How to play The Forest
Quick-draw pair-ups in a forest clearing
Goal
Rounds repeat until someone reaches the target: 40 points with 2 players, 35 with 3, 30 with 4. Collect all four Lions and you win on the spot.
Your turn
- 1Draw. Take the top card of either discard pile — or draw two from the deck, keep one and put the other on a discard pile. An empty pile must take it.
- 2Play pairs (optional). Put two matching cards in front of you to use their effect. Every pair scores 1 point, played or not.
- 3End your turn — or, with 7 points or more, call the round.
Ending a round
- Score: the round ends and everyone scores their cards.
- Strike: everyone else gets one more turn. If you still have the most points, you score your cards plus your color bonus and the others score only their color bonus. If not, you score only your color bonus and the others score their cards. While the Strike is on, the caller's hand is shown face up, and a Fox pair can only steal from players who still have their last turn to play.
- Color bonus: 1 point per card of your most common color. Lions count as a color too (crimson).
- If the deck runs out at the end of a turn, the round ends and nobody scores.
Every card
In a game, press and hold any card to see what it does.
Pair = 1 point. Play it: take any card from a discard pile.
×2×2×2×1×1×1Pair = 1 point. Play it: take another turn.
×2×2×2×1×1Pair = 1 point. Play it: draw the top card of the deck.
×1×1×1×2×1×1Pairs with a right-half Fox = 1 point. Play them: choose and steal one face-down card from an opponent.
×1×1×1×1×1Pairs with a left-half Fox = 1 point. Play them: choose and steal one face-down card from an opponent.
×1×1×1×1×1Collect them: 0 · 2 · 4 · 6 · 8 · 10 points for 1 to 6.
×1×1×1×1×1×1Collect them: 0 · 3 · 6 · 9 · 12 points for 1 to 5.
×1×1×1×1×1Collect them: 1 · 3 · 5 points for 1 to 3.
×1×1×1Collect them: 0 · 5 points for 1 to 2.
×1×1Multiplier: 1 point for every Owl you hold.
×1Multiplier: 1 point for every Rabbit you hold.
×1Multiplier: 2 points for every Deer you hold.
×1Multiplier: 3 points for every Bear you hold.
×11 point per card of your most common color — Lions count too, in their own crimson. A 2nd Lion scores your 2nd color, and so on. All 4 Lions win instantly.
×4Deep Woods add-on
Optional: turn it on before the game starts and 8 more cards are shuffled into the deck. Everything else stays the same.
Pairs with a Raccoon = 1 point. Play them: look at the top 5 cards of the deck, keep one, and the rest are shuffled back.
×1Pairs with a left-half Fox = 1 point. Play them: on their next turn, every opponent can only draw the top card of the deck.
×1×1Play it with any pair as a trio worth 3 points — the pair’s effect doesn’t happen. Kept in hand, it scores nothing.
×1×1×1Counts as one more card in a collection you’ve started (Canary, Wolf, Deer or Bear), up to that collection’s top score.
×1Multiplier: 1 point for every Raccoon you hold.
×1Forest Tales add-on
Optional: turn it on before the game starts. At the start of every round a tale is turned up and its rule applies to everyone that round.
After scoring, the tale goes to the player with the most points (a coin with a plus) or the fewest (a coin with a minus); a tie sets it aside. From then on its rule applies only to that player, for as long as they stay first (or last). Nobody keeps more than one: offered a second, you choose which to keep.
A Raccoon pair takes the top card of both discard piles, instead of looking through one.
After scoring it goes to whoever trails, and stays while they’re last
A Rabbit pair draws the top two cards of the deck instead of one.
After scoring it goes to whoever trails, and stays while they’re last
Two left-half Foxes make a pair: look at an opponent’s hand and you may swap one of your cards for one of theirs. Two right-half Foxes make a pair: steal a pair an opponent has played, without its effect. The usual Fox pairs still work.
After scoring it goes to whoever trails, and stays while they’re last
Every Canary scores 2 points.
After scoring it goes to whoever trails, and stays while they’re last
Every Wolf scores 1 point.
After scoring it goes to the leader, and stays while they’re first
Lions score nothing — but all four Lions still win the game.
After scoring it goes to the leader, and stays while they’re first
Three Lions win the game on the spot (instead of four).
After scoring it goes to whoever trails, and stays while they’re last
You need 10 points (instead of 7) to call the round.
After scoring it goes to the leader, and stays while they’re first
You can’t call Score: ending the round means a Strike.
After scoring it goes to the leader, and stays while they’re first
Right after you draw, if both discard tops are the same color, take one of them into your hand before playing any pair.
After scoring it goes to whoever trails, and stays while they’re last
When you discard a collection card (Canary, Wolf, Deer, Bear or Cuckoo), the deck’s top card joins your hand.
After scoring it goes to whoever trails, and stays while they’re last
Once a round you may hide a Canary face down in front of you: you’re safe from every attack, but that Canary scores nothing.
After scoring it goes to whoever trails, and stays while they’re last