A Pear-y Good Time in Orchard: A 9 Card Solitaire Game
Harvest an abundance of tasty fruit from apple, pear, and plum trees with the easy rules in Orchard: A 9 Card Solitaire Game.
Simple games are often simple fun, and that’s part of what makes playing solo so great! I was glad to get Orchard: A 9 Card Solitaire Game back to the table after a few months. It deserves to be played more often, especially since I’ve been after a high score! More than anything, though, finding clever ways to overlap the cards is enjoyable. Off to the trees!
Game Overview
Game Name: Orchard: A 9 Card Solitaire Game
Publication Year: 2018
Designer: Mark Tuck
Artist: Mark Tuck
Publisher: Side Room Games
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Even the game’s logo and card backs are simple and understated. Nothing fancy here, but beneath the surface is a challenging design. With so few cards, finding ways to overlap the same fruit trees becomes difficult. The choice to use a rotten fruit token is also just so tempting!
First Play
September 22, 2018
Complexity
1
Latest Play
August 3, 2024
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
134
Play Time
5 Minutes
High Score
50
Game Area
12" x 12"
Low Score
18
The Joy of Harvesting
There is something that always makes me want to play again and again… Probably that desire to have an amazing score that nets me one of the best scoring tier puns!
It’s a simple game to learn and understand, yet I find myself rethinking obvious moves nowadays.
A seemingly useless choice to overlap a single die might look like a bad choice, but I’ve seen this turn into a situation where 5 or 6 trees can be overlapped with a card.
Is it repetitive? Definitely! Yet if you know me, I enjoy the relaxing challenge this type of solo game can offer.
Fruitful Horizons
So many lovely dice! I dove back in not quite remembering all of the best strategies, but that’s sometimes how games work. It takes time to master many of them!
There was some excitement as I found ways to overlap a lot of matching fruit trees. My pear dice were great!
However, my luck turned as I started to struggle with finding any matching patterns. Starting new sections for a whopping 2 points was my best option at times. Oh, no!
On the bright side, I didn’t use a single rotten fruit token. Always some small victory to celebrate. Ha ha!
Easy Rules & Examples
As much as I enjoy a complex game that takes hours to learn, the simple ones are also excellent! In particular, this set of rules takes minutes to learn and understand.
Maybe there were some secrets buried in this example… I actually saw how I wasn’t always setting myself up to score well. Too many of the same fruit can be problematic.
Each card only features 2 of each fruit type, which plays into the optimal way to build the arrangement.
Very clever, indeed! There’s a lot going on here without requiring a lot of thought. Or maybe that’s my issue. Ha!
A Reasonable Harvest
My first attempt wasn’t all that great, but as I mentioned, no rotten fruit tokens here! It came down to a struggle to create opportunities for 4, 5, or even 6 overlapping trees.
Always something to learn! The cards are face-down when drawn, so it’s not always easy to plan ahead.
There was a time when I thought it would be best to get every single die in play, but compare 5 points for 5 dice with 18 points for 3 dice. Lots of strategic planning.
Perhaps I’ve treated this one as a little too relaxing. I need to hit that goal of 55+ points, after all! Focus. FOCUS!
Session Overview
Play Number: 117 and 118
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Outcome: 42 and 28 (1 Win and 1 Loss)
I couldn’t escape from the adorable rotten fruit token! There are a total of 2 that may be used to overlap different trees, but they’re worth negative points. At least those worms are cute! There were some glimmers of greatness, yet I can tell I need some more practice. The experience is always a delight, even when my scores earn me some very bad puns. Ha! I enjoy this one a lot and can definitely see me playing more… Just need to get it to the table!
%
130 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
9
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
5
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
5
+ Pros (Positives)
- Simple rules give away to interesting strategies with the different considerations for overlapping cards.
- Dice as victory point trackers is a clever choice since they’re a common game staple used in an uncommon way.
- The most obvious place for each card is not always the best one, and decisions must be made carefully.
- Each type of fruit is easy to tell apart with bright colors, while the entire game is labeled as colorblind-friendly.
- Play time can be very quick if the puzzle is more of a challenge, or a little more time can be spent for a high score.
- Only 9 cards are used, allowing the play area to stay nice and compact and making gameplay move quickly.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Some luck is needed to get the right cards to overlap, but the challenge is in making the most of what’s available.
- The cards aren’t symmetrical so they don’t perfectly stack when placed in different configurations.
- Decisions can sometimes be deflating and frustrating when the best move is to gain just 1 or 2 victory points.
- All of the mechanics work very well, yet can get repetitive quickly with only a few, rare exciting moments.
Victory Conditions
Score 40+ Points
- Overall Goal Progress 80%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 20 points.
Score at least 30 points.
Score at least 40 points.
Score at least 50 points.
Score at least 55 points.
Continue the Conversation
What is your high score in Orchard: A 9 Card Solitaire Game? I still haven’t upgraded to the new rules with a possible 10 points from each die… Soon enough! Just need to hit my old goal one of these days. It’s a very fun little game! There is something charming about the theme and simple set of rules. Maybe next time will be just plum amazing for me. Ha!
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