Looking for a quick and beautiful game for a small crowd? Check out Bosk and control the grove and be victorious!
Bosk is a 2-4 player game by designers Daryl Andrews and Erica Bouyouris. Published by Floodgate Games, Bosk plays in about 20-40 minutes. The game also features amazing art by Kwanchai Moriya.
Bosk: $45.00
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Over the course of a year, players control a species of tree, thriving in the beautiful terrain of a National Park.
In the Spring, players carefully grow their trees, scoring as hikers enjoy traveling the trails in Summer.
When Autumn comes, leaves fall in the ever-changing direction of the wind, covering the ground and other players’ leaves. Points are awarded in Winter for the most coverage of each region in the park! Control the grove and be victorious in Bosk.
Ages: 13+
Players: 2-4
Game Length: 20-40 minutes
Control the Grove & Be Victorious: Bosk Game Review
Bosk plays in four rounds which play out as the seasons. In the summer and winter rounds, players will score for two different types of area control. Summer scores for your tree placement whereas Fall scores for fallen leaves. Interesting enough scoring really high in Summer doesn’t necessarily mean a strong Winter score. I really enjoy that point of balance.
The four rounds of Bosk are very simple and straightforward. In Spring each player will take one of their eight trees and place it onto a path. You have two of each numbered trees, one to four. These numbers determine area control for each row and column in the forest. Players then score in the Summer for every row and column. When scoring is finished for the Summer phase, the game moves to the second half.
Fall is when the leaves will drop on the forest floor. The game area is divided up into multiple zones notable by color. Each player will take turns playing a leave token marked either 2-8 or a squirrel symbol. This shows how many leaves you are dropping. The leaves have to fall in the direction of the wind which changes each turn. You can cover other players piles by spending leaves for each leaf already on the square. If the top leaf is yours already, it’s free to cover up.
The squirrel is a sort of trump piece. It can cover any pile of leaves no matter the number in the stack for free. The squirrel also cannot be covered or moved.
Then comes Winter where you score for each zone based on who has the most leaves. This marks the end of the game. The player with the most points is the winner.
Bosk is a fantastic game that is both fun and “thinky”. It really rewards long term planning but it’s not super critical at the same time. Bosk has amazing board presentation as well. The trees once fully set up create a beautiful forest. At the end of the game when the leaves are covering the forest, they make the board look very pretty.
The game scales well for all player counts using a smaller zone side for two players. In the case of three players, you adjust the four player side to make the outer grid off limits. This ensures a fight for area control and limits too many players dominating rows solitarily.
If you’re looking for a quick fun game that looks great on the table, then I highly recommend Bosk. I hope you get a chance to check this one out.
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About the Author: Christopher Guyton
When not driving forklifts for a living Chris can be found pushing cubes and chucking dice at Gamer’s Guild in Spring Lake, NC
