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Don’t take this personally, it’s not intended that way, but it’s long past time I told you the truth. Animals are better than humans. They just are. You know, we’ve made a real hash of things when it comes to managing things like the planet. Also, a lot of humans are really annoying, whereas animals just sit and listen to you rattle on about whatever’s on your mind. Or they run away. Or they try to rip your face off. What I’m saying is, we should do all we can to protect the flora and fauna of this planet, and the upcoming game from Moon Saga Workshop will allow you to do exactly that!
Players step into the boots of Park Rangers, whose expertise in botanical alchemy transforms the wilderness into a sanctuary for healing. With the roll of the dice, players gather extracts from the park's flora, concocting potent potions to treat the ailments of animals from different biomes. Successfully healing animals and performing experiments earns points, directly reflecting your role in maintaining the park’s well-being. Aim for animals in similar habitats to unlock bonus points, reflecting the depth of your commitment to conservation. Or, take the path of experimenting to find new potions. The player with the most points at the end of the game is crowned as the guardian of nature!
Parks & Potions plays over 5 rounds (6 in a 5-player game), each representing a day of work. The game is divided into phases where players roll dice to discover flowers to extract, manage their inventories, and use potions to fulfil objectives and cure animals. Strategic potion mixing and objective completion are key to becoming the most renowned ranger.
Okay, so first thing to take from this is that some humans are okay – all hail you hero players taking on the mantle of Park Rangers filling those animals full of potions! Second thing, there’s plenty of room for differing strategies here, as you can focus on maintaining animals in their favoured habitat or let loose with wild potion combos to land the big points, or somewhere in between. Play it your way.
So, how do you become a master of botanical alchemy? (Note: if there was a course at university in Botanical Alchemy I would have done that instead of stupid Archaeology, but I digress.) Roll the coloured dice to find flowers ripe for extraction, adding the ones you need to your inventory - a touch of luck, a touch of wisdom here. Then mix your potions - not only will this improve your ability to heal wildlife, it can also free up space in your inventory. And then… get healing!
Parks and Potions has four game modes: family, competitive, cooperative and solo, so matter who is around to play there is always an option to suit. There’s also a neat extra feature which should give some indication of how much thought went into the design of the game: it comes with a cute canvas bag, into which you can pack the entire game and have yourself a go while you’re on holiday or in the coffee shop.
The pre-launch page is live on Kickstarter now, and you know the drill, sign up for notification of when the campaign kicks off: Parks & Potions by Moon Saga Workshop — Kickstarter You can also find more info on their web site, and you’ll find that right here: Parks & Potions (moonsagaws.com)