Parks Europe
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FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
At the end of the third season, someone saw the Dolomites, someone photographed the Wadden Sea, someone supported three conservation projects. Nobody remembers the exact scores.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Three seasons of hiking in Europe's national parks
Parks Europe is the new standalone game in the PARKS series, designed by Henry Audubon and illustrated by eight European illustrators: the cover and four parks are by Carlotta Notaro, the other forty-four are shared by Fago Studio, Francesco Bongiorni, Julie Guillem, James Weston Lewis, Sterre Verbokkem, Teo Georgiev, and Tom Clohosy Cole. The trail crosses 48 real parks on the continent, from the coasts of the Wadden Sea to the Dolomites. You don't need to own PARKS to play it: it's a standalone box.
At the table, you move your two hikers along a trail that you never walk backwards. On each space, you can give up a carabiner to latch onto the Via Ferrata and take a second action, and in return, you get a Snow token in your backpack. Snow takes up two of your twelve resource spaces and cannot be discarded: the only way to get rid of it is to stop at the Chalet, hand it all in at once, and advance that many spaces on the track. Whoever is further ahead on that track starts the next season first.
The parks you visit have a seed from four colors plus wilds, and on the third of the same color, you get a prize worth one point for each park of that seed. Next to them are the photographs, the conservation projects that attach to the base spaces and reactivate every time you pass over them again, and the Wonder cards to play whenever you want. Three seasons, and then you count the points.
First impressions
PARKS showed us contemplative beauty. PARKS Europe asks us to conquer it.
— FroGames
"PARKS Europe feels like being chased through a forest by a bear — at least at 2 players."
Parks Europe feels like being chased by a bear — at least with two players.
— Tom, game report on BoardGameGeek
The game will be released in November. The only existing impressions come from playtests, not from the production box.
Parks Europe
The solo mode is played against park ranger Greta, who controls two pairs of hikers and moves by rolling the path die. It reproduces the opposition that really matters in Parks: she takes away the spaces you wanted and forces you to rethink your route, and every time one of hers reaches the end, she discards the oldest park and project, so you can't wait for the display to serve you the right card. At the end of the game, you compare your total with a scale ranging from 30 to 50 points. It doesn't compete for the score — that remains a comparison with yourself — but the pressure on the table is certainly felt.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on official rules, publisher materials, and early community impressionsWhat you'll find in your backpack
Components and game systems
48 park cards
Each visited park brings points, sometimes an immediate action, and belongs to one of four colored suits plus wilds. On the third park of the same suit, you get the corresponding prize, which is worth one point for each park of that color until the end of the game.
Via Ferrata and Snow
By giving up a carabiner, you activate a second action above the space you landed on. In return, you get a Snow token, which occupies two of the twelve spaces in your backpack and cannot be discarded. The higher you go, the less you can carry.
The Chalet
The only place to unload Snow. You hand it all in at once and advance that many spaces on the track, collecting Wonder cards and prize tokens worth 5, 4, and 3 points. Whoever is further ahead starts the next season first.
Conservation projects
You pay for them with resources and they attach to one of the four base spaces of the trail: from that moment on, they reactivate every time you pass over them again. A set of the four colors is worth a 5-point prize. It's the closest thing to an engine the series has ever had.
When you close the box, you realize you've planned a trip, not played a game. It always happens with PARKS.
Come si gioca
Video dimostrativo di gameplay.
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The path opens up
Seven spaces, three face-up park cards, three available conservation projects. Everyone starts with a carabiner and a Wonder card in hand. Someone studies the path to understand which resource they need for the park they've eyed, someone else immediately heads for the carabiner space, because you can't climb without them. The first season is always the slowest.
The backpack starts to feel tight
Halfway through the second season, good positions are scarce. Someone gives up a carabiner to hook onto the Via Ferrata and take two actions in one stop, and ends up with a Snow token that occupies two of the twelve spaces. Someone else blocks the space you wanted, and the common campfire has already been burned. The first park cards fall into someone's hands, and everyone understands which suits they are pursuing.
The first project starts
Someone pays for a conservation project and hooks it to the forest space: from now on, every time they pass it again, they get an extra action. The others kick themselves for not having thought of it sooner. Whoever took the photographer token takes two photos per action instead of one, and pays nothing. The table divides between those chasing park suits and those accumulating immediate points.
The third season is a race
Whoever has their board full of Snow must go through the Chalet, and going through the Chalet means not being elsewhere. Someone visits the third park of the same suit and takes the prize, which is worth one point for each card of that color. Someone else realizes they neglected photos and tries to catch up. At the end of the trail, the best spaces are one each: whoever arrives late takes what's left.
Counting at dusk
The points from visited parks, remaining Campfire cards, photographs and albums, and finally all prizes are summed: those from suits, the photographer's, conservation, and the Chalet's. Someone discovers they lost by two points because they were missing the third card of a color. No one is sure they played the perfect game.
How to play
The flow of each season
Three seasons, each consisting of turns where you move one of your two hikers along the trail, collect resources, visit parks, and manage the space remaining in your backpack.
Move one of your two hikers as far forward as you want, never backwards, and stop on a space. You cannot share an occupied space unless you burn a common campfire or play a Campfire card from your hand.
