How to Play Living Forest | Rules & Setup Guide

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Set up player spirit

Configure your spirit's setup as in the standard multiplayer game

Configure tree supply

Use the tree setup for a two-player game

Prepare Evil Spirit playerboard

Give the Evil Spirit (ES) a playerboard but no starting tree

Assign victory tiles to ES

Give the ES the three victory tiles of his color plus one random tile from another spirit

Create the dummy player

The spirit whose tile was taken becomes a "dummy" on the Circle of Spirits

Place dummy victory tiles

Put the two remaining victory tiles of the dummy next to the Circle of Spirits

Create preference line

Place the four victory tiles in a random order in a row next to the ES board

Prepare decision bag

Use a bag or container (such as a coffee mug) for random draws

Fill decision bag with flames

Place 6 strength-two flames, 3 strength-three flames, and 1 strength-four flame in the bag

Place flames on ES board

Put two strength-three and two strength-four flames on the ES playerboard

Position your figure

Place your figure on the first player space for three players on the Circle of Spirits

Position ES figure

Place the ES figure clockwise on the next three-player space

Position dummy figure

Place the dummy on the final three-player space

Set first player

The human player is always the first starting player

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Build Guardian Animal Help Line first

Complete your card draw phase before the ES acts

Take standard actions

Your turns follow normal game rules

Draw flames for ES turn

When it is the ES turn, draw X flames from the bag where X equals the current phase number (1, 2, or 3)

Draw corresponding cards

For each flame drawn, draw one card from the matching guardian animal pile

Identify leading card

The first card drawn (matching the first flame) leads the ES turn and adds its cost to all symbols for actions

Check preference line

Look at the leftmost tile in the preference line to determine the ES's first action

Verify action availability

The ES can only take actions if the required symbol appears on drawn cards or owned trees

Skip unavailable actions

If the first tile's action cannot be taken, check the second tile, then third, and so on

Draw new leading card if needed

If no action is possible with current cards, draw a new leading card for the ES

Execute Sacred Flower action

Count all sun symbols on drawn cards, add leading card cost, plus sun symbols on trees, then buy cards with as many sacred flowers as possible

Execute Extinguish Fire action

Count all water symbols on drawn cards, add leading card cost, plus water symbols on trees, then extinguish as many fires as possible

Execute Tree action

Count all tree symbols on drawn cards, add leading card cost, plus tree symbols on trees, then buy the most expensive tree the ES doesn't already own

Handle white symbol exception

If the leading card shows a white symbol, place it immediately with sacred flower cards, skip the preference line, and take X steps on Circle of Spirits where X equals the flame strength minus one

Resolve second action

After the first action, check the next tile in the preference line

Move instead of second action

If the second action cannot be taken, the ES moves X steps on the Circle of Spirits where X equals strength of first flame minus one

Reorder preference line

Put all tiles skipped or used in the last position, keeping their relative order

Allow repeated actions

The ES can take the same action twice in his turn

Handle ES movement

The ES always uses all steps and moves only his figure, never the dummy

Steal when ES passes you

The ES takes one victory tile you have, prioritizing tiles he only has one of, then the victory condition he's furthest behind in

Steal when you pass ES

Take any tile you wish as long as the ES keeps at least two different tiles

Handle dummy stealing

The dummy can only steal from you; give it a tile the ES has two of

Move ES at end of round

If the ES didn't move during his turn, move his figure one space

Move dummy at end of round

The dummy always moves one space

Transition between phases

Phase 1 has 5 rounds, Phase 2 has 4 rounds, Phase 3 has 3 rounds

Reset at phase end

Return all drawn flames to the bag

Add flame to bag

After Phase 1, add a strength-three flame; after Phase 2, add a strength-four flame from the ES playerboard

Credit ES with flame

Put the matching remaining flame with the ES's extinguished flames

Winning

How to claim victory.

Meet standard victory conditions

The player wins by achieving any of the three standard multiplayer victory conditions

Avoid losing all tiles

The player loses immediately if all personal victory tiles are gone

ES wins by timeout

If after Phase 3 ends the player has not met any victory condition, the ES wins

ES wins by sacred flowers

The ES wins upon collecting 12 sacred flowers (counting all sacred flowers on cards, trees, and white symbols, minus any black symbols on collected cards)

ES wins by extinguishing

The ES wins upon extinguishing 12 fires, including flames gained at phase ends

ES wins by planting

The ES wins upon planting 12 trees

Count stolen tiles for ES

Victory tiles only count toward ES win conditions if stolen from the player; the ES's own tiles and the dummy's fourth tile do not count

Reduce ES progress by stealing

If you steal a tile from the ES, subtract one from the corresponding ES win condition