Meadow: Downstream Expansion Review

I absolutely adore the base game of Meadow. It's one of my favorite games to play and any time we get that opportunity to play it I'm always up for it. When I found out about the Downstream expansion I didn't even need to learn anything about it. I saw the otter on the box and I was sold. It really was that easy.

So what does Downstream add to the game? The most obvious things is the double sided board featuring the lazy river and the wild rapids game modes. Both sides contain the river track which will gain you points and additional bonuses as you travel across it. There's also new cards for the board as well as 12 additional cards for the base decks. The river cards are primarily water focused (go figure) and instead of scoring you points, they'll allow you to move your piece downstream. The further you get, the more points you get. The game also includes new nature monument cards. You'll need these to go along with other cards to score points in the new modes.

The Lazy River mode is like the intro to Downstream mode, it's straightforward and a little more mellow. Once you reach the docks, you can potentially score some points if you have that nature monument as well as a random unused bonus token from the main board. This board also features beaver dams that can be added to your hand which fill the need of that pesky fence suit.

The Wild Rapids mode follows the same general flow but there are more choices and randomization to the board. There are more forks in the stream and also tents and the pier. The tents can grant bonus points or additional actions. You'll want to race here because it's first come first serve. The pier acts similarly but it only grants bonus actions. Nature monuments will not give you bonus points but they will access shortcuts allowing you to move faster across the board.

You can gain river cards with your new player token. Simply place it in the slot and select a card from the row or column on the board. The secondary actions from the original pieces will also apply to the river board. If you play the pick up any card action, you can choose the main board or the river.

Normally, this is where I say what I liked, disliked, etc but honestly I'm struggling to find something I didn't like. Both game modes function similarly and bring you new choices. Do you sacrifice a lot of smaller point cards to try and get to the end of the river for 20 points or do you stay balanced to do just enough to get points from each or completely neglect it? You need to weight the pros and cons of each throughout the whole game. One of the big draws to the original Meadow was the artwork and Downstream delivers on artwork. Every single card is beautiful. I don't think there's one that I didn't sit and stare at once I picked it up. Karolina Kijak is a master of her craft.

Meadow Downstream does exactly what an expansion should do. It brings in a new element to the game without changing the rules or making it seem completely unrecognizable. It fits perfectly with the overall theme of the game without even trying. Downstream is an absolute must have if you're considering buying Meadow or if you're on the fence about the expansion. I don't think I'll be able to play the game without it ever again.

Thank you to Rebel Studio for sending me a review copy.