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Description
Renature is a majority game with dominoes for 2-4 players.
Each player gets a board with large pieces of wood in the form of turf, bushes, pines and oaks. These plants are used for the majorities on the large valley board and are available in a neutral color and in the respective player color. In addition, each player gets a stack of dominoes with two out of ten animal motifs on each of them.
On your turn, place one of the three dominoes in your hand on two brook spaces of the valley board. Of course, the domino must be adjacent to another domino that shows the same animal. If the placed domino borders a free space of a brown area, you can decide whether a tuft of grass or any other of your plants should be placed on that space. Tufts of turf have a value of 1, bushes of 2, pines of 3 and oaks of 4. After placing the plant, you score points for it and every plant piece that is already in this brown area and has the same or a lower value.
Once a brown area is framed with dominoes, the majority is scored and the player with the highest total plant value in the area gets the points that are printed as a large number on that area's flower token. Whoever has the second highest value gets the lower number. Two things make this especially tricky: The neutral pieces count as their own color and not among the majority of the player who has used them. Also, if colors are tied, they a treated as though they are not present at all in the area. After the area has been scored, the player who framed the area receives its flower token, which will give them extra points at game end.
In the course of the game, you may run out of plants, but these can be bought back from the game board with clouds. Clouds can also be used to buy another turn and to appoint a new joker animal. This animal then counts as all animals and makes it easier to put on. At the end of a player's turn, a domino is drawn and it is the next player's turn.
Once all players have run out of dominoes, the game ends with a final scoring.
Year Published
2020
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 6
This page: 6
Sentiment:
pos 5 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 1
Showing 1–6 of 6
Video I9eO8unVAd0
Chairman of the Board game_review at 0:01 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11769 · mention_pk 34520
Click to watch at 0:01
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Accessible gateway-friendly design that still offers gamer depth
- Tight, streamlined mechanics with clear, thematic rationale
- Strong player interaction and potential for savvy misdirection
- High production value and aesthetically appealing components
- Replayability due to variable tiles and dual-sided boards
Cons
- Limited tile pool may feel restrictive to some players
- Two-player game can become highly cutthroat as players contest regions
- Theme and animal-tile permutations may require a few playthroughs to grok fully
Thematic elements
- Nature-based area control with wildlife and environmental motifs
- Forest/natural environments with wildlife and regional control
- Abstract ecological simulation with thematic wildlife imagery
Comparison games
- El Grande
- Mexico
- Mexica
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area majority control — Control regions to gain majority points; the lead can be contested when others match it, causing some points to be negated.
- bush/tile modifiers with levels — Bush tokens of four levels (grass to large trees) modify region strength and points.
- domino tile placement — Place domino-shaped tiles to extend influence across regions and create access to higher-value areas.
- endgame scoring with concealed points — Closing a region yields immediate points plus hidden points on the rear side of the region marker.
- neutral pieces — Neutral pieces can influence scoring and block opponents, adding a layer of guile and planning.
- restricted tile choice and tempo — Players have only three tiles available at a time, making pacing and planning crucial.
- tokens to alter animals and reclaim tiles — Flowers/tokens change animals on the board, return trees to your board, or grant extra turns, increasing strategic options.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Renature is a 2020 release board game.
- this is area control and i think wolfgang Kramer is probably foremost in that genre of games.
- the domino concept is ultra simple but this does have a similar feel to the weighting of many Kramer games.
