Forest Shuffle rules summary

Object: Each player either draws two cards or plays a card on his turn with the
goal of scoring points based on the played cards and their interactions with each
other (based on fellow species, preferred habitats, and food sources). The game
ends when the third Winter card is revealed from the deck.

Setup:
1. Place the Clearing (game board) in the center of the table.
2. Give each player a Cave card.
3. Remove the three Winter cards from the deck.
4. Shuffle the deck and return a number of cards to the game box based on the
number of players:
• 2 players = 30 cards
• 3 players = 20 cards
• 4 players = 10 cards
• 5 players = none
5. Divide the remaining cards into three similarly sized piles.
6. Shuffle two Winter cards into the first pile and place the third card on top.
7. Place the other two piles on top of the first pile. Place the deck on the left side
of the Clearing.
8. Deal six cards to each player.
9. If you were not dealt at least one tree, you may return your hand to the game
box and draw six replacement cards (only once).
10. Randomly determine the first player.

Hand Size Limit: You are limited to 10 cards in your hand. If an effect would
cause you to draw beyond 10 cards, you ignore the additional draw(s).

Game Turns: Starting with the first player and continuing clockwise, a player
turn consists of one of the following two actions.

Action – Draw Two Cards: Choose from the top of the deck and/or from the
Clearing, drawing them one at a time.

Action – Play a Card and Check the Clearing: Pay the cost of the card (the
number in a brown card symbol in the upper left) by placing that many cards from
your hand face up into the Clearing.
Place the card face up in a play area in front of you called your Forest.
Trees – placed by themselves. Each tree provides a card slot on each of its sides
which are initially empty.
Once there is at least one card in each slot, the tree is fully occupied.
Common Toad and European Hare cards can have multiples in the same slot.
After a tree is played, draw the top card of the deck and place it in the Clearing
(as depicted on the left corner of the Clearing).
Sapling – instead of playing a tree card, you may play any card face down as a
universal tree sapling. A sapling provides card slots like a tree but is not
one of the eight tree species or a species of its own.
Animals, Plants, and Mushrooms – placed in an empty tree slot by tucking it
under the tree card so only the desired half of the card is showing.
Placement Effect – if the played card has an effect in a light gray box, you may
resolve it. Most effects are instantly resolved when played. Mushrooms have a
permanent effect.
Placement Bonus – if the played card has a bonus in a light gray box with a
binoculars icon in a colored arrow, you may resolve it if you paid the card’s
cost using only cards matching the tree symbol in the upper right of the card
being played. When paying with split cards, it doesn’t matter which half of the
card shows the matching tree symbol.
If the card’s placement effect and placement bonus both apply, resolve the
placement effect first. Effects and bonuses are always optional.
Any card draws from effects and bonuses are always taken from the top of the
deck.
Icons are identified on the last page of the rulebook. Card details are found on the
game’s reference cards, in the digital appendix, and in this rules summary.
Checking the Clearing – at the end of your turn, if there are 10 or more cards in
the Clearing, discard all of them to the game box.
Then your turn ends unless you’ve received an effect or bonus that allows you
to take another turn.

Winter Cards: When drawn, place it face up next to the clearing and immediately
draw a replacement.

Game End: When the third Winter card is revealed, the game ends immediately.
You may not finish you turn.
Total each player’s points (identified with Acorn symbols) on visible cards in his
Forest plus the number of cards under his Cave card using the scorepad.
The player with the most points wins. A tie is a shared win.
Beech (x10) – if you have at least four Beeches, each one scores 5 points.
Birch (x10) – each one scores 1 point.
Douglas Fir (x7) – each one scores 5 points.
Horse Chestnut (x11) – all of them form a single set and score points accordingly.
Linden (x9) – each one scores 1 point. If you have more Linden trees than any other
player (or are tied for the most), each one scores 3 points instead.
Oak (x7) – if your forest contains all eight tree species, each Oak scores 10 points.
Silver Fir (x6) – each one scores 2 points for every card in its card slots.
Sycamore (x6) – each one scores 1 point for every Tree symbol in your forest (including
any Saplings).

