Wispwood

To set up Wispwood, assemble the four edge pieces of the pond in the center of the table. Mix all tree tiles face down into random stacks nearby. Deal one wisp tile face up onto each of the eight pond spaces. Each player chooses a cat tile, takes one tree tile, and places their cat on it to form their starting forest grid. Draw five random goal cards—one for each wisp type and one for trees—or choose simpler ones marked with a single paw for beginners. Finally, give the starting player paw to the person sitting closest to a light source.

The main objective in Wispwood is to build the most harmonious enchanted forest by placing tree tiles and glowing wisp tiles. Players compete to satisfy five randomized goal cards that change every game, ensuring no two forests ever grow the same way.

On your turn, you take a basic turn by choosing any wisp tile currently available on the pond, taking one of the two adjacent shapes, and gathering enough tree tiles to form that shape. You then place your new shape anywhere within your current grid size (4x4 in round one, expanding to 5x5 in round two, and 6x6 in the final round), ensuring at least one tile touches your existing forest. Cats can be used to refresh wisps, choose any shape, or take tree-only turns when stuck.

After each round, players sum up their points using the five goal cards chosen at setup, which reward specific patterns and configurations for each wisp type and trees. Players also earn completion bonuses based on the round—two points in round one, four in round two, and six in round three. Scoring can be done manually or using the Wispwood app.

A round ends as soon as a player completely fills their grid. Once all players have taken an equal number of turns, scoring takes place, cats move to new tree tiles without revealing their wisp sides, and the next round begins. The game concludes after three rounds, and the player with the highest total score wins, with ties broken by who completed their grid more often.