Cascadia
Officially Cascadia (2021, Randy Flynn, Flatout Games / AEG)
A puzzly tile-laying + animal-token drafting game about building Pacific Northwest ecosystems. 2022 Spiel des Jahres winner — praised as one of the most elegant modern family games.
What is Cascadia?
Cascadia is a 2021 family/gateway tile-laying game by Randy Flynn, published by Flatout Games and AEG. Players build a shared personal wildlife park by drafting habitat tiles (5 hex-terrain types: forest, mountain, wetland, river, prairie) and 5 animal types (bear, elk, salmon, hawk, fox). On each turn, a player takes one of four tile+token pairs displayed, adds the tile to their expanding ecosystem, and places the token on a matching habitat. Score at game end: (1) largest contiguous habitat areas, (2) animal-specific scoring rules chosen at setup (each animal has 4 scoring card variants, providing enormous replayability). Cascadia won the 2022 Spiel des Jahres — the most prestigious award in board gaming. Nature-themed art by Beth Sobel + Anni Baertlein and elegant rules make it a bestseller in 40+ countries. Expansions Landmarks (2022) + Rolling Hills (2024 roll-and-write) extend the ecosystem.
Quick facts
Category
Board Games
Type
Individual
Players
1–4
Duration
~45 min
Where played
indoor
Field / court
Personal expanding hex ecosystem
Country of origin
🇺🇸 United States
Estimated origin
Released May 2021 via Kickstarter; retail Oct 2021; Spiel des Jahres win July 2022
Olympic
No
Popularity
global
How it works
Objective
Build the highest-scoring ecosystem: score from largest contiguous habitats + animal placement patterns.
Match structure
Setup: 5 animal scoring cards chosen (variants A/B/C/D). Each turn: (1) take one of 4 tile+token pairs from market; (2) place tile touching your ecosystem; (3) place token on a matching habitat slot; (4) refill market. Game ends when tile bag empty (~20 turns).
Rules
Basic rules
Take a tile+token pair
Only 1 of the 4 displayed pairs per turn (or use a nature token for flexibility).
Place the habitat tile
Must touch your existing ecosystem.
Place the wildlife token
Only on tiles showing that animal's icon.
Refill the market
Draw new tile + token from bag; if 3+ tokens match, they must be culled + redrawn.
End when bag empty
Score animal cards + largest habitat regions.
Advanced rules
Nature tokens
Spend 1 to break tile+token pairing OR reshuffle 4 tokens; earn by placing on 'nature icon' tiles.
Family variant
Play with simpler scoring cards (variant A) for kids.
Landmarks expansion
Adds giant landmark tiles + new scoring.
Overpopulation
If 4 same-color tokens appear in market, one must be culled + redrawn.
Scoring
Sum of: 5 animal scoring cards + largest contiguous habitats + nature token bonus.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Bear scoring (A: pairs) | 4/11/19/27 for 1/2/3/4 pairs |
| Elk scoring (A: line) | 2/5/9/13 for 1/2/3/4 elk in line |
| Salmon scoring (A: line) | 2/4/8/12/17/22 for line length |
| Hawk scoring (A: line-of-sight) | 2/5/8/11/14/18/22/26 |
| Fox scoring (A: unique neighbors) | 1 VP per unique neighbor animal |
| Largest habitat (each of 5) | 1 VP per tile in longest + bonus for tying/beating others |
| Unused nature tokens | 1 VP each |
Win condition · Highest total score.
Playing area
Called
Personal expanding hex ecosystem
Dimensions
~30-50 hex tiles per player at end of game
Each player builds an expanding hex-tile ecosystem in front of them; central market of 4 tile+token pairs.
Equipment
85 habitat tiles (hexagonal)
Each tile shows 2 of 5 habitat types + slots for 1-3 animal types.
100 wildlife tokens
20 each of bear, elk, salmon, hawk, fox.
5 scoring cards × 4 variants each
20 scoring cards; 5 used per game (1 per animal).
Starting habitat tiles
3-tile starting cluster.
Nature tokens
Bonus tokens for placement flexibility.
Scorepad
End-game area.
Cloth bag
Random draws for market refill.
Positions & roles
Player (Ecologist)
×4Builds personal ecosystem.
Officiating
Casual — self-officiated.
- None
Penalties & fouls
Penalties
No matching habitat
Wildlife token cannot be placed → discarded (rare).
Strategies
Commit to 2-3 animal scoring paths early
Trying all 5 spreads too thin — pick 2-3 to specialize.
Save nature tokens for late game
Nature tokens are worth 1 VP each unused + break-pair versatility.
Habitat corridors
Long single-habitat corridors easier to build than compact blobs.
Deny opponents key tiles
In 2-player, always consider what tile helps them.
Study scoring card variants
Variant D cards typically most punishing — plan around them.
Terminology
- Habitat
- 1 of 5 terrain types: forest, mountain, wetland, river, prairie.
- Wildlife token
- 1 of 5 animals: bear, elk, salmon, hawk, fox.
- Nature token
- Bonus for placement flexibility + end-game VP.
- Scoring card variant (A/B/C/D)
- Different scoring rules per animal for replayability.
- Overpopulation
- 3+ same-color tokens in market triggers cull.
Major competitions
Spiel des Jahres 2022 (Winner)
once · Germany · since 2022
As d'Or Jeu de l'Année 2023 (Winner)
once · France · since 2023
Cascadia League (Board Game Arena)
seasonal · online worldwide · since 2022
Where it is played
Governing bodies
Flatout Games
Founded 2019 · Seattle, USA
Official site ↗AEG (Alderac Entertainment Group)
Founded 1993 · Los Angeles, USA
Official site ↗
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- Randy Flynn (designer, first published game)
- Beth Sobel (artist)
- Anni Baertlein (artist)
Records
Spiel des Jahres 2022
Cascadia — Winner (2022)
Kickstarter funding
Cascadia — $1.2M raised (700%+ funded) (2021)
BGG top family game rank
Cascadia — #1-3 family games 2022-2024 (2024)
Learn this sport
beginner
- 1
Play with all Family (A) scoring cards
Simplest rules; teaches core loop.
- 2
Focus 1 animal + 1 habitat first game
Don't overwhelm yourself.
- 3
Draft nature tokens
Take tile+token pairs on nature-token tiles when available.
advanced
- 1
Play with mixed scoring cards
Random draw of A/B/C/D creates new strategic terrain.
- 2
Optimize turn 1
Starting habitat choice + first draft heavily influences whole game.
- 3
Add Landmarks
Landmarks expansion adds a 3rd scoring axis.
Frequently asked
How long is a game?+
30 min (2 players) up to 60 min (4 players). Fastest gateway game to teach.
Is it good solo?+
Yes — official solo variant with challenge modes is well-loved.
What ages?+
Box says 10+, but 7-8 year olds can play easily with family scoring cards.
Why did it win Spiel des Jahres?+
Perfect balance of simple rules, elegant design, beautiful art, high replayability, and quick play — the exact SdJ criteria.
Cascadia vs Wingspan?+
Cascadia is lighter, shorter, more approachable. Wingspan is deeper but longer + more complex.
Sources & provenance
- BoardGameGeek — Cascadia— BGG
- Wikipedia — Cascadia (board game)— Wikipedia
- Flatout Games— Flatout Games