As a harbinger of Spring, tulips are often celebrated in various places around the world to signify the changing of the seasons. In the Netherlands and other locales with Dutch history (including Australia and New Zealand), Tulip Festivals are held during this time to showcase these beautiful and colorful blossoms. The tulips are often displayed throughout the participating cities for residents and visiting tulip enthusiasts alike to enjoy. Gift of Tulips from Weird Giraffe Games brings the spirit of these celebrations to the tabletop and allows players a chance to experience the festivities from their own homes. As stated in the rulebook, players will be most likely to win if they gift flowers to their friends rather than hoard them all for themselves, thus exhibiting the heart of the festival itself.

Gift of Tulips is a set collection card game designed by Sara Perry. It is themed to represent the annual Tulip Festival in Amsterdam. The colorful illustrations were created by Emily Hancock, who has also provided art for games such as Muse: Awakenings, Spirit Island: Jagged Earth, and Pigment. For this Kickstarter preview, we are using a prototype copy of the game so any component or rule changes/additions due to stretch goals or development during the campaign are not being represented.

Though playable for up to six players, a standard game of Gift of Tulips is really 2-4 players. If not playing at the higher player counts, the components designated for 5/6 players should be separated and returned to the box before set up. Otherwise, the setup is fairly simple. First, all of the Tulip cards are shuffled together to form a draw deck. Depending on the number of players, a set amount of cards are removed from the deck as described in the rulebook. The four “Festival cards” being used in the game are placed in the middle of the play area next to the face-down Tulip deck. Two cards are drawn and placed in the first two positions of the festival. The higher valued card goes into the first place position unless they are tied and then it is up to player discretion. It is important to note that for set up, the flowers must be of different colors. Each player receives a reference card, scorecard, and player cube. Players will receive two Tulip cards that will be used to seed the game. They will choose one to keep for their bouquet and one to place in the “Secret Festival Pile.” Once the first two tulips are placed, their value is marked on the Tulip Value card using the corresponding colored cubes.

Starting with the most colorfully dressed player, Gift of Tulips is played over multiple turns until the deck is emptied. On a player’s turn, they will draw a card, perform an action, draw a second card, and perform a different action. There are three different actions to choose from: keep a tulip, gift a tulip, or place a tulip in the Festival (either secret or ranked). When keeping or gifting tulips, points are scored immediately based on the tulip’s current rank. Tulip ranks and values can and will change as more flowers are added to the stacks, so players will need to balance their actions and keep an eye on the tulip value tracker to optimize their chances. Once the deck is empty and the last player has finished their turn, the cards in the Secret Festival Pile are shuffled and five are randomly chosen to add to the Festival itself. These cards are added one at a time to adjust the final value of each blossom color. This can include colors that were not originally in the festival! Players will add to their final score by counting the flowers in their own bouquet. The majority holder of each color will earn points based on that flower’s rank. There are tie-breakers available in the rules. The player with the most points wins the game.

First and foremost, I love how easy Gift of Tulips is to learn! Due to being language-independent, I feel I could teach this to practically anyone. Gift of Tulips is a great game for families and, though not a cooperative game, still plays well as a friendly competition. Perry’s theme blends well with the mechanics and Hancock’s art to exemplify its inherent Norwegian roots. The blue and white delftware patterns add character to the game while the tulips brighten it up with splashes of color. Though the game seems simple, there is a decent level of strategy. Choosing whether or not to keep the flowers drawn can have a significant impact on the game each turn. Tactics will have to be adjusted on the fly as flower rankings change. The use of the secret cards as a final element will keep players guessing and allows for a more long-term implication during the game. Personally, I really enjoyed this aspect and what it contributes to the game. Though the cards provided with the prototype work just fine, I would really like to see the scorecards and value tracker become a little bit larger to be easier to read/less cluttered in the final product. Gift of Tulips brings together theme and strategy into what is one of our favorite games this year! Find it on Kickstarter starting March 2, 2021!

All photos of Weird Giraffe Games product were taken and edited by Krista.