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Botanicus

Botanicus

Hans im Glück · 2024
2–445–60 min10+ yrs2.4/5 complexity7.4 BGG#2.028 BGG2,7 KStrategy
short answer

How do you play Botanicus?

The objective of Botanic is to become the most renowned aristocrat by cultivating the most impressive botanical garden. Players achieve this by strategically planting and improving various plants, fulfilling the specific demands of their aristocratic visitors, and earning the most victory points by the end of the game. Success hinges on efficient resource management and clever action selection to maximize plant growth and visitor satisfaction.

To find the best price for Botanicus, howtoplay.ro compares deals from Romanian shops every day.

Botanicus box art
official art · Hans im Glück
the rules in 60 seconds▶ auto · 1/6
🧩
01

Setup

Players set up the main board with action columns, place their gardener pawns, and deal initial plant and objective cards.

The rules, step by step

Setup
To set up, place the main game board with its action columns. Each player chooses a color and places their gardener pawn on the starting space of the main board. Players also receive a personal garden board, initial plant cards, and objective cards. The visitor cards are shuffled and placed in their designated area, and coins are made available for the bank. The flower pawns are stacked on the first action column, with the player who went last in the previous round on top.
Objective
The objective of Botanic is to become the most renowned aristocrat by cultivating the most impressive botanical garden. Players achieve this by strategically planting and improving various plants, fulfilling the specific demands of their aristocratic visitors, and earning the most victory points by the end of the game. Success hinges on efficient resource management and clever action selection to maximize plant growth and visitor satisfaction.
On your turn
A turn begins with the active player choosing to either move their gardener pawn on their personal garden board or play one of their garden cards. Following this, in the turn order established by the previous round, players move their flower pawn to an available space in the next action column on the main board. This movement grants them either one or two actions, which can include planting new plants in adjacent garden beds, watering existing plants to improve their level, collecting coins, or unlocking animal bonuses that provide ongoing benefits.
Scoring
Victory points are accumulated throughout and at the end of the game. Players immediately earn points by fulfilling the requirements of visitor cards, moving them to their personal garden board. At the end of the game, additional points are awarded for each completed column of plants on their personal garden board, for successfully meeting the conditions on their objective cards, and for every three leftover coins they possess. The player with the highest total victory points wins.
Game end
The game concludes after three full rounds of play. This means that all the action columns on the main board will have been traversed three times by the players' flower pawns. Once the third round is completed and all final actions are resolved, players proceed to the final scoring phase to determine the winner based on their accumulated victory points from various sources.
Tips
To excel in Botanic, prioritize completing full columns of plants on your personal garden board, as these yield significant bonus points at the end of the game. Strategically unlock and utilize the animal bonuses, as they can provide powerful ongoing benefits that enhance your actions. Furthermore, always keep an eye on the visitor demands and aim to fulfill them promptly, as they offer immediate victory points and can influence your overall strategy.
🔬 game anatomy
Complexity2.4 / 5
BGG rating7.4 / 10
Vibe
Strategy
Language dependence
No in-game text needed
🌐 plays without English
Play time
45–60 min
Players
2–4
Recommended age
10+ yrs
BGG rank
#2.028

from Trișache · verified

Frequently asked questions

Q1What is the goal of the game?
The objective of Botanic is to become the most renowned aristocrat by cultivating the most impressive botanical garden. Players achieve this by strategically planting and improving various plants, fulfilling the specific demands of their aristocratic visitors, and earning the most victory points by the end of the game. Success hinges on efficient resource management and clever action selection to maximize plant growth and visitor satisfaction.
Q2How do you set up the game?
To set up, place the main game board with its action columns. Each player chooses a color and places their gardener pawn on the starting space of the main board. Players also receive a personal garden board, initial plant cards, and objective cards. The visitor cards are shuffled and placed in their designated area, and coins are made available for the bank. The flower pawns are stacked on the first action column, with the player who went last in the previous round on top.
Q3How does a turn work?
A turn begins with the active player choosing to either move their gardener pawn on their personal garden board or play one of their garden cards. Following this, in the turn order established by the previous round, players move their flower pawn to an available space in the next action column on the main board. This movement grants them either one or two actions, which can include planting new plants in adjacent garden beds, watering existing plants to improve their level, collecting coins, or unlocking animal bonuses that provide ongoing benefits.
Q4How is scoring calculated?
Victory points are accumulated throughout and at the end of the game. Players immediately earn points by fulfilling the requirements of visitor cards, moving them to their personal garden board. At the end of the game, additional points are awarded for each completed column of plants on their personal garden board, for successfully meeting the conditions on their objective cards, and for every three leftover coins they possess. The player with the highest total victory points wins.
Q5When and how does the game end?
The game concludes after three full rounds of play. This means that all the action columns on the main board will have been traversed three times by the players' flower pawns. Once the third round is completed and all final actions are resolved, players proceed to the final scoring phase to determine the winner based on their accumulated victory points from various sources.
Q6What tips are there for beginners?
To excel in Botanic, prioritize completing full columns of plants on your personal garden board, as these yield significant bonus points at the end of the game. Strategically unlock and utilize the animal bonuses, as they can provide powerful ongoing benefits that enhance your actions. Furthermore, always keep an eye on the visitor demands and aim to fulfill them promptly, as they offer immediate victory points and can influence your overall strategy.
Q7How much does Botanicus cost?
No store is currently tracking Botanicus. Check the Prices tab — you can set a price alert to be notified when it appears.
Q8Where can I buy Botanicus cheapest?
Check the Prices tab — howtoplay.ro aggregates offers from 7+ Romanian board-game stores and tracks price history.
Q9How do you play Botanicus?
Botanicus is a economic game, for 2–4 players, taking ~45–60 minutes, featuring action drafting. Check the Rules tab for setup, gameplay, and scoring, or ask Trișache anything about Botanicus — our AI assistant built by howtoplay.ro and trained specifically on board game rulebooks.
Q10How many players does Botanicus support?
Botanicus is played by 2–4 players.
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