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Description
As in the earlier original Forest Shuffle, in Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor players compete to build the most valuable environment by placing trees and shrubs, then attracting species to these locations to create an ecologically balanced habitat for flora and fauna.
What's new in Dartmoor is the introduction of TERRAIN cards that are played horizontally and serve as a home or feeding ground for different species than trees or shrubs. Due to the nature of the terrain, species can only be placed above and below a terrain card. Deer and other species stay clear from bogs or peat areas in the moorland. They need their drink, but won't feel safe at dwells or next to rivulets. So players have to be watch out, where to place their species.
Like its predecessor, Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor comes with a unique back side: Each of the 180 cards of the deck can be placed face down, creating a bog, if the action allows it. The caves in Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor now will be drafted at the beginning of the game and offer asymmetrical starting conditions. On top, the number of tree symbols has been reduced from eight to six to enable bonuses more easily.
The game mechanism stays untouched: To start, each player has six cards in hand, with cards depicting either a particular type of tree, shrub or terrain or two moor dwellers (animal, plants), with these latter cards being divided in half, whether vertically or horizontally, with one dweller in each card half.
On a turn, either draw two cards — whether face down from the deck or face up from the clearing — and add them to your hand, or play a card from your hand by discarding other cards to pay the cost, then putting that first card into play. In the end, the player with the highest score wins.
Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor is a stand-alone within the Forest Shuffle family and introduces a brand new habitat and features new species with new abilities and bonuses to explore.
Year Published
2025
Featured Videos
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 4
This page: 4
Sentiment:
pos 4 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–4 of 4
Video x785pvaociA
Unknown Channel rules_teach at 0:04 sentiment: positive
video_pk 62485 · mention_pk 155096
Click to watch at 0:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Accessible transition for players who know Forest Shuffle, with a standalone rule set that preserves core feel.
- Adds strategic depth through terrain cards, split flora/fauna layering, and color-suit payment mechanics.
- Rulebook clearly highlights changes from Forest Shuffle, easing uptake for existing players.
- End-game pacing is driven by winter cards, providing clear tension and a defined endpoint.
- Universal moors create optional strategic layers without overwhelming new players.
Cons
- Potential increase in cognitive load due to multi-layered placement and split card mechanics.
- Some players may miss the simplicity of Forest Shuffle and view Dartmore as adding complexity too quickly.
- The mixed implementation of terrain/slots could require careful setup to avoid confusion for new players.
Thematic elements
- ecology and habitat creation with animal and plant interactions
- Moorish landscape in the Dartmore hills
- instructional
Comparison games
- Forest Shuffle
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card placement and stacking — Place tree, shrub, and terrain cards, then add flora and fauna cards onto existing cards, with rules about orientation and limited stacking per side.
- Color-suit restricted bonuses — Some bonuses only trigger if the entire payment uses cards of the exact colored suit.
- Deck building — Deck is divided into piles with winter cards placed to signal endgame; game ends when the third winter card is drawn.
- Deck structure and winter cards — Deck is divided into piles with winter cards placed to signal endgame; game ends when the third winter card is drawn.
- Resource payment from hand — To pay for a card, you discard other cards from your hand as payment, ignoring their text; only the numeric cost matters.
- Scoring via acorns and card abilities — End-of-game scoring relies on visible acorn symbols and conditional bonuses on specific cards, sometimes tied to card types or symbology.
- Split cards (top/bottom or left/right) — Flora and fauna cards are split across two sides of a base card, creating multi-layered scoring opportunities and placement decisions.
- Terrain card capacity rules — Terrain cards can hold two cards on top and bottom; trees/shrubs are limited to one card per side, except as specified.
- Universal moors — Face-down universal moor cards score no points but can host flora and fauna above and below them, adding strategic concealment.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- creating a unique moorish landscape in front of you in the hilly region of Dartmore
- So, it is a pretty simple game
- They've just added terrain cards and a couple little minor adjustments
- If you're coming with that rule set already in your head, you can kind of just refer to those exact points to see what has changed
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video WDC3zsL55K4
Unknown Channel playthrough at 2:37 sentiment: positive
video_pk 62623 · mention_pk 155342
Click to watch at 2:37 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Asymmetry via cave cards adds variety
- Rich, emergent scoring with dragonflies and bats
- Live, engaging playthrough with discussion
- Official solo variant available
- Tension and decision depth
Cons
- Rule clarity and translation issues; debates about deck/clearing rules
- Scoring can be slow and complex; counting is tedious
- Physical setup requires a large table or zoomed-out view
Thematic elements
- Array
- Moorland, rural England
- Live, improvised playthrough with rule discussion
Comparison games
- Lost Cities
- Forest Shuffle
- Kingdom Crossing
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card drafting — Players draw or take cards to form their hand up to a limit and pay for plays with cards from hand.
- card drafting/hand management — Players draw or take cards to form their hand up to a limit and pay for plays with cards from hand.
- Card Placement / Habitat Building — Played cards form habitats (trees, shrubs, terrains) with slots for animals and plants; terrains provide extra slots and wild areas.
- Resource management — Pay costs by placing a number of cards from hand into the clearing to play a card.
- Resource Management with Costs — Pay costs by placing a number of cards from hand into the clearing to play a card.
- Set-collection/Scoring Combos — Scoring is based on card types and sets (e.g., bats, dragonflies, moors) and placement in caves, with points for unique cards and combos.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- We all like Forest Shuffle as a game.
- This game is very unfair.
- We may have been playing it wrong.
- There are new rules.
- There's an X moor expansion going to be released this summer.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ipCfZMzoJLA
Beyond Solitire interview at 52:30 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11636 · mention_pk 84060
Click to watch at 52:30 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Calm, nature-themed aesthetic with approachable mechanics
Cons
- Niche appeal; may not attract all players
- Public data on publisher/designer is limited
Thematic elements
- Wildlife, environment, and nature-inspired exploration
- Forest ecosystem and wildlife
- Relaxed, nature-forward experience
Comparison games
- Nature
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cooperative Game — Supports cooperative play, including solo variants
- cooperative play — Supports cooperative play, including solo variants
- tortoise mode pacing — Slow play to fit a leisurely, long-tail engagement
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the solo mode has to deliver an emotional experience
- we want to create something that's not average you want to create something that's new
- it's not just a flourish at the end, it's central to the game
- you can't do that solo, you need to say yes you can
- it's about delivering a different story when playing solo
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video MHCqMqfJAHg
Dice Tower general_discussion at 3:42 sentiment: positive
video_pk 1519 · mention_pk 108180
Click to watch at 3:42 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- deep engine-building feel
- balanced tile/map variety across maps
Cons
- initial learning curve due to many cards and engines
Thematic elements
- forest management and engine-building
- forest/shuffle-draft engine-building within a woodland theme
- puzzle-like, strategic
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- balancing and engine variety — expansions and card choices create balance and multiple viable engines
- engine building — expansions and card choices create balance and multiple viable engines
- shuffle-draft engine-building — players assemble engines by drafting cards around trees to maximize scoring
- tree- and landscape-based scoring — cards interact with a developing landscape to generate points
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- There is a ton of theme involved.
- The theme is super there. And if you love this idea of a game, go for it.
- it's cozy. It's one of those games that has some cool thinkiness to it.
- placing a number in between two other numbers and collecting one of those numbers that you placed in between of.
- I think that it offers a nice balance between thinking and social interaction.
- the balance and the cool synergies of the engine
- this is one of those cozy games where you can hang out and talk with people
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–4 of 4