“Cascadia” is a tile-laying and pattern-building board game designed by Randy Flynn and published by Flatout Games. The game is set in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, known as Cascadia, famous for its diverse wildlife and natural beauty.
In Cascadia, players take on the role of wildlife enthusiasts and work to create the most harmonious and thriving ecosystems by strategically placing habitat tiles and animal tokens on their individual player boards. The goal is to create the best combinations of habitats and animals to score points.
The game features a variety of terrain tiles, each depicting a different habitat such as forests, wetlands, prairies, or mountains. Players draft and place these tiles onto their boards, aiming to create connected regions of habitats. Each habitat supports specific types of wildlife, and players must strategically position animal tokens on the corresponding habitat tiles to score points.
Cascadia incorporates multiple scoring objectives and mechanisms, allowing players to pursue various strategies. For example, players can focus on creating large contiguous habitat regions, attracting specific animal types, or achieving unique combinations of habitats and animals to earn bonus points.
The game also offers different scoring cards that provide specific goals and additional scoring opportunities. These scoring cards change from game to game, adding replayability and variability to the gameplay.
Cascadia is praised for its elegant design, engaging gameplay, and the satisfaction of building a diverse and harmonious ecosystem. The game strikes a balance between accessibility and depth, making it enjoyable for both casual gamers and those seeking strategic challenges.
The beautiful artwork and thematic elements of Cascadia capture the spirit of the Pacific Northwest, showcasing its natural landscapes and wildlife. The game offers a relaxing and immersive experience as players create their own vibrant and interconnected ecosystems.
Overall, Cascadia is a well-regarded tile-laying game that blends nature, strategy, and pattern-building, providing a captivating and serene gameplay experience.
