Ruins: If one or more ruins cards are revealed, each player must draw one of the available shapes, depicted on the next explore card that is revealed, so that it overlaps a ruins space on their map. If not possible, instead draw a 1×1 square anywhere on their map and fill it with any terrain type. Remember that a group of 5 houses only needs a single tile to get to six, which means a single Riftlands could get you there if you plan for it (which means never put a Riftlands house into a group of 3-4 houses, as any two tiles can make six even without it), which means you might even get 16, then 24 points. Now, what does this mean strategically? Well, when you’re choosing between terrain types to place, you can calculate how many points you’d get if got just two shapes of that terrain in that season. Take time at the beginning of the game to familiarise yourself with how each Edict works. They are all fairly straightforward, but there’s nothing worse than curating a beautifully drawn map only to realise it won’t be scored highly because it doesn’t satisfy the Edicts correctly. You might still win the unofficial “Most Beautiful Map” award though…. The more I game the more I come across unique, fun, and diverse game mechanisms. At one point I had no idea what a roll and write was and how fun it could be. At this point I have happened upon a plethora of roll and writes, mostly out of searching them out because they are fantastic. Between light components, small footprint boxes, easy to understand rules(for the most part), and minimal components within the boxes, roll and writes have become a stand out recently for a lot of gamers, myself included.

Three Sisters combines drafting game mechanics with the classic Roll and Write formula. The result is a combo-heavy game that makes gardening feel truly thrilling. While real gardens take months to bear fruit, you can get all the satisfaction of a green thumb in under an hour by playing Three Sisters. Final Score: 4.5 Stars – A great entry into the genre that is fun to play and even offers a bit of player interaction.

To add some complexity, there are the aforementioned mountains that are already printed on the sheets. They provide a coin bonus if you surround them on all four sides and are also featured in several goal cards. Some terrain cards also require you to place them over ruins, which complicates your job a bit more. Other cards will give you the option to place a larger tile or choose a smaller tile and get a coin bonus on top.

Now in each season, you will be scoring two of the queen’s edicts. Edict A & B in Spring, B & C in Summer and so on, until each edict is scored twice. Score your two edicts. Add the number of coins you have gathered, and deduct points for each unfilled square that is adjacent to a monster square. At the end of the round, regather the explore cards and add in one more hero and ambush card. Any heroes or ambush cards that came out are discarded. Rooting For The Wrong Team The map sheets are also double sided. One side is a normal map with the reverse side containing a cavern in the middle, restricting your available space and thus making it more difficult. You might not be scored on all four Edicts at the end of each season but it is still wise to work towards all four Edicts – A to D – simultaneously, if you can. Each Edict is scored in two different seasons, and A is scored in Spring and in Winter. You might have done badly at A in Spring but that doesn’t stop you doing well at it by the time you get to Winter!

The real joy of this game comes from its satisfying combos. A well-chosen die can trigger a chain reaction with enormous benefits. Lovers of engine builders like Wingspan will reap many rewards from this little garden. Players have a year to map out the world, whilst simultaneously completing the queen’s four edicts. As they do so, they gather reputation stars. Whomsoever has the most at the end of the game is the winner.