Ohanami Review
Imagine this: You are an internationally renowned landscape architect specializing in Japanese Zen gardens. You travel the world, consulting and designing Japanese gardens to fit into the public spaces of many different municipalities around the world, bringing culture, beauty, and class with you wherever you go. Of course, you also have to fight off rival landscape architects who have, perhaps, just as much talent as you do. Perhaps not. Now, imagine playing a mostly abstracted, card-based simulation of the same concept. Okay, maybe it's not as glamorous as what we just had you envision, but we looked up the average salary of a landscape architect. It’s less than you think it is, trust us. Plus, if you were an internationally renowned landscape architect, then you would have far less time to play board games. So, be careful what you wish for. If you love competing against 1-3 other players, drafting, and “building a garden” with beautiful images and simple numbers, you may love Ohanami (2019) as much as we do. Maybe more, but that would be challenging.
PeteSteele: Hey, Sarah, do you know what I like about Portland, Oregon?
SarahVasa: The exquisite food and numerous well-supported small businesses?
PeteSteele: Besides that.
SarahVasa: Coffee shops with their own unique charm on every block?
PeteSteele: Besides that, too.
SarahVasa: The fact that Portland is an exceptionally walkable city, but also has easy access and low-cost public transportation?
PeteSteele: Yes, but besides that.
SarahVasa: The multiple, community-friendly, and well-stocked board game stores?
PeteSteele: . . . . . .
SarahVasa: You’re clearly doing a bit. *sigh* Fine, what do you like about Portland, Oregon?
PeteSteele: Funny you should ask. I love the variety of walkable gardens that you can visit. The Chinese Garden, the Rose Garden, and the Japanese Garden just minutes from downtown, for example. And, if it’s excessively rainy and the gardens are closed (because it is Portland, Oregon, after all), you can always go down to one of several community-friendly tabletop gaming stores, pick up a copy of Ohanami, and simulate being in one of those lovely, in this case, Japanese, gardens whenever you want.
Ohanami (2019), designed by Steffen Benndorf, illustrated by Christian Opperer, and published by Pandasaurus Games, is for 2-4 players and can be played in approximately 20 minutes.
In a box with roughly the dimensions of a modern smartphone, Ohanami contains one generous colored score pad, one rules pamphlet, and 120 cards. The cards are numbered 1-120 (quite convenient), 34 of which are blue cards, 35 of which are green cards, 17 of which are gray cards, and 34 of which are pink cards.
In Ohanami, each player is tasked with designing up to three of their own Japanese gardens by placing cards in numerical order in a sort of abstract tableau.
Players are dealt 10 cards each and each player selects (drafts) two cards before passing the remaining cards to their opponent. Before looking at the newly passed cards, all players must either place their two cards or discard either one or both of the cards that were just drafted. When placing cards, players can place their cards in any of the three possible columns (or gardens). Each card has a numerical value (1, 2, 3 . . . 120) and players can only place cards below the lowest number in a given column, above the highest number in a given column, or by starting a new column (if three columns have not been created already). Players continue drafting two cards, passing the dwindling pile of remaining cards, and placing the two drafted cards until all cards are drafted. Once all cards have been drafted and placed, the round concludes and is scored. This continues for rounds two and three. Each round is scored with a different color card earning differing amounts of points. The scoring that occurs in round one is continued into round two and the scoring in round two is continued into round three. For example, round one is scored by multiplying the number of blue cards by three. Round two is scored by multiplying the number of blue cards by three and multiplying the number of green cards by four. Round three is scored by multiplying the number of blue cards by three and multiplying the number of green cards by four, as well as including scoring for the gray and pink cards.
All of this creates an interesting puzzle that might seem simple just based on optimized numerical play. However, your plans are not only disrupted by luck of the draw, but also by the drafting of your opponents. Oh, yes: hate drafting is a particularly sinister element in this otherwise serene and picturesque setting, especially towards the end of each round when the options are slim.
Many games that utilize end-of-game scoring, especially those that require the use of a gridded score pad, can have their entertainment and enjoyment curtailed by the tedious and anti-climactic task of end-of-game scoring. Ohanami solves this issue by employing three brief rounds of scoring after each round of play, which minimally impacts the flow of the game, if at all, and keeps each round tight and compartmentalized. This also increases focus and intensifies the importance of doing well in each subsequent round as you are able to assess how you are doing compared to your opponents.
Ohanami almost feels like a reflection of an individual player's current emotional state and comfort level with risk-taking. The game is certainly a puzzle: Do you play every card in your hand, trying to snatch up every last point while being stressed out because another player just successfully hate-drafted you and now you will have substantial numerical gaps in your gardens? Alternatively, do you play only some of your cards, discarding the others, calmly having faith that things will work out as you are allowing your future self more flexibility? Do you sit there, plotting your revenge at the next draft cycle? Or, do you sit there calmly sipping your tea and enjoying the array of beautiful greens, blues, grays, and pinks that are assembling in front of you? Personally, I’ve experienced all these scenarios, and more, while playing Ohanami. Certainly, my feelings were impacted by the game. Not that I secretly think about how to get revenge on my friends outside of the game space. That would be . . . unhealthy.
