
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,998
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Voodoo Prince
- 2–5 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.6/5
- 2017

2002
Rules assistance for Foodie Forest
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Foodie Forest is a board game released in 2002 for 2–5 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Reiner Knizia and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Set Collection.
This Reiner Knizia concoction is a sort of a trick-taking game, but instead of everybody playing one card and seeing which one wins the trick, everybody takes turns adding cards until the total adds up to 10 or more and the player who added that card takes the whole pile. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the player's goal for that particular round! There are five rounds in the game and exactly five different goals to be fulfilled: to take as many mushroom cards as you can, or as many pea soup cards, or as many onion cards, or as many chili pepper cards, or to take no cards at all. (The pepper cards, incidentally, count minus 1 unless your goal for the round is to collect them.) Goals are revealed simultaneously, so you may or may not be in competition with another player for the same cards during the round. And you can't choose a goal you've already chosen, so things can get pretty tough especially on the last hand, where no matter what cards you're dealt, you *have* to go for whichever of the five goals you haven't done already. Since the game is always exactly five rounds, it lasts a good dependable half an hour every time.
Foodie Forest supports 2–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Foodie Forest is 30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Foodie Forest for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Foodie Forest has a complexity rating of 1.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Foodie Forest belongs to these categories: Card Game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Set Collection. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Foodie Forest are: Reiner Knizia. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Foodie Forest as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.