How to Play

Morels

2-2 players 30-30 min 7.0 Board Game Geek Rating

Players collect mushrooms in this strategic two-player card game featuring day and night decks. Gather mushrooms from an eight-card forest tableau, then either sell matching pairs for foraging sticks (expanding future options) or cook sets of three-plus for victory points. Manage hand limits, avoid poison mushrooms, and adapt as cards cycle through decay piles.

Published 2012

Get Ready

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

Choose forest arrangement

Select between the original linear setup from the main rulebook or the optional circular arrangement described in this appendix

Use circular layout (optional)

Arrange forest cards in a circle instead of a line to reduce repeated card sliding during play

Place foraging stick indicator

Position the foraging stick to mark the "Front of Forest" in the circular arrangement

Identify "At your feet" position

Designate the space immediately after the Front of Forest indicator as the "At your feet" area

Position Day Deck

Place the Day Deck at the back of the forest to refill vacant spaces

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Take free card

Collect a card from "At your feet" without spending foraging sticks

Spend foraging sticks

Pay 1 foraging stick to take a card deeper in the forest (as shown in Example 2)

Move decayed cards

When taking a card like the Basket, move cards such as the Fairy Ring to the decay pile in the center of the circle

Close gaps in forest

After taking a card deeper in the forest, close the void by either sliding cards clockwise or counterclockwise

Advance Front of Forest indicator

Move the indicator to the appropriate spot after cards shift

Refill forest

Draw cards from the Day Deck to fill empty spaces at the back of the forest

Handle Destroying Angel (alternate rule)

After following discard rules for a Destroying Angel, remain at the lower temporary hand limit during your next turn only, regardless of whether you have cooked mushrooms