Designer: Steve Finn (Biblios, Herbaceous, Sunset Over Water)

Artists: Ossi Hiekkala (Eclipse, Flamme Rouge, Honshu, Nanga Parbat, Nations, Nations: The Dice Game), Akha Hulzebos (Biblios: Quill & Parchment, The Butterfly Garden, Darwinning!), Marius Janusonis (Fleet: The Dice Game, Mining Colony, Muse: Awakenings), Julian Tunni (Lunes, Nanga Parbat, Tonari)

Publisher:  Dr. Finn’s Games (Biblios, Herbaceous, Sunset Over Water)

Genre/Mechanisms: action drafting, paper-and-pencil, push your luck, set collection (Biblios: Quill and Parchment); card game, set collection (The Butterfly Garden); 2 players, abstract strategy, area movement, exploration, push your luck, set collection (Nanga Parbat); auction/bidding, space exploration, territory building, tile placement (Mining Colony)

Funding Status: At the time of this posting, Biblios Q&P + Dr Finn’s 2021 games is already fully-funded. Pledges currently total more than 1.5x the initial funding goal, with less than 4 days to go on the campaign.

Player Count: 1-4 (Biblios: Quill & Parchment); 2-5 (The Butterfly Garden); 2 (Nanga Parbat); 1-4 (Mining Colony)

Solo Mode: yes (Biblios: Quill & Parchment, Mining Colony); no (The Butterfly Garden, Nanga Parbat)

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-low

What It’s About: “Dr. Finn’s 2021 line of games includes Biblios: Quill and Parchment, Nanga Parbat, Mining Colony, and The Butterfly Garden (2nd edition).”

How It Works: “Biblios: Quill and Parchment lasts 2 periods of 4 days (rounds). After 8 days, the game ends and the player with the most piety points wins. Score the most piety points by copying books, praying in the chapel, and sending your novice out to do good works in nearby towns.”

During the first 4 days, players roll their 6 dice during the Matins (Plan the Day) Step, with some re-rolling allowed. Then during the Lauds (Perform Tasks) Step, they use their final dice faces to perform various tasks like Influencing the Abbot, Copying Books, Going to the Chapel, or Traveling to find books and do good deeds. In the Vespers (Go to Chapel) Step, players attempt to move up pews and reap bonuses. During the last 4 days, players roll their dice during the Vigils (Prepare the Scriptorium) Step. During the Prime (Appeal to the Abbott) Step, players bid using influence. And during the Terce (Choose and Perform Tasks) Step, players take turns in bidding order, performing tasks like Embellishing a Book, Go to Chapel, Travel Further, and Change Plans.

In The Butterfly Garden, “construction projects in your town are disrupting the natural butterfly habitat. Capture and relocate butterflies to butterfly gardens in local zoos, botanical gardens, universities, and museums. The game is played over a series of “days” (rounds). Start each day by “racing to the field” (to determine turn order). Then, capture butterflies with your net, put butterflies into your jar, and, if possible, deliver butterflies to a butterfly garden to score victory points (VPs).”

“The game is played in rounds until a game-ending event. Each round has 3 phases: 1. Race to the Field; 2. Capture and Deliver Butterflies; and 3. Prepare for Next Day.” During the Race to the Field phase, players each choose a card from their hand and then reveal them simultaneously to determine turn order. During the Capture and Deliver Butterflies phase, players then Capture a Butterfly (place net), Perform a Special Action (if any), Add Butterfly to Jar, and Deliver Butterflies to Garden (optional). During the Prepare for Next Day phase, players retrieve their nets, adding the Butterfly Card underneath to their hands; flip up new Butterfly Cards; and replenish the Delivery Cards. “The game ends at the current round’s end when there are not enough butterfly cards or delivery cards to refill the field or delivery card row. Determine scores by adding victory points (VPs) earned from completed Delivery Cards, Variety Bonuses (for delivering to different locations, Jar (1 VP for each different Butterfly Card in hand), and Hand (2 VPs to the player(s) with the most Butterfly Cards in hand).

In Mining Colony, “the object is to score the most victory points by collecting resource and building structures in one’s colony. The game lasts 10 rounds. In each round, excavation zones are filled with resources. Players compete for these resources using excavation cards. Players develop their colonies on their colony boards with the resources gained.”

Each round is made of a Discover, Excavate and Develop phase. During the Discover phase, players flip the top Resource Card and fill the excavation zones with resources. During the Excavate phase, players each draw 3 cards from their deck, choose 1 and place it face down, discard the other 2 cards to the bottom of their deck, and then simultaneously reveal their chosen cards and collect the associated resources. During the Develop phase, players place the resource tiles on their player boards. At the end of 10 rounds, players score points for Structures (2 VPs), Resources (1 VP each), Credits (1 VP for every 2 credits), Unplayed Cards (6 VPs to the player with the most unplayed cards, 3 to the player with the second-most, and 1 to the player with the third-most), and then players deduct 1 VP for each undeveloped space on their player boards.

“The Sherpa people, known for their exquisite mountaineering skills, use those skills to guide explorers on expeditions. In Nanga Parbat, you are a member of the Sherpa community, building base camps and trapping animals for food and clothing. Players take turns, starting with the first player. Each turn consists of four steps, the first three mandatory. You may also activate animals to perform special actions during your turn.”

The four steps of each player turns includes Trap an Animal, Place a Hiker, Move a Guide, and Build Camps/Trade Animals. Trapping an Animal allows the player to remove a animal from any section in a guide’s region, placing it on their player board. Placing a Hiker is how players then claim the now-empty section in that region, and Moving a Guide moves the guide to that same region. Building Campings and Trading Animals is how players score points, generally based on set collection and/or area majority, placing a scoring cube as they do. “After both players place all their hikers or all their scoring cubes, the game ends. The player further along the score path wins.”

Comparisons: Other games by Steve Finn, like Biblios and Herbaceous, are your best bet. A few other games of a similar light complexity that also feature set collection include 7 Wonders Duel, Arboretum, Azul, Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra, Azul: Summer Pavilion, Barenpark, Battle Line, Century: Golem Edition/Spice Road, Ethnos, Jaipur, Sagrada, Splendor, Sushi Go Party!, Takenoko, and Ticket to Ride.

What Should I Pledge?:
$23 One Game: in the survey once the campaign finishes, choose from 1 of the 4 featured games, along with that game’s Promo Pack.
$44 Two Games: in the survey once the campaign finishes, choose from 2 of the 4 featured games, along with those games’ Promo Packs.
$62 Three Games: in the survey once the campaign finishes, choose from 3 of the 4 featured games, along with those games’ Promo Packs.
$75 Four Games: receive all 4 of the featured games along with their Promo Packs.
$100 4 Games + Cosmic Run Package: includes all of the rewards from the Four Games pledge level, plus a copy of Cosmic Run: Regeneration (the basic Kickstarter pledge package from that game’s previous Kickstarter campaign), a copy of Cosmic Run: Express, and a Planet Pack. Limited copies available.

Add-Ons:
None, but additional copies of any of the games can be added via post-campaign surveys for those pledging at the Four Games level or higher, at a rate of $18 per game for U.S. residents, and $23 per game for residents of other countries.

KS Exclusives
A single variant meeple for each of the 4 games, with a rule set for each being partially crowd-sourced via BoardGameGeek forums.

All-In Total: Assuming you’re not trying to grab one of the limited pledges that includes the Cosmic Run Package, in the continental U.S. you’re looking at $75 for the Four Games pledge plus $12 in shipping for a total of $87.

Biblios Q&P + Dr Finn’s 2021 games completes its Kickstarter on Monday, September 14th and tentatively ships in March 2021.