Bats (all – 4 types x3 each) – if you have at least three different bat species, each bat scores
5 points.
Beech Marten (x5) – each one scores 5 points for each fully occupied tree in your forest.
Blackberries (x3) – each one scores 2 points for each Plant symbol in your forest
(including the Blackberries).
Brown Bear (x3) – scores no points but each card under your Cave card scores 1 point.
Bullfinch (x4) – each one scores 2 points for each Insect symbol in your forest.
Butterflies (all – 5 types x4 each) – you can have one or more sets of different butterflies.
Each set scores points. Each butterfly can only be part of one set.
Chaffinch (x4) – each one atop a Beech tree in your forest scores 5 points.
Chanterelle (x2) – starting with your next turn, whenever you play a tree (including
Saplings) you may draw a card from the deck after you pay the card’s cost but before
you carry out its effect and bonus. If you have both Chanterelles, you may draw up to
two cards instead.
Common Toad (x6) – may share a card slot with one other Common Toad. Each one that
shares a card slot with another Common Toad scores 5 points.
Eurasian Jay (x4) – each one scores 3 points.
European Badger (x4) – each one scores 2 points.
European Fat Dormouse (x4) – each one that is at a tree with a bat (in the opposite card
slot) scores 15 points.
European Hare (x11) – may share a card slot with other Eurasian Hares. Each one scores
points equal to the total number of Eurasian Hares in your forest.
Fallow Deer (x4) – each one scores 3 points for each Cloven-hoofed Animal symbol in
your forest (including the Fallow Deer).
Fire Salamander (x3) – all of your fire salamanders form a single set and score points
accordingly.
Fireflies (x4) – all of your fireflies form a single set and score points accordingly.
Fly Agaric (x2) – starting with your next turn, whenever you play a Pawed Animal card,
you may draw a card from the deck after you pay the card’s cost but before you carry
out its effect and bonus. If you have both Fly Agarics, you may draw up to two cards
instead.
Gnat (x3) – each one scores 1 point for each Bat symbol in your forest.
Goshawk (x4) – each one scores 3 points for each Bird symbol in your forest (including
the Goshawk).
Great Spotted Woodpecker (x4) – each one scores 10 points if your forest contains more
trees (including any Saplings) than any other player or is tied for the most.
Hedgehog (x3) – each one scores 2 points for each Butterfly symbol in your forest.
Lynx (x6) – each one scores 10 points if your forest contains at least one Roe Deer.
Mole (x2) – after you play it, you may play any number of additional cards from your hand
as follows:
1. Decide which cards you will play.
2. Pay the combined cost of the cards and place the played cards into your forest.
3. Carry out the placement effect and bonus of each card in the order you played them.
Moss (x3) – each one scores 10 points if your forest contains at least 10 trees (including
any Saplings).
Parasol Mushroom (x2) – starting with your next turn, whenever you place a card below a
tree you may draw a card from the deck after you pay the card’s cost but before you
carry out its effect and bonus. If you have both Parasol Mushrooms, you may draw up
to two cards instead.
Penny Bun (x2) – starting with your next turn, whenever you place a card atop a tree you
may draw a card from the deck after you pay the card’s cost but before you carry out its
effect and bonus. If you have both Penny Buns, you may draw up to two cards instead.
Pond Turtle (x2) – each one scores 5 points.
Raccoon (x4) – scores no points but each card under your Cave card scores 1 point.
Red Deer (x5) – each one scores 1 point for each Tree symbol (including Saplings) and 1
point for each Plant symbol in your forest.
Red Fox (x5) – each one scores 2 points for each European Hare in your forest.
Red Squirrel (x4) – each one atop an Oak tree in your forest scores 5 points.
Roe Deer (x5) – each one scores 3 points for each card in your forest showing the same
Tree symbol as the Roe Deer (including the Roe Deer).
Squeaker (x4) – each one scores 1 point.
Stag Beetle (x2) – each one scores 1 point for each Pawed Animal symbol in your forest.
Tawny Owl (x4) – each one scores 5 points.
Tree Ferns (x3) – each one scores 6 points for each Amphibian symbol in your forest.
Tree Frog (x3) – each one scores 5 points for each Gnat in your forest.
Violet Carpenter Bee (x4) – each one at a Beech, Horse Chestnut, or Linden increases the
total number of that tree in your forest by one. This increase also affects the Great
Spotted Woodpecker and Moss.
Wild Boar (x5) – each one scores 10 points if your forest contains at least one Squeaker.
Wild Strawberries (x3) – each one scores 10 points if your forest contains all eight tree
species.
Wolf (x4) – each one scores 5 points for each Deer symbol in your forest.
Wood Ant (x3) – each one scores 2 points for each card in the bottom slots of your trees
(including any Wood Ants).