As a keen board game player, it was no wonder that my kid would catch the bug. Unfortunately for him the games I play require a commitment of 6hrs+ and as an 8-year-old that has the attention span of…’ooo whats that?’ I was keen to find a game that introduced him to a build world where there was no pressure, long time span and to just have fun.
Enter My Lil’ Everdell.
Now, I’m not going to pretend I have played the main Everdell game. In fact, it kind of passed me by a little. But having read the description I had a feeling it was the kind of game I was looking for but perhaps too complicated as an intro. So, imagine my joy at finding My Lil’ Everdell …and the joy continued.
It’s marketed as a ‘family friendly’ version and that is exactly what it is. You are introduced to the world of these beautiful little characters, whilst the rules don’t dumb down too much the complexity of a worker placement game.
What’s in the box?
It is just a simply gorgeous, well made and sturdy game. The first time you open the box to play it, you will need to set aside around 20 mins for set up. But the cards are beautifully illustrated, and all writing is easy to read. The actual props all have different textures, which is key to encouraging little fingers with play (so bravo Starling) and the meeples are endearing without being too cutsie. I love the fact that they also have colours that don’t get lost in the background of the main board game, meaning that they are easy to ‘bring home’ at the end of each round.
Beware of the Rules
So, my only real moan about My Lil’ Everdell is whilst the gameplay, once you get going, is simple, fun and above all engaging to enquiring minds, the actual layout of the rules hasn’t catered for little people. It’s clunky with lots of flicking back and forth through pages. I’m used to flicking back and forth in a manual to find the information I need but if you are looking for a game that the youngest can take control of (and let’s face it most kids want to be the boss/banker) this may not be for you. I would have expected a basic layout of ‘What’s in the Box’ followed by ‘Initial Set Up’, ‘How to Play’, ‘Turn by Turn’ and ‘How to Win’. Instead, I had to spend some time explaining the rules once I got my head around them, which isn’t a great encouragement to younger players. An example – I spent 10 minutes figuring out if the circular images of the sun as a reward on the cards refer to the point tokens or parade tokens you collect, and I won’t lie we winged that one as I couldn’t find the answer.
So, Is It Any Good?
Aside from the above moan….YES My Lil’ Everdell is a fantastic game. The quality of the pieces and cards shines through and, once you get going, it has enough action and things to think about each turn to keep everyone engaged no matter what age. My son announced that it was ‘Really Great Fun’ and wanted to play again straight away.
If you are looking at an intro game to ‘your world’ for the kids, then My Lil’ Everdell is a great starter. Not too long, ranging at about 40 mins game play, tactile pieces and rewarding actions mean that engagement is high. The addition of rewards from purple cards during the tally up section added enough drama and competition to make it feel competitive without the necessary race to the finish line.
Stunning to look at and fun to play I would just add that, as the grown-up reading this, set it up before you get the kids to the table and make sure you read through the rules beforehand.
