I love photography and I have more interest in board games. You can only imagine my excitement when I heard that there is a board game in development that allows you to play as a wildlife photographer trying to get the best photos!
The premise of Redwood sit down! Game Sounds simple and fun at the same time!
Redwood is a motion and perspective estimation game where players have to take pictures of wild animals to create the best panorama.
I found out about Redwood after Google recommended articles to me with some perfect targeting, my recent recommended articles are all about photography or tabletop gaming because I started back Dungeons & Dragons later this year. I was immediately hooked by the concept, and got a little excited when I saw those little drawings. 
Sit down! describes Redwood as a motion and perspective estimation game where the player must photograph wildlife to create the best panorama. The game is for 1 to 4 players, ages 8 and up. The game lasts about 45-60 minutes.
During their turn, the player will have to choose between different movements and perspectives (made with real plastic minifigures) to capture the animals in the picture without disturbing them. Collecting animals and other elements earns victory points, required to win the game. In the game, new conditions for earning points will appear such as the position of the sun and the selection of the camera lens. The game ends after five turns and players are rewarded if they meet certain conditions to earn extra points, such as capturing a sharp image of a wide range of wildlife or capturing a panoramic landscape. wonderful scene.
Although it is not yet available, people in Dice cutter previewed Redwood in this year’s Gen Con, before the game launches on Kickstarter in the fall of 2022. Unfortunately, the version they play doesn’t use those impressive looking thumbnails. Die breaker describes Redwood as a tactical simulation of competitive photography, using insets and field of view patterns to show the focal lengths of different lenses.
The game has ticked a lot of areas that interest me, and I really hope the game is popular enough to have a full release.
Players use curved motion patterns to move their characters around the map, taking care to avoid disturbing wildlife or other photographers. The interesting part lies in the rules around motion; you can’t measure your movement first, and once you touch the motion pattern, you’ve committed the move. Players will need to visually assess how best to position themselves to get the shot with their chosen camera setup.
Then there’s the perfect framing mechanism for the perfect shot that’s equally fun. A fuzzy cone pattern represents your camera’s field of view. Any landmarks or wildlife covered by the template are considered captured and count towards the player’s goal. There are different field of view patterns to simulate a wide range of lenses your player can choose from. The FOV samples also include thumbnails, representing the perfect range for that camera. If your subject is below the clipping layer, you’ve achieved perfect framing and focus, potentially earning more points.
Adding another level of depth to the game is the sun, which revolves around the play area, allowing for different light states and facilitating more potential bonuses. Each successful image adds to the picture cards in front of the player. These cards will eventually form a beautiful panorama of the park illustrated by artist Edu Valls.
While Redwood isn’t out yet, it certainly got me interested in the concept of a miniature board game with photo mechanics. The artwork looks great, the renderings of the minis look great and the concept is really cool. It’s refreshing to see a game developed in this style, where the focus is on capturing wildlife with a camera instead of shooting with a weapon, whether futuristic or fantasy. Redwood seems to be a fun, family-friendly and accessible game, and a great way to share some degree of photographic experience with friends and family who have You may not want to camp in a national park waiting for deer to appear at sunrise in real life. I’m excited to see what happens with this game.
Interested in a board game with a photography theme?
Image used with permission of Sit Down! Game
