Cottage Garden: The Tile-Based Strategy Game – Rules, Strategy & Instructions

Introduction

Cottage Garden, a game that’s all about creating a beautiful garden with tiles. It’s a game for 1 to 4 players, and it’s pretty chill but also makes you think. The game was designed by Uwe Rosenberg and came out in 2016. It’s part of a series of games that are all about farming and gardening.

In Cottage Garden, you pick tiles of different shapes and sizes, kind of like Tetris pieces, and you try to fit them into your garden board as best as you can. You get points for covering up flower pots and plant covers, and you want to fill up your board to score as much as you can before the game ends. It’s a race against time and your friends to see who can make the best garden.

Rules for playing Cottage Garden

Alright, let’s get into the rules of Cottage Garden. The game is played over several rounds until all players have filled up two garden beds. On your turn, you pick a tile from the central market board and place it onto your garden bed. You can also grab a flowerpot or plant cover if you need to fill a small space. Each player has a wheelbarrow that shows how many turns they have until they score one of their garden beds. When you score, you get points for each flowerpot and plant cover, and then you start over with a new garden bed. There are also cats that you can use to fill in gaps in your garden. The game ends when all players have filled their second garden bed, and the one with the most points wins!

Equipment and Setup for Cottage Garden

For Cottage Garden, you need the game box, which comes with a bunch of stuff. You’ve got garden bed boards for each player, a central market board, tiles with different garden patches, flowerpots, plant covers, and cute little cat tokens. You also have a score board and a wheelbarrow for each player to keep track of turns. To set up, you put the market board in the middle, shuffle all the garden tiles and place them in stacks, and give each player a garden bed and a wheelbarrow. Then you’re ready to start!

How to Play Cottage Garden and Game Mechanics

Playing Cottage Garden is all about picking the right tiles and fitting them into your garden. The game unfolds over a span of six rounds, each characterized by specific rules and dynamics. Here’s how it goes:

Gameplay:

In a 2/3/4-player game, each player experiences exactly 32/26/25 turns before the final round kicks in. The final round, constituting a variable number of turns, concludes the game. Victory is determined by totaling the points on the planting table at the end of the final round.

The gameplay unfolds in four phases during each player’s turn, following a clockwise order:

1. Refilling Phase:

• The active player checks the Gardener Die’s position on the Nursery board, aligning with a column of four Nursery Spaces.
• If 3 or 4 spaces in the column are empty, the player refills them by drawing Flower Tiles from the Garden Path.
• If 0, 1, or 2 spaces are empty, the player can choose to perform a Ramble by returning a Cat Token to supply.

2. Planting Phase:

• The active player must choose to either take a Flower Tile from the active Gardener column and place it in their Flower Bed or take a Flower Pot from the Wheelbarrow and place it in a Flower Bed, covering a space.
• Additionally, the player may opt to Mouse Hunt by placing 1 or 2 cats from their reserve on empty spaces of their Flower Bed.

3. Scoring Phase:

• If the active player completes one or both Flower Beds during their turn, they may score and replace them.
• Scoring involves advancing Orange or Blue Scoring Markers based on the number of Flowerpots and Plant Cloches in the Flower Bed.
• Points are earned for each advancement on the orange or blue track.

4. Gardener Phase:

• At the end of the turn, the Gardener Die moves one space further along the board’s edge, clockwise.

Special Rules for 6th Round:

• Initiated when the Gardener Die reaches 6.
• Flower Beds with 2 or fewer Plant Tiles are immediately removed from all players’ play areas.
• Players lose 2 points at the start of their turns during the final round.
• Completing a Flower Bed results in its removal from the game.

Game End:
The game concludes when all Flower Beds are removed from play.

Final Scoring:
Players tally points based on the positions of their Orange and Blue Scoring Cubes, Beehive tokens, and remaining Cats. The player with the highest total points is the winner, with tiebreakers favoring the player with the most Beehives.

Solo Game of Cottage Garden Rules

Solo Rules

If you choose to play the game alone, adopt the two-player rules with the following adjustments:

Setup:

• Turn the Game Board to the side suitable for 1-3 players.
• Set the Gardener die to “2” and place it on the starting space for 1-2 players.
• Place only three Flowerbeds: deal two Flowerbeds to yourself, one with the light side up and one with the dark side up. Place the third in the middle with the light side showing.
• You have the option to choose which Flowerbeds you will play with or draw them randomly.
• Exclude the Beehives from the setup.

Gameplay:

• The game encompasses 32 turns plus the final round, with the Gardener moving four times around the board.
• Move the Gardener two arrow spaces each turn, focusing only on the first and third rows of each side. The second and fourth rows are not utilized.

Goal of the Solo Game:
The primary objective of the solo game is to accumulate as many points as possible. Achieving a score of 70 points is considered very good, while reaching 80 points is regarded as an outstanding accomplishment.

How to Win at Cottage Garden

Winning at Cottage Garden is about planning and being efficient. You want to fill up your garden beds as completely as possible to score big points. Keep an eye on the tiles coming up so you can plan ahead. Try to use the flowerpots and plant covers to fill small spaces and score extra points. And don’t forget about the cats! They can be really handy for filling in those awkward little gaps.

Best Strategies for playing Cottage Garden

For the best strategies, you want to be flexible and adapt to the tiles that are available. Try to build your garden in a way that gives you options for different shapes of tiles. Also, watch what other players are doing and maybe grab a tile they need before they can. And always be thinking a few moves ahead to make sure you’re ready for what’s coming.

To excel in Cottage Garden, strategic planning is key. One of the best strategies is to focus on completing garden beds efficiently, as finished beds score points and free up space for new plants. It’s also important to manage the selection of tiles from the central market intelligently, choosing pieces that fit well in your garden spaces and keeping an eye on what your opponents might need.

Players should aim to maximize the use of pots and cloches, which can fill in single spaces and score additional points. Timing is crucial; you must balance the urgency of filling beds before the scoring die reaches the end of its track with the desire to optimize the placement of tiles for maximum points. Additionally, keeping a diverse array of plants in your personal supply ensures flexibility when it’s your turn to place a tile.

By maintaining a steady pace, making the most of the tiles available, and carefully planning your garden layout, you can increase your chances of becoming the most successful gardener in Cottage Garden.

Scenarios

Sometimes you’ll find yourself with a garden bed that’s hard to fill, or maybe you’re missing that one perfect tile. When that happens, try to minimize the empty spaces and use cats or plant covers to fill in. If you’re in a good spot, with a nearly complete garden bed, think about how you can finish it off to score the most points.

Frequently Asked Questions about playing Cottage Garden game

Q: Can I move a tile once I’ve placed it?
A: No, once a tile is placed, it can’t be moved.

Q: What happens if I can’t fit any of the available tiles on my garden bed?
A: You can use a cat or a plant cover, or you can pass and wait for the tiles to change.

Q: How do I use the wheelbarrow?
A: The wheelbarrow tracks your turns. Each turn, you move the cube one space. When it reaches the end, you score your garden bed.

Q: Can I have more than one garden bed at a time?
A: No, you can only work on one garden bed at a time.

Q: What’s the best way to use cats?
A: Cats are great for filling in small gaps that tiles can’t fit into.

Additional Tips for Cottage Garden

Here are a few more things to keep in mind:

• Try not to leave too many small gaps, as they can be hard to fill later on.
• Keep an eye on the bee tokens, as they can give you a little boost when you need it.
• Remember, it’s not just about filling your garden bed; it’s about placing the right items to score the most points.

External Links

If you want to learn more about Cottage Garden or get your hands on the official rules, check out these links:

• Cottage Garden Review [Video]