Lotus Let’s Play

1. Lotus Let’s Play • By Charlotte, Jordan • and Michelle

2. Let’s Play video YouTube Link • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUuRtF_VLP0&feature=youtu.be

3. 45 min Full Play! • Please also note that in the description of our Let’s Play, we have the full 45 minute footage of our first play through Lotus! • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt-j9z17Dy0 • From 41.35 in the longer YouTube video we actually de-brief and discuss what we liked about the game. Interestingly, there was a lot of talk about strategy, but not too much talk about the mechanics of the actual game.

4. Language of the Lotus Flowers Hanakotobais the Japanese language of flowers, in this practice, plants convey emotion and symbolise certain Japanese values.

5. Significance of Animals in Lotus

6. Written Analysis • Game Aesthetics • 4 Player Deck which are colour coded: green, yellow, blue, red • These decks consist of 31 Petal Cards • Iris • primrose • cherry blossom, • Lily • lotus • 20 Wildflower cards • Iris • primrose • cherry blossom • lily a • lotus • 8 Insect Guardians • 2 x butterfly • 2 x lady bug • 2 x dragonfly • 2 x worm • 4 Elder Guardians • 12 Special Tokens (4 of each) • Elder Guardian • Enlightened Path • Infinite Growth • 30 scoring token worth 5 each

7. Written Analysis (cont) • Designer • husband and wife duo Jordan and Mandy Goddard • Publisher • Hobby Japan, Renegade Game Studios • Artwork • Created by Anita Osburn and Chris Ostrowski • Game Genre • Family Card Game • Mechanics • Area Control • Auction/Bidding • Hand Management • Themes • Extreme Japanese Cultural Influence • Rating • 9/10

8. Different Versions of Lotus • Interestingly the first release of this game was in English. • A 2017 release is planned for the game in Japanese.

9. Parting Thoughts • A beautifully designed game with several different strategic elements involved. • The materiality of the game involves cards that are slightly larger than a normal playing card, with the tokens being made of chunky cardboard with a glossy finish. • The insect and elder guardian tokens are of similar feel and made out of material identical to that seen in Tokaido. • A great game that can be played amongst family and friends of 8 years and above, with a fantastic competitive element and suspense involved. • Reactions of players change depending on the moves and decisions of other players, meaning that sometimes what you had planned to do has gone out the window.

10. References • Appleton, A 2015, Japanese Culture Conquired the Human Fear of Creepy Crawlies, accessed 11/04/2017, https://aeon.co/essays/japanese-culture-conquered-the-human-fear-of-creepy-crawlies • Baird, M.C 2001, Symbols of Japan: Thematic Motifs in Art and Design, Random House Incorporated, US • BBC 2017, Religion: Shinto, accessed 22/04/2017, http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/ • General Books 2010, Language and meaning of flowers: Hanakotoba, General Books, London • Knight C 2010, Satoyama: Model for Sustainability, The Kyoto Journal, accessed 17/04/2017, http://www.kyotojournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/kj75_model-sustainability_knight.pdf • Language Journal 2012, Hanahotoba: Japanese Secret Flower Language, accessed 12/04/2017, http://www.thelanguagejournal.com/2012/10/hanakotoba-japanese-secret-language_18.html • Lotus 2016, BoardGeekGame.com, accessed 20/04/17, https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/198525/lotus • Shirane, H 2011, Japan and the Culture of the Four Seasons: Nature, Literature and the Arts, Columbia University Press • Temple, C.R 2008, Traditional Themes in Japanese Art, Regents Press, London Appleton, A 2015, Japanese Culture Conquired the Human Fear of Creepy Crawlies, accessed 11/04/2017, https://aeon.co/essays/japanese-culture-conquered-the-human-fear-of-creepy-crawlies