Teach the Game
A script to teach Forestry at the table — how you win, the boards, a turn, the end, every way to score and what each resource is for.
How you win
“We run forestry businesses in a European forest. We harvest wood, treat it at the sawmills and deliver it on contracts — but every tree we cut must be replanted, and the forest needs care. Ten rounds, one to two hours. The most victory points wins.”
You score in two ways:
- During the game — fulfilled contracts, the reward track, row bonuses and clearings.
- At the end — buildings, river tokens × your water multiplier, task cards, the forester majority, leftovers.
The loop: harvest wood with your harvester, treat it at a sawmill with your manager, fulfil a contract — and reforest and tend the forest to earn the stars that grow your action points.
The boards
- Forest area (centre) — 15 hexes of five tree species, split by rivers into light green, dark green and orange areas. Harvest tokens show which trees are ready; clearings sit between hexes, river tokens on the rivers, three forester tokens on spaces.
- Sawmill ring (outside) — three complexes, each with an HQ tile for managers and three buildings: contracts, resources and one wood treatment. Two contracts on display beside each.
- Score track — around the edge.
- Player board — storage for wood (top left), action point and development tracks, the technology table, the star circle (reward track), the buildings track, and on the right the forestry table, reforestation table and water structures track.
A turn
Ten rounds. Each round the first player reveals a game round token — a small bonus for all, or a tree that gets felled. Then each player takes a whole turn, spending 3 action points (more later). Details.
Harvester (in the forest):
| Action | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
 Move up to 2 spaces | 1 | Crossing a river costs 1 coin |
| Harvest wood | 1–2 | Colourful harvest token → wood and stars, then it goes dark |
| Reforest | 1–2 | Dark token → pay seedlings, plant them on your table, gain stars |
| Tend the forest | 1 | Take a forester token to your forestry table, gain its reward |
 Build in the forest | 1 | 1  + 1  on a clearing, take its reward |
 Water structure | 1 | 3 resources: take a river token, change the river |
Sawmill manager (on the ring):
| Action | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
 Move to another HQ | 1 | Reward if few managers are there |
 Use a building | 1 | Contracts, resources or a wood adjustment |
| Upgrade a building | 1 + cost | Stronger, and you earn a coin when others use it |
 Fulfil a contract | 1 | Wood and adjustments exactly as shown → its rewards |
Free actions: buy up to 2 action points (4 coins each), unlock storage, use a task card, refresh contracts. Free actions.
Stars 
move your token round the reward circle; each lap gives a reward — the main
one is the development track: more action points and technology upgrades.
How the game ends
After the last game round token, everyone has one more turn. Then final scoring (Scoring). Ties: most seedlings planted, then contracts, then task cards.
Ways to score
| Source | How | When |
|---|---|---|
| Contracts | VP on the card | When fulfilled |
 Immediate VP | Clearings, row bonuses (6 VP), 2 VP below a full table, 3 VP instead of a reward | During play |
 Buildings track | 1 / 2 / 4 / 7 / 7 / 10 for 1–6 buildings | End |
 River tokens | Matching items × multiplier (1×–5×) | End |
 Task cards | 1 / 3 / 5 / 8, +3 each further | End |
 Forester majority | 10 / 6 / 2 | End |
| Leftovers | 1 VP per 3 resources, coins, unfulfilled task cards; 1 VP per wood | End |
What each resource is for
| Resource | Why you need it | How you get it | How you use it |
|---|---|---|---|
 Wood | Contracts | Harvest; sawmills; rewards | Fulfil contracts; 1 VP each at the end |
 Wood adjustments | Contracts ask for treated wood | The three adjustment buildings; rewards | Placed under a wood for good |
 Seedlings | Reforesting | Resource building, meanders, round tokens | Planted on the reforestation table |
| Construction material | Building | Resource building, rewards | Buildings, upgrades, reservoir with bridge |
| Temp workers | Building | Resource building, rewards | Buildings, upgrades, meander |
 Coins | Flexibility | Buildings, rewards, upgrades others use | Rivers, storage, extra action points |
| Stars | Rewards and development | Harvest and reforest tokens, rewards | Laps of the reward circle |
| Forester tokens | Rewards, majority | Tending the forest | Forestry table, river and task scoring |
Teaching tips
- Before moving, count action points, river coins and seedlings for the whole plan (rehearsal).
- Show a contract card early: wood type plus treatment explains why the sawmills matter.
- Stress that seedlings stay on your board, and that adjustments must match exactly.
- Point out the development track: the first lap of the star circle is the key early goal.
- First game: play the tutorial technology table (Tutorial version).