Ravensburger, the publisher behind award-winning board games and high-quality toys and puzzles, announced today the release of Mycelia, a charming mushroom-themed introduction to deck-building games. Named a “top 10 family board game” at SPIEL Essen last month, Mycelia embraces the cozy gaming trend, adding Ravensburger’s expertise in immersive storytelling, captivating art, and thoughtful, beginner-friendly design. Mycelia is available in North America for pre-order on Amazon beginning today and on sale at local game stores beginning December 1.
“Mycelia was born out of the inventor’s desire to teach his own parents his favorite board game mechanic, deck-building,” said Lysa Penrose, Head of New Games Marketing at Ravensburger. “Daniel Greiner’s game design thoughtfully and gradually teaches deck building step-by-step as part of gameplay, so it’s easy and fun to convert a ‘newbie’ to ‘one of us’! The mysterious and charming world-building of Mycelia has captured the hearts of cozy gamer fans in Europe, and we are delighted to bring it to North America.”
In Mycelia, players collect dewdrops for the spirit of the forest with the help of mushroom folk depicted on mushroom cards inspired by their real-life counterparts. Each card allows players to collect leaves (resources), shift or remove dewdrops from their board, or even assist other players. Players win the game by befriending new, unique mushrooms and clearing their board of dewdrops first. As dewdrops are removed from boards, they are added to a “Shrine of Life” centerpiece that turns whenever filled, occasionally sending the shimmering dewdrop pieces cascading onto the table.
Each card features captivating illustrations and delightful descriptions (flavor text) to further immerse players in the new magical world.
“Every illustration is inspired by real mushrooms and includes the mushroom’s scientific name,” said Art Director Chiara Bellavite. “The art style is cozy, magical, and warm, but we also wanted each mushroom to evoke a distinct personality that reflected the mushroom’s real-world characteristics or common uses. Some mushrooms are mysterious, some are adventurous, and some are joyful. Mycophiles might recognize the educational ‘easter eggs’ behind the illustrations, such as the Lycoperdon perlatum that really puffs spores when touched.”
For additional variety and depth of play, Mycelia includes optional extensions to add new actions to the game. For example, add single-use immediate effects when recruiting mushrooms to your team, or add the ability to remove cards from your deck, allowing advanced players to hone their strategies. The game also includes a solo mode, in which the player duels against Gwidyon, the Ghost Mushroom.
Mycelia is suitable for 1-4 players ages 9 and up, with an MSRP of $39.99. The average play time is 45 minutes.
Images via Ravensburger
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