Players: 1-4
Works well with just 2: Absolutely!
Solo quality: Okay
Age: 8+
Playtime: 30-60 min
Complexity: 4/10
Another Uwe Rosenberg game about farming? You bet.
This time we're running an orchard and harvesting apples, using honey as currency.
The game's timer is a die that steps its way around the central board. On your turn, you pick an apple tile from one of the stacks on either side of the die, and add it to your own orchard. Then the die takes one step forward, and it's your neighbor's turn.
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| Right after the start of the 2nd circuit |
If the die passes an apple icon, each player scores that particular apple variety: add up all of your apples of that color displayed on tiles that touch each other in your orchard, and subtract the number on the die (which starts at 1): that's how much honey you earn. There are seven different apple varieties, so pay attention!
When the die has done a complete circuit on the central board, it rotates from 1 to 2 and starts moving again—but this time your apple groups need to be larger to score. After a second complete circuit, the die rotates from 2 to 3, and the game ends halfway through the third and last circuit.
Perform some final scoring shenanigans, and the player with the highest score wins.
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| My personal orchard, about halfway through a game |
If you're familiar with Rosenberg's work, the scope of Applejack can be compared to that of Patchwork. While they don't play the same way at all, both games offer a surprisingly deep decision space, despite shipping with very simple rules and a short playtime. And they're fun!
I've found the game works best with two players: the solo goal is fixed (score 65 points with no one to give you trouble), while multiplayer outings tend to overstay their welcome (60 minutes for a game of Appeljack would test my patience).
Most easily forgotten rule: Flowers do not need to touch when scoring. Just count the number of flowers in your orchard, no matter where they are.
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