Tend

Overview

Tend is a paper-and-pencil flip & write that places players on a resource-gathering planet working for a corporation. Designed by Max Anderson, Zac Dixon, Austin Harrison, and Toby Sarnelle and published by IV Studio, the game supports 1–6 players with a listed playtime of about 75 minutes (my first session ran longer because of teaching). Mechanically it mixes action / event, chaining, grid coverage, simultaneous action selection, and the classic flip & write sheet interaction. You pick two cards from a revealed set and execute the printed actions on your sheet; those actions let you gain resources, spend resources, and trigger bonuses that can chain into further effects.
I played a single three-player session with a quiet, focused group where everyone was new to the game. I taught the rules, which took longer than expected, and the total session time including teaching came to about three hours. The game leans medium‑heavy in complexity: rules are crystal clear, but there are a surprising number of bookkeeping steps when you start chaining actions. I found the title sits in the family of heavier flip & write experiences—players who enjoy optimization, combo planning, and slow, puzzle-like turns will appreciate what Tend gives. If you prefer high player interaction or fast, tense turns, Tend will feel closer to multiplayer solitaire.

Setup and Components

Setup is refreshingly fast: under five minutes from box to first turn. Each player receives a score sheet and I handed out colored pencils; I noted the deluxe edition includes stamps, which I would have liked to try. The components in the base box felt good-quality and functional: cardstock cards with clear iconography, a tidy deck, and well-laid-out player sheets. The artwork is serviceable and colorful—nothing flashy, but it supports clarity over flourish.
Iconography is very clear and accessible, which matters because Tend asks you to track multiple resources and chained bonuses. The paper-and-pencil format means the tactile experience depends on your writing implements; I used coloring pencils and missed the tactile precision stamps would provide. I encountered no component issues during play. The overall production value matches the game’s intent: practical, readable, and aimed at minimizing fiddliness during repeated marking. If you frequently play heavy flip & writes, consider the deluxe for stamps and a neater bookkeeping experience.

Gameplay and Theme

Gameplay centers on choosing two cards each round and resolving their actions on your sheet. Typical actions include mine, tend, chop, among others; you mark gains or payments, build up resources, and unlock bonus steps. The chaining mechanic is the hook: several cards provide follow-up benefits that can trigger additional actions. I had a few turns where a single pick set off a satisfying cascade of marks across my sheet—those moments felt genuinely productive and clever. The action selection is simultaneous, so downtime emerges primarily from players calculating optimal sequences rather than waiting on turn order.
Tend plays like an engine-builder in flip & write clothes: you assemble resource flows and look for synergies between cards and chain triggers. The game’s strategic depth surprised me—there are many viable paths and choices that reward careful planning. That said, the mental bookkeeping can become dense. I forgot a number of bonus steps during my first playthrough, and I noticed my brain strained to keep long chains straight; I suspect that as I learn the cards, this will ease. The game is mostly skill-driven; luck shows up in which cards you draw and the options that present themselves each round, but decisions dominate outcomes.
Theme is adequate: you are on a planet gathering for a corporation, and the iconography and card names support that setting. The theme does not heavily alter mechanical expectations—I could see the same systems reskinned without major changes. Player interaction is minimal: the game behaves as near multiplayer solitaire with light competition for card picks and scoring opportunities. I experienced moderate downtime during turns where I attempted to calculate an optimal chain, and that can stretch the listed 75-minute playtime if your table is analysis‑prone.

Final Thoughts

After one play, I rate Tend a 7/10. I enjoyed it because it stands out among heavier flip & writes: the chaining design produces those satisfying combo turns where you feel like you accomplished a lot in a single round. The rules are clear, setup is fast, and the strategic depth promises high replay value as you internalize card synergies. I appreciated the clarity of icons and the tidy component quality; the deluxe stamp upgrade seems worthwhile for players who’ll log many plays.
However, Tend is not for everyone. I forgot bonus steps during my first game, and I expect the same will happen for others until they internalize the card pool. The game can feel long—our inaugural session stretched to three hours with teaching—and the experience skews toward thoughtful, solitary optimization rather than social interaction. If you dislike analysis paralysis or prefer heavy direct interaction, Tend will frustrate you. If you like methodical planning, engine-building within a flip & write framework, and watching chain reactions unfold, I think Tend will reward repeated plays: the number of choices is limited each round but the combination space grows as you learn the cards.
I would play it again if asked; complex roll/flip & writes are not my usual preference, but Tend ranks near the top of that subgroup for me. For players who value deep strategy, combo chaining, and a puzzle-like turn structure, Tend is worth exploring. For groups who prefer fast turns and lots of player-to-player interaction, look elsewhere.

Pros

• Chaining mechanic produces highly rewarding combo turns when you sequence cards correctly
• Clear, accessible iconography and concise player sheets reduce bookkeeping mistakes
• Fast setup (under 5 minutes) and good baseline component quality; deluxe stamps are a neat upgrade

Cons

• First plays suffer from missed bonus steps and bookkeeping overhead — learning curve can make initial sessions long
• Gameplay is almost multiplayer solitaire with minimal interaction and moderate downtime for analysis