Starling Games | Everdell: Bellfaire | 1-6 Players | Ages 14+ | 40-120 Minutes Playing Time

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The setup was no joke, obviously, but once laid out the game is quite stunning on the table. Assuming, that is, that a table of sufficient size is available. I’m not sure I’d have been half as happy playing on the floor! By game’s end, our dining room table might have been able to bear a third player, but even at two we were often standing for portions of our turn because the needed component was out of arm’s reach. The scores were bloated, but not to an extreme. Honestly, they were only a small percentage higher than my most recent play of Newleaf. The only component in the entire series that I’ll replace (via Etsy, no doubt) is the set of “Open” signs that came with Pearlbrook. They are a bit oversized and unwieldy, and they don’t fit in the base box. I’m going for “just large enough to notice.” Something the size of the meeples will do. Otherwise, I keep the expansion-specific materials and the less common modules in their boxes for the time that we’re itching to bring them to the table.

This is a more of the same expansion adding new events and awards along with a new market location. The player powers are interesting although they do fundamentally change how you approach the game. Now you need to make the best use of this power to do well to make up for not having an extra worker in the final 3 rounds. With one less worker it is now harder to get as many regular and special events. My scores have been higher than in the base game and I run out of spaces in my city faster so these powers do help you gather resources just as well as the extra worker. My favourite part of the expansion is the market board as it changes constantly during the game. I do find the player boards to be too big and cumbersome and wish that they were much smaller. The Bellfaire board itself is very useful and makes the events and players’ workers much easier to see although I still use the tree to store the cards. Overall this is a good expansion whilst not essential it adds a little bit more variability to the base game with few rules changes. Various cards didn’t take up space in our cities, which opened the door to my daughter’s city containing 22 cards (thank you Corrin Evertail!) and mine having 20 thanks to a Farm/Greenhouse combo that was outside the city, a Legend/Harvester combo, and others. With Bellfaire, players are treated to an expansion that I would say falls firmly into the “more of the same” category, offering a number of small expansions that can be used in a modular way. Like the other expansions, it adds another side board or two, although the setup instructions are keen to point out that you don’t always need those. Bellfaire includes rules for adding a fifth and sixth player to your games of Everdell. I prefer lower player counts if only to save on time and table space. Having said that I do have a regular 5 player gaming group so adding the facility to play above the original 4 player max is very much appreciated. It also makes this one of the more versatile games out there with an incredible solo to 6 player range.

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As I mentioned at the start of the review, players can mix and match the different modules. If you’re playing with basic Everdell, I think it is easy to mix in the Bellefaire board and everything on it, and to throw in the new player powers. I get similar feelings—feelings of home and grandeur—on a lesser scale when I finish a game of Everdell. The work of city building finished, with every uncertainty laid to rest, nothing remains but to enjoy the splendid scene and leave the critters to their new home in relative peace. In the name of science, I had no choice but to play one game with every available expansion (with the exception of Mistwood) simultaneously to see if Everdell can bear the weight of its own worldbuilding glory. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised, though the absurd play did reinforce several of my opinions regarding the expansions. Once everyone has completed their actions for the final season (fall) the game ends. The winner is determined based on the sum total of points on all of the cards that players have in their personal tableau (up to a maximum of fifteen.) There are eight bonus objectives to score as well (four of which are randomised during setup) and some cards provide bonuses when combined, or bonuses for collecting certain resources or similar.

Regardless of the merits, I knew from the start that Bellfaire would have to appeal to me somewhere other than the player count. In addition to the worker placement spots that allow players to collect one of the games resources, everyone also has a hand of personal cards, as well as access to a shared hand of eight cards that are placed on the board, in a location called The Meadow. Many cards can be played without an action (although they may cost resources) so whilst the game appears as if it will be very brief thanks to the low number of workers in hand, it is actually much more involved that you might think.

Moles: Whenever you use a worker to gain resources from a location, you may pay up to 1 of those resources you just gained to gain 1 pebble. The board itself is fantastic quality with absolutely gorgeous artwork that clearly depicts all of the key locations, without ever losing the sense of style that links visual functionality perfectly with the whimsical woodland setting of the game. On the board, the player will position a three-dimensional model of the Evertree, which towers over the board and features a couple of tiers of branches on to which cards and animeeples will be placed. There are also a number of bonus cards (some of which are random) that will be added to either the branches of the tree, in clearings around the board or along the river that runs across its top third.

All powers are additions to the normal rules of the game, so they do not replace the normal functions of workers that are allowed in the game, and they are not considered "card- playing abilities". The expansion doesn’t add any new ways to win just changes how you get resources and how easy it is to get events and awards. The replayability of the game is increased with 15 vastly different player powers, lots of new events, 4 more forest locations and the new market space which fluctuates during the game. The game end scoring remains identical to the base game. The term gateway game is now used so frequently that I’m not sure it has any value. What is a gateway game anyway? Often it simply seems to suggest that a game has to be as straightforward as something like Monopoly, yet I find that a lot of games carrying the label fail to prepare their charges for what modern board games are really capable of. Everdell might be the perfect gateway game based on my new definition. Why, you ask? Simply put, it does almost everything right — it’s beautiful and well made, it’s very simple and easy to teach, yet despite all that, it’s complex enough to develop some very competitive play. If I have one complaint about Everdell , it’s only that the final scoring can be a bit messy with the frequent need to recount when the score is close. These boards may be used as an area to store resources, workers, and point tokens. Players may choose any board that they wish to use.If gaining, choose one of the available tokens, gain the resources and cards, then move that token to the "trade" side. If you run out of cards in the Meadow, no more cards may be drawn for the remainder of the game, unless cards are discarded, creating a new draw pile.

With over 30 new cards and unique player mats, the Bellfaire Expansion offers endless possibilities for strategic gameplay. Players will have the chance to build new structures, recruit new citizens, and complete exciting new events, all while immersing themselves in the charming and whimsical world of Everdell. First, I recognize how important solo gaming can be within the hobby. I know the original Rugwort solo experience was viewed with mixed sentiments. Too punishing: I think that is the common phrase that accompanies the rat. With Nightweave, however, there is now a solo experience that feels more like the actual game with several twists. Toads: Whenever you play a Production card, you may discard 1 card and then activate the Production card twice.Everdell is a superb game and a beautiful product. It deserves its recently held placement in the BGG hotness list and I hope it remains a popular choice that continues to impress new and old players alike. If you only buy one game this year, Everdell should be on the shortlist alongside the likes of Lords of Hellasand Lowlands, with only your personal preference to differentiate between those in the running. Foxes: When you place a worker on a Forest location, instead of activating that Forest location, you may instead activate any non-permanent location where an opponent has a worker deployed. After this climax, the four animals continued to lead their lives… in great joy and contentment, undisturbed by further risings or invasions.” You may keep this drawn card, or you may give it to an opponent. If you give it away, draw 2 cards. A new resource is introduced in the form of pearls, and an additional animal meeple (a Frog Ambassador) is added for each of the existing colours from the base game, plus one for each of the four new animal types/colours that are included in Pearlbrook itself. The box also includes four three-dimensional monuments that represent different wonders, and these sit along the top of the river on the base board, which is amended slightly by using a couple of overlay tiles.