Growing up I loved chess, I got it from my Dad. We would play when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old. In my last blog, I wrote about how adding movement to Meadowvale completely changed what I thought was a finished turn cycle. I half-joked that it had become the chess of nature games — and the more I play, the more the comparison sticks.

One of the later additions to the rules was the introduction of movement. Originally, Meadowvale was a static puzzle: a tile and token–laying game with scoring that was derived from real animal behaviour.

Meadowvale is a board game where theme drives mechanics. From rabbits in clusters to owls with line of sight, every placement echoes natural behaviour. This post explores the design choices behind Meadowvale’s core mechanics and why they belong in the Vale.

The UK has hedgerows that are hundreds of years old. These were always going to be a main feature of Meadowvale. They provide crucial ecological corridors through the landscape.