The slow draw down of my writing career, in part caused by significant life events, has me reminiscing about many things. 
The great films I have seen…and the terrible ones I have sat through. The music I heard that lifted my soul and the others that sent me into oblivion. Then the games. Many good, a few terrible and some, yes some, exceptional. SAVERNAKE FOREST will not set the world ablaze (not a great phrase here sorry) but it really should. There are many reasons, too many for a single 500 word review but here goes…
SAVERNAKE FOREST
Players 2-4 / Ages 8+ / Time 25 minutes
Autumn is coming to an end. The forest, once teeming with life is slowly edging toward hibination. You have a task. Help the animals gather and store food for the winter! There are many animals here. Foxes, hedgehogs, squirrels, beavers, rabbits… but with the cold winter, can they all survive?
THE GAME
You have two decks of square cards. The first has a bunch of forest paths. These lead to food and food leads to survival. Simple enough. the second deck has animals of many varieties (I mentioned them above) with each card showing how many foods the animal can store and if they have a preference. Each player is randomly given an animal card. Then you are off. To get the best score, you must try to get each animal to collect its favourite food. Fail to do so and they starve and you lose points! Now there are some saving features. At the start three road cards and one animal card are laid out for all players to see. On a players turn, you choose one, add it to his forest and hope to benefit. There are rules mind. You cant have two animals on the same path. The cards must be adjacent and no cards can be placed outside of a 4×4 grid. Once 16 cards are out, the game is over. Some animals have special skills and others bonuses galore, so have at it furry friends!
THE REVIEW
The real key to why SAVERNAKE FOREST is so good, is that what appears as comparatively simple, is layered with choices and decisions. The game plays swiftly and easily. Can be picked up with little over engagement and I believe, would be great as a summer game for those long nights in the wilds. There is an option to upgrade the game to make it harder for two players and then there is a downgrade for 4 players that lets kids and adults who aren’t so game literate in. The central market feature adds a nice feel of variety, with the additional features of certain animals ( The rooster helps you get up early, as an example) is a nice touch and with a family can get kids curious about nature. One point that was made in the marketing is that the art work looks great. I think it really does. It is warm and friendly, like strolling through a fairytale world that was inspired by a Savernake in the fall and be swept away by the enchantment of its wildlife!
10/10
https://ie-travellingman.glopalstore.com/products/savernake-forest
