Verdant: Making Tabletop Houseplants Grow and Thrive
Organize a collection of houseplants across colorful rooms filled with pets or furniture and the perfect lighting with Verdant.
Back to the colorful land of Verdant! I wasn’t entirely sure if this was for me after my first couple of plays, yet I always stress that it’s important to recognize tutorial scenarios. All I had done was learn the rules, after all, so I was excited to give this one a chance to really shine! Or, rather, grow. Ha ha! I returned for another day of indoor gardening!
Game Overview
Game Name: Verdant
Publication Year: 2022
Designers: Many (5 Credited)
Artist: Beth Sobel
Publisher: Flatout Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Simply choosing a card and token each round is an easy task, yet creating the perfect 3×5 grid of rooms and plants takes skill. It all moves quickly and smoothly with very clear iconography, and all sorts of pets or furniture to fill the rooms. Houseplants thrive with this tabletop game!
First Play
December 8, 2022
Complexity
2
Latest Play
December 9, 2023
Expansions
1
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
8
Play Time
20 Minutes
High Score
93
Game Area
30" x 18"
Low Score
64
Scenario Goals
As I quickly learned, some of the different ways to score victory points were a bit counterintuitive to scoring well!
I definitely started to see the game shine as I rolled into the third and fourth scenarios. My initial impressions were still accurate… But only so far as tutorials went.
Against All Odds threw me for a loop when I started to try to avoid matching the lighting conditions on every plant… Hint: That’s a surefire way to lose horribly. Ha!
Instead, I had to figure out a few ways to make sure that I could score well and still earn extra victory points.
Different Containers
I thoroughly enjoyed the way I could pot these plants. The different sorts ticked down, with the early ones worth the most victory points. And such pretty houseplants!
Hopefully it isn’t too hard to see, but 3 of these plants have 3 different pots. Each aligns with the artwork in a very clever manner. It looks absolutely lovely!
Of course, my main goal was to get these rooms and plants working together. That I did with all sorts of vines.
It was also satisfying to fill these rooms with animals… Who needs a comfy couch or table when you have a bird?!
Green Thumbs for All
These represent the only reference cards in the game. It might look like too little at first… Yet that’s all you need to know! And scoring is pretty easy to calculate.
Another subtle but nice touch are the green thumb tokens. These go on unchosen cards and can provide a bonus later on to clear tokens or cards, or add verdancy.
Rather than have a uniform look, there are all sorts of diverse thumbs. Everyone can be a houseplant gardener!
I appreciate inclusion like this. Simple, little details can make a huge difference in making everyone feel welcome.
Colorful Components
So very pretty! Looking at just a handful of the included components should showcase how colorful everything is. However, patterns and icons can also be used.
Wooden verdancy tokens make for a very fun time when growing the houseplants. And I’ve already made it clear that I love seeing the different pets in the rooms. Ha!
Despite my initial hesitations, I never doubted the beauty of the cards and illustrations. Simply fantastic.
Lastly, note how easy it is to identify the information on the cards. It’s all right there at the very top.
Discovering the Full Potential of a New Game
If there’s one important lesson this game brought home, it’s that the first few plays typically don’t showcase what a new game is all about. Those first experiences are often more about understanding the rules and seeing how the mechanics work together. Strategies, decisions, and more nuanced layers take a little more time to appear.
Now, it’s also very much a balancing act between trying new games and playing a game many, many times. That’s the key word: Time! I could dedicate a lot of my free time to exploring every new game in depth, playing for maybe 10 or 20 times before moving on. There are some games that warrant that, yet I enjoy moving around in my collection.
Nothing wrong with different gaming decisions! So long as I’m playing something, I’m happy. I think the big takeaway is that I’m also happy with the way I share first impressions, but make a point not to state that those early ratings are indicative of a game in the long-term. My tastes will always change, and more solo games will always arrive!
Session Overview
Play Number: 3-6
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Scenarios 3 and 4
Outcome: 90, 64, 68, 91 (2 Wins and 2 Losses)
It took me a few tries, but I managed to succeed with both of these scenarios! My rooms and houseplants turned into a cozy little area. And I was reminded of the one time I managed to keep a Venus Flytrap alive for a bit. Good times! The next scenarios look to be even more challenging, which should be a lot of fun. There are lots of subtle strategies to think about… And keep thinking about!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
4
Quality
Components & Rules
8
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
8
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
4
+ Pros (Positives)
- Beyond the first couple of tutorial scenarios are more challenges that highlight different strategic layers.
- All of the artwork is gorgeous, yet it’s accompanied by clear iconography that doesn’t detract from the beauty.
- Potting houseplants has a visual flair with the cardboard tokens that fit perfectly over each plant’s image.
- Gameplay is very smooth and relatively quick with enough meaningful decisions to make each play interesting.
- Luck has a certain degree of importance, yet there are ways to clear tokens or cards to look for other options.
- Flavor text may not add a great deal to gameplay, but it provides fun facts about each houseplant in plain view.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The rooms feel themeless without names or other ways to make them stand out beyond the colors and patterns.
- A 3×5 grid will always be the ultimate outcome with alternating cards, which leads to a similar end state.
- Discarding the furthest right column from the market each round feels simple, but isn’t much of a solo challenge.
- Adding a green thumb token to the card not chosen is an easy rule to miss that can impact gameplay a bit.
Victory Conditions
Meet the Scenario Requirements
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Complete scenario 1.
Complete scenario 2.
Complete scenario 3.
Complete scenario 4.
Score at least 80 points.
Score at least 90 points.
Continue the Conversation
What do you enjoy the most about Verdant? Are there other solo games that took a little bit for you to appreciate them? I’m glad to have moved on from the tutorial scenarios… Losing is a sure sign I’m on the right path. Ha! This is a lovely game that has a lot more strategy to it than I originally thought it did. I’m excited for more tabletop houseplants!
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