The Ninth Scenario of Cascadia and a Halloween Visitor
Arrange habitats to house a variety of animal species like bears and foxes according to their requirements in Cascadia.
Back to Cascadia! After making some progress on the scenarios recently, I wanted to try my luck with the next one. The rules are simple enough, but there are some clever strategies to uncover with the tile and token placements. Different scoring cards create unique sets of criteria, too, so that each play can offer a fun little challenge. Such a great solo game!
Game Overview
Game Name: Cascadia
Publication Year: 2021
Designer: Randy Flynn
Artist: Beth Sobel
Publishers: Alderac Entertainment Group & Flatout Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Scoring well, often with a set of specific elements defined by a scenario, is the main goal… But getting there is tricky! Tiles and tokens offer fun choices, and the final area often has a little bit of personality for a quick tale. Arranging the animals takes some practice with multiple plays, though.
First Play
August 1, 2021
Complexity
2
Latest Play
October 18, 2025
Expansions
1
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
20
Play Time
15 Minutes
High Score
101
Game Area
24" x 22"
Low Score
73
Another Set of Goals
I was hung up on the ninth scenario during my last outing. It isn’t necessarily the hardest one out there, yet the animals have some interesting and very specific requirements.
The foxes and hawks were the ones that gave me the hardest time. Creating lines of sight and arranging foxes in the center took me a little while to figure out.
It’s always fun to see how the habitats evolve, though. I had a lot to keep track of, and naturally, I forgot the foxes!
My first attempt wasn’t too bad, yet I was just shy of victory again. Not a problem: Resetting to play again is very quick!
The Haunted Forest
Rawr! You never know what you’ll find in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, and with Halloween approaching, it was this costumed Calico Critter! No danger here… Just cuteness.
The artwork and component quality are pretty awesome, as evidenced by this visitor. The box cover sets the stage, and the wooden animal tokens add a nice bit of vertical height.
While I had some bears show up to help me choose tokens last time, I was on my own this time… So close to victory!
I love the way the scenarios increase in difficulty and feel like they offer something different with the scoring cards.
Fantastic Success
Whoa! I did it! It didn’t take me that many plays to get there, and I attributed a little bit of this victory to luck. Hurray!
It was a little dicey with the hawks, and the bears gave me a scare near the end when I realized I needed another pair. No worries: I had a few pine cones saved up for any bad luck.
Balancing the habitats was a tricky part of this scenario, though. I constantly had to make sure I was building up every area and not blocking off any openings.
Such a lovely end state, though! I felt like I worked hard to make this happen, and it was a great feeling to win.
Costumed Celebration
My hilarious Calico Critter in a blue bird costume was still hanging around, and my victory cheers brought out a little celebration! Definitely a cuteness overload right here.
Part of me wanted to try another scenario, but I’ve enjoyed moving through this one at a slow and steady pace.
Not that I’ll be done when all 15 scenarios are completed, yet I want to save some more challenges for a later date.
It’s pretty awesome to feel like I’m flying through these scenarios, though! The level of thought and planning is still pretty light and I continue to have a wonderful time playing!
Is Consistent and Regular Play Necessary?
Over the years, I’ve moved away from having a set schedule and regular rotation to a more freeform and loose approach. My hobby time is all over the place, which may sound chaotic, but it also means I don’t have any expectations. There’s nothing to make me feel like I’m falling behind or not living up to a requirement. I just play solo games, and that’s that!
At the same time, there’s something to be said for consistent and regular plays. In this case, the later scenarios build on the strategy lessons from earlier plays. Waiting months or years in between can mean that difficulty level will seem even more challenging… Although that’s a personal choice whether it will make a difference or not. Consistent plays definitely help!
I honestly haven’t thought of my regular rotation in a long time. There are games I love that haven’t come to my table in years, along with plenty of unplayed options waiting on my shelves. Truthfully, I can’t play everything and will never have enough time to accomplish all I want to. What can I do with my time? Simply enjoy it as much as I can, with no worries.
Session Overview
Play Number: 19 & 20
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Scenario 9
Outcome: 87, 95 (1 Win & 1 Loss)
Excellent! Balancing victory points across both the habitats and animals required a lot of work, but in a satisfying way. This is a pretty simple set of mechanics… Which is why it works so well! I’m looking forward to the next scenarios, some of which look to be extra challenging. It took me a little while to get back into a rhythm with consistent play, and I’m there! Such a fun and relaxing sort of experience.
%
20 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
9
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
8
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
6
+ Pros (Positives)
- Gameplay moves quickly with interesting choices that are typically pretty light without too many considerations.
- The final play area looks quite nice and often feels like it has a little story to tell with the habitats and animals.
- Scoring cards offer a lot of different ways to score, and these make scenarios feel like they have unique challenges.
- Playing with a random assortment is possible, yet the scenarios are very fun and slowly increase in difficulty.
- There isn’t a lot of artwork in the game, but it looks quite nice and the animals are easy to tell apart from afar.
- Not too many components are involved and it’s awesome to see how much can be done with just tiles and tokens.
– Cons (Negatives)
- A bit of luck is involved with the tiles and tokens, although there is a way to partially mitigate bad luck now and then.
- Setup isn’t bad, but counting out the tiles that aren’t going to be used takes a little bit of time before each play.
- Understanding the scoring criteria for the more advanced cards may require referencing the rules a few times.
- The scenario iconography is mostly straightforward, but a few of these could be clearer to quickly evaluate them.
Victory Conditions
Meet the Scenario Requirements
- Overall Goal Progress 65%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 90 points.
Score at least 100 points.
Complete every scenario. (9/15)
Continue the Conversation
What is your favorite part of Cascadia? How many scenarios have you completed? It’s a joy to play through the various challenges, and I can see how some of these later ones are going to be very difficult! Yet gameplay is quick and light, so there’s very little tension. I just laugh over bad luck, blame the bears or Calico Critters, and keep on moving. Ha ha!
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