Nemi: The Strawberry Festival
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You have three crates of strawberries, two vendor cards, and four different ideas. You can cook the perfect dessert or decorate the town square. You can't do both. Choose now.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
An Italian festival where every card has two lives
Nemi truly exists: it's a small village in the Alban Hills, Lazio, famous for the wild strawberries that grow around its volcanic lake. Every year in June, there's the Strawberry Festival. Valeria Cavasin and Edoardo Eibenstein took that festival and turned it into a gateway game with an unexpected twist. The illustrations by Simone Grünewald fill the table with pastel colors and summer vibes.
In four rounds, you draft crates of fruit and vendor cards, then combine them to cook desserts or decorate the village with garlands. The point is that every card has two uses: ingredient or decoration. You can't do everything. Fruit crates are drafted openly, but vendor cards are acquired through a blind auction. Whoever best reads the other players wins.
What they say abroad
"Open draft, blind auction, beautiful illustrations and quick-to-learn rules"
Open draft, blind auction, beautiful illustrations and quick-to-learn rules
— Fiammingo Games
It's a newly released game, with very few ratings on BGG and no international reviews available yet. This review is a first impression based on official materials: we will update it when we have more information.
— FroGames
Nemi: The Strawberry Festival
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · first impression: based on rules and official presentation, updated with first playsThe festival ingredients
What's on the table
Fruit crates
You draft them one at a time, openly. Strawberries, blackberries, cherries. They are used for cooking or to unlock stronger cards.
Vendor cards
They have ingredients, objectives, and actions. But you can also use them to decorate the village. Every card has two lives, you choose one.
Blind auction
You bid secretly for vendor cards. Whoever best reads the others wins the loot. Whoever makes a mistake either pays too much or leaves empty-handed.
Garlands and decorations
Instead of cooking, you can decorate the square. Each decoration is worth points and unlocks bonuses. But you burn a card you could have used otherwise.
🎲How to playThe rules in four steps▼
How to play
The flow of each round
Four rounds identical in structure, different in cards. Each phase has a precise rhythm.
Each player chooses a crate, passes the rest to their neighbor. Classic open draft: you see everything, choose one thing at a time.
Three cards on the table. Bid in secret. The highest bidder takes the first card, the lowest bidder takes the last. Those who bid zero get nothing.
Use crates and supplier cards to cook desserts or decorate the village. Each card has two possible uses, you choose one.
If you have finished a dessert or reached an objective, take the points. Some objectives are only valid for the first player to achieve them.
⏱️Your first gameThe chronicle, moment by moment▼
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The rules in ten minutes
Open the box, read the rules, start playing. There are no exceptions to memorize. The first draft is already clear: you see the crates, take one, pass the rest. In five minutes, you're already playing.
The first blind auction
Three supplier cards on the table, everyone bids in secret. You reveal the bids. Someone bid high, someone held back. The one who best read the others takes home the best card. The auction changes everything: it's not enough to know what you want, you need to understand what others want.
The crossroads: cook or decorate
You have a perfect card for the dessert you are making. But it's also worth four decoration points and would unlock a bonus. If you use it for one thing, you lose the other. You can't have both. Choose now, the round ends.
Someone completes the first objective
An opponent finishes the first dessert and scores points. You are two cards behind. You can catch up by focusing on decorations or invest everything to complete the second objective before others. The table speeds up, no one is planning for the fifth round anymore.
Final tally
Sum the points: desserts, decorations, completed objectives. The one who best managed the dual path wins. The game lasts 50 minutes, the table immediately asks for another.
🐸Good to know beforehandThree honest things, from friends▼
Good to know beforehand
Three things that matter
It's really light
There's no math, no six-move combos, no tech tree. If you're looking for a game that makes you sweat, this isn't it. It's a gateway with a twist: perfect for beginners, too agile for those who want weight.
The auction can be frustrating
If you don't read others, you end up paying too much or losing the cards you needed. The blind auction rewards those who observe, not those who calculate. If you don't like bluffing, half the game loses its bite.
The dual use is unforgiving
Each card is for cooking or decorating. Never both. Every choice burns an option. You can't go back, you can't change your mind. Those who plan poorly come last.
🏆Victory and defeatWhat the end rewards▼
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
After four rounds, you count the points. Completed desserts, placed decorations, achieved objectives. The one with the most wins.
Victory
- You complete more desserts than others and collect objective bonuses
- You decorate the village first and unlock the best points
- You read the blind auction well and take home the right cards at the right price
Defeat
- You use cards for cooking when you should have decorated (or vice versa)
- You pay too much at auction and run out of resources for the final rounds
- You finish desserts too late and miss out on "first player" bonuses
Nemi doesn't reinvent anything, but it combines familiar mechanics in a way that works. The dual use of cards forces real choices, the blind auction reads the table, the theme permeates. A designer gateway game.
💬Frequently Asked QuestionsQuick answers before checkout▼
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ on Nemi: The Strawberry Festival
Is it suitable for people who never play?
Yes. The rules can be explained in ten minutes and the first game is already smooth. There are no complicated exceptions to memorize. The blind auction adds a level of bluffing that makes the game interesting even for those who already know classic gateway games.
What mechanics does Nemi use?
Open drafting for fruit crates (see everything, choose one thing, pass the rest), blind auction for supplier cards (bid in secret, highest bidder wins), resource management and multi-use cards (each card is for cooking or decorating, not both).
Does it scale well for all player counts?
BGG data does not specify scaling, but drafting and auctioning work best with three or four players. With two, it might lose some of the interaction and bluffing. We await more games to confirm.
How long does a game actually last?
Four rounds, 45-60 minutes with clear rules. The first game can last up to 70 minutes if explained slowly. From the second game onwards, you'll be under an hour.
Is it available in Italian?
No. The edition sold on FroGames is in English. Language dependence is low: cards have minimal text and mechanics are iconic. A basic level of English is enough to play without problems.
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who publishes it — and what else they've done.
Nemi: The Strawberry Festival is a competitive board game for 2-4 players, lasting 45-60 minutes, recommended age 8+. Designed by Valeria Cavasin and Edoardo Eibenstein, published by Fiammingo Games. It uses open drafting for fruit crates and a blind auction for supplier cards. Each card has a dual purpose: cooking desserts or decorating the village. Simone Grünewald's illustrations bring the atmosphere of Nemi's strawberry festival, a small town in Lazio on the Alban Hills, to the table. A gateway game with a tactical twist, perfect for families and new players looking for real interaction. Available on FroGames.it.
Nemi: The Strawberry Festival
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!
⏳How do pre-orders work?
Pre-order the game before release, payment is immediate, and the game is reserved for you. As soon as it arrives, we'll ship it right away! If there are any delays, we'll update you promptly.
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