Zkouška lesa (The Trial of the Forest CZ