The same goes for the Shifting Seasons Variant, which is basically just a mini-rule that is active just for one season. These also suffer from being very situational and often the conditions for them are not even met the whole season. And that’s pretty much all there is to it. It’s about choosing which pile to take, taking into account what is on offer, and what do players have in front of them. A few of the basic cards. Advanced Variant and Abilities In this, Canopy is reminiscent of a much older auction game called Ra which tempts players with an ever-growing lot of both good and bad effects. It has a delicious tension between bidding for the mix of effects or watching them grow, and Canopy replicates that very well. Each card on each pile winds the tension up just that bit more as you wonder whether to take it now or risk leaving it to your opponent, a tension that’s increased because each added card is unknown. It might have pushed the pile into must-have territory or it may not. But by the time you know, it could be too late. The only “out of ordinary” in the base game are the special abilities that some animals have (peek at a pile, add 1 card to each pile, discard a card, and so on), which is a nice change of pace, although some abilities are more useful than others. However, players will have to be cautious as there are cards that can cause a number of disasters to spring up in their rainforest. From raging fires, terrible diseases and unrelenting drought, these cards reduce the scoring potential of a player’s tableau - so must be taken at the player’s own risk.

The two primary types of cards being drafted are the plant and animal cards. There is a huge variety of each type and brings unique benefits and set scoring goals that really contribute to the charm of the game. Certain plant cards provide scoring bonuses for sets, but collecting too many may actually result in a loss of points. Animals usually score the most in pairs, but each animal also provides a residual benefit you can use each season to benefit your search.Canopy is a game in which two players compete to grow the most bountiful rainforest. The jungle ecosystem is full of symbiosis and mutualism, and players must grow tall trees and lush jungle plants to attract the most diverse wildlife. By carefully selecting what grows in your forest, you can create the ideal balance of flora and fauna and develop a thriving rainforest.

animal cards, that give points (and bonus points for mating pairs) and also have special abilities, The game is played over three "seasons" or rounds and the round ends when the draw pile is emptied. This triggers a scoring round where points are awarded for various plants gathered in that round, natural disasters such as fire and disease may be triggered. Points are awarded for trees that have had a canopy placed on them. There are other bonus points for the player with the tallest trees. All wildlife and uncompleted trees remain for the next round, but all flora cards are discarded. Wildlife cards are scored at the end of the game. Despite the shortcomings I’ve mentioned, Canopy is not a bad game. I had a lot of fun playing, particularly against my daughter. She loved the rainforest theme and we both loved that she could play with no problems. From the colourful toucan bird to the emerald boa, each card in Canopy can serve a useful purpose in a player’s rainforest, such as increasing the number of points gained for every type of plant played adjacent to it. Deciding which cards to take and play is a significant element of this tableau building game, with the potential for victory or defeat possibly hinging on a single card. If you take a pile, you must take all of the cards in it and add them to your tableau in front of you. There are:And that sums up Canopy fairly accurately, I’d conclude. It’s good as an entry-level 2-player card-drafting board game. As well as designing Canopy and The Grimm Forest, Eisner has also co-created the party spin-off game The Grimm Masquerade and Wonderland’s War - a dark take on the world of Alice in Wonderland.