When Nature first released, I had a hard time deciding whether to keep my copy of Evolution: Climate. I loved how much Nature streamlined the game while offering a ton of customization with the different modules, but I missed how much Climate would force species to adapt on the fly to their changing environment. Tundra introduced similar hardships, but it was just cold rather than chaotic. Luckily, Nature is finally getting a proper Climate module which will be available at Gen Con this year!
And not only is Climate coming to Nature, but I like it even more than the original Evolution version.
For anyone unfamiliar with Evolution: Climate, the standalone game added a weather system to the game. Though temperatures start at a comfortable temperate level, that will change throughout the game and shift either hotter or colder. The more extreme the temperature, the less food available, and species not of a suitable Body Size will lose population—hotter temperatures reward smaller species, while colder temperatures prefer larger ones. The shifts in temperature were based on what cards players chose to discard each round (also part of how food was added to the watering hole, a system removed in Nature).
There are two major changes that I’m really happy with.
First, players no longer get a say in the temperature. In my experience, the players in classic Climate typically ended up averaging the temperature shifts, so most games would end up remaining in a moderate climate throughout the game. With the new Nature: Climate, two dice are rolled instead: one for the direction (hotter or colder) and one for how many steps the weather should shift. This not only allows the temperature to reach some of those interesting extremes, but it also adds a nice layer of unpredictability that players need to be ready for. One game could see somewhat stable temperatures until a sudden cold snap at the final round. Others could progressively get hotter until reaching a full “scorching age”.
The second change is that the weather will now affect all species, not just certain sizes. Well, sort of. Each space on the Climate track indicates how much population each species will lose due to the adverse conditions. But smaller species are granted better innate protection against heat, while larger species have more cold protection. This might sound the same at first glance, but that protection is rarely complete. Once the weather gets hot enough, it doesn’t matter that my hordes of tiny foragers are only size 1; I’ll be losing some regardless unless I add some protective traits. Because players can never completely ignore the weather by simply maintaining ideal Body Sizes on their species, you constantly need to be wary and calculate how much you need to protect… or how much you can afford to lose.
I’m also very happy with the included traits; even those returning from Evolution: Climate have been changed and allow for much more interesting species across the table. As some examples, I like the new Burrowing a lot more since it feels much more interactive for potential predators to counter, and the new Thermoregulation is great for any climate at the cost of a food.
Anyone looking to pick up their own copy of Nature: Climate (and if you like Nature, you really should) can take one home from NorthStar’s booth at Gen Con later this month. Not going? No worries! You’ll also be able to order copies online from NorthStar’s website after the convention wraps up.
