Fox in the Forest
Based on the game by Joshua Buergel
Try your best to win tricks, but avoid winning to many — it has to be just right in this fairytale-themed game. Watch out for cards with special abilities that change how the trick works.
Setup
Clubs (1–J), Hearts (1–J), Caps (1–J)
Clubs1–J
Hearts1–J
Caps1–J
Also needed: Score pad
Use 3 suits: Clubs♣, Hearts♥, and Caps■. From each suit, take cards 1–9, X, and the Jack. Treat X as 10 and Jack as 11. You should have 11 cards per suit, and 33 cards total.
You’ll also need a way to track scores like pen and paper, or use unused ZSA cards as point tokens.
Shuffle all 33 cards. Deal 13 cards to each player. Place the remaining 7 cards face-down as the draw pile. Flip the top card of the draw pile face-up — this is the Decree card, and its suit is trump for this round.
Gameplay
The non-dealer leads the first trick.
- Lead any card from your hand.
- Your opponent must follow suit if able. If not, they may play any card.
- Resolve card abilities for any odd-numbered cards played (consult the table as needed).
- Now figure out who won the trick. Usually this would be the card with the highest rank in the lead suit — but the suit of the decree card (trump suit) is higher than the lead suit.
- If you won the trick, take both cards and keep them face down on your side. Separate out the won tricks so you can both see the current score as the round progresses.
Play all 13 tricks. You don't want to win them all — see the scoring table to see why.
Special abilities on odd-numbered cards
Every odd rank has a special ability that triggers when you play it. These are the same across all three suits:
| Rank | Ability |
|---|---|
| 1 | If you play this and lose the trick, you lead the next trick (instead of the winner). |
| 3 | When you play this, you may swap the decree card (the face-up trump card) with any card from your hand. |
| 5 | When you play this, draw 1 card from the draw pile, then place any 1 card from your hand on the bottom of the draw pile. |
| 7 | Whoever wins a trick containing a 7 scores 1 bonus point for each 7 in that trick. |
| 9 | If the 9 is the only 9 played in a trick (i.e., only one player played a 9), it is treated as if it belongs to the trump suit, regardless of its actual suit. |
| J | When you lead with a Jack, your opponent must play either their 1 of the led suit or their highest card of that suit (their choice between only those two). If they have neither, normal rules apply. |
Scoring
Count how many tricks you won:
| Tricks won | Points | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 0-3 | 6 | Humble |
| 4 | 1 | Defeated |
| 5 | 2 | Defeated |
| 6 | 3 | Defeated |
| 7-9 | 6 | Victorious |
| 10-13 | 0 | Greedy |
Add any bonus points from 7s (Treasure cards). You will play multiple rounds.
Winning
First to 21 points wins the game.
Questions? You can find the official Fox In The Forest rules for free on BoardGameGeek. There's an FAQ at the end of the rulebook.
