Padurea Aleasa

To set up the game, place the game board, or 'clearing', in the center of the table where all players can reach it. Place the 14 reference cards next to the game board. Each player receives a cave card and places it face up in front of them. Set aside the three winter cards. Shuffle the main deck of cards. For a 2-player game, remove 30 cards; for 3 players, remove 20 cards; for 4 players, remove 10 cards. For a 5-player game, use all cards. Divide the remaining cards into three roughly equal piles. Shuffle two of the winter cards into two of these piles, and place the third winter card on top of the third pile. Stack these three piles to form a single deck and place it on the left side of the game board. Each player then draws six cards from this deck. If a player's initial hand contains no tree cards, they may discard their hand and draw six new cards once.

The main objective of the game is to create the most balanced and thriving forest habitat by collecting valuable trees and attracting diverse species of animals, plants, and fungi. Players compete to accumulate the highest number of points by the end of the game. This involves strategically planting trees, populating them with various creatures and flora, and considering their specific preferences and requirements to maximize their growth and point value.

During your turn, you must perform exactly one of two possible actions: either draw two cards or play one card and then check the game board. When drawing cards, you take them one by one and add them to your hand. You have a hand limit of 10 cards; if you have 9 cards, you can only draw one. If you draw a winter card, place it face up next to the game board and immediately draw a replacement card. When the third winter card is drawn, the game ends. When playing a card, you first pay its cost by discarding cards from your hand face up to the game board. Tree cards are the foundation of your forest, providing slots for other cards on their four sides. Divided cards feature two forest inhabitants (animals, plants, or fungi) and can be played next to a tree, covering one of its four slots. When playing a divided card, choose one half to be visible and pay only its cost. Some species offer bonuses if you pay with matching cards. After playing a tree card, you must draw the top card from the deck and place it face up on the game board.

At the end of the game, calculate your score by summing the points from all visible cards in your forest. Additionally, add the number of cards that are hidden under your cave card. The player with the highest total score wins the game. In the event of a tie, the tied players share the victory.

The game concludes immediately when the third winter card is drawn from the main deck. Once this happens, no further turns are taken, and players proceed directly to the final scoring phase to determine the winner.