
- BGG rank
- BGG #150
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Forest Shuffle
- 2–5 players
- 40–60 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2023

2022
Rules assistance for FYFE
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.
FYFE is a board game released in 2022 for 2–5 players, 30–45 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Kosch and its main mechanics are Set Collection, Tile Placement, and Pattern Building.
The cover of FYFE shows a dreamy South Seas location with a blue sea, beach, and palm trees — but what will you find as you dig in the sand, and can you arrange your discoveries in ideal scoring combinations? Each player has their own 5x5 grid, 7 lucky charm tiles, and 15 scoring boards. The game includes 125 tokens, with each token showing one of five colors, one of five symbols, and one of five numbers (1-5). The scoring boards show conditions that you must meet in order to earn the points listed on that board, e.g., the numbers 1-5 in sequence, tokens of the same color, tokens with different symbols, three tokens of one color and two tokens of another color, etc. To start the game, draw two tokens from the bag and place them at the bottom of your playing board. Place one of these tokens in an empty space of your grid, then choose a scoring board and place it in the row, column, or (if appropriate) diagonal line in which that token was placed. On each subsequent turn, draw one token, place it on your game board, then choose one of your two tokens to place. If this newly placed token doesn't have a scoring board pointing at it, choose one of your unplaced scoring boards and place it in the row, column, or diagonal. As soon as a line is filled with five tokens, if you have met the conditions on the scoring board for this line, flip it over to the side that shows points; if you are the first and only player to complete this scoring board this round, take the associated 3-point bonus tile. If you complete and score multiple lines on the same turn, take 5-20 bonus points depending on whether you scored two, three, or even four lines at once. If someone drew a lucky charm token at the start of the round, they draw a replacement token, then all players can choose to use and discard one of their lucky charm tiles. These tiles allow you to exchange the tokens in your reserve, place a token on the board as a joker, swap an already fulfilled scoring board for another one, and so on. Each unused lucky charm tile is worth points at game's end. After 25 rounds, players tally their points for scoring boards, first tiles, lucky charm tiles, and bonuses to see who has the highest score.
FYFE 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 FYFE is 30–45 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 FYFE for ages 10 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.
FYFE has a complexity rating of 2.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
FYFE belongs to these categories: Abstract Strategy and Puzzle. Its main mechanics are Set Collection, Tile Placement, and Pattern Building. 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 FYFE are: Kosch. 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 FYFE 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.