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Game Info
Year
2021
Collection
Ratings
Creator Score
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Description
In the hushed intimacy of her laboratory, the eminent researcher Beatrix Bury has just discovered a technology allowing to mechanically generate all kinds of edibles. Subtropical plants, stellar potatoes, Orion mandarins, this new technology opens a way to save the people of Forharms, prisoners of a world made of rust and toxic vapors. It’s in the urgency of a threatened world that the scientist puts two of her best teams in charge of developing her plan... that can seem quite demanding at times. Each team is engrossed in its mission and Beatrix’s laboratory becomes the battlefield of fierce competition to produce the best performing machine. You are promoted to the head of one of these two teams, and must prove yourself worthy of the head researchers’ trust. Rise up to the challenge!
—description from the rulebook
Develop the most effective network of mecha-botanics, the combination of plants and science! Botanik offers fluid mechanics (one action per turn), in addition to an ingenious exchange system, associated with tiles of different groups/colours.
A)draft machine parts (tiles)and add them to your workshop
or
B)change the main workshop to add tiles from your workshop to your machine.
Gain points for 1)groups of 3 or more tiles of the same color and 2)for flowers on your tiles
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 11
This page: 11
Sentiment:
pos 9 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 1
Showing 1–11 of 11
Video bwf5FzBTgDc
Chairman of the Board Top List at 0:21 sentiment: negative
video_pk 132366 · mention_pk 375671
Click to watch at 0:21 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
- Fascinating drafting mechanism
Cons
- Tile placement is boring
- Too simplistic and muted
- Not enough going on in scoring
Thematic elements
- building pipes
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Drafting — A super cool drafting system is used to acquire new tiles.
- Set Collection — Players are trying to put a bunch of the same colored tiles in groups to score points.
- Tile Placement — Players are building their own little series of pipes using tiles.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Love that part of the game.
- but the rest of the game I wasn't so infatuated with.
- This was too muted. it was too simplistic to the point where it was boring.
- But this one does take it, you know, one or two steps beyond my not comfort level, but my preference level.
- Now if you're not a big fan of these I call them like Excel sheet style games
- Or I just feel like it's it's just not my jam.
- So um as far as dexterity games go, for me this is top tier amongst the best of them.
- A quality design that I've had a lot of fun with.
- And to be honest, each time I've played this one, I've liked it a little bit more than the previous time.
- Now the way you select actions in this game is so sophisticated. It's so like elegant in the way that it works
- It's a kind of a great way of drip feeding the suspense, drip feeding the options into the game and not frontloading everything, which is a feature in board game that I love.
- But um I think this game is delightful and I would highly recommend it if you want a good two-player abstract game in your collection.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ip-naKxvtyU
kovray Discussion at 19:02 sentiment: positive
video_pk 89568 · mention_pk 238130
Click to watch at 19:02 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Beautiful floral steampunk art style.
- Players build a machine to grow flowers and vegetables.
- Strategic tile drafting and placement on a shared board.
- High player interaction allows for interference.
- Bonuses awarded for creating a beautiful machine.
- Consistently impresses players who try it.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- floral steampunk, building a machine for growing plants
- a lab
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Pattern Building — Players aim to create the largest areas of the same color by connecting pipes and vines.
- Set Collection — Players aim to connect pipes and vines to form areas of specific colors.
- tile drafting — Players draft tiles from a set of three revealed each round.
