A Walk In The Park

This blog does seem to have turned into more of a boardgames blog than a wargames one, but I make no apology for that. I enjoy playing games and currently I'm finding more opportunities to play boardgames with family and friends than I am to get out any miniatures. Any game is better than no game, after all.

Anyway, you may remember that last year I backed a kickstarter for a boardgames called The Gardens, which I liked not just because it looked like a straightforward game, but was also designed locally and which has a local theme (I'm counting Sydney as 'local' here which, relatively speaking for most of you, it is).

Anyway, it arrived today, and whilst I've had a look through what's in the box I haven't had chance to play it yet. However as one of the stretch goals I got a copy of A Walk In The Park, which is a small roll and write game with a similar theme; taking a walk through the Sydney Royal Botanic Garden.

The game comes with a couple of hundred color playsheets, some pencils and a special dice.

 

The aim is to draw paths on the map linking up as many key landmarks as possible and accumulate the highest score you can.

It's designed for several players, but there is a solo mode, and I gave that a go this lunchtime in order to see how it played.  In the solo game you get to make 18 rolls and score as high as you can. If you score 18 or more points then you win.

The dice has five pathway symbols on it and one with an ibis on it (or bin-chicken, as we like to call them here). With each roll you have to fill in one of the 25 squares. Either you draw in a path hoping to get them to connect up, or you put a bin-chicken in the a square, which then blocks it from having paths, but gives you possible scoring options later.

Here's my opening moves. I've started a few paths, but also placed two ibis (the circles with a beak; I wasn't planning on being that artistic today. The aim is to hit the squares with a landmark in. Each time a path connects to one from the centre you get to select a scoring or bonus option from the column on the right.

Creating a closed circuit of paths allows you to place a statue (the 'S' in a circle). These also score at the end of the game.

And here's a my finished game. I failed to win by one point, despite six bin-chickens.

I had more success in my next game, and put more effort into my ibis. 

In a multiplayer game you score points for being the first to reach a particular landmark, and statues are scored based on who has the most, so there are a few differences. Also the game is played to a different end condition; it can have more, or fewer, than 18 moves.

It's an entertaining and mildly frustrating game, and is one we'll add to our holiday pile because it's pretty portable.

To finish up, here's the magnificent bin-chicken.

Here's a group of bin-chickens in action in our local area. They're a creature that has adapted well to the urban environment that has taken over the coasts.

And one in its natural habitat.

52 Games - Game 61