For over 300 million years, something magical has been happening beneath our feet. Trees and fungi have formed an underground symbiotic relationship known as mycorrhizas (pronounced my-co-RISE-ahs), where trees trade carbon from photosynthesis in exchange for essential nutrients extracted by fungi from the soil.
Now, science is just beginning to uncover the complexity of this hidden network—where even tree seedlings may benefit from the support of their towering elders via fungal threads.
In UNDER GROVE, you step into the roots of a mature Douglas-fir in the lush forests of the Pacific Northwest. Your goal: help your seedlings grow into thriving trees, supported by a web of fungal partnerships. The tree that cultivates the most successful and symbiotically rich seedling network wins.
A Forest of Strategy
Each turn, you will choose from five core actions, each one offering meaningful choices that shape your path to victory:
- Reproduction: Spend key nutrients like nitrogen, potassium, phosphates, and carbon to place seedlings and roots in the mycorrhizal forest. Strategic placement opens new opportunities.
- Activation: Trigger powerful effects from connected fungi—at a cost. Convert carbon into rewards, and manage your limited fungal action markers wisely.
- Absorption: Allow seedlings to draw carbon from adjacent fungi. Absorb enough, and they grow into full trees, unlocking bonuses and progressing the game toward its conclusion.
- Partnering: Connect roots to more fungi, increasing your absorption potential and enabling new activation routes. Only fungi linked to your seedlings can score!
- Photosynthesis: Refresh your carbon stores and reset used fungal markers (key for planning your next burst of growth).
Despite its accessible rules, the game offers deep tactical potential. Your forest layout, timing of actions, and choice of fungi all influence your strategy. Each game brings fresh challenges thanks to randomized tile setups and changing goal cards.
If it has not already grown on you, you can try the very complete and nice tutorial done by Nekonyancer, or simply start a game by following the link below:
https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=undergrove
Let's mention that the game is online on Board Game Arena thanks to the authorization of Alderac Entertainment Group (or AEG), and the game designers, Elizabeth Hargrave (author of Wingspan, also available on BGA) & Mark Wootton.
Let's also thank the work done to adapt this game to our platform, which has been beautifully done by MathCT. It's a remarkable job. We highly recommend you play on a large screen for a more comfortable experience, as there is a lot going on on the screen.
What a release!
That's your Wednesday weekly gift!
Treat yourself well, and until next week, as always...
...Take care and play fair!
UNDER GROVE:深厚的根基,更深厚的战略!
在我们脚下已有超过3亿年的时间,发生了一些神奇的事情。树木和真菌形成了一个地下共生关系,称为菌根(mycorrhizas)(发音为 my-co-RISE-ahs),树木通过光合作用交易碳,以换取真菌从土壤中提取的必需营养素。
现在,科学才刚刚开始揭示这个隐藏网络的复杂性——即使是树苗也可能通过真菌丝获得参天长树的支持。
在《UNDER GROVE》中,你将踏入太平洋西北部茂密森林中一棵成熟花旗松的根部。你的目标是:帮助你的幼苗在真菌伙伴网络的支撑下,茁壮成长为茁壮的树木。培育出最成功、共生关系最丰富的幼苗网络的树木将获得胜利。
战略森林
每个回合,您将从五个核心行动中进行选择,每个行动都会提供有意义的选择,塑造您的胜利之路:
- 繁殖:将氮、钾、磷酸盐和碳等关键营养物质用于菌根林的幼苗和根系生长。战略性布局将带来新的机遇。
- 激活:触发连接的真菌的强大效果——需要付出代价。将碳转化为奖励,并明智地管理有限的真菌作用标记。
- 吸收:让幼苗从邻近的真菌中吸收碳。吸收足够的碳后,它们就会长成参天大树,解锁奖励,并推动游戏走向结局。
- 合作:将根系与更多真菌连接,提升吸收潜力,并开启新的激活途径。只有与幼苗连接的真菌才能得分!
- 光合作用:刷新你的碳储存并重置使用的真菌标记(规划下一次增长的关键)。
尽管规则简单易懂,但这款游戏却蕴含着丰富的战术潜力。你的森林布局、行动时机以及菌类的选择都会影响你的策略。由于随机的方块设置和不断变化的目标卡,每局游戏都会带来新的挑战。
如果您还不喜欢,可以尝试 Nekonyancer 制作的非常完整且精彩的教程 ,或者直接通过以下链接开始游戏:
https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=undergrove
值得一提的是,该游戏在Board Game Arena上线得益于 Alderac Entertainment Group(或 AEG)的授权,以及游戏设计师 Elizabeth Hargrave(展翅翱翔 的作者,该游戏也可在 BGA 上找到)和 Mark Wootton。
我们也要感谢MathCT为将这款游戏适配到我们的平台所做的工作,这真是一项了不起的工作。我们强烈建议您在大屏幕上玩游戏,以获得更舒适的体验,因为屏幕上的内容非常丰富。
多么大的释放啊!
这是您每周三的礼物!
好好对待自己,直到下周,一如既往……
...小心并公平竞争!