- Tile Placement — Tiles are placed on a shared board to build a machine.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is Star Realms from Wise Wizard Games in this game you're going to be building your deck up so that you can put you your opponent's ships and bases so that their score goes down to zero the first person to do that wins it's a lot of fun
- it's definitely a must-have for star realms lovers like i am
- the app is amazing definitely need to check it out on steam
- if you are a fan of two-player head-to-head card games i cannot suggest summoner wars enough
- these are this is probably the best part of the game here look at these awesome chips
- it's like chess but it's much easier to learn
- Watergate is definitely a strictly two-player game
- really just it's a really fun outside game
- it is essentially a game where you are trying to play poker hands to win area control over these different stone tablets out in front of you
- it's a good stress
- this is a good one and we basically played the expansion for it and it just made the game even better
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video UQXS1dxpUG8
kovray Review at 24:51 sentiment: positive
video_pk 89528 · mention_pk 237982
Click to watch at 24:51 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- clever tile drafting with dynamic scoring
- beautiful production and thematic cohesion
- multiple ways to chase points via color and flower patterns
Cons
- heavy interaction around tile exchanges can be mentally taxing
Thematic elements
- botanical competition among botanists
- apocalyptic greenery restoration
- clever, thematic with clever tile interactions
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- center-bump interaction — you can bump tiles off centers to disrupt opponents while maintaining your own strategy
- Compound Scoring — score based on color matching and flower placement in connected groups
- set adjacency scoring — score based on color matching and flower placement in connected groups
- tile drafting and placement — draft tiles and place them to form connections that score flowers and colors
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's skull themed spooky spooky
- it's a quick easy card game you can set up
- the postcards add so much theme to the game
- it's a brain-burning, tight two-player puzzle
- the production quality is sublime
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video SFPuRjMlYZs
kovray Top 10 List at 9:35 sentiment: positive
video_pk 88728 · mention_pk 234629
Click to watch at 9:35 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Clever tile drafting.
- Fun illustrations.
- Nice back-and-forth between players.
- Quick to play.
Cons
- Sometimes tiles don't go to the right spot.
Thematic elements
- Playing as a botanist trying to do better for a post-apocalyptic world and become the most renowned botanist.
- Post-apocalyptic world.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Choosing how to do actions by placing a tile in the center row and moving things down.
- Pattern Building — Creating connections based on colors and flowers.
- Set Collection — Adding value based on colors and flowers in connections.
- tile drafting — Drafting tiles to create connections on a tableau.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- together we make up Calvary a couple that loves to play board games and we love recommending board games
- so today our goal is to share 10 board games that start with letter b and tell you what is that little special something that makes us love the game
- there's so many scenarios in this game and I think my favorite part is we always shoe the person because they have to go off into another room and read what their rules are what their book what their objective is because we don't know
- the way that the tile drafting works is really clever
- it's become one of my favorite two-player games
- it feels almost like video game-esque is what I want to say
- this is definitely a realm or world of games that I would highly recommend just checking out
- the really curious illustrations in this game it feels very unique and it feels unlike any other game that I've played
- so join along and share your board game stories
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Ng3Ka7rgcNo
Allies or Enemies Top List at 3:36 sentiment: positive
video_pk 61108 · mention_pk 153585
Click to watch at 3:36 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- clever, low-overhead yet deep strategy
- beautiful industrial aesthetic with flowers
- tight and interactive without heavy rules
Cons
- can feel mean when you block a key tile for your opponent
- may require careful planning to maximize pipe/flower connections
Thematic elements
- garden design and pipe-work in a staged garden
- Two-player tile-placement with botanical and piping imagery
- quiet, elegant strategy with a subtle competitive edge
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- shared drafting — Tiles are drafted from a common pool, and players influence each other's options.
