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Game Info
Year
2023
Collection
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Description
Under the intrusion of dark magic, the animals have become extinct in Crystal Forest. We mages gather the Magic Stones of the forest and resist the darkness to revive magical animals.
Animals Gathering is a dice family game for 2-5 players that incorporates dice management, tile placement, set collection, and push your luck elements. The goal is to earn the most points by placing magic stones in Animal Index Cards to revive animals, which in turn provide powers and points as your companion.
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 7
This page: 7
Sentiment:
pos 6 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–7 of 7
Video o02rc90zQok
Meeple University Top 10 List at 2:47 sentiment: positive
video_pk 88958 · mention_pk 288608
Click to watch at 2:47 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- family-friendly gateway feel
- downtime is well supported
- language-independent design
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- dice-driven set collection with passive/active player dynamic
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dice Rolling — Active player rolls dice to determine resources to collect
- dice-rolling — Active player rolls dice to determine resources to collect
- passive/active interaction — Inactive players gain resources when active player's roll fails to yield those resources
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is a game called ecosphera rewilding the world
- it's language independent
- the transparent is not just a gimmick it's actually part of the mechanics
- Great Western Trail Argentina compared to the previous versions
- my number one for both of us was Great Western Trail
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 4p196f2eqM4
Getting Games Discussion at 22:09 sentiment: positive
video_pk 88606 · mention_pk 293218
Click to watch at 22:09 · YouTube ↗
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)
- this is easily my game of the month and right now it's one of the best games I've played in the last year to uh maybe a couple of years
- Randomness uh chaos nightmare essentially
- it's a historical simulation
- the tiebreaker is the number of Windows you have in your Mansions
- the rulebook literally says get comfy you know Brew yourself a cup of coffee it's going to take you a little while to read through this rulebook
- I was not expecting to like this game so much in general
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video CORHOFpAVvw
Top List at 2:45 sentiment: positive
video_pk 77717 · mention_pk 187677
Click to watch at 2:45 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Gorgeous art style
- Looks really cool on the table
- Interesting tension in dice rolling
- Little bit of engine building
Cons
- Healthy amount of luck
Thematic elements
- Animals
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dice Rolling — You are rolling dice and then taking the shapes and pieces that you rolled on the dice and add them to your animal card.
- Engine Building — As you build your as you put pieces on the animal cards, when you finish the animal cards, they're going to get you special abilities. They're going to come into your sort of tableau and get you a special ability.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is my top 10 new to me games. These are older games that I played for the first time in 2025.
- There is no right or wrong way to be in this hobby. So, yes, play new games, but also play anything you want, you know, even if they're older things.
- Don't be afraid to go back and play things that you missed along the way. Don't be afraid to go back and play older games just because you've always been curious about it.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video y4nq9P6IkGk
Stella from Maple University Rules Teach
video_pk 70610 · mention_pk 167619
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Dark magic has taken over the Crystal Forest.
- we Mages now Gathering the precious Magic Stone to bring them to life again with our spell book.
- you and competing Majors take on the challenge of drafting cards to fulfill their pieces requirements by Rolling selective dice without giving too many pieces to the opponents.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video y4nq9P6IkGk
Stella from Maple University Rules Teach at 0:04 sentiment: positive
video_pk 70610 · mention_pk 190689
Click to watch at 0:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Still some decisions that need to be thought about for a simple rules gateway game.
- Cute animal shapes.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Dark magic has taken over the Crystal Forest and mages are gathering precious magic stones to bring animals back to life with a spellbook.
- Crystal Forest
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — Players draft cards to fulfill their pieces requirements.
- contract fulfillment — Players draft cards to fulfill their pieces requirements.
- Dice Rolling — Players roll dice to gain pieces to complete their animal cards. The number of dice rolled is affected by unfinished animal cards. Different dice have different anatomy providing different pieces.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Dark magic has taken over the Crystal Forest.
- we Mages now Gathering the precious Magic Stone to bring them to life again with our spell book.
- you and competing Majors take on the challenge of drafting cards to fulfill their pieces requirements by Rolling selective dice without giving too many pieces to the opponents.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video wMe2lQp4oVs
The Board Game Garden Rules Teach at 1:03 sentiment: positive
video_pk 36227 · mention_pk 108486
Click to watch at 1:03 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Accessible family-weight game with engaging drafting and dice mechanics
- Beautiful artwork and a standout box insert
- Short playtime (20-40 minutes) fits family game nights
- Mage and spell cards introduce asymmetrical variability
Cons
- Rule reference and learning curve can be steep for new players
- Dice color differences may affect accessibility
- End-game scoring can require careful calculation
Thematic elements
- gathering anima—nature restoration by collecting magical stones and using animal powers
- Crystal Forest, a magical kingdom in a fantasy world
- mythic-fantasy with a light family-weight narrative about summoning and animal powers
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- animal_powers — three types of powers (permanent, scoring, activation) that affect scoring and actions
- dice_rolling_with_resource_placement — players roll color-coded dice and place magic stones on animal cards to trigger powers
- Drafting — players draft animal index cards from a communal supply to shape their starting board
- End Game Bonuses — game ends when a player has five animals in their companion area
- end_game_condition — game ends when a player has five animals in their companion area
- Resource Management — managing stones and dice to maximize placements and powers
- resource_management — managing stones and dice to maximize placements and powers
- spell_and_mage_cards — optional asymmetrical abilities via mage and spell cards to add variability
- summoning_and_companion_area — stones fill spaces on animal cards; completed cards move to a companion area granting powers
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- here this is called the Animals Gathering
- I think this might be one of my favorite covers ever I am obsessed
- it's a family weight game
- the Box insert in this game is fabulous
- I'll be showing you guys how to play this game
- April release on Amazon as well as at Gen Con in August
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video LQo8CUl3jZg
The Board Game Garden Discussion at 13:52 sentiment: positive
video_pk 33325 · mention_pk 98994
Click to watch at 13:52 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- cute font and charming art
- gems are shiny / UV-coated
Cons
- no solo mode (as noted)
Thematic elements
- cute animals and gems
- animal-themed gem-drafting
- light, family-friendly feel
Comparison games
- Spirits of the Forest
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dice Drafting — collect gems to complete animal-picture builds
- dice/gem drafting — collect gems to complete animal-picture builds
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Spirits of the Forest. Absolutely gorgeous box cover. I am just obsessed.
- I can't stop staring at it.
- Mysterium's box cover is gorgeous.
- I love the box art for Portals—the circle and portal motif just draws you in.
- Flamecraft is just so, so pretty.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–7 of 7