The Fox in the Forest probably wouldn’t have impressed me anywhere near as much if not for the ability to win by losing. It’s a shame that the theme doesn’t interact with gameplay at all. While the even cards are laid out as you would expect a standard playing card to be (e.g the six of moons has a six on each corner and six moons in the centre), the odd cards all feature lovely art that evokes a world of magic and powerful nature spirits. There are plenty of strategies to attempt and, since you can win by losing really badly, no such thing as a bad hand. However the frequency of special powers on the cards keeps the gameplay dynamic. Amy’s Final Thoughtsīeing a two-player trick-taking game each trick is incredibly fast, this is further reinforced by their only being three suits rather than the traditional four. However if you are cunning and manage to win 0-3 tricks then your greedy opponent will be punished and earn no points, while you earn the maximum of six! The game ends when the first player reaches 21 points. The player with the most tricks will win the largest share of victory points. Play will continue until both player’s hands are empty, at this point the players will look at how many tricks they have won. On top of all this, the odd-numbered cards all have special powers that may let you cycle your cards, change the trump suit, or even win bonus victory points. If you are in a situation where you do not have the same suit as the lead player played you can play a card of another suit instead, if the suit you played was of the trump suit then you would win the trick, if it was not from the trump suit you would lose the trick. The player who played the higher numbered card wins the trick and will lead the next round.Īt any time there is one card face-up next to the draw deck, the suit of this card is the trump suit. In the most basic play the lead player will play one card from their hand face-up, and then the following player will play a card from their hand of the same suit. The aim of the game is to win tricks, meaning that both you and your opponent will play one card and you want your card to be the winning one. The Fox in The Forest consists of 33 cards split into three suits and numbered one to 11. Typical trick-taking mechanisms only allow for three players plus, so as a board gaming couple, The Fox in the Forest jumped up our list of games to play, with a lot of high praise from other reviewers. We’ve been slowly exploring the world of trick-taking games recently and The Fox in the Forest is somewhat unique, in that it is a two-player only game. Its theme is based on an original fairy tale by Alana Joli Abbott – a theme that leads to beautiful artwork of fairy tale characters and woodland creatures. The Fox in the Forest is a two-player trick-taking game from Foxtrot Games and Renegade Games Studios, with designer Joshua Buergel. The choice, then, is this: are you playing to win, or playing to lose? No matter which you choose – can you perfect your strategy? The winner is the first person to 21 points, though if you are short on time, a 16-point target works equally well. However, you mustn’t get too greedy, winning 10 or more tricks will score you no points at all, handing the other player all 6 points. The artwork on the cards is beautiful featuring foxes, monarchs, and swans to name a few.Įach round starts with both players being dealt 13 cards and one card from the deck being upturned and declared the trump suit for that round – but be careful – playing a 3 enables you to change that suit, so keep an eye on what your opponent is up to! The object of the game is to win a certain number of tricks – winning 0-3 or 7-9 out of 13 total tricks will score you maximum points, with varying points for winning 4, 5, and 6 tricks, giving them game an interesting strategy twist. The 6 odd-numbered cards all have different benefits, you can gain extra points for playing a 7, or force players into losing a good card by playing an 11. The deck has 33 cards divided into 3 unique, and eye-catching suits, bells, keys, and moons, numbered 1 to 11. Can you find the right balance to become victorious? Each player tries to outsmart the other, whilst themselves attempting not to get caught out. It combines strategy, hand management and just a little bit of guesswork. The Fox in the Forest is a two-player trick-taking game with a unique twist on the status quo.

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