Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor

To set up Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor, remove 30 cards from the main deck and divide it into three stacks. Place the first winter card between the second and third stacks, with the remaining two winter cards near the bottom of the final stack. Each player receives a random cave card in reverse player order, granting unique starting abilities or end-game bonuses. Players also start with an initial hand of cards.

The main goal is to build the most valuable Dartmoor ecosystem. Players place trees, shrubs, and new terrain cards like moors horizontally to provide slots for various animals, plants, and insects, aiming to collect the highest total victory points.

During a turn, the active player must choose exactly one of two actions: draw two cards (from the deck or the open clearing, respecting a ten-card hand limit), or play one card from their hand. Playing a card requires paying its cost in discarded cards placed into the central clearing. Trees and some cards also trigger clearing checks or deck draws.

Scoring happens at the end of the game and is quite intricate. Players score points based on trees, shrubs, terrain moors, planted flora and fauna, specific animal set collections like bats and dragonflies, cave abilities, and any cards successfully stored in their cave.

The game concludes instantly the exact moment the third winter card is drawn and revealed from the deck. Players then immediately halt their turns and proceed to tally up all their points from their developed forest habitats.