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The Fox in the Forest

2-2 players 30-30 min 7.1 Board Game Geek Rating

This two-player trick-taking card game features fairy tale characters with unique powers that can alter trump suits and turn order. Players earn points by capturing more tricks than their opponent, but beware—claiming too many tricks triggers a penalty that causes you to lose, punishing excessive greed.

Published 2017

The Fox in the Forest

Get Ready

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

1
Select dealer
Randomly choose one player to be the dealer for the first round; alternate dealers in subsequent rounds
2
Shuffle the deck
The dealer shuffles all 33 game cards (three suits: Bells, Keys, and Moons, each numbered 1-11)
3
Deal hands
Deal 13 cards to each player, keeping hands hidden from the opponent
4
Create draw deck
Set aside the remaining 7 cards face down to form the draw deck
5
Reveal decree card
Take the top card of the draw deck and place it face up next to the deck; this card's suit becomes the trump suit for the round

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Lead a trick
The non-dealer leads the first trick of each round; play any card from your hand to establish the lead suit
2
Follow the lead suit
When following, you must play a card matching the lead suit if possible; if you have no cards in that suit, play any card
3
Activate odd-numbered card abilities
When playing cards ranked 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11, their special abilities activate:
4
Determine trick winner
The highest trump suit card wins; if no trump was played, the highest card in the lead suit wins
5
Collect won tricks
The winner takes both cards face down near their side; trick counts are public but card faces cannot be reviewed
6
Lead next trick
The trick winner leads the next trick (unless a Swan card specifies otherwise)

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Complete all tricks
Play continues until all 13 tricks in a round have been won
2
Score points for Treasure cards
Throughout the round, award 1 point to the trick winner for each 7 (Treasure) in that trick
3
Score end-of-round points
Based on total tricks won:
4
Check for game end
If either player has at least 21 points after scoring, the game ends; otherwise, play another round with alternating dealer
5
Declare the winner
The player with the most points wins; if tied, the player who scored more points in the final round wins
6
Adjust for game length (optional)
For a shorter game, play until 16 points; for a longer game, play until 35 points

watch & Learn

Let the pros teach you with these top videos.

Como se juega a The Fox in The Forest

Como se juega a The Fox in The Forest

Instructional

How to Play The Fox in the Forest | Board Game Rules & Instructions

How to Play The Fox in the Forest | Board Game Rules & Instructions

Instructional

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FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

PDF RULEBOOK

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