- there's a lot of player interaction and nastiness in this game, which you might not expect from the look.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 8PGspnGSWUU
Chairman of the Board top_10_list at 2:07 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11497 · mention_pk 33813
Click to watch at 2:07
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- balanced gateway-level gateway-plus strategy
- beautiful aesthetic
- engaging decisions without overwhelming complexity
Cons
- can feel confrontational at times
- some players may prefer lighter or heavier euro games
Thematic elements
- environmental management and territorial control
- nature-themed control of a landscape with trees and bushes
- elegant and serene
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — investing in regions to gain dominance and points
- restricted choice / tunnel vision — few viable placements focus player decisions
- tile placement / domino-like tiling — placing domino-like components to connect zones and invest in regions
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's breezy and quite relaxing to be honest
- it's so easy to teach
- it's never really let me down with whoever i brought this out
- it's inviting being easy to play but still having the interest there
- it's a hidden gem in terms of being a gateway game
- I really do just sit back and enjoy the process of a game like this
- the best deduction game i've ever played
- it's a 30 to 45 minute game that can be tailor-made to how you want to play it
- it's almost like a step up from a game like Scrabble
- it's a puzzle style game with pirate theme
- the layout of these tiles is extremely interesting
- this game has a unique twist that adds a lot of interest
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video xrFFy3uoBPM
Jungus Games general_discussion at 20:22 sentiment: negative
video_pk 10330 · mention_pk 30490
Click to watch at 20:22
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
- great art and components
Cons
- did not impress as much as hoped
Thematic elements
- cramer and kiesling style
- euro-style resource/dominance economy
- euro-engineering with artful components
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- euro-style resource/placement with tile-like interaction — Crê‑style exchange and placement feel with artful components.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a full-time successful job for me
- the newest macbook pro line is significantly faster
- i'm in a much better headspace about the numbers
- i'm not sitting there thinking that a three video per week plan is sustainable
- there's a lot of evidence to show that putting out more videos is not necessarily better for me
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video tEXrEHKppGY
Chairman of the Board top_25_list at 10:33 sentiment: positive
video_pk 9011 · mention_pk 26563
Click to watch at 10:33
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
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)
- El Grande is my favorite game of all time; it is the original area control game and the cream of the crop.
- Only your best round will count in Coliseum, which is a cool twist on scoring.
- El Grande and the King, with simultaneous selection and Castillo, harmonize to create a rich gameplay experience.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video cmGbKiuxfZs
Board Game Spotlight playthrough at 0:05 sentiment: positive
video_pk 4898 · mention_pk 14554
Click to watch at 0:05
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Relaxing and chill to play; strong thematic feel
- Beautiful artwork and components; tactile and table presence
- Excellent two-player experience with meaningful decisions
- Solid integration of abstract mechanics with a nature theme
Cons
- Scoring tracking can require careful attention
- Endgame can feel tight or punishing if you can’t enclose areas
- Some players may prefer more direct conflict or higher interaction
Thematic elements
- Nature, ecosystem balance and flora
- Forest/woodland environment
- abstract/strategic
Comparison games
- Watergate
- Maracaibo
- Merchants
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area_control — control board areas by having the majority of plant pieces with given height values; encloses areas to score tokens
- clouds_and_wildcards — use cloud tiles to modify the wilds, effectively changing turns or altering the board state; clouds can also temporarily remove plants
- domino placement — place domino tiles orthogonally adjacent with matching animals; a joker animal can be placed adjacent to any animal
- enclosure_scoring — when an area becomes fully enclosed by plants, it scores immediately and grants tokens to the contributor
- height_based_scoring — points are awarded for each plant and additional points for taller plants within an area
- neutral_plants — neutral plant pieces influence scoring and can shift area control, adding strategic blockers
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a very relaxing and chill game.
- I love this at two players.
- This is such a stinky nice abstract game.
- It has a really great table presence as well; it's very tactile with the big pieces.
- Capstone is blowing me away.
- This is such a stinky nice abstract game.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video vEtxq7z_RFc
Rolling Dice and Taking Names game_review at 10:36 sentiment: positive
video_pk 15 · mention_pk 15
Click to watch at 10:36
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- engaging engine-building with approachable rules
- strong thematic flavor and aesthetics
- great value in components for the price
Cons
- some rule-reading inconsistencies across printings
- occasional fiddly resource-tracking on the board
Thematic elements
- environmental restoration; ecological rebuilding
- A landscape restoration scenario where patches and brooks are restored to revive ecosystems
- eco-engineering, narrative-driven about restoration
Comparison games
- Gates of Mara
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area majority — control of zones through patch placement and influence
- domino-like tile placement — patches placed to restore landscape and connect waterways
- engine-building with negotiators — upgrade negotiator tokens to increase influence and card play options
- Resource management — managing crops/resources on fields to enable plays
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a fantastic family game
- the endurance deck is the core mechanic
- progressive worker placement
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–6 of 6