Ohanami, a.k.a. 오하나미, is a 2019 drafting card game for 2-4 players designed by Steffen Benndorf and illustrated by Christian Opperer; it is currently published by a handful of different publishers.

Ohanami consists of a deck of 120 cards, numbered from 1-120, which the players first draft and then play, attempting to fit as many features (cards) into their three gardens (sets) as possible.

The game starts with 10 cards being dealt to each player. The players select two cards, and may either play or discard them as they see fit. Cards are played by placing them on the table in any of three rows; the rows may start with any card you like, and may extend either upwards or downwards from the starting card; if you play the 50, you can add any card from 51-120 above it and any card from 49-1 below it. However, within each row, you may never play a card that would fall numerically between two cards already placed in the row. If I played a 50 and then a 55 in a row, and then drafted a 53, I can either discard it, or, if it is not blocked from my other rows, place it in one of them.

There is one more wrinkle; the game consists of three rounds. Each round will start with a new set of 10 cards, which are passed around the players until all ten cards are drafted. The gardens, however, are not reset, and at the end of each round a different set of suits of cards will be scored (the suits are plants, water features, stones, and cherry blossoms). Water cards are scored for three points each at the end of each round; plants for four points at the end of the second and third rounds; rocks for seven points at the end of the third round; and cherry blossoms at the end of the game on a logarithmic scale (one blossom = 1 point, two blossoms = 3, three = 6, etc.).

This gives the game the same sort of simple push-your-luck structure as Quixx, without all the confusing rules as to who can do what when. It is a satisfying game for players of a wide range of ages and skill sets, and allows for backstabbing and card counting for those of a particularly competitive streak. It also has nice, peaceful art; I find the art pleasing but not compelling, but there are plenty of people who would find my aesthetic appreciation lacking in this matter. You can find it for about $15 in most places that sell games, making it a good deal for a simple and fun game that can be enjoyed by board game geeks and casual players alike.

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