Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Easier to teach
High replayability
Low interaction
Scales well
Deep strategy
More strategic control
How it plays
How does it play?
Draft waterside, grass, and cityside cards, guide visitors through a personal garden, and score the loveliest walk through Sydney.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Open Drafting
Select cards or items from a shared face-up display.
Tile Placement
Place tiles to build a shared or personal spatial arrangement.
Set Collection
Gather related items that become more valuable when scored together.
Modular Board
Build the play area from interchangeable sections that vary between games.
Point-to-Point Movement
Move along explicit connections between named locations or nodes.
Read the full game description
The Gardens is an accessible drafting and tile-placement game inspired by Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden. Players select feature cards and extend three tableau rows representing the waterside, central lawns, and cityside. Placing a card moves that row's visitor, scoring the flower beds, ponds, native trees, statues, and other sights passed along the way. Optional landmarks and scoring modules add strategic variety without disturbing the welcoming core game.
