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Let’s go to the Netherlands and become tulip farmers and entrepreneurs! The theme and play style of of Windmill Valley is so enjoyable and unique. There is plenty of replay value with the ever-changing windmill enhancements and player actions, and there’s even a solo mode to play. If you’re looking for something with a whimsical theme mixed with some medium strategy…this is a great option. There is, however, very little player interaction in Windmill Valley. It’s a lot of “I work on my stuff and let’s see who wins”. For players looking for a quiet relaxing unengaging game, this is a great option for that as well.
OVERALL THEME
Windmill Valley is inspired by the Bloemen Route or “Flower Route” that stretches 25 miles through Dutch tulip country. In this game, you’ll have the opportunity to be part of the tulip fun and build windmills, look for new tulips to plant and hire help to fulfill lucrative contracts.
ARTWORK
The artwork of Windmill Valley is bright and vibrant, as you would expect from a game about tulips on the Bloemen Route. The components are well made and include a wonderful assortment of tulips, windmill gears that actually rotate and windmill meeples. You will need to take a little time to setup and build the windmills, but once you do…they are magical! Where else will you ever see a windmill meeple!?
OVERVIEW OF GAMEPLAY
The overall gameplay for Windmill Valley is very straightforward. Each player will take four steps on their turn, over the course of four rounds. A round ends when a player has made a full rotation of their windmill player board, so players may be on different rounds from each other. However, once a player reaches the fourth round then the end game is triggered for all players. The player with the most VP at the end of four rounds wins the game. Each player will take 4 steps during their turn:
Step 1: Floodgate Adjustment: players may open or close the Floodgate which determines the number of spaces the Windmill board will turn. This step can be the more difficult one to learn…but after a few turns it felt more natural.
Step 2: Water Level Adjustment: players will move the water level up or down based on what they did in step 1.
Step 3: Wheel Movement: players will rotate the wheel based off Step 1.
Step 4: Perform Actions: players will be able to take actions based on where their windmill rotation ended. The available actions are: lowering the water shed, planting tulips, enhancing the windmill actions, gaining farm enhancements, building a windmill, visiting the market and conducting foreign trade.
The steps aren’t overly complicated on their own, but it does take some time to get the hang of the how the steps all work together and how to form a strategy. It can take a few turns to learn how the Floodgate works with what actions you want to take on your windmill and how those actions will affect future turns. On a second playthrough of Windmill Valley, I really was able to enjoy the strategy and gameplay much more!
FINAL THOUGHTS
I have played Windmill Valley a few times and thoroughly enjoy the theme and style. It’s a lovely European style game to have in the mix with those beautiful vibrant tulips. The game stands out a lot due to its theme and the unique components. There is some difficulty learning all the actions and how the steps work together during a turn, Windmill Valley could be a little tough for less experienced players. However, there is enough novelty and lightness to the gameplay, that I think even the novice player would have fun learning this game!
