Ferraria 2023

In the heart of the Espinhal Mountain, in the municipality of Penela, the schist village of Ferraria de São João is called so because it is likely that a small iron mine may have existed there. The shepherd’s horn echoed through the vast oak grove in the past, calling the community’s flock. After a day of grazing in the mountains, the goats would return to the village where they spent the night in communal goat pens, now preserved to bear witness to memories of the past. There are no longer wolves in the forest, but the biodiversity is varied and, at night, the village is visited by deer or wild boar. At the same time, the existing flora provides bees with nutritious food to produce high-quality honey. It’s a beautiful experience to walk through the village streets, observe the architecture of the now-restored schist houses, and try to spot the traditional Maia flowers hanging from the doors in spring. To protect themselves from fires, the villagers replaced eucalyptus trees with cork oak trees. Under their shade, the goat herds work meticulously as they graze to help prevent fires. In this game, you experience the dynamic of a lively village, which you are invited to visit on foot or by bike on the mountain biking trails. Players take turns by playing cards with bees, oaks, or boars to collect goats to make collection sets that match the objectives.

—description from the designer