Fairy Land: A Fantastic Frolic in the Forest

Fairy Land is a strategic casual card game published by ElfinWerks. It is for 2-4 players and takes approximately 30-45 minutes to play.

In Fairy Land, players score points for gathering the largest and/or most diverse sets of animals and flowers. Players have Fairies that are played to collect needed cards. Most cards are collected from the Clearing, which requires players to bid on how many fairies they are willing to use in order to collect a set of cards. Additionally, Players can use Fairies to obtain cards from the Queen’s Court deck (which gives special, and very advantageous, abilities) and the Druid deck (which has cards needed for scoring points). Fairies are limited, so players must chose wisely and plan ahead. Along with animals, flowers, and other helpful cards, players may be stuck with ogres or goblins, which set back their progress or deduct points.

There are many ways to score points in this game and to gain advantages over other players. First time players are at a disadvantage, not being familiar with the special abilities that the cards can give. As players become more familiar with the cards, they can plan their strategies more effectively. Also, the many different ways to score points and varying values of different types of sets can be a bit overwhelming to new players. Fortunately, the game does come with a turn and scoring reference card for each player.

You will need to keep the rulebook open to the page that explains some of the Forest Cards the first few times you play, as several cards have only symbols rather than full explanations in order to reduce the language dependency on the cards. The Queen’s Court cards come in two sets (one in English, the other in French) so make sure to separate them before shuffling.

I liked this game. When it ended, I was already thinking about how I could strategize differently and wanted to play again. There is plenty of replay value here with so many possible paths to pursue. Additionally, the Queen’s Court deck only uses a random portion of the cards each game, so each game will be a bit unique.

I think that players very new to gaming may find this game slightly more challenging to pick up right away, since there are quite a few steps to each turn and lots of options. However, those with more gaming experience will find the mechanics to be familiar and easy to learn. Those who particularly enjoy fantasy-themed games will appreciate the well-integrated theme and whimsical artwork. If this sounds like a game you’d be interested in, I definitely recommend giving Fairy Land some table time.