Greenwood
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FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
You look at the table. Your companions, those of the others. The expanding forest. And you realize that every turn is a renunciation. Choosing what to do means accepting everything you won't do.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
When the sanctuary is a lie and nature calls for help
The Greenwood peninsula is advertised as a perfect refuge for magical animals, managed by a circle of enlightened druids. But beneath the tourist facade lies a dark truth. Christos Giannakoulas and Manolis Zachariadis (authors already known for intricate mechanics) build a game where you are a Primordial Spirit who must save the forest before it's too late.
Every turn you choose: use your team's companions, leverage those of your opponents, or send one into the forest to explore and rescue mystic creatures. Clan abilities activate for everyone. Your cards are also theirs. In advanced play, each clan has a unique ability that overturns strategies, and anyone can use it. Three nights of gameplay, then victory points are tallied.
What they say abroad
Every choice is a closed door. Greenwood is the game of lost opportunities.
— FroGames
A system of shared powers that forces you to think like others.
— FroGames
Greenwood
The game includes official solo rules that use an automaton activation system to simulate opponents. The strategic experience remains complete, but you lose the psychological reading of opponents (understanding which companion they will use) which is part of the multiplayer charm.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and play sessionsThe pieces on the board
What you bring to the game
Companions
Each Primordial Spirit has its team. Each has unique abilities. The trick? Others can activate them too. Choose when to expose them and when to keep them hidden.
Mystic creatures
They are the heart of the rescue. You find them by exploring the forest. They are worth victory points, but some give immediate bonuses. First come, first served; latecomers make do.
Modular forest
The map is built by exploring. Each section has different creatures, different paths. Sending a companion into the forest means losing an action, but unlocking new possibilities.
Clan abilities
In advanced play, each clan has a special rule. The crazy part? Everyone at the table can use it. If you play the fast clan, everyone else runs too. If you play the tactical one, everyone plans better.
In three nights you'll know if Greenwood is safe. But you'll mostly remember that turn when you used your opponent's companion better than they did.
A five-moment game
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Everyone studies each other's cards
Setup done, companions revealed. No one looks only at their own cards. They look at others'. Because in Greenwood, the best abilities are often on the other side of the table. The first turn is slow: everyone figures out what they can steal.
Someone enters the forest
The first player sends a companion to explore. They lose an action this turn, but unlock creatures for subsequent turns. Others hesitate: follow immediately or take advantage of the temporary lead? Tension builds. Those who explore sacrifice the present to invest in the future.
Everyone uses everyone's companions
Mid-game. The table is a chaos of intertwined synergies. You activate Player A's companion to set up a move, Player B uses yours to block you, Player C uses B's to get ahead of both of you. Every turn is an interlocking puzzle. No one truly plays alone.
The clan ability that changes everything
In advanced play, it always happens: there's a moment when a clan's unique ability becomes the key to the game. And since everyone can use it, everyone changes strategy. The player who brought it to the table smiles: they understood how to exploit it better than others. Maybe.
Score count and regrets
Three nights ended. Saved creatures, deployed companions, completed paths are counted. Someone wins by two points. Someone else rethinks that turn when they used the wrong ability, or sent their companion into the forest too late. In Greenwood, you win by a narrow margin, and you lose thinking about what you could have done.
How to play
The flow of each turn
Each turn is a decision between three actions. You choose one, the others do the same. Then you move to the next turn.
Choose one of your companions and use their ability. It can give you resources, movement, points, synergies. That card is flipped, you don't use it again immediately.
Choose an opponent's companion and use their ability. Yes, even that one. You pay a cost (orientation, resources), but you access powers you don't have. This is where you win or lose.
Instead of activating abilities, you send a companion to explore. You lose the immediate action, but improve your orientation and unlock mystical creatures to save. Long-term investment.
Everyone has acted. Cards are prepared for the next turn, new creatures are revealed, the forest is updated. Then it starts again. After three nights (cycles of turns), the game ends.
Why it's different from others
Six mechanics that make a difference
Shared abilities
In Greenwood, opponents' companions are also yours. You can activate them by paying a cost. This means you have to think not only about what you have, but what they have. And when they will use it. And if it's better to use it before them. Every deck at the table is part of your strategy.
