Spring Meadow has Polyominoes! Yes!
Also, Marmots.
The first delicate flowers herald the end of a harsh winter. The sun shines longer day by day and pushes the snow back. Lush meadows bloom, and curious marmots slowly awaken from hibernation. Finally, spring is coming into the mountains — the perfect time for a hike. Choose your route carefully, watch out for the burrows of the marmots, and pack enough snacks. Your chances to earn an edelweiss hiking pin are rather low if you sit hungry in the snow.
Spring Meadow Summary
Polyomino games are plentiful. Recently I’ve picked up Scarabya from Essen 2018 which is actually similar (in a way) to Spring Meadow, but simpler.
Uwe Rosenberg has been on a bit of a poly-run a the moment even squeezing them into the heavier A Feast for Odin. Patchwork is also an Uwe, also much lighter.
There is also obvious comparisons with Cottage Garden as they’re both part of the same series of 3 games. I prefer the scoring in Cottage Garden.
So you score for complete rows which I like. I like being rewarded for my neatness in a game like this. You also have those holes, the holes are key.
You’re going to want to put them over a Marmot hole for that sweet extra point. But you also need to make sure you don’t block out a Marmot hole either.
There is a lot of planning there and a balance between placing tiles. It made me look at the other player’s boards constantly to see where they are to see if I need to catch up.
Not that you have much time. Take a tile, place a tile, and end turn. Turns are VERY quick and if you look ahead on the board you can already see which tiles you’ll have the choice of and start planning early.
Fast, and fun.
Jesta ThaRogue