Collect the resources shown, visit or reserve a park, support a project, fill or drink from your Flask, draw a Wonder card, take a photograph — which is free here — or stop at the Chalet to unload Snow.
By giving up a carabiner, you also activate the tile above the space, in the order you prefer. You always take a Snow token, which occupies two spaces in your backpack and cannot be discarded: you can only get rid of it at the Chalet.
When everyone has reached the end, three of the seven spaces are permanently discarded and three more enter from the next pile. A new Season card is revealed, and whoever is furthest along the Chalet track goes first. After three seasons, points are counted.
Why it's different from others
Six things that make a difference
Via Ferrata and Snow
It's not just a path to follow: it's a capacity problem. Climbing gives you two actions in one stop, but each climb puts a Snow token in your backpack that takes up two of twelve spaces and cannot be discarded. Deciding when to climb and when to stop and unload is the tactical core of the game.
Park suits
Each park belongs to one of four colored suits, plus wildcards that can be added to any pile. On the third of the same color, you get the prize, which gives an immediate benefit and then one point for each card of that suit. It's better to choose where to go in advance, instead of taking the first park that comes along.
Free photographs
In the first PARKS, each shot cost a resource from your backpack. Here the action is free: just take the token, one point each, five tokens make an album worth five points. And whoever holds the photographer token takes an extra photo with every action of the turn, not just once.
Conservation projects
You pay for them with resources and attach them to one of the four basic spaces: from then on, they reactivate every time you pass through, and if you have two on the same space, both trigger. A set of four colors is worth five points. It's an engine you build during the game, and it was never in the series before.
Eight European illustrators
The 48 park cards are divided among eight illustrators: Carlotta Notaro signs the cover and the Belluno Dolomites, the other forty-four parks pass through Fago Studio, Bongiorni, Guillem, Weston Lewis, Verbokkem, Georgiev, and Clohosy Cole. Each card also includes a curiosity about the real park.
From one to five
With two players, the path is wide, and that's precisely why ranger Greta comes into play, occupying spaces and cycling through the displays. With five, it becomes a tight race, and the suit prizes double on the board. Solitaire is played against Greta with a scoring scale from 30 to 50.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
At the end of the third season, points are totaled from four sources. The winner is the one who best balanced parks, photographs, cards in hand, and prizes.
Sources of points
- The points printed on the parks you have visited
- Campfire cards remaining in hand, which are worth points according to what you have collected
- Photographs at one point each and albums at five points
- Prizes: park suits, conservation, photographer, Chalet
Costly mistakes
- Accumulating Snow without ever going to the Chalet leaves you without space for the resources needed to visit parks
- Stopping at two cards of a suit leaves the prize on the table, which is worth more than the third card
- Always leaving the photographer token to others gives them the multiplier for the entire game
Parks Europe keeps the skeleton of the series and adds a constraint that wasn't there before. If PARKS seemed too soft to you, this is the answer to that. If you went there precisely for the calm, keep that in mind.
Frequently asked questions
Parks Europe FAQ
Do I need to own PARKS to play Parks Europe?
No. Parks Europe is a standalone game: everything is in the box. It shares the skeleton with PARKS — three seasons, two hikers, a one-way path — but has its own systems, from the Via Ferrata to conservation projects and park suits. If you've played PARKS, you can sit down and start without re-explaining; if you've never played it, this works perfectly as a first trail.
How long does a game last?
The publisher states 30-70 minutes depending on the number of players. The campaign sheet shows 40-70, so factor in the higher figure for the first few games, when you're still consulting the rulebook. Solitaire mode is the quickest.
Is it suitable for those who have never played an eurogame?
Yes, with a caveat. The rules can be explained in about twenty minutes and the turn is simple — move, perform action, pass — but understanding when to climb the Via Ferrata and when to stop at the Chalet requires a few games. As an absolute first game, there are softer entry points; as a second or third eurogame, it works very well.
What is the best player count?
With two players, the path remains wide, and that's precisely why the rules suggest adding ranger Greta as a third nuisance. From three to five players, competition for spaces and park cards increases, and with four or five players, the suit prizes on the board double. Those who have tried the game with two players report that the pressure of the Snow is quite significant: if you almost always play as a couple, this is the first thing to consider.
Is the edition in Italian?
No, this edition is in English. There is text on the cards — park names, trivia, description of conservation projects and Wonder cards — but it's minimal and accompanied by clear icons. With a group that has a basic understanding of English, it plays without issues; alternatively, a translated reference sheet for parks and projects is sufficient.
Parks Europe is a strategic board game for 1-5 players, 30-70 minutes, ages 10+, designed by Henry Audubon and published by Keymaster Games. A standalone game in the PARKS series, set in 48 real European national parks, it combines movement on a one-way path, collecting parks by suit, photography, and conservation projects that reactivate on base spaces. The Via Ferrata system provides two actions in one stop at the cost of a Snow token that occupies space in your backpack and can only be unloaded at the Chalet. Three seasons, variable path each season, solitaire mode with ranger Greta. English edition, available on FroGames.it.
Parks Europe
Frequently Asked Questions
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