Verdant

The team behind Calico and Cascadia—and now deservedly cashing in on that award—returns with Verdant, a related title with a strong Wingspan flavour. Only here, instead of birds and eggs, we are tending houseplants. The theme and artwork are so inviting that I completely understand why it will draw people to the table.

Its core is a continuous draft, much like Cascadia’s. I choose plants, rooms, and objects rather than animals and habitats, aiming to build and fill my personal home on a 5x3 grid. It is a clean, familiar structure of choices and placement, dressed in a theme that suits its calm presentation extremely well.

Interaction mainly comes through the draft: something I want can disappear before it reaches me, and the need to combine what I take properly does not always leave room for carefree choices. At several points there is enough bite to singe more casual players, particularly those who came only for the plants and the game’s attractive appearance.

It is not a bad game; I simply find Cascadia better, chiefly because its many different scoring cards noticeably improve replayability. As a follow-up, I expected something bolder from the design. Verdant will obviously sell enormously well, but it is a little disappointing to see designers with good ideas take the easy route. For their next project, I want to see something genuinely different—perhaps even a euro-style game.