Description

Plants is a board game that attempts to model the life of plants from their point of view in a specific, easily playable format. Plants is also a modular, organic game system that can grow and adapt beyond a single game board or a set of rules. The game is not meant to be an educational simulation, but more like an open creative project that deliberately intertwines certain biological concepts with suitable board game mechanisms.

During the game, the players continuously move through several different types of phases and perform actions at their own pace. They must try to adapt to the whims of the competing players and manipulate the upcoming situations to help them pollinate their flowers and gather enough nutrients and energy to produce seeds. At same time the players may sprout from the seeds, use the nutrients to grow in the habitat area and be forced to use up their energy to get rid of pesky larvae. Having enough water available is always a concern, and sometimes the players must accept losing their precious biomass. And if the players are not careful, they might even be eliminated from the game completely.

Plants features no randomness after a simple setup and there are no auctions, negotiations or trading. It has an open spatial element with shared resources and some three-dimensional play. The actions are short and the turns go by quickly and the possible butterfly effects keep situations tense. Clever planning and timing is required for success, and in the end only the number of seeds matter.