The King of the Woods
Every year, you — those who seek to rule the forest — face off in a more or less friendly competition, vying to prove who among you is the strongest, the wisest, the most beautiful, and, last but not least, the most influential animal of all.
To achieve this, you bring your followers into play. You can either use them to enhance your own court with their influence, or send them to a rival's court and use their cunning abilities to your advantage — but then, their influence belongs to your opponent.
Number of players: 2 - 4
Game duration: 12 mn
Complexity: 2 / 5
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Play The King of the Woods and 1249 other games online.
No download necessary - play directly from your web browser.
With your friends and thousands of players from the whole world.
Free.
Rules summary
Game Overview
Every year, the animals of the forest compete to determine who is the most influential among them. Thematically, you take on the role of a contender for the throne, enhancing your court with loyal vassals. Mechanically, you play cards each round to either increase your own influence or use clever intrigues at rival courts to weaken your competitors.
Goal of the Game
The goal is to gather the highest influence at your court by playing vassal cards. The game ends as soon as a player reaches a total of 42 influence points or more.
Gameplay
Preparation
- Use the preparation card corresponding to the number of players to remove specific cards.
- All remaining cards are dealt equally; there is no draw pile.
- The player who last saw a deer begins the round.
A Turn
On your turn, you must play exactly 1 card to any court (your own or an opponent's):
- Own Court: You gain the card's influence value (0 to 7) for your scoring.
- Opponent's Court: The other player gains the influence, but you trigger the card's unique scheming ability (intrigue).
End of Round
The round ends when no player has any hand cards left. Influence points at your court are summed up and recorded.
The Vassals (Excerpt)
| Card | Ability (Intrige at opponent's court) |
|---|---|
| Assassin | Covers a card; its influence becomes 0 and its ability is lost. |
| General | You exchange your entire hand with the affected player. |
| Trader | You give the player a card and receive one with higher influence in return. |
| Jester | If a court has exactly 3 Jesters at the end of a round, it loses all influence. |
Game End & Scoring
- The player with the most points after someone reaches 42 points is crowned King or Queen of the Woods.
- Alternatively, play the Winning rounds Variant until someone achieves 3 wins (or 2 wins in a 2-player game).