Fun and Games with Trees!

When I’m not dealing with trees, one of my favorite hobbies is playing board games with my friends and family. Naturally, I’m drawn to anything tree-related, and lucky for me the board game world has plenty of arboreal-themed games out there. This week I thought I’d list a few of my favorite tree-centric board games. Next time you reach for the Clue or Monopoly box, maybe give one of these a try!

Bosk– Bosk is what’s referred to as an “area control” style game. Players take control of a specific tree, and over the course of 4 seasons “plant” the trees, watch them grow, and then disperse their leaves across the board. This game has a beautiful layout and color scheme and does a great job of simulating a year in the life of a tree.

Photosynthesis– Photosynthesis is an extremely popular and easy to play game. Players strategically place trees on the board while the sun shifts around, changing where the “sunlight” is projected. Players must compete against each other’s trees, which can block access to sunlight.

Kodama– The name “Kodama” refers to the tree spirits of Japanese mythology. In this game, players collect cards to assemble complete trees. This is one of my favorite games to play!

Arboretum– Arboretum is a card game that is very easy to pick up, especially if you’re familiar with traditional deck-of-cards games. Players collect groups of matching tree species to align on their board in order to create their very own “arboretum”.

Honorable mention: Everdell– While not technically a tree-centric game, I couldn’t skip over mentioning it. Its playing board is one of the most unique and beautiful playing surfaces in the board gaming world!

If any of these games interest you, consider picking up a copy at your local game store. Here in Richmond, One-Eyed Jacques in Carytown offers an excellent selection of board games, and the staff is extremely knowledgeable.