Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
In Botanists, players tend a small area of land to grow flowers, which they then hope to sell. As botanists, each of the players has three small plots of land dedicated to growing the most popular flowers among their usual clients.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Pattern Building
Place elements to create arrangements that satisfy scoring or action patterns.
Pattern Recognition
Identify recurring visual, spatial, or logical arrangements.
Set Collection
Gather related items that become more valuable when scored together.
Tile Placement
Place tiles to build a shared or personal spatial arrangement.
Variable Player Powers
Each player has different abilities, restrictions, or strategic advantages.
Read the full game description
In Botanists, players tend a small area of land to grow flowers, which they then hope to sell. As botanists, each of the players has three small plots of land dedicated to growing the most popular flowers among their usual clients. However, all players obtain the seeds to those flowers from the same supplier, and because not all flowers are equally popular, the supplier only sells the seeds in bundles, on top of that, other botanists might attempt to snatch certain seeds away from under your nose! Players take turns in acquiring flowers from the flower market. To do so, they may first move and then play a card that determines what "bundle" they are buying. With each purchase, players will acquire seeds they are not looking for, so players are required to keep an eye out for open orders to make sure they make the best out of each turn. Alternatively, players may choose to tend their marginal land (not so fertile), in which case they won't be able to buy new seeds, but instead will be able to trigger a bonus action. In doing so however, players will end up with withered flowers, which will generate negative points at the end of the game. At the end of their turn, players check the open orders and if they are able to fulfill any of them, they not only earn bonus points, but also get rid of potential negative points. —description from publisher