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When a dog needs a home, make it forever.
Forever Home is a simple and thoughtful game that places 2-5 players from ages 8+ in the role of a rescue centre for a colourful collection of canines in need of a home. It is the task of the players to give homeless dogs shelter and to train them before sending them to new homes in either the city, the suburbs, the countryside, or if there is really nowhere else more suitable for them to go, then to a loving foster home. How well the players do in their task is fully dependent on the choices they make, and a teeny bit of luck.
Object of the Game
Players win Forever Home by ending the game with the highest reputation, which takes the form of victory points. Points are awarded for re-homing dogs in specific areas and matching prospective owners with the conditions either on the City, Suburbs, Countryside and Foster Home cards, or by having the most of a certain colour of dog in training, in different homes, or the total number of that colour rehomed. At the beginning of each new game, the points cards are randomly drawn as is the placement of seven colourful dogs to determine what categories that colour of dog is placed in and the points it returns at game’s end.
Components
Forever Home by Birdwood Games is one of those games that is full of heart and designed and developed by people who truly care about the theme, and that shows. The compact box is tastefully adorned by some beautiful artwork and the playing pieces lack none of the charm depicted on the cover, especially the training cards.
It comes with five playing mats, a collection of cards used to help “train” the dogs in the players’ rescue centre, and a bag of dog tiles in seven colours among another display and set of cards. Setup takes a minute if that and thanks to the variable nature of setting the game up, most games will award points differently and therefore provide a slightly unique experience each time.
Gameplay
The game starts with four (or five) randomly drawn dog tiles from a bag that is included in the game. Taking it in turns to select a dog tile, players take one from the centre pool and place it on their shelter display. The object of the game from that point onwards is to match the patterns on the cards the players start with, or that they select from the tableau, and then place the dogs that helped to complete the patterns into one of the four places to send them: the city, suburbs, countryside or foster home. Where the dogs are re-homed is always at the players’ discretion.
Players take two actions per turn, which is either select a dog tile from the four or five displayed, move a dog tile in their shelter to try and complete a pattern, or take a new training card. Once the first player has completed seven training cards, all other plays get one more turn before points are added up to see which rescue centre has the highest reputation. Aside form the theme and artwork, much of the beauty of this game is in its simplicity. The puzzle is not complex in the slightest, but it is worth completing every time.
In summary, Forever Home is fast, thoughtful, and fun.
Just give a dog a home. Forever.
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