- BGG rank
- BGG #18,691
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Gardens of Mars
- 2–5 players
- 45–90 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2011
- BGG rank
- BGG #19,565
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Gardens of Io
2016
Rules assistance for Gardens of Io
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 30–45 min
- 8+
Rules assistant for Gardens of Io
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Gardens of Io is a board game released in 2016 for 2–5 players, 30–45 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Néstor Romeral Andrés and its main mechanics are Square Grid.
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About the game
Our beloved Martians from Gardens of Mars have travelled to Jupiter’s moon Io. They’ve also improved their gardening techniques to avoid stepping on the flowers as they move around the garden. Now they toss rapid-growth seeds from the outside of the garden instead. Help your little Martian gardener plant flowers to create the grandest, most beautiful garden on Io. The Martian with the greenest thumb wins! (Just the thumb: Martians are not green.) Components: - A board representing a garden on Io (81 circles) and a perimetral score track; both checkered for clarity. - 60 flowers in 6 different colours (10 each) - A carrying case. - 6 black Martians in 3 types (2 each) - 4 white Martians in 2 types (2 each) - 3 trees (black cones) - 5 black counters Gameplay: Players take turns in clockwise order planting flowers on the garden by tossing seeds diagonally or orthogonally from the perimetral scoring track. Then they move their martian a number of empty spaces forward on the score track equal to the number same-colour contiguous flowers that are connected to the one they've just planted forming a group, including that flower. They can also perform one of the 5 special actions before planting a flower, but only once per game. They also get an already planted flower from the board back each time their martian crosses the finish line. When one of the players runs out of flowers, the martian furthest along the scoring track wins the game (laps count!) .
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- nestorgames
Questions and answers
Gardens of Io supports 2–5 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 listed playing time for Gardens of Io is 30–45 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Gardens of Io 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.
Gardens of Io belongs to these categories: Territory Building, Abstract Strategy, and Farming. Its main mechanics are Square Grid. 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 Gardens of Io are: Néstor Romeral Andrés. 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 Gardens of Io as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.