It takes multiple turns to get a seed planted and then grown to the largest tree size. At a minimum, the total cost to grow and harvest the largest tree from scratch is 20 light points. First you have to Buy the seed and each tree size so they’re available to place on the board. Then you have to spend points to grow them stage by stage. And lastly, you need to spend light points to harvest the large tree. And since you can’t take more than one action from an originating space, those trees take multiple turns to grow through their stages. The first issue that I had with the game is that it can feel a little long at times. There are a couple of factors that play a role in this. In particular your first game is going to take some time. I attribute this to the fact that Photosynthesis features quite a few mechanics that you don’t really see in other games. This means that your first game will take more time as players adjust to these mechanics. Future games will take less time as you get used to the mechanics. The bigger problem is the fact that there is the potential for analysis paralysis. The decisions in the game are pretty simple, but the game gives you a lot of flexibility in what you choose to do. In some rounds you won’t have many light points which will limit what you can do. In other rounds you have a ton which opens up a lot of possibilities. For players that want to maximize their score there are a ton of different options to consider. If you want to analyze all of the different options it will take a long time to consider them. To make sure the game doesn’t drag on for too long though players should agree to a time limit for each turn. This will speed up the game and prevent players from having to sit around waiting for one of the players to make a decision.

Once all light points have been gained, players take turns (beginning with whoever has the First Player token) spending their light points for actions.Because if your trees aren’t getting sunlight, then you won’t earn any Light Points. Which means you’ll also have less to spend on your next actions. Usually in the beginning players are more focused on their own trees and are not aggressive yet. Bear in mind how shadows are cast on the board. The game is very easy to learn. If you like playing with your kids, it brings a fun teachable moment to the table. You could impress your younger family members with yourvast knowledge of chlorophyll and cell walls if they’re really interested. I still remember when I was younger, I got interested in the weirdest topics because of board games, so I think it’s an excellent game for the younger crowd. Cons: Remember that the sun is constantly rotating around the board. Sometimes a bad turn – where your trees are sitting in shadows right now – will be a great turn later when the shoe is on the other foot and the shadows are cast the other way! Photosynthesis is an abstract strategy game for 2-4 players that takes about 60 minutes to play. Photosynthesis plays well at all player counts. Gameplay Overview:

The key to the Photosynthesis Phase is the location of the sun, and importantly, which direction its rays are beaming. The forest takes the form of a hexagon, with six outer angles. To start the game, you will have placed the Sun Segment so it’s sitting next to two of the hexagon’s six faces. There are arrows on the Sun Segment, and they’re pointing towards the forest. This is where the light is shining. Mensa Select® Winners Announced" (Press release). American Mensa. 22 April 2018 . Retrieved 17 November 2021. E Place the remaining 2 Seeds, 4 Small Trees, and 1 Medium Tree alongside each Player Board; these are the seeds and trees available to each player at the beginning of the game.The player then collects the Scoring Token that is on top of the pile that matches the soil type of where the Large Tree was rooted. When it comes to player scaling, I’ve found that Photosynthesis plays somewhat different at each of its player counts. A 2 player game is going to have a lot of spaces for expansion, so it can turn into a very strategic affair. Chances are the spots you want for your trees will be open. Simply form a plan and execute. If you have a seed in your Available Area, you can pay one LP to plant it on the board. This seed will ‘fall’ from one of your trees on the board, planted in a previous turn. Depending on the height of the tree you wish it to fall from, this results in the radius in which you can place this seed. If it falls from a small tree, that’s one space away. A medium tree allows up to two spaces away, and a tall tree allows the seed to fall up to three spaces away. Place the Sun Segment over the sun symbol corner of the main board to start. You can also place the yellow Revolution Counters (numbered one, two and three) by this corner of the board, to remind all players which round of the three you’re currently playing. Several varieties of trees compete to grow and spread their seeds in the sunlight of this small, but fertile, forest. As each tree grows its leaves are touched by the sun's rays, collecting Light Points and casting shadows on the surrounding smaller trees. When a tree reaches the end of its life cycle, players win points proportional to the richness of the soil the tree was rooted in.

The forest consists of four rings of circles – the outer sandy, one-leaf one, all the way to the solitary dark-green, four-leaf spot. Once the tall tree has been removed (and returned to your player board in the same fashion as growing a tree), look at which ring in the forest it sat. Another caveat is that even some teens and adults may not like the type of economic planning and area control required in Photosynthesis. Every action takes Light Points (essentially the money in the game) and Light Points come from strategic tree placement and growth. Not only that, but players must constantly be planning ahead of the Sun rotations. It’s all these choices mixed together in a 3 dimensional, visually appealing board game that keeps us engaged and enjoying the game throughout. Important: During their turn, a player cannot carry out more than one action on the same space on the main board. Once a player has acted upon a space on the main board, that space is considered activated and cannot be used again by this player on that turn.I really enjoyed Photosynthesis. It’s a cute little game with a completely unique theme. I thought the use of a rotating sun was a nice touch as well. As far as gameplay is concerned it’s very lightweight and great for kids to learn. That being said it is a conflict-heavy game. It all depends on knowing your audience as well. If you do play with younger kids and they don’t do well with conflict, this either becomes a very teachable moment in their lives or the point in which they learn to hate board games. Super easy rules Although the game is usually only three turns, there is an advanced version that has a fourth turn added. Some groups of players like to play with even more turns than that. If there are no tokens left in that pile, the player takes the top token of the next pile (Example: a player takes from the 2 leaf pile if the 3 leaf pile is gone). For starters, there’s plenty of thinking and planning in the game. And that doesn’t go over well with youngsters.