Aspens
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The FroGames Card
Roll the sun die: trees grow everywhere on the board, yours and theirs. Then roll the wind die: you can only expand in the indicated direction. Each choice is a delicate balance between growing tall or spreading wide. And in the end, one of you will have conquered more space.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
A forest growing before your eyes, but not just yours
Aspens is the debut by Neil Edwards and Luke Roberts for Ludivore Games, released in 2025. It's an abstract game disguised as a natural simulation: aspen saplings expanding according to sun and wind, in a silent dance for territory control. Illustrator Kaitlin Brasfield gave the hexagonal board a minimalist and organic look.
Each turn you roll two shared dice: one makes both players' trees grow (if you've built high enough to catch the light), the other decides in which hexagonal directions you can expand your forest. You must choose whether to invest trees to grow vertically, ensuring future harvests, or to immediately expand into new spaces. When the board is full, the player who controls more spaces wins.
What they say abroad
Young game, BGG data still being collected. The card will be updated with reviews and details as soon as available.
— FroGames
"Balance growth with expansion to outgrow and outwit your loved ones."
Balance growth and expansion to outgrow and outwit your loved ones.
— Ludivore Games
Aspens
FrogScore · editorial rating FroGames · based on rules, international reviews, and play sessionsElements in play
What you find on the table
Aspen trees
The tokens you accumulate on each space. The more you stack, the higher your forest grows and the more likely you are to catch the light from the sun die in subsequent turns.
Sun die
Determines which heights receive trees this turn. If you have built high enough, you generate resources. If you stayed low, you watch others grow.
Wind die
Indicates in which hexagonal directions you can expand your forest. It limits your moves, forcing you to adapt your strategy to the result.
Hexagonal board
A shared grid with water tiles at the edges. Every free space is a target. When there are no more, the game ends and territories are counted.
Come si gioca
Video dimostrativo di gameplay.
🎲How to PlayThe rules in four steps▼
How to Play
The Flow of Each Round
A turn is super fast: two dice rolls, one decision, done. But that decision is always tough.
The result indicates a height (e.g., 3). Both players generate trees on every space where they have a stack of that height or greater. Those who have invested in vertical growth collect more.
The die shows one or more hexagonal directions. The active player can only expand in those directions from their existing forest. This limits options, forcing adaptation.
Take the trees you've generated and decide: grow in height on existing spaces (future investment) or expand into new empty hexes (immediate conquest). You can't do both well.
The other player becomes active. They roll the dice, expand. The game continues until every space on the board is occupied. Then, you count who controls more spaces.
⏱️Your First GameThe play-by-play, moment by moment▼
A Game in Five Moments
What Happens at the Table
Not the rules. The experience.
Initial Planting
You place your first saplings next to the water spaces. Choose where to start: safe edges or aggressive center? Already, you're designing your strategy, but you don't yet know what the dice will do.
First Shared Rolls
You roll the sun die: maybe it's a 3, and all trees of height 3+ generate. You only have one, your opponent three. You feel behind. Then the wind gives you the right direction and you expand where needed. The game constantly oscillates.
The Race for Territory
Half the board is occupied. Every empty space is a battlefield. Do you invest trees to grow tall or rush to claim space before your opponent does? Every choice closes a door.
The Treacherous Die
You've built a tower of 5 trees to ensure secure generation. The sun die rolls a 2. Zero harvest. Your opponent, who focused on horizontal expansion, takes three free spaces. You wonder if you did everything wrong.
Final Count
Last space occupied. You count: a dense forest versus an expansive forest. The winner is whoever conquered more territory, not whoever built taller. You realize that height was just the means, not the end.
🐸Good to Know BeforehandThree honest things, from friends▼
Good to Know Beforehand
Three Honest Things
Dice Can Frustrate You
Both phases of the turn depend on rolls. You can build the perfect tower and then see the wrong number roll for three turns in a row. There's mitigation (build at multiple heights), but total control doesn't exist. If you hate variance, this isn't your game.
Fixed Setup
The board is always the same, the water tiles always in the same places. After 10-15 games, you might feel the need for variants (house rules, asymmetric setups). The game doesn't include them: it's up to you to invent them if you want more variety.
Delicate Vertical/Horizontal Balance
If you invest too much in height, your opponent will conquer the board. If you expand too early, you won't generate enough trees to sustain growth. The learning curve is finding that balance, and in your first few games, you might completely misjudge the timing.
🏆Victory and DefeatWhat the ending rewards▼
How It Ends
Victory and Defeat Conditions
The game ends when all spaces on the board are occupied. Then, you count.
Victory
- You control more spaces on the board than your opponent
- In case of a tie, the player who built the tallest forest wins (total sum of stacked trees)
- If that is also a tie, the game ends in a draw
Defeat
- Your opponent controls more territory than you at the end of the game
- You invested too much in vertical growth and didn't conquer enough space
- You expanded too early and ran out of trees to grow when needed
Aspens teaches you that growing tall isn't enough: you also need to conquer ground. And that sometimes the die gives you victory, other times it denies it. Just like nature.
💬Frequently Asked QuestionsQuick answers before checkout▼
Frequently Asked Questions
Aspens FAQ
How long does a game actually last?
The box says 30 minutes, and it's accurate. The first few games might extend to 40 for explanation, but once you understand the flow, it plays very fast: two dice, one decision, turn over. Ideal for filling half-hour slots or playing two games in a row.
Is it too random or is there real strategy?
There is strategy, but the dice have weight. You can build to mitigate luck (e.g., having trees of different heights to catch more sun die results), but an unlucky roll can ruin a plan. If you seek total control, try deterministic games. If you accept variance as part of the game, it works.
What mechanics does Aspens use?
Dice rolling, territory control, hexagon grid, chaining (expand from existing spaces), and a bias system (building high increases generation chances). It's an abstract game with shared dice where both players benefit from the same roll but in different ways.
Can more than two people play?
No, it's exclusively for two players. There are no official variants for 3-4 players, and the game structure (shared dice, direct conquest) doesn't adapt easily. If you're looking for a group game, look elsewhere.
Is it available in English?
This edition is in English, but the game is practically language-independent: the components are abstract (trees, dice with icons) and the rules are read only once. You don't need to know English to play after the first game.
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who publishes it — and what else they've done.
Aspens is a strategic board game for 2 players designed by Neil Edwards and Luke Roberts, published by Ludivore Games in 2025. 30-minute games, recommended age 10+, shared dice rolling and hexagonal grid territory control mechanics. The vertical growth versus horizontal expansion system creates a delicate balance where every choice matters. Perfect as a gateway game or strategic filler for couples. Available on FroGames.it.
Aspens
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
📸Do the images match the actual product?
The photos on the website often come from BoardGameGeek and are intended to give you an idea of the game. They may vary slightly from the version you receive. The content declared by the publisher is always binding.
📦Does the content of the box match what is indicated?
We always strive to provide the correct content, but minor variations are possible due to reprints or updates. The information comes directly from the publishers. If you have any questions, please contact us!
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