2024 BGG rank #10701

Snowfall Over Mountains

1 player 20 min Ages 14+ 1.7/5 complexity 5.6/10 rating

About this game

Discover the beauty of nature in the peaceful silence that fills the mountains in the wake of freshly fallen snow. Set out from your cabin to follow paths, look for animal tracks, and find plants amidst a new winter morning. Enjoy the solitude of a calm walk through the snow. Explore the mountains around your cabin by placing and connecting tiles with different features. Find ways to earn points through goals for arranging animal tracks, ponds, trees, and shrubs in your environment. —description from the publisher

What it feels like

Tile Placement Once-Per-Game Abilities Solo / Solitaire Game Exploration Nature

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Game intelligence

Learn the game

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Setup

A) Place the double-sided Cabin tile in the middle of the table, either side up. Leave extra room around it to expand the woods. B) Shuffle the 30 Snow tiles and place them in a face-down stack. C) Remove the top 4 tiles from the stack and place them in the box without revealing them; they will not be used. D) Separate the Scoring cards by type (Bear, Bush, Pond, Rabbit, Tree). Select 1 random card for each type (5 total) and place them face-up for reference. Place remaining scoring cards in the box; they will not be used. E) Shuffle the 8 Tool cards and draw 3. Choose 2 to keep (or 1 for a harder game), then discard the rest into the box; they will not be used. F) Draw 2 tiles from the stack. These 2 tiles form your starting hand.

Turn flow

Each turn, choose ONE of two actions: 1. EXPAND THE WOODS: Choose a tile from your hand and place it orthogonally adjacent to any previously placed tile. Tiles may never overlap or be placed diagonally. A tile may align with just 1 square of another tile. After placing, refill your hand back to 2 tiles from the stack. If the stack is empty, continue with fewer than 2 tiles. 2. USE A TOOL: Choose one of your available (face-up) tool cards, follow its instructions, then flip it face-down to mark it as used. Each tool card may only be used once per game. Continue taking turns until all tiles have been placed (including tiles in hand). Then proceed to Game End & Scoring.

Scoring and victory

Total all points from Scoring Cards, unused Tool Cards, and subtract penalties for disconnected trails. Compare final score to the Wanderlust Table. Target score: 76+ points for Master Trailblazer (highest rating) Scoring sources: 5 Scoring Cards (Bear, Bush, Pond, Rabbit, Tree) — each scored per their unique criteria, Unused Tool Cards — score points for each tool card not played during the game, Disconnected Trails — lose points for each tile whose trail does not connect back to the Cabin tile trail

Source: Rulebook

Rules to know

The most useful rules for getting a first game right.

Setup

Place the Cabin tile in the center of the table at the start.

Place the double-sided Cabin tile in the middle of the table, either side up. Leave extra room around it to expand the woods as you play. The Cabin tile is the anchor for all tile placement and trail connectivity.

Setup

Shuffle Snow tiles into a face-down stack and remove the top 4 without looking.

Shuffle all 30 Snow tiles and place them in a face-down draw stack. Then remove the top 4 tiles and place them in the box without revealing them. These 4 tiles are permanently removed from the game.

Setup

Select 1 random scoring card from each of the 5 types (Bear, Bush, Pond, Rabbit, Tree).

Separate the 15 Scoring cards into 5 types: Bear, Bush, Pond, Rabbit, and Tree. Randomly select 1 card from each type (5 cards total) and place them face-up for reference throughout the game. Return all remaining scoring cards to the box; they will not be used.

Setup

Shuffle Tool cards, draw 3, keep 2 (or 1 for harder difficulty), discard the rest.

Shuffle the 8 Tool cards and draw 3. Choose 2 of them to keep (or just 1 for a harder game). Place unchosen cards in the box; they will not be used. The kept tool cards are available to you during the game.

Setup

Draw 2 tiles from the stack to form your starting hand.

After all other setup is complete, draw 2 Snow tiles from the stack. These tiles constitute your starting hand of 2 tiles.

Turn structure

Each turn, choose either Expand the Woods OR Use a Tool — not both.

On each turn, you must choose exactly one of two actions: (1) Expand the Woods by placing a tile from your hand, or (2) Use a Tool card. You cannot do both in the same turn.

Tile placement

Place a tile from your hand orthogonally adjacent to any previously placed tile.

Choose a tile from your hand and place it directly adjacent (orthogonally — up, down, left, or right) to any previously placed tile, including the Cabin tile. Tiles may never overlap. Tiles may never be placed diagonally. A placed tile may align with only 1 square of another tile (partial alignment is allowed).

Turn structure

After placing a tile, draw from the stack to refill your hand to 2 tiles.

After placing a tile from your hand, immediately draw tiles from the stack until you have 2 tiles in hand again. If the stack is empty and you cannot refill to 2 tiles, continue playing with however many tiles remain in hand (including zero).