
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Living Forest: Kodama
- 1–4 players
- 25–50 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 2023

2021
Rules assistance for Living Forest
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Living Forest is a board game released in 2021 for 1–4 players, 40 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Aske Christiansen and its main mechanics are Race, Push Your Luck, and Tile Placement.
In Living Forest, you play as a nature spirit who will try to save the forest and its sacred tree from the flames of Onibi. But you are not alone in your mission as the animal guardians have come together to lend a hand around the Circle of Spirits where you progress. Each turn, they bring you valuable elements, so try to combine your team of animal guardians as best as possible to carry out your actions, but be careful: some of them are solitary and do not like to be mixed with others... You have one of three ways to achieve your goal: by planting 12 different Protective Trees, by collecting 12 Sacred Flowers to awaken Sanki the great Guardian of the Forest, by extinguishing 12 Fires to permanently repel Onibi. Each turn includes 3 phases: • Guardian Animals (simultaneous push your luck phase) : You draw and turn face up, one after the other, the Guardian Animal cards from your personal stack. You thus form the Animal Guardian Help Line. You can stop drawing cards whenever you want. However, if you reveal a card showing a third solitary symbol, then you must stop drawing cards. This card closes your Help Line. • Action phase: You play in turn. If your Help Line shows strictly less than three solitary symbols (not canceled by gregarious symbols), you can then perform 2 different Actions. If your Help Line shows three solitary symbols (not canceled by gregarious symbols), you can then perform only 1 Action. The strength of an Action is determined by the number of corresponding Elements visible on the Guardian Animal cards in your Help Line and on your Forest individual board. • End of the turn: - Onibi attacks you: If some Fires remain at the center of the Circle of Spirits and you cannot resist them, then add as many Fire Varan cards to your discard stack as there are Fire tiles at the center of the Circle of Spirits. - Onibi attacks the Sacred Tree: Add as many Fires to the center of the Circle of Spirits as there are Guardian Animal cards taken this turn. - The arrival of new Guardian Animals: Complete the Guardian Animal reserve by revealing as many new cards per level as there were cards taken this turn. - Passing the Sacred Tree: Give the Sacred Tree to the next Spirit of Nature clockwise. - The Return of Guardian Animals: Move all the Animal Guardian cards from your Help Line to your personal discard stack. The game stops at the end of a complete turn when one of the Spirits of Nature has managed to collect at least 12 different Protective Trees OR 12 Fires OR 12 Sacred Flowers.
Living Forest supports 1–4 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 Living Forest is 40 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 Living Forest 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.
Living Forest has a complexity rating of 2.2 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.
Living Forest belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Animals. Its main mechanics are Race, Push Your Luck, and Tile Placement. 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 Living Forest are: Aske Christiansen. 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 Living 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.