- Tile Placement — Draft and place square tiles featuring pipes and flowers to connect color groups.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a date night classic for us
- Escape rooms in a box
- it's such a beautiful like calm game
- it's a terrific tile placement game
- this is the heaviest of all of the games on this list
- it's a two-player only game
- it's meanest game on this list
- it's a modern classic
- Bandido is slippery
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video R6zP0ZjTUnA
The Board Game Garden Discussion at 16:51
video_pk 40169 · mention_pk 121463
Click to watch at 16:51 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- July was actually I think the best month that I've ever had so that is pretty freaking awesome
- Trailblazers such a fantastic game you are drafting these little cards
- It's a wonderful world I love it
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video U9fD7TZw_Zo
Meeple Mountain Review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 35944 · mention_pk 107624
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- tight, engaging two-player duel that feels balanced and competitive
- rich, strategic puzzle with multiple viable placement paths and clear pathways to victory
- high-quality components; the mecha pawn is particularly notable and thematically fitting
- timing is well-proportioned for a 20-minute game, making it a strong filler or light-head-to-head session
- central-column interaction creates satisfying, ongoing pressure and mutual influence between players
Cons
- two-player only; not suitable for larger groups or open-ended multiplayer sessions
- the puzzle can be punishing if tiles don’t align, leading to dead ends or poor endgame alignment
- scoring and endgame reach can feel opaque to newcomers until players internalize end-state considerations
- some players may prefer more thematic variety or different modes to extend replayability beyond 20 minutes
Thematic elements
- Technological progress as a competitive engineering puzzle; two-person duel where players assemble a network of pipes and tiles to maximize food output and scoring opportunities; strategic tension arises from shared central mechanisms and the need to balance personal growth with interference on the central column.
- In a near-future world scarred by rust and toxic vapors, a desperate society develops new food-generation technologies. Beatrix Buray unveils a mechanized method to create sustenance, and rival researchers compete to optimize their own machines before resources run dry. The setting blends sci‑fi tech imagery with a survivalist, resource-management bent, inviting players to feel like competing laboratory engineers building the best food-producing system under pressure.
- Procedural puzzle framed by a sci-fi research duel. The game presents a tight, theme-tinged system where each tile placement advances a personal machine while changing the shared board state, creating a narrative of competing innovations in a constrained, high-stakes environment.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Central column influence and player interaction — The central column serves as a shared arena that both players influence. Placement decisions on this zone affect both players, creating meaningful interaction and the need to anticipate opponent moves.
- Color and symbol clustering for scoring — Points accrue for groups of three or more adjacent tiles of the same color and for flowers that are connected to a pipe network. Flowers are crucial potential scoring levers, but they can also introduce dead ends if not carefully positioned.
- Orthogonal adjacency and linking rules — Tiles released to build your machine must be placed orthogonally adjacent to existing tiles. They cannot be placed if there is no orthogonal path to connect to the central network, and pipes must remain connected to avoid isolating sections of the machine.
- Release and scoring constraints — All release tiles must be placed each round regardless of how favorable the current layout is. If no valid placement exists for a released tile, it is removed from play. Score is earned by clustering tiles of the same color and by creating connected pipe segments that meet flower-tiles adjacency criteria.
- Special tiles – Mecha Botanist — Some tiles are marked with a Mecha Botanist symbol. When such a tile is released, it triggers an immediate swap with a tile from the top of the central pile. This introduces a disruption that can be used to alter expected outcomes and create strategic pivot points.
- Tile arrival and release scoring — Each round presents a small pool of tiles (the arrival area). Players draft from this pool, place tiles to advance their machine, and release tiles from their own side or central zone. Released tiles may create opportunities to trigger scoring bands as the machine grows, incentivizing thoughtful sequencing and timing.
- Tile placement with central-link constraint — On each turn a player selects a revealed tile and places it either on the central column or on their own side. To be valid, the placed tile must connect to the central tile in the same color or the same design (type), creating a linking chain that keeps the machines mechanically integrated.