Ohanami feels like a numerical psychological puzzle that can be played with, tested, and mucked with. Sometimes your plans will come together beautifully, sometimes they will fall apart mid-game, and sometimes they will never come together for you or for your opponents. But all of that is okay because after 15 or 20 minutes, the game ends. Short enough that you can play again, and again, and again until you get your garden just the way you want it, or until you’re so frustrated you decide you will never be a professional landscape artist. At least, not today. Win or lose, after a game, my mind would inevitably creep back to how I had played, and start planning for the next game with something like, “next time I want to try going to go for pink card dominance,” or “I’m going to play 10 blue cards in the first round.” Perhaps the unofficial motto of Ohanami really should be, “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Not a bad message, anyway.
It’s ultimately low stakes because even if you never succeed (whatever that happens to mean to you in tabletop gaming), it’s just a game and you will still be looking at pretty colors while sipping coffee, tea, or wine. Maybe you’re playing Ohanami while staying at an Airbnb on a beach, or spending time with family and friends. And, hopefully, those things should help keep you emotionally centered, at peace, and, ultimately, having a fun and enjoyable play experience. The thing is: Ohanami is a game that can be learned in about five minutes.
SarahVasa: I learned it in three minutes.
PeteSteele: What?
SarahVasa: I’ve also played less than 2% of the number of board games that you have and I’ve beaten you in seven out of the last ten games of Ohanami.
PeteSteele: It’s true, I can confirm it. Sarah and I keep a running tally of wins and losses of all the games she and I play together one-on-one. It keeps the competition alive.
Ohanami can be picked up in 3-5 minutes (maybe 7) and it is a great game to introduce people who don’t strictly play tabletop games, but have experience playing traditional card games (e.g., Rummy, Hearts, Crazy Eights). They might just love Ohanami. And if they don’t, well, it’s only 20 minutes of their lives and they’ve learned something new. Two new things, actually: how to play a new game, and that they don’t like it. Or, after 20 minutes they might discover that they love Ohanami!
For my part, as Sarah pointed out, I’ve played hundreds of tabletop games over the course of decades. I was originally not intrigued by Ohanami for myself, but for the possibility of it as a gateway game: as a way of introducing non-gamers to the concept of drafting. But, I was also humbled by Ohanami, as—
SarahVasa: Because you keep losing to me?
PeteSteele: Look, I was right in the middle of a flow.
SarahVasa: Sorry, sorry, I’ll go shuffle the Ohanami cards. When you’re done with this review, come get schooled.
PeteSteele: Fine, whatever. Back to my flow . . . I’m in the Japanese Garden . . . I’m in the Japanese Garden . . . oh, what I was going to say is that after playing five games of Ohanami, I thought that I had learned everything Ohanami was going to teach me. But, oh how wrong I was. After playing 5 or 10 times with just one other person, I started playing with three and four players and, all of a sudden, I realized I had so much more to learn about the game. And not just in three- and four-player games, but even in two-player games. I have probably played 40 or 50 games of Ohanami at this point, and I intend on continuing to play in the hopes of, one day, getting a perfect score (something for you to discover in your own gaming group).
The bright colors and serene illustrations on each of the cards makes it a difficult game not to notice by any coffee shop passersby. Even better, this game has such a simple rules set, can be easily taught, and quick to pick up. I would be tempted to sit down with a group of strangers (during a non-pandemic era, of course) playing a traditional card game in a coffee shop and say, “hey, can I introduce you to a new game?”
The cards are beautiful and the rules are clear. The box holds everything the game needs and nothing more. The game does not come with a pencil to keep score, but pens and pencils are typically in abundance in this world. Never be without a pen. And, if all else fails, technology is often on hand to keep track of the score.
We wholeheartedly give Ohanami the Corax & Coffee Seal of Distinction, as well as our Cafe Approved banner. As a game that can fit in most coat pockets, you can take Ohanami anywhere. To the laundromat, to the DMV, and, as Sarah said in Season 1, Episode 10 of Corax & Coffeecast, even to the beach. Heck, you could even play Ohanami in a coffee shop. With only needing five minutes to learn and 15 or 20 minutes to play, playing one game will easily cause you to want to play another. It’s a wonderful gateway game, especially for people who are already familiar with playing card games, like Hearts or Rummy. Ohanami teaches basic set collection, hand management, and drafting game mechanics and skills for those who are eager to continue their gaming journey. With an MSRP of $14.95, we absolutely recommend that all gamers pick up a copy of Ohanami, and perhaps a second copy to give to somebody as a “just because” gift.
SarahVasa: You know, Japanese gardens exist in places other than Portland, Oregon.
PeteSteele: Yes, that is true . . .
SarahVasa: And community-friendly tabletop gaming stores also exist in places other than Portland, Oregon.
PeteSteele: This is also true, though the ones in Portland are among my favorites.
SarahVasa: Well, I think the biggest thing is that while Ohanami is fantastic for many reasons, it can never match a beautifully curated and peaceful Japanese garden that one can visit, while learning a bit about culture and history.
PeteSteele: Absolutely true! Perhaps Ohanami is a way to remember fond times spent in a Japanese garden. If you are interested in finding a Japanese garden in North America, there is this nifty website that has a database of Japanese gardens in North America where you can search based on your location. And if you have the privilege of visiting or living in Japan, there is an online Japanese garden locator tool for Japan, too, where you can search for gardens based on style and era.
SarahVasa: Well, that’s pretty cool! And afterwards, go pick up a copy of Ohanami! It’s not one to miss!
Ohanami (2019) earns Seal of Distinction and is Cafe Approved!