We played Trellis at Compulsory Merriment yesterday. We haughtily proclaimed, “This is so easy! Won’t take a minute to figure out!” when we took it out of the box. As the game went on… well… let’s just say we didn’t keep to our high-and-mighty attitudes.
Trellis starts with a center tile with vine patterns on it and everybody gets a handful of flower tokens. The object of the game is to place tiles to continue the pattern. If you are able to extend your vine pattern, you can place one of your flower tokens on it. If you extend somebody else’s vine along the way, they can also place their flowers. The first player to “plant” all their flowers wins so you want to build out your pattern without inadvertently helping your opponents. It’s surprisingly difficult once you’re a few tiles in!
Trellis reminded us a little bit of Tsuro and a little bit of Azul. It’s a strategy game that’s not so intense you can’t chat while you wrangle. The publisher recommends the game for ages 10+ but, as long as they can recognize patterns, you can definitely play Trellis with younger kids.
20 minutes playtime, 2-4 players, Ages 10+