Three Sisters is a strategic roll-and-write game about backyard farming. Three Sisters is named after an indigenous agricultural technique still widely used today in which three different crops — pumpkins, corn, and beans — are planted close together. Corn provides a lattice for beans to climb, the beans bring nitrogen from the air into the soil, and the squash provides a natural mulch ground cover to reduce weeds and keep pests away.
In the game, you have your own player sheet with multiple areas: the garden, which is divided into six numbered zones, each containing the three crop types; the apiary; compost; perennials; goods; fruit; and the shed, which is filled with tools that have special abilities. All the crops, fruits, flowers, and hives are represented by tracks that you will mark off as you acquire these items. Many of the tracks are interconnected with other elements in the game, giving you bonuses along the way. A common feature of these tracks are circles that represent a harvest, which generates goods; get enough goods, and you unlock bonus actions. Advancing on all of these tracks offers various amounts of points, advancements, and bonuses.
The game lasts eight rounds. Each round, roll dice based on the number of players, group them by number, then place them on an action space of the circular action wheel, starting with the current position of the farmer; the farmer moves each round, which means that dice showing 1s, 2s, etc. will end up on different spaces each round. Once the dice have been placed, each player drafts one die and uses it as described below. Once everyone has drafted a die, all players get to use the lowest-valued die remaining on the action wheel. A die lets you do two things, which you can do in either order:
Plant or water the numbered zone matching the value of the die.
Take the action of the space from which you removed the die.
To plant, you mark the bottom space of two empty crop tracks. (Note that you can't plant beans until the corn adjacent to the beans is tall enough to support them.) To water, you mark one space in all the crop tracks that already have at least one mark in them. As for the actions on the action wheel, you can:
Plant or water again in the same numbered zone.
Gain one compost (which lets you adjust die values) and four goods (which will get you bonuses at the farmer's market).
Mark off the hive track, which can bring you points, goods, or bonus actions.
Mark one of the four fruit tracks. Each fruit is worth different points and different amounts of goods and has different track lengths and circle positions.
Visit the farmer's market, which gives you points and bonuses based on the number of goods you've collected.
Mark one of the fifteen tool tracks in your shed. As soon as you complete a track, you gain that power or end-game scoring opportunity.
Perennials don't have a direct action associated with them and are marked off only through actions in other areas, with the various perennials giving different bonuses as you mark them.
At the end of the round, all players receive a bonus action, either rain that waters all numbered zones in your garden, a trip to the shed, or a visit to the farmer's market. After eight rounds, you score points for harvested crops, perennials, the apiary, fruit, and some shed items. Whoever has the most points wins.
Three Sisters has a solo mode in which you try to top your own score against an "opponent" that drafts dice and blocks areas of your sheet.
- quick to learn; good for families
- engaging rondelle mechanic with meaningful choices
- phase naming can be confusing on first play
- teaching nuance can be tricky for new players
- dice-driven rondelle gardening and crop management
- garden planning and farming with a humorous family twist
- light-hearted, family-friendly
- Fleet
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- garden planting / watering — plant or water in zones to fill boxes and score
- rondelle dice drafting — choose a die; perform plant or water action; triggers subsequent rondelle step
- Simultaneous resolution — players resolve phases concurrently with shared actions
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Should video games have an easy mode
- it's simple but you know…
- I would want every game to have an easy mode, but I don't think every publisher should include one
References (from this video)
- Charming concept
- Accessible entry into heavier roll-and-write space
- Hype vs depth balance unknown
- family life and cultivation
- Backyard farming roll-and-write
- relaxed, approachable roll-and-write
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- roll-and-write — Roll dice and fill out a score sheet with garden actions
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's not too late to pick up a badge
- I'm really looking forward to grubbing and gaming at the same time
- this stuff that really gets me going
- I can't wait for Tantrum Con 2022
- let's get into it
- this has been a minor suggested game production and I'm Alex, your board game sommelier, signing off
References (from this video)
- Castle Party
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a photo association game.
- Three Sisters immediately sprang to mind.
- Hogwarts Battle is what I said.
- Photosynthesis yes.
- Ghost Stories.
- Dead of Winter my father's work what does my father do in the winter.
- Calico.
- Zombie Dice.
