An Heirloom Garden

Players: 1

Playtime: 20-30 Minutes

Genre: Solo Card Game, Puzzle, Set Collection, Tableau Building

Key Mechanics: Hand Management, Spatial Puzzle, Card Abilities, Set Collection

Included in the zip files are:

17 pages

36 cards, 9 mini cards, Player aids & Score Tracker, 4 tokens, Story & 1 page rules & optional Rules booklet.

All components will fit snuggly into a mint tin, including the rules booklet.

Instructions on how to build the rules booklet are included, it's quite easy and all you need is the double sided printed paper, scissors and a stapler. You can choose to use the 1 page rules instead if you prefer.

Artwork: Original design by Tracey.J.Philips, featuring historical illustrations from the botanical studies of Claude de France (1510-1515), Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717), and Giorgio Gallesio's Pomona Italiana (1817-1839). James Sowerby's book, Coloured Figures of English Fungi or Mushrooms (1797-1803)

An Heirloom Garden: A Solitary Puzzle of Vintage Botanicals

A Living History in Your Hands

You are the curator of a priceless inheritance: a unique collection of vintage botanical art spanning an incredible 400 years. The vibrant fruits are from Giorgio Gallesio's seminal 19th-century work, Pomona Italiana. The delicate flowers are studies from the personal book of Claude de France, dating back to the 16th century. The exquisite insects are meticulously rendered from the groundbreaking studies of 17th century naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian. Last and definitely not least, the splendidly rendered Mushrooms of the late 18th Century from James Sowerby's book Coloured Figures of English Fungi or Mushrooms.

Your task is not to simply admire these masterpieces, but to arrange them. With a cup of tea at your elbow, you begin the solitary, satisfying work of weaving these heirloom treasures into a harmonious display, connecting art and nature across the centuries in a personal sanctuary of beauty and logic.

The Game in a Nutshell

An Heirloom Garden is a serene yet challenging solo card game for those who love spatial puzzles and historical art. Your goal is to arrange your inherited specimens into four growing rows before the quiet winter settles in.

On each turn, you must play two cards from your hand, placing each onto the end of a different row. The challenge? Each new card must be exactly one higher or one lower than the card at the row's end. Use the unique ability on each card to swap, move, and manipulate your display, cleverly overcoming the sequence rules.

But time is of the essence. If your hand grows too large, or you find yourself stuck, the frost creeps closer. Manage your hand wisely and race to empty the deck to win!

For a Deeper Challenge

Once you've mastered completing your garden before Winter sets in, add the strategic scoring variant. Reveal four random scoring conditions at the start of the game—goals like "Three of a Kind" or "The Floral Path." Now, you're not just building a garden; you're crafting a high-scoring work of art, aiming for a rank from "A Promising Start" to "A Lasting Heritage."