How To Play: Evergreen

Overview

Evergreen is a game that had me pruning my friendships and my fake mustache (long story). In this How To Play evergreen guide, I share a quick outline of the rules, plus the best tips I learned after many games. If you want to outgrow your rivals and score big, keep reading. Just remember: trees may be silent, but your friends won’t be if you block their sunlight!

What’s in the box

• 1 Game board
• 40 Seed tokens
• 36 Small Trees
• 36 Medium Trees
• 36 Large Trees
• 4 Sun Discs
• 45 Lake tokens
• 30 Bush tokens
• 30 Sprout tokens
• 78 Region cards
• 16 Power cards
• 4 Player boards
• 1 Sun marker
• 1 Score pad
• 1 Rulebook

How To Play Evergreen: Rules Summary

Setup

1. Give each player a player board and a set of trees, shrubs, and sprouts in their color.

2. Shuffle the season cards and place the deck within reach of all players.

3. Place the sun marker at the starting position on the main board.

4. Put the resource tokens in a pile nearby, because you will need them soon enough.

Gameplay

1. At the start of your turn, draw and reveal season cards depending on the player count.

2. Players take turns picking season cards and performing their chosen actions, such as planting or growing trees, placing lakes, or spreading sprouts.

3. After all players have acted, rotate the sun marker to the next position—this makes you feel either clever or doomed.

4. Collect sunlight points based on your tallest trees (don’t get too attached to your small shrubs!).

Winning

1. Once the final season ends, count all your points from trees, lakes, and bonuses.

2. The player with the highest score wins, and instantly becomes the green-thumbed champion of the table.

Special Rules & Conditions

1. If two players tie for sunlight, both sob quietly and share the points (split as shown in the rulebook).

2. Certain cards or tiles may cause special effects—always check the symbol key, unless you enjoy losing.

3. How To Play evergreen: Don’t ignore the way trees block sunlight to others, especially if you dislike your friends.

Best Evergreen Strategies

Grow Your Forest Like a Champ: Tree Placement Tactics

Maximize Sunlight Every Round

First off, never plop your trees just anywhere. You want to chase that sweet, sweet sunlight! Always check where the sun will move next. This way, you don’t cast your own trees in shadow. Here are tricks that helped me win:

1. Place saplings on edge spots early for easy sunlight.
2. Spread trees in a checkerboard pattern for better coverage.
3. Block rivals’ sunlight by planting next to key spots.

Control the Center

After a few games with my pals, I learned that the center pays big. Place trees here to grab bonus points. Keep an eye on rivals trying the same trick. If you get blocked, adapt fast!

Score Big and Bask in Sunlight Glory!

Plan Your Scoring Peaks

First, I always track when I can score the most points by timing my moves with sunlight changes. A few tips:

1. Grow tall trees before key scoring rounds.
2. Harvest trees when opponents can’t block your sunlight.

Keep Sunlight Flowing

I learned the hard way: sunlight is the lifeblood of Evergreen. Here’s how I keep my energy up:

1. Plan tree heights for each round.
2. Spread out so your own trees won’t block each other.

React to the Board

Lastly, I watch for rivals stealing my sun. Every round, adjust your plans and snag extra points when they slip up!

If you want to master this game, check out more tips in my How To Play evergreen guide!

Stop Your Rivals: Master Blocking Moves in Evergreen

Watch Their Roots

If you catch your friends aiming for a juicy spot, strike first. A well-placed tree can ruin their plans fast! Here are steps to stop them:

1. Block key sunlight paths with your own trees.
2. Pick spots that disrupt their possible chains.

Read Their Minds (Sort Of)

Guess their moves by tracking which action cards they grab. Then, play as if you’re two moves ahead.

1. Use their favorite strategies against them.
2. Counter their builds early.

Team Up…Briefly

Sometimes, two can team up to slow down a leader. Just don’t trust your partner for too long!

1. Agree to block one player, not each other.
2. Betray as soon as you’re clearly ahead!

Practice these and you’ll frustrate your rivals—and maybe even make new ones.

Sprout to Victory!

If you follow these tips, you’ll be growing trees like a woodland wizard in no time. Just remember—How To Play Evergreen isn’t about making the tallest tree, but making every sunbeam count. I’ve lost more than a few games because I got cocky and tried to block my buddy Dave, only to end up in the shade myself. So, plan ahead, watch your rivals, and don’t forget to enjoy the look on everyone’s face when you win by a single leaf. Good luck, and may your forests be forever green!

Want to know what we think of Evergreen? Read our detailed review of Evergreen here