- Turn sequencing via mecha pawn push — Rounds begin by moving a mecha pawn to indicate the starting player. After each tile is placed, the turn order and the number of tiles in play tilt between players to ensure near-equal opportunity across rounds. This mechanic creates a rhythm that players can learn to exploit for planning.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the game provides a very strategic puzzle for your brain
- the mecha pawn is fantastic in quality
- a great two-player duel of tile placement within a system that will grant points
- timing and connecting certain tiles with another will definitely grant you either a lot or little points
- flowers tiles are especially important in this game as they are ways to gain points
- it's really satisfying when you just have the perfect tile to fulfill your plan and you place it right in there
- two-player duel
- the time involved in the game is just where you want it
- great for when you are pressed on time
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video kPQXEfPkVpM
Meeple Mountain Top List at 1:15 sentiment: positive
video_pk 30706 · mention_pk 90443
Click to watch at 1:15 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- tight two-player competition
- strong strategic tension around middle board
- clear scoring through network expansion
Cons
- rules can feel dense for first-timers
- blocking and reading the opponent is essential
Thematic elements
- connecting colors and types to grow a personal network
- abstract/network-building through tile placement
- abstract strategy
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- color/type matching — aim to place tiles so middle and side connect by color or type to maximize growth
- network growth — when middle tiles break off, they join your network; you score by size and connections
- Tile Placement — tiles can only be placed on your side or in the middle, with connectivity rules to center tiles
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- botnick is a great two player only tile placement game
- it's a very strategic two-player tile placement game
- the middle board is so strategic
- the thing that just blows things away from me is the app and how well it's done in destinies
- Hadrian's Wall is probably the heaviest flip and write game out there currently
- Cascadia is the perfect family weight game to play with your family
- my number one game of 2021 mandala stones by board and dice
- this is a great racing game with bag building component
- genotype of mendelian genetics game
- you get better and better dice to use that each has its own benefit
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video bhQevCF8xLE
Foster the Meeple Discussion at 4:24 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10592 · mention_pk 127220
Click to watch at 4:24 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- quick to learn
- engaging for short play sessions
Cons
- may feel repetitive for some players
Thematic elements
- puzzle/packing
- colorful pipes and flora
- lightweight family game
Comparison games
- Puzzles of the Wild
- Qwirkle (color/shape matching concept)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- tile/pipe matching — match pipes with colors to create chains and score
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- It's kind of like The Mind but better.
- it's a very, very good two-player game
- we are so competitive that we need to be able to turn it off
- I loved it so much I spilled my water all over the table
- we've met some of our best friends this year
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video vAxI2m_4oOM
Our Family Plays Games Top List at 23:19 sentiment: positive
video_pk 8436 · mention_pk 81159
Click to watch at 23:19 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- deep and crunchy two-player tile-placement
- highly replayable with strategic blocking
Cons
- primarily a two-player game
Thematic elements
- Irrigation and cultivation through tile drafting
- Mechab botanists harnessing pipes to grow plants
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Color/shape matching scoring — Score by matching colors and shapes as you build.
- Tile drafting with center row — Draft tiles and place into a center row that evolves for both players.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- In times of stress the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers
- The board game space is supposed to be a safe space
- we remove that cognitive bias
- the table is a great way where we can all be on equal footing
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video vqVN3_KeY_Q
Our Family Plays Games Discussion at 11:42 sentiment: positive
video_pk 2194 · mention_pk 111471
Click to watch at 11:42 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Two-player tactically crunchy in roughly 20 minutes, making it a strong pocket-game pick for couples.
- Unique machine/assembly mechanic that creates interesting chain reactions and timing decisions.
- Strong thematic flavor with engaging art on the tiles.
Cons
- Requires careful planning and can feel punishing if timing is off; some players may find it too puzzle-like.
Thematic elements
- Mecha botanists and garden optimization; a crunchy, tech-forward garden layout.
- A futuristic greenhouse where Mecha botanists engineer gardens.
- Compact, mechanically dense with a touch of whimsy in the tile and machine interplay.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Tile fetching with sacrifice to release — To release a newly drafted tile, a player must sacrifice a non-matching tile to operate the mechanism, adding a risk-reward layer.
- Tile Placement — Players place tiles into a machine-based system to build a garden; placement drives the ability to release future tiles.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- our goal is to make this world a better place one board gamer at a time
- the hobby is for everybody
- no trolls, no troublemakers, no bad people, stay out
- three back-to-back great playtests in March show consistency and solid mechanics
- hope that better things are always ahead; let it be hope
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
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