References (from this video)
- Rich combo potential
- Interesting, thematic engine with two sheets
- Educational and flavorful integration of gardening concepts
- agriculture and symbiotic crop growth
- Garden/farm with companion planting
- Educational yet playful
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- journaling sheet — a journaling area tracks combos and actions
- rondelle with drafting — dice-like drafting on a rondelle; actions include planting and watering
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- mind your business
- one board gamer at a time
- we love you bye
- epitome of a flip and ride experience
- it's not our job to police others or interrogate others, it's our job to just live our lives
- mind your business and last but not least just leave people alone who are not bothering you
References (from this video)
- Crunchy gameplay
- Beautiful presentation
- Cool theme
- Excellent solo experience
- Combos waterfall nicely
- Extremely combo-heavy which can be hard to track
- Easy to forget what you've done and lose because of missed actions
- Farming and resource management
- Agricultural - planting companion crops
- Thematic agricultural simulation
- Fleet
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Combo System — Actions cascade and waterfall into each other creating chain reactions
- Rolling and Writing — Roll dice to determine actions, write results on player board
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Azul is just a classic classic game
- I will always want to play this game it's a staple
- Racing is my favorite game mechanic
- I love watching everything kind of like waterfall off of each other
- Castles of Burgundy is incredible I love Castle's birdie
- I love this game so basically like the world is dying
- The best part about Black Angel the little robot guys
- Bet on yourself always always I don't even care if I lose the game believe in yourself
- Dice Throne is an incredible 1v1 battle Yahtzee game
- Wingspan I am almost always in a game of Wingspan on BGA
- This game is beautifully designed it just feels good when you play it
- I can't win and I am getting freaking sick of it
- It's always a great time when it hits the table
- Paint the Roses is a Cooperative deduction game
- I've fallen back in love with it
- Some of the best gaming experiences I've had is playing that game
- I really really love Flamme Rouge it is an excellent game
- I will fall in love with this game it's got the recipe for it to be like a top 10 game
References (from this video)
- thematic farming feel
- engaging combos
- initially overwhelming scoring sheet
- small farm management and craft strategy
- Farming theme with die rolling and scoring sheets
- rolling-right with strategic depth and theme
- Fleet: The Dice Game
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- roll-and-write — Roll dice and fill scoring sheets across farm areas
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- charter stone is a legacy worker placement game
- the art is amazing
- it's an absolutely underrated gem of a game
- rolling right to game night
- the parfait of puzzles
References (from this video)
- Highly combo-intensive gameplay
- Excellent solo play option
- Thematic farming mechanics
- Great character timer (Edith)
- Lots of combos can be overwhelming for some players
- Jeff finds complexity challenging
- Easy to forget combo opportunities
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Jeff and I rank with our hearts and not with our brains
- our list is if you don't like it Move Along
- we play as many games as we do in a year which is literally hundreds thousand
- our rankings are extremely fluid
- there's so many good freaking games out there
- oron hits The Sweet Spot of combo
- this Oracle Delia Oracle Del like what is this game
- if you love puzzles and sudoku or whatever you're probably gonna love it
- don't poo poo on tapestry it's freaking good
- three ring circus is going to continue to increase for me
References (from this video)
- Combo-focused gameplay
- Tractor meeple
- Companion planting
- Backyard farming
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Roll and Write — Rolling to unlock bonus actions and points
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Halloween all year long
- Combo-tastic
References (from this video)
- interesting thematic tie to agriculture
- streamlined rules relative to some euro games
- variety in tiles keeps gameplay fresh
- two-player variant may feel different from multi-player
- polycropping with seasonal variety
- indigenous agriculture and crops grown together
- educational, nature-based theme overlay
- Carcassonne
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- bidding — blind bidding on tiles with rewards based on color tokens
- resource/score tracking — manage multiple crops and scoring tokens
- tile placement — place tiles to form a cohesive farm/field layout
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the fact that people are getting educated in how the market works is just good for everyone
- it's a tile lane game
- co-op, 100% co-op
- everybody wins
- the memes have changed over the year
- you cannot rotate the tile you have to lay it down
References (from this video)
- interactive opponent AI (Edith) adds tension by taking dice away
- cozy vibe with deep, crunchy decision-making
- leans heavier for a rolling-right game; might feel punishing to some
- the AI mechanic can slow the pace for some players
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dice drafting — draft dice to resolve actions and progress on a rondelle-driven board.
