Description
The local forest is a lively place: animals look for food in the clearings, some love dense treetops, others the undergrowth. In Forest Shuffle you create a forest in which every species feels at home. You plant trees and settle birds, bats, butterflies, amphibians, plants and mushrooms around them.
How to play Forest Shuffle
On your turn you do one of two things: draw two cards or play one. You pay for a card with other cards from your hand, which you place face up in the shared clearing. Anyone can take them from there. A tree goes in front of you, while split cards with two dwellers are tucked under a tree so that only the half you chose is visible: top, bottom, left or right.
Many cards have an effect, such as extra cards or another turn. If you pay with cards of the right colour, you get a bonus as well. There are three winter cards in the lower part of the deck. When the third one is revealed, the game ends immediately. Whoever has the most points in their forest wins.
Why you'll love it
- Every card is also money. Whatever you discard as payment lands in the clearing, and it may be exactly what your neighbour is waiting for.
- Species score differently: bats only if you have three different ones, hares for every hare in your forest, and the linden if nobody has more of them than you.
- Split cards offer two dwellers, but you can use only one. The other half disappears under the tree.
- The end comes suddenly with the third winter card, so you must not wait too long with your big plans.
Who is Forest Shuffle for
The game is for 2 to 5 players aged 10 and up, and a game lasts 40 to 60 minutes. It is medium-light, and players on BoardGameGeek like it best with two. The rules are short and the depth is in the cards, which is why reference cards explaining the scoring are included. It will appeal to anyone who enjoys looking for combinations and loves nature. Anyone who dislikes reading and comparing cards will need a game or two to find their way around the forest.
Forest Shuffle is the first game in the Lookout Greenline range: it is made of FSC-certified paper and without plastic.
What's in the box
- 180 cards: trees, split cards with forest dwellers, 3 winter cards, 5 cave cards and 14 reference cards
- game board (the clearing)
- scoring pad
- rules
