Summer is definitely in full swing in Maple Valley. The temperatures are soaring, the the flora is in full bloom, and the fauna are hard at work. Patricia Fox was in the town square of the village showing off the design for a Herb Garden she hoped would provide fresh herbs throughout the winter. Arnold Porcupine was particularly interested, as he considered himself a fine chef. George Racoon had been putting his sewing skills to work creating a beautiful new blanket that he hoped would keep his family warm once the first snows began to fall. The Squirrel family had spent the first several months of the year collecting different Goods. Now they were ready to start crafting Comforts.
“Are we visiting the Owl today?” Asked Sam of dad as they clambered down the tree to the ground below.
“That’s right big guy,” dad confirmed. “Your mom has gone to the River to collect some stones to help with our Comforts and your sister is on her way to the Forest. Hopefully, she’ll be able to collect some fruit.”
In Creature Comforts, the main way to score points is by crafting cozy, entertaining, and delicious Comforts for your den. You start the game with two Comforts in your hand. Many of them work particularly well together such as Soup, Bread, and Stew. Finding combinations like this will make your den much more comfortable.
There are also some Comforts that earn you points for storing goods on them at the end of the game. You can freely move goods during the game. They are never considered ‘locked in’ until final scoring. This is an excellent way to maximize the value of your leftover goods.
As the month came to a close, the Squirrel family returned home, each with their own experiences. Sam and dad both got new inspirations for Comforts from the wise old owl. They planned to craft a bookshelf and some yummy, fragrant tea with the goods that Camille and mom collected from the valley.
“You know,” said mom, “I noticed that a lot of our neighbours have been crafting clothing Comforts for the winter.”
“Yeah!” chimed in Camille. “Frank Porcupine was boasting about their new muffler and Bernice Raccoon couldn’t stop gushing about how warm their new socks are.”
“Hmm,” thought mom. “That gives me an idea for next month.”
Visiting the Workshop allows you to build Improvements to either your den or the village. The die you assign there determines how many different Improvements are available for you to choose from.
Some Improvements give you an advantage during the game. For example, the Umbrella can allow you to change your Family dice results, or the Scale gives you a better exchange rate at the Market. Some Improvements, like the Orchard, become New Locations which can be visited by other players with their Family dice. This earns them a reward as well as the owner.
Other Improvements give you an advantage during end game scoring based on the Comforts that other players crafted during the game. For example, the Spinning Wheel earns you a point for for every Clothing Comfort crafted by other players.
It sure was a warm month, but as the last days slipped away, there was a definite change in the air. As Sam and Camille scurried off to bed, mom and dad stood out on their porch looking out over Maple Valley. The Squirrels had accomplished a lot over the year so far, but there was still more they had to do before the first snow fell.
Stay tuned for the next chapter to learn about Months and Scoring in Creature Comforts.
Read Creature Comforts: Spring Comes to Maple Valley here.
Sign up for a Creature Comforts launch day reminder here.
Comments