About Das letzte Paradies, from BoardGameGeek:
In Das letzte Paradies, the players purchase building sites through secret bids, and either build villas or hotels there, or leave the land undeveloped. Buildings are lucrative only if the immediate surrounding area is preserved. The value of nature is appreciated so much more if it is in danger of disappearing. Correspondingly, the price of virgin land varies widely - either very high, or very low - because preservation of nature does not give you income, but it does get you more recognition for your troubles.
This edge between commerce and nature is rendered even more difficult for the players because at the end (at least in this game) only one pays you money. Who then possesses little at the start, and who has lost in every game, matters little, except who is the richest person at the end.
Each round, players bid for tiles to lay on the island paradise. One side is a building, the other a forest. Players bid with coins in their closed fist. The highest bidder wins; however, they only pay the cost of the second highest bid. The winner chooses which side to play (forest or building), but first all players may negotiate in an attempt to influence the buyer's decision.
The more forest, the more your buildings are worth. However, the more buildings you own, the less forest there will be. As soon as the last building tile has been sold and placed on the board (and any resulting bonuses have been paid) the game ends. The players who built the most and second-most forests receive an endgame bonus. Then, all players who have less money than they started with have lost. Out of the remaining players, the winner is the person with the most money.
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The 2026 edition has no changes to the rules, but portions of the gameplay were altered slightly to make the game easier to visualize. The 2026 edition uses square cards instead of tiles but maintains the satisfying wooden coins. It also uses wooden parrots to mark nature instead of trees. The 2026 edition includes player screens for players to hide their money easily and to reference important information on the player aid.
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The original game is part of the Franckh-Kosmos/ 'Spiele-Galerie' series.
The 2026 edition is Game #1 in the Undiscovered Games Collection.
