An Orchard: A 9 Card Solitaire Game Edition Comparison

March 7, 2020 | Articles | 4 comments

Take a closer look at the editions of Orchard: A 9 Card Solitaire Game to see the similarities and differences.

It was ages ago when I first purchased Orchard: A 9 Card Solitaire Game! My original Game Crafter edition has been through some moments, ranging from being slightly smashed in a suitcase to falling on a hardwood floor. My new Side Room Games edition arrived recently, and I wanted to explore the differences… And decide which one to keep!

A Surface Comparison

The game boxes look relatively identical at a glance. On the left is the Game Crafter edition, and the Side Room Games edition is on the right. Pretty similar, right?

What sets these boxes apart is the way they open. The Game Crafter edition is a standard top-opening tuck box.

Side Room Games went for a sliding box, which is quite nice! I was a little worried it wouldn’t necessarily stay shut, but it works much better than I expected.

Just in terms of the box, Side Room Games wins. The box is sturdier, more practical, and very slightly larger.

Unique Components

The dice and rotten fruit tokens are where the editions really start to diverge! The custom dice in the Side Room Games edition are simply adorable and lovely.

Note that the size of the dice is a little different. I was a little disappointed in the size of the Side Room Games custom dice… They’re just a tad smaller than I’m used to.

My original Game Crafter edition dice have been passed along. These dice came from a nice 1 Player Guild member.

Need I make mention of the rotten fruit tokens? Black cubes vs. adorable worms. There’s no comparison!

The Tried and True Dice

As much as I have to note how standard the Game Crafter edition is, it does grant the ability to use any dice.

After all, Orchard: A 9 Card Solitaire Game started off as a print-and-play game. Salvaging dice from other sources was part of the original way to play!

The only slightly bland element of this edition comes from the rotten fruit tokens. Effectively, these are merely a pair of black cubes with no personality.

Then again, rotten fruit is just terrible and doesn’t need to look like anything fancy. Less chance of having it show up!

Fancy Custom Dice

There is no question that these custom dice are simply beautiful and charming! The unused sides feature lovely leaves, while there is a special basket for 10 points.

The white fruit pips on the yellow dice are a little trickier to spot than usual, though it’s not a major issue.

Additionally, the red dice are a little more on the orange side… They don’t exactly remind me of applies. Again, though, this is a very minor sort of observation.

Again, need I say how adorable these rotten fruit tokens are?! The Side Room Games edition wins in this area.

Sample Setup #1

A certain level of simplicity lies with the Game Crafter edition. It’s a bit old-fashioned with the black cubes, but it’s a design I’ve known for years.

The only noticeable shortcoming is the lack of card numbers. Each is classified as 1-18, and these numbers are typically used for community challenges.

I made a visual reference sheet at one point, and apparently I need to revisit and possibly release it!

The card quality is also fairly standard, with a sort of patina pattern on the card backs. Nothing too bad!

Sample Setup #2

Pictured here is the Side Room Games edition in exactly the same configuration as above. It’s a little tricky to tell them apart at a glance! This one stands out more, though.

The custom dice and friendly little worm add a lot to the atmosphere. One other nice thing about the dice is how they easily rotate to go from 1 to 3, to 6, to 10. Nice!

However, the cards are plastic and shift around very easily. I like to keep my orchards organized.

The other aspect I’m not a huge fan of is the placement of the card numbers on the card fronts. More on that below!

Comparing the Cards

Once again, the Game Crafter edition is on the left and the Side Room Games edition is on the right. Compare away!

The only major difference is the placement of the card number. I’m one of “those people” who likes to keep cards facing in the same direction whenever possible.

Since the cards are designed to be rotated, sometimes one is placed completely upside down. The Game Crafter edition shows no difference, whereas that 15 will change.

The colors are also slightly different. Which edition wins in the cards department? I’m actually rather torn.

Tiny Rulebook Changes

In all the talk about the components and cards, I almost overlooked one of the most important elements of a game: The rulebook! This one is very simple but still vital.

In the Game Crafter edition, the scoring tiers are located on the back cover. This makes it easy to keep it nearby to see how well my harvests stack up… Often forget-apple!

The Side Room Games rulebook includes a place to record scores, as well as multiplayer rules and a new scoring tier.

However, I miss the previous edition’s rulebook. Now I have to flip back and fight to keep it open all the time.

The Final Verdict of My Preferred Edition

The production value of the Side Room Games edition is simply amazing, and I love that the delivery puts more copies of Orchard: A 9 Card Solitaire Game out there in the wild! Part of me still loves my old Game Crafter edition, though. Nothing can beat those old memories of putting together the best harvests of apples, pears, and plums.

My preferred edition is actually an interesting mashup of both editions, as follows:

  • Box: Side Room Games Edition
  • Dice: Side Room Games Edition
  • Rotten Fruit Tokens: Side Room Games Edition
  • Cards: Game Crafter Edition
  • Rulebook: Game Crafter Edition

But in the grand scheme of things, I plan to hold onto both editions for different purposes. The Side Room Games edition will likely be used for fancy photography and at-home gaming at my table. My Game Crafter edition still has a place, though! I plan to pack it up for travel and have it ready to play anywhere. There can never be enough harvesting!

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Continue the Conversation

What are your thoughts about the different versions of Orchard: A 9 Card Solitaire Game? Do you agree or disagree with my assessment of the components? Personal preferences likely play a major role in how appealing each edition is. I could be in the minority with what I like. I think the bottom line is that each edition is great in its own way!

4 Comments

  1. Really interesting to see a detailed comparison like this – thanks!

    Reply
    • You’re very welcome! I still can’t get over how much I love the new rotten fruit tokens… Now I might end up with lower scores just so I can see those worms more often. Ha ha!

      Reply
  2. Great side-by-side review. I do not own this game, but I’ve had my eye on it.

    I don’t have any blog creation expertise, but are you able to track traffic easily that read your postings? Just wondering if a thumbs up or heart or some other happy icon (elephant? critter?) to acknowledge appreciation of your efforts without posting a comment when not necessary.

    Reply
    • Thanks, Derek. I’m glad this comparison could be useful.

      I do have a few analytics options that show me the traffic to different areas of my blog. I’ve been in digital marketing and web site functionality for a while, so part of it comes naturally! However, I really like your idea of having some sort of icon to mark you like the content without needing to comment. I’ll look into it and see if I can come up with something.

      Thank you for the suggestion!

      Reply

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