging tableau and engine building Satisfying worker placement mechanics Good strategic depth for its weight Can feel a bit solitary Setup time can be lengthy HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description In the heart of the enchanting Everdell valley, a place where streams murmur and towering trees rise, a vibrant civilization of forest critters is flourishing and expanding. After many seasons, from Everfrost to Bellsong, the time has come to explore new lands and found prosperous cities. Your mission is to lead a group of these adorable creatures on this journey, constructing structures, meeting unique characters, and organizing memorable events. Prepare for a year full of activities, hoping your city shines brightest before winter arrives again. Everdell is an engaging game of tableau building and worker placement. Each turn, you have three main options: place a worker, play a card, or prepare for the next season. When placing a worker, you send them to locations on the board, events, or destination cards to gather resources (twigs, resin, pebbles, and berries), draw cards, or perform special actions that drive your city's development. Playing a card allows you to build and populate your city, creating a tableau of up to 15 Construction and Critter cards. There are five types of cards – Travelers, Production, Destination, Governance, and Prosperity – which generate resources, grant abilities, and, crucially, score points. The interaction between these cards opens up a vast array of strategies and possibilities for creating unique cities. Finally, 'prepare for the next season' means recalling your workers and adding new ones for the next cycle. The game unfolds over a year, from the initial winter to the advent of the next winter. In the end, the player with the highest-scoring city is crowned the winner. With its stunning artwork and well-integrated mechanics, Everdell offers a rich and strategic experience, inviting players to immerse themselves in a world of fantasy and planning. ## How to Play Objective of the Game Welcome, aspiring city-builders, to the enchanting valley of Everdell! Beneath the towering Ever Tree, a bustling civilization of forest critters is ready to thrive, and you're at the helm of a group eager to expand. Your mission? To construct buildings, meet lively characters, and host events, all while establishing the most prosperous city before the winter moon rises. Will your city shine brightest? Only time, and clever planning, will tell! Preparation (Setup) Alright, gather 'round the table, critters! Let's get our valley ready for a brand new year. First things first, place the beautiful game board on the table. Then, crown the stump at the top of the board with the majestic Ever Tree. Next, let's get our resources in order. Arrange the piles of twigs, resin, pebbles, and berries along the river bank. Keep the point tokens and occupied tokens handy beside the board. Time for some forest exploration! Shuffle the Forest cards and place them on the forest clearings. You'll use 3 cards for a two-player game, or 4 for three or four players. The rest go back in the box. Now for the events! Place the 4 basic Event tiles along the river. Then, shuffle the special Event cards and place 4 of them on the lower branches of the Ever Tree. The remaining special Events return to the box. Shuffle the main deck of Critter & Construction cards and randomly place 8 cards faceup in the Meadow. The rest of the deck goes inside the Ever Tree. Each player chooses a color and starts with 2 workers of that color. The first player draws 5 cards, the second player 6, the third player 7, and the fourth player 8. Finally, each player places their 4 other workers on the upper branches of the Ever Tree: 1 worker on spring, 1 on summer, and 2 on autumn. The most humble player gets to go first! There's no limit to the amount of resources a player may have, so don't worry about hoarding! The Turn of Play Play proceeds clockwise, with each player taking turns performing one of three main actions. Remember, only one action per turn! 1. Place a Worker Your little critter workers are the backbone of your city! You'll deploy them to various locations to gather resources, draw cards, host events, or even embark on a journey. Location Types: There are two kinds of locations: Exclusive: Marked with a solid ring. Only one worker can visit these. Shared: Marked with an open encircling ring. Multiple workers, even of the same color, can visit these. How it Works: Place one of your workers on any available symbol and immediately take the listed resources or perform the action. That worker stays put until you bring them back with the "Prepare for Season" action. Where to Visit: Basic Action Spaces: These offer resources like twigs and cards. For example, placing a worker on the second basic action space gains you two twigs and a card from the deck. Forest Locations: These provide various benefits. Note that you can't place two of your own workers on a single Forest location. Destination Cards: You can place a worker on any Destination card in your own city, or on a Destination card in another city that has a symbol. If you visit an opponent's Destination, its owner gains 1 point token! Events: To achieve an Event, you must meet all its listed requirements and pay any resources when you place your worker there. Only one player can achieve a specific Event, so be quick! Achieved Events are placed beside your city for end-game scoring. Haven: This is a shared space where you can discard any number of cards from your hand to gain 1 of any resource for every 2 cards you discard. Journey: Only available in autumn, you can send a worker on a journey by discarding cards equal to the listed points of the Journey location. The deployed worker is then worth those points at the end of the game! 2. Play a Card This is where your city truly comes to life! You can play one card from either the Meadow cards or your hand. Paying the Cost: You must pay the listed requirements into the general supply. Critters & Constructions: These are the two types of cards you'll be playing in front of you to form your city. You can have multiple copies of Common cards, but only one specific copy of any Unique card. Playing Critters for Free: If the Construction listed in the top left of a Critter card is already in your city, you can play that Critter without paying its berry cost! Just remember to place an "occupied" token on the Construction – you can only do this once per Construction. Your City: Your city has a maximum of 15 spaces for cards. Event cards don't count towards this limit. Card Types: Each card type has unique abilities: Tan Traveler: Activates once immediately when played. Green Production: Activates once immediately when played, and again during the "Prepare for Season" actions in spring and autumn. Red Destination: Activates when a worker is placed on it. Cards with the symbol can be visited by opponents. Blue Governance: Grants bonuses after playing certain card types or offers discounts. Purple Prosperity: Worth base points and listed bonus points at the end of the game. Drawing Cards: Always draw from the deck unless specified. If a Meadow card is played, immediately replace it. If the deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to form a new one. Hand Limit: You have a strict hand limit of eight cards. If you would draw more, you only draw up to eight. 3. Prepare for Season The game begins in late winter and progresses through the seasons. You can only perform this action after you've placed all your current workers. When you "Prepare for Season," you alone bring back all your deployed workers. Spring: You gain 1 new worker and activate all green Production cards in your city. Summer: You gain 1 new worker. No Production in summer, but green cards still activate immediately if played. You may also draw up to 2 Meadow cards when you prepare for summer. Autumn: You gain 2 workers and activate all green Production cards in your city. This is the last "Prepare for Season" action you can perform in the game! End Game and Scoring The game concludes when all players have passed. You pass when you cannot perform any more actions (or simply choose not to). Once you pass, you cannot be given any cards or resources. To determine the winner, add up all your points: Base points for cards: Each card has a base point value. Point tokens: Any point tokens you've collected. Purple Prosperity card bonuses: These cards grant additional points based on specific conditions. Journey points: Points from workers sent on journeys. Events: Points from any Events you achieved. In case of a tie, the player who achieved the most Events wins. If there's still a tie, the player with the most leftover resources is the victor! Tips for Winning Alright, future Everdell legends, here are a few pointers to get you started on the path to glory: Synergy is Key: Look for cards that work well together! Playing a Construction that allows you to play a specific Critter for free is a fantastic way to quickly expand your city and save precious resources. Keep an eye on those pairings! Don't Underestimate Production: Green Production cards activate multiple times throughout the game (when played, and during spring and autumn "Prepare for Season" actions). Building a strong engine of these cards early can give you a steady stream of resources and advantages. Events are Big Points: Achieving Events can be a significant source of points, and they can even break ties! Keep an eye on the requirements for both basic and special Events and plan your city construction to meet them. Sometimes it's worth a small detour to snag those bonus points. May your cities flourish and your critters prosper! Happy building! ## FAQ ### How many players can participate in Everdell? Everdell is a super versatile game that can be played by 1 to 4 players, which is great for those looking for a solo experience or wanting to play with friends. ### What is the average duration of an Everdell game? An Everdell game usually lasts between 40 and 80 minutes. The time can vary a bit depending on the number of players and everyone's familiarity with the rules. ### What is the complexity level of Everdell? With a BGG weight of 2.8334/5, Everdell is considered a medium-complexity game. It offers a good strategic challenge without being overly complicated, ideal for players who already have some experience with board games. ### Are Everdell's components of good quality? Yes, Everdell is renowned for its high-quality components and stunning artwork. The 3D board and detailed card illustrations greatly contribute to immersion in the theme. ### Who is Everdell for? It's perfect for those who love tableau-building, worker placement, and hand management games, with a charming theme of forest animals and fantasy. If you enjoy planning and seeing your card 'engine' run, you'll love it! ### Do I need expansions for a good Everdell experience? No, the Everdell base game already offers a complete and rich experience. Expansions add more variety and complexity, but they are not necessary to have a lot of fun. ## Price Comparison ### Best Offers in Brazil - **Amazon**: R$ 771,11 (https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B094BJYTZL?tag=bgbot26-20) - **Bota na Mesa**: R$ 458,00 (https://www.botanamesa.com.br/product-page/everdell?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **JOY JOY STORE**: R$ 464,91 (https://loja.joyjoycafe.com.br/everdell?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **Cangaia Jogos**: R$ 464,99 (https://www.cangaiajogos.com.br/everdell?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **Happy Nerd**: R$ 474,99 (https://www.happynerd.com.br/everdell?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on Compara Jogos: https://www.comparajogos.com.br/item/everdell ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 50.00 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=7065846&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/23597/everdell?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com