- roll-and-write — players fill out records on sheets based on dice results and available sections.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this is a very simple solo game to learn so if you are just getting into solo gaming I would recommend that one for sure
- I like to fight against the game that's my favorite kind of solo game to play
- there is a full campaign that you can go through
- this game is all about managing those guests
- they're very very fussy
- it's like you are playing a pinball machine but it is a rolling right
- this is not a solo only game
- My preferred way to play this game is solo
- the goal of the game is to get all of the animals eaten so you only have one left
- this game has absolutely everything everything that I want in a Solo experience
- it's immersive it's thematic it's everything
- the definition of playing against the game
References (from this video)
- highly thematic and satisfying chain reactions
- beautiful thematic integration with mechanics
- scales well with player count
- complexity can ramp up quickly for new players
- component quality not uniform in all prints
- agriculture, cooperative growth, and seasonal cycles
- A garden where corn, squash, and beans coexist
- ecosystem-based puzzle
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- chain-reaction scoring — actions trigger subsequent effects and combos
- dice drafting / action selection — roll dice to choose actions that grow, harvest, and connect crops
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's an amazing game especially if you're traveling around quite a lot
- the rules are not that uh complex
- you are farmers and you're planting a garden
- the biggest unique thing about this game is its chain reactions
- it's really a party game kind of game that will give you the most emotions for sure
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- we have board games everywhere in our home
- it's going to be staggered kind of like steps down
- the most ridiculous box ever everything falls out
- I've been learning a game a day Jeff
- if you're looking at my chest or not
References (from this video)
- Very combos driven
- Dense with meaningful choices
- Relaxing and challenging
- Varied strategies work
- Beautiful thematic gameplay
- gardening and agriculture
- garden
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Roll and Write — dense roll and write with significant combo potential
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Why are you so obsessed with me?
- I'm not the only one with opinions on board games out there
- It's a pirate's life for me
- You make sausage till you can make bikes and make your people happy
- Fun to lose games
- Everything you do is satisfying even if you don't win
- A pie snatching good time
- All of Stonemeier games in one game
References (from this video)
- Jamie still loves it
- loves the theme
- not played recently
- replaced by similar games like Flip Town and Tend
- farming/gardens
- agriculture
- Flip Town
- Tend
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Flip and Write
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- we're products of what we've played
- objectively most games are good
- the longer I'm in this hobby the more I have identified that I love very heavy strategic War based games
- people play games differently
- I just wish people would be a little bit more cognizant of what the people around the table are doing to the game
- every year there's a new card game that comes out that we just go head over heels for
- the odds that I'm going to get a chance to play this game are probably pretty limited
- I would argue none of them are like something I'm like itching to get out and play
- it's all about betting the right amount of hands and trying to screw other people over
- how do you compete with new content constantly being released
References (from this video)
- Solid rolling-drafting experience
- Good value and affordable entry in the set
- Not the absolute strongest in the rolling category
- Dice drafting and resource management
- Agricultural farming with crop-themed dice drafting
- Rolling-style drafting with solo/ BG solo modes
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dice drafting — Players draft dice to plant crops and fulfill contracts.
- Roll-and-build tempo — Rolling determines actions and progression.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- This is top 100 games of all time as of 2025. Every single year I say that it's as of how I'm feeling now.
- I unranked everything and then re-ranked it based on how I feel.
- Beast is absolutely fantastic. I think it's the second best hidden movement game I have in my collection.
- Numsters is my favorite Buttonshy game.
- Root is an asymmetric strategy game where basically the core game has four core factions.
- Powers and abilities galore. If you like just having a smorgasbord of menu options to pick from, this delivers.
References (from this video)
- Relaxed puzzle
- Family-friendly
- Fast rounds
- Limited depth for some players
- Gardening and rolling rights
- Garden/rolling-rules themed
- Casual, family-friendly
- Hadrian's Wall
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dice drafting — Choose dice outcomes to optimize plant placements.
- pattern-building — Create scoring patterns across sheets.
- roll-and-write — Roll dice and write results on score sheets.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- we are here to do another installment of who plays it best
- these videos are stupid
- jamie should learn how to concede
- there's always got to be a villain
- i'm very fast
- you don't get to cherry-pick your stats
- it's going to be great
References (from this video)
- one of the weekend favorites
- solid two-player puzzle feel
- some players may want more depth
- sisterly cooperation and resource management
- rolling-rights themed
- thinky but accessible
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- rolling right / dice drafting — roll, draft, and manage dice actions to optimize engine
- tableau-building — build and optimize actions/colors to score
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this is the best month of them all
- 26 games in 48 hours
- it's a banger month for games
- it's almost next level rhythm and flow
- the people around the table are what makes it