Botany The Board Game
Beautiful, funny and full of character - Botany makes you want to don your pith helmet, find your warden case and disappear into the wilds hunting for plants. A great game that we highly recommend.
Botany: Quick Summary
Score:
9/10
Number of Players:
1-5
Time to Play:
45-90 minutes
A lovely game, aesthetically pleasing, with bags of character. It's easy to learn and easy to teach which means it's good for new gamers, and it's beautifully paced. We strongly recommend Botany.
What we loved:
Botany is incredibly well put together, from the box art, the detail on the cards and the pieces - it all feels premium
Botany has a fun theme and adds whimsy to what could be a difficult time period. It manages to stay light.
Gameplay is quick and simple, which allows time and headspace for strategy and planning.
There is a wide variety of characters to play as, with useful bonuses that make them unique.
It's very replayable, because it's quick but challenging and most importantly, fun!
What could be improved:
The event cards are good, and well designed - but don't always have a positive impact on the flow of the game.
We're not entirely sure on the die - it rolls a lot of 6s!
It's a physically large game - so will require a full dining table (or Gwen gaming table from GeeknSons).
Victorian Botany - Grab the Pith Helmet!
Pop on your best tweeds, pay the servants, get the trap ready and head to the docks... It's time to go plant collecting!
Botany is a beautiful, fun board game set in Victorian Britain and made by the folks at Dux Somnium. A strategy game, you take the role of one of many different flower hunter characters. Your goal is to collect as many plants as you can and safely transport them back to your stately home in Britain.
Along the way, you will collect crew, pets (tiger or bear, anyone?), items and experience events such as a pirate attack or meeting a new civilisation. Each player has a hand of plant cards which they must collect in their country of origin. They can either keep the plant alive in a Wardian case, or press it (especially if it is poisonous) and travel to the next country. Once the funds start to get low on the expedition, it's time to turn back and head for home, dazzling your peers with your varied and exotic flora.
What's in the Botany Box?
The game is packed full of beautifully designed plant cards; they're simple, very easy to read and look fantastic. There are also cards to represent the Wardian cases, the botanical presses and buildings you can construct on your grounds for more points. The event and character cards are whimsical and funny, and everything has an excellent premium feel to it. The quality of the production here is fantastic.
An excellent example of attention to detail is in the box and the game board. The board is a map of the world, intricate, gorgeous to look at, but still super easy to play on, while the box has another map on the inside. Such a welcome extra level of effort to make this game feel valuable as well as fun.
How to play Botany the board game
Players begin by choosing a character card at random. Each card has an excellent photo or illustration and provides a special ability for the rest of the game. Some of these are excellent, and others are very mid. This is one of the only areas of the game where there is a slight imbalance in the play.
Once the game setup has been completed, the first hand of cards are drawn. Each plant card has a points value and a country or location on it. The trickier the plant is to collect, the higher the points, and the location is where you need to land so you can convert the card from your hand to your Wardian case or press. Some plants are poisonous, and so will lose you points unless you have a specific house upgrade; these can be pressed for 1 point instead.
Before you set off on your great voyage, you need to turn over an event card. These are often amusing and involve a roll of the die to see if your turn goes well or not! The consequences of the event cards can go from missing a turn or losing money to smashing a whole Wardian case.
Once that's out of the way, you can sail/walk/swim to your intended countries. The trick is to work out the most efficient route out from England, to the highest points-scoring plants and then back again before you run out of money. Once you land in a country, you can collect the plant associated with it and then carry on with moving, so an efficient turn could mean you collect several plants. With money you gather along the way, you can buy more Wardian cases, or pets, crew or equipment to help you each turn.
When you make it safely back to Blighty, you can transfer your darling collection into your estate and cash in on each set, plus collect your estate income as well. It's here you can upgrade, so you can collect more plants, or score points from poisonous ones as well.
The game ends once one player has achieved the maximum reputation score and is beheld in the glory of being the most famous collector in the world!
The pros and cons of Botany in detail
What we loved:
Gameplay is quick, easy to learn and challenging for all players. It's fun dealing with events and then planning your way across the globe. As with Wingspan, there is a particular joy in drawing the plant cards, admiring the illustrations and then trying to get to grips with the Latin.
Everything in the box has a purpose and has been designed with care and meticulous attention to detail. It's very replayable because there are so many event and expedition card combinations that every play is unique, and when combined with the different character cards, there is a ton of variety in each session. The artwork and material quality are superb.
The theme is very whimsical, and the tone and palette of the artwork and prose provide an uplifting feel of adventure and discovery. Its use of font, design and colour is very similar to Brass Birmingham in its impact, but where that is dark, grimy and industrial, this is light, flowery and fun.
What we would improve:
As mentioned briefly above, some of the character cards are more powerful in their bonus actions than others. For instance, one character can roll a die and claim bonus coins, and another can gain additional crew - both provide a good boost early in the game that other players will struggle to keep up with.
This game takes up a lot of room; there are lots of cards, the board is large, and so you will need to have plenty of space on the dining table to play. The layout of the board can also be tricky for all players to use, as the map is horizontal and only viewable clearly from one side, so players at either end will need help reaching, while one player will need to read upside down!
Finally, the die we have is one loaded cube! A roll is almost always a 1 or a 6 - so occasionally we swap for a standard one to even the peaks and troughs out.
These are all tiny points to note, however - the game is a solid ace, and we massively recommend it.
Botany the board game: A summary
This is a gorgeous, exceptional game that we massively recommend. It's relatively affordable compared to many board games (it can be found for under £50 in lots of places), and will provide lots of fun play sessions. The theme is just right, the artwork is superb and above all, the gameplay is seamless and fun. Absolutely one for your game shelf.
Expansions and Related Games
Expansions
There are multiple expansions for Botany. You could add on the Orchid Obsession pack, if you love orchids, or the Tantalising Trees expansion for, well, trees... There is also Festive Foliage and Perilous Perfumes, plus metal coins and additional mini card packs for Mint and Roses. All expansions add to the game without making it feel bloated and provide new and fun ways to score points.
A standalone game in the Botany universe is War of the Posies, where you take on the role of the head gardener at a Botanist's estate.
Related Games
If you're looking for a similar move and action type boardgame experience, then take a good look at either Viticulture. It has an easy playing style, just like Botany and looks stunning too. If you're looking for a strategy game with a historical twist, then seriously consider Brass Birmingham. Another premium finish, and absolutely exceptional gameplay too!
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Botany The Board Game: Frequently Asked Questions
Can Botany the Board Game be played solo?
Botany has an automata solo mode, and time and effort has been put into it to make it feel appropriately engaging. It's low pressure and a lovely way to pass the time when you need to relax.
Does Botany have much replay value, or is it repetitive?
Because Botany has so many different expedition cards, event cards, character differences and plants, its replayability is exceptional. No two games are alike, and the difference between a two-player and three or four-player game is huge, too. It's a game that will be played over and over.
What type of board game player would enjoy Botany?
Botany is perfect for nature lovers, anyone who loves a strategic game, history buffs, or people who are into great design. It's a route strategy game, so if you want something heavier, then look at a game like Food Chain Magnate. If you want a lighter, quicker game, then consider Fungi or something similar.
Transparency Notice
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