Exploration as sacrifice
Sending a companion into the forest means losing a turn of actions. You don't use abilities, you don't get resources, you don't make combos. But without exploration, you don't save creatures, you don't improve orientation, you don't access the best areas. Every game is an exercise in timing: when do you stop acting to invest?
Shared asymmetric clans
In advanced play, each Primordial Spirit brings a unique clan ability that everyone can use. If you play the fast clan, everyone gains speed. If you play the one that manipulates the forest, everyone bends the rules. Asymmetry isn't just yours: it's systemic. Choosing the right clan changes the game for everyone.
Creatures as multiple objectives
Each mystical creature is worth points, but some give immediate bonuses or unlock synergies. You have to decide: pure points or effects that bring you closer to other creatures? Do you save the deer worth 4 points or the phoenix that allows you to explore two zones in one turn? Creatures are not all equal, and choosing is painful.
Orientation as a critical resource
Orientation is the resource that allows you to use others' companions and move in the forest. Without it, you're stuck with your own cards. With too much, you waste actions accumulating it. The game forces you to balance: how much orientation do you need to do what you want? And when do you stop accumulating it to start spending it?
Three nights, fast pace
The game lasts three nights (cycles of turns). You don't have infinite time. Every turn lost preparing is a turn not spent saving creatures. Every turn spent saving creatures is a turn not optimized. The pace is compressed: you have to do everything, but you can't do everything. Games are decided in the details.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
After three nights, victory points are counted. The one with the most wins. But points come from different sources, and each strategy rewards different things.
Victory
- Saved mystical creatures (worth variable points, from 1 to 5+)
- Objectives completed during the game (sets of creatures, explored zones, activated companions)
- End-game bonuses from clan abilities or creatures with permanent effects
How to fall behind
- Not exploring enough: you arrive late on the best creatures, you settle for scraps
- Using only your companions: you ignore others' abilities, lose efficiency, waste turns
- Not balancing orientation and actions: you accumulate resources without spending them, or spend them without having enough
Greenwood is not a game where the one who makes the most moves wins. It's about who sacrifices the right things. And who reads the table better than others.
Frequently asked questions
Greenwood FAQ
Do I have to play with asymmetric clans immediately or is there a basic version?
There's a basic symmetrical version to learn the core mechanics (shared abilities, exploration, creatures). Once you understand the flow (one game is enough), you can move on to advanced play with clans. Asymmetry is manageable: each clan has only one special rule, and everyone sees it immediately.
If I can use others' companions, why should I use my own?
Because using your companions is free, using others' costs orientation (limited resource). Also, some companions have internal synergies: activating them in sequence unlocks combos. The game is about finding the balance: when is it worth paying to steal abilities, and when is it better to optimize your own?
How does solo play work?
The game includes official solo rules with an automa that simulates opponents. The automa activates companions, explores, saves creatures. The strategic experience is complete, but it lacks the psychological reading part (understanding what others will do) which is central in multiplayer. Rating: 4/5 for solo.
How many players does it work best with?
At 3-4 players the table is full of options: many companions to steal, much competition over creatures. At 2 players it's more direct and tactical (less chaos, more control). Solo is valid. Just avoid 4 players if the group has analysis paralysis: turns get longer.
Is it available in Italian?
Yes, this is the Italian edition by Cranio Creations. Rulebook, cards, components: all in Italian. The game is language-independent once learned (abilities are iconic), but having the text in Italian helps a lot in the first few games.
Greenwood is a strategy game for 1-4 players where you play as Primordial Spirits saving a corrupted forest. Designed by Christos Giannakoulas and Manolis Zachariadis, published by Cranio Creations in Italian, the game lasts 40-160 minutes (scales with players) and is recommended for ages 14+. The core mechanic: shared abilities among all players. You can use opponents' companions, not just your own. Each turn you choose: activate your cards, steal others', or send a companion to explore the forest to save mystical creatures. In advanced play, asymmetric clans introduce unique rules that everyone can exploit. Weight 3/5 on BoardGameGeek, includes official solo mode. Available on FroGames.it.
Greenwood
Frequently Asked Questions
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