Picture this: two game designers, a car, and a daily commute through Reno, Nevada. It doesn’t sound like the most likely setting for a breakout board game, but for Jason Meller and Danny Devine, their morning drives were more than just a way to get to work — they were a rolling brainstorm session. In between sips of coffee and morning traffic, they played a game of their own making: “design karaoke.” No microphones involved — just rapid-fire talk about game mechanics, weird themes, rules that might work (or definitely wouldn’t), and ideas that lived in scribbles on napkins or barely-made-it-through-the-red-light notes on their phones.
Out of one of these commutes came a concept that at first probably sounded more gentle than groundbreaking: a flower-themed game. But don’t be fooled — Floristry was about to blossom into something much bigger.
The Seed of an Idea
Jason has a thing for flowers — not just the ”I’ll buy a bouquet on Valentine’s Day” kind of thing, but a genuine, dirt-under-the-fingernails love of gardening and floral design. When he threw out the idea of combining spatial puzzle gameplay with building elaborate bouquets, it struck a chord. Why not craft a strategy game that’s beautiful, smart, and centered around something that isn’t war, zombies, or medieval conquest?
The idea was simple on the surface but packed with strategy: players would work with a shared board to assemble colorful floral arrangements by matching colors and patterns, almost like a tile-laying game with petals instead of tiles. The emphasis was on elegance, clarity, and charm. And it worked — partly because it broke the mold.
From Kitchen Tables to Convention Floor
Jason and Danny spent countless hours refining the mechanics, testing it on lunch breaks, during game nights, and at local conventions. With every round, the game bloomed a little more — not just in design polish, but in confidence. This wasn’t just a pretty game. It had teeth. There was subtle strategy, real decision-making, and a satisfying payoff when an arrangement came together just right.
The turning point came at Gen Con, one of the board game industry’s biggest gatherings. There, a nearly-finished prototype caught the attention of 25th Century Games. They saw what Jason and Danny already suspected: this game could hit big. Not just with hobbyists, but with families, casual players, and anyone who’s ever stopped to admire a fresh bouquet.
To help make that vision pop, they brought in Beth Sobel — an illustrator who’s practically a superstar in the board game art world thanks to her work on titles like Wingspan and Cascadia. Her illustrations gave Floristry the final touch of magic it needed. The flowers weren’t just tokens or patterns; they were vivid, delicate, and alive.
A Bloom in the Retail Aisles
Fast forward to spring 2024, and Floristry is front and center in Barnes & Noble’s game section — not just on sale, but featured as their “Game of the Month.” That’s no small feat for a title that doesn’t come with dragons or dice towers. But that’s the beauty of it. The game stands out in a crowded field — warm, inviting, and refreshingly different.
Buyers praised it for being:
- Easy to learn
- Hard to master
- Visually striking on the shelf
Its non-violent, welcoming theme made it a hit in classrooms and among families. And for people new to modern board games, it was the perfect stepping stone into the hobby.
Lessons from the Garden
Looking back, Jason and Danny say the Floristry journey taught them a lot about collaboration, trust, and the delicate balance between gameplay and theme. Not every game has to be epic in scale to be meaningful. Sometimes, quiet beauty — backed by solid design — can connect with people in remarkable ways.
They’re already working on their next projects, but that ride to work — the one filled with laughter, big ideas, and a little bit of chaos — still holds a special place in their process. Because if Floristry proved anything, it’s this:
The best ideas don’t always start in a studio; sometimes, they begin in the passenger seat next to a friend who just happens to love board games as much as you do.
In Full Bloom
Floristry is a gentle giant in the board game world — proof that themes like flowers and beauty are just as capable of drawing in players as zombies and spaceships. It’s also a reminder that creativity doesn’t always come with sweeping drama. Sometimes, it’s quiet. Soft. Patient. But when it clicks, it grows — and can blossom into something far bigger than you ever imagined.
Have you played Floristry yet? Or do you have a favorite game that goes beyond the usual themes? We’d love to hear about it — share your thoughts in the comments!