Everdell

EVERDELL is a 2018 WORKER-PLACEMENT + TABLEAU-BUILDER BOARD GAME designed by JAMES A. WILSON + published by STARLING GAMES (distributed by Table Top Tycoon in North America). Widely acclaimed as one of the MOST BEAUTIFUL board games ever produced — headlined by the 3D CARDBOARD 'EVERTREE' at the center of the board that holds the seasonal event cards. THEME: In the valley of EVERDELL, forest critters (mice, hedgehogs, foxes, turtles, bunnies) live in a bustling community. Over 4 SEASONS (Winter → Spring → Summer → Autumn), players build a CITY of up to 15 CARDS (mix of CRITTERS + CONSTRUCTIONS) using workers to collect resources, then playing cards from hand or shared MEADOW display. GAMEPLAY (highly acclaimed elegant + tight mechanics): 1-4 players each control their own city area + a small pool of workers (start with 2, grows to 6 by Autumn). Turn structure = choose ONE OF 3 ACTIONS: (1) PLACE A WORKER on a Basic (Twig/Resin/Pebble/Berry) or Forest location to gain resources; (2) PLAY A CARD from your hand or shared Meadow display to your city — paying resource cost (with discounts for tags + construction/critter combos); (3) PREPARE FOR SEASON to end current season, retrieve workers + gain seasonal benefit (unlock more workers). CARD SYNERGIES: unique CONSTRUCTIONS + CRITTERS pair up (e.g., BARGE TOAD + BARGE = free/discounted play); tags + colors + POINT-OF-INTEREST cards multiply late-game VP. CITY LIMIT: 15 cards max per player — forces tough curation choices. SPECIAL EVENTS + JOURNEY: fill certain conditions to claim EVENT cards (worth VP) + workers can go on JOURNEYS for VP. SCORING: end of AUTUMN, count VP from all city cards + events + prosperity bonuses + point tokens. Highest wins. VISUAL DESIGN: illustrations by ANDREW BOSLEY (widely praised); premium 3D Evertree, custom resources (berry-shaped, twig-shaped, resin-shaped, stone), and detailed card art. EXPANSIONS: (a) PEARLBROOK (2019) — river adjacency + adornments + Wardens; (b) SPIRECREST (2020) — mountain journeys + weather cards; (c) BELLFAIRE (2020) — festival + garland + market variants; (d) NEWLEAF (2021) — train stations + travelers + reserved cards; (e) MISTWOOD (2021) — mist events + reveries; (f) LEGENDS (2022) — legendary card variants; (g) COMPLETE COLLECTION storage. FRANCHISE OFFSHOOTS: EVERDELL: FARSHORE (2022, standalone game); EVERDELL: DUOS (2p focus 2025); ADVENTURES IN EVERDELL (Legacy variant), EVERDELL COLLECTOR'S EDITION storage. AWARDS: (a) BGG Top-20 consistently since 2020; (b) MENSA SELECT 2019; (c) DICE TOWER Best Family Game 2018 Nominee; (d) DEUTSCHER SPIELE PREIS 2019 Nominee. DIGITAL VERSION: EVERDELL DIGITAL (Dire Wolf Digital, iOS/Android/Steam, 2023) — excellent implementation, considered gold-standard board game app. CULTURAL: launched cottagecore-aesthetic board game trend along with WINGSPAN + PARKS + WYRMSPAN.

VP from all cards in city + Point tokens gained during play + Event cards claimed + Journey VP + Prosperity end-of-game bonuses.

Win condition · Highest total VP when all players end Autumn. Tiebreak = most resources + workers remaining.

Iconic 3D cardboard tree at board center holds event slots; ring of BASIC location + FOREST location tiles surrounding it; shared MEADOW displays 8 face-up cards; each player has small tableau area + worker pool + resource storage.

• Base game (Starling Games edition)

  $60 USD; famous for 3D Evertree + premium components

• 3D standee EVERTREE + season event board

  Iconic centerpiece

• 128 unique cards (Critters + Constructions)

  Each with art + tags + point synergies

• Resource tokens: twigs, resin, pebbles, berries

  Custom-shaped wooden tokens

• Worker meeples (per player, up to 6)

  One per player color

• Point tokens + Journey path + Event cards

  Additional VP sources

• Pearlbrook expansion

  River + adornments

• Spirecrest / Bellfaire / Newleaf / Mistwood / Legends

  Additional expansion content packs

• Digital version (Dire Wolf, 2023)

  $10 iOS/Android/Steam, considered gold standard

• Critter/Construction pairings free critters

  Build the construction first, then play the matching critter for free — huge tempo swing.

• Prosperity cards for endgame VP

  Sun Blessed / Wife / King / etc. give bonus VP based on tag count — build toward these.

• Meadow timing

  Watch Meadow refresh; sometimes worth spending a turn to prep and grab a stellar meadow card first.

• Preparation timing = worker unlock

  Preparing early = more workers next season; but too early = lose current season points.

• Journey for endgame VP dump

  Autumn workers can Journey for 2-6 VP each — good when city is full.

• 15-card city limit forces curation

  Don't play every card — save room for high-VP prosperity + point-of-interest cards late.

Critter

Character card (mouse, hedgehog, fox, etc.) — often provides ongoing abilities.

Construction

Building card — often lets you play matching critter free.

Meadow

Shared card display of 8 face-up cards accessible to all.

Evertree

Central 3D standee — holds season events.

Preparation

Action ending a season for a player + unlocking more workers.

Point-of-Interest / Prosperity

Endgame VP multiplier cards.

Journey

Autumn worker action awarding VP for card-hand requirements.

Point token

1 VP token earned from card effects.

• BGG Top-20 Ranked 2020-2026

  ongoing · worldwide · since 2020

• Mensa Select 2019

  annual · USA · since 2019

• Deutscher Spiele Preis 2019 Nominee

  annual · Germany · since 2019

• Dice Tower Best Family Game 2018 Nominee

  annual · USA · since 2018

• Everdell Digital Online (Dire Wolf)

  ongoing · worldwide · since 2023

• 🇺🇸United States
• 🇬🇧United Kingdom
• 🇩🇪Germany
• 🇫🇷France
• 🇮🇹Italy
• 🇵🇱Poland
• 🇪🇸Spain
• 🇨🇦Canada
• 🇦🇺Australia
• 🇯🇵Japan
• 🇸🇪Sweden

• Starling Games (publisher)

  Founded 2016 · USA

• Table Top Tycoon (NA distributor)

  Founded 2010 · USA

• BoardGameGeek (community rating authority)

  Founded 2000 · USA

• BoardGameGeek — Everdell— BGG
• Starling Games — Everdell— Starling Games
• Wikipedia — Everdell— Wikipedia
• Dire Wolf Digital — Everdell app— Dire Wolf