- BGG rank
- BGG #2,804
- BGG rating
- 7.5
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Rules assistance for Bonsai: Vigorous Growth and Specialists
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 40 min
- 8+
- Complexity 2.3/5
Rules assistant for Bonsai: Vigorous Growth and Specialists
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Bonsai: Vigorous Growth and Specialists is an expansion for Bonsai released in 2023 for 1–4 players and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Martino Chiacchiera, Rosaria Battiato, and Massimo Borzì and its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Solo / Solitaire Game, and Open Drafting.
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About the game
Bonsai: Vigorous Growth and Specialists includes two optional modules that can be added to Bonsai and used either individually or together. The 'Vigorous Growth' module consists of three triple tiles with symbols "3", "4", or "5" printed on the back. With this module, players can accelerate the development of their bonsai tree by acquiring new special tiles. At the beginning of your turn, you may discard as many cards as indicated on one of the triple tiles still available in order to obtain that tile. Turn the tile over and place it in your bonsai immediately, making sure that at least one of the four wooden sides of the tile touches a bonsai wood tile, then take the rest of your turn as usual. The cards you discard must all be of different types. The types of cards are Growth, Tool, Helper, Master, and Parchment. You may discard cards from your play area and your deck. Discarded cards are removed from play and no longer provide their effects or any victory points at game end. Each player may obtain only one triple tile per game. Once obtained, a triple tile is no longer available. The 'Specialists' module consists of a game board and four declaration tokens. With this module, players can proclaim themselves cultivation specialists...but will they actually be able to prove it? At the beginning of your turn and only once per game, you can declare that you will be the player with the most tiles of a certain type in your bonsai at game's end. To do this, choose a type of tile (wood, leaf, flower, or fruit) and a space not occupied by any tokens on the specialists' board. Stack a number of tiles of your chosen type from your personal supply on that space equal to the number shown on that space, then place your declaration token on top of the stack so that the type of the tiles beneath it remains visible. Once placed, a declaration token (and the tiles under it) cannot be moved or used. You may choose a type of tile that has already been previously chosen by another player. Note: This module is not compatible with solo mode.
Categories
Publishers
- KOSMOS
- DV Games
- Plato Magazine
- Fox Games
Questions and answers
Bonsai: Vigorous Growth and Specialists supports 1–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The catalogue lists Bonsai: Vigorous Growth and Specialists for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Bonsai: Vigorous Growth and Specialists has a complexity rating of 2.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Bonsai: Vigorous Growth and Specialists belongs to these categories: Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Solo / Solitaire Game, and Open Drafting. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Bonsai: Vigorous Growth and Specialists are: Martino Chiacchiera, Rosaria Battiato, and Massimo Borzì. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Bonsai: Vigorous Growth and Specialists as an expansion for Bonsai. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Bonsai to use it. Check that your edition of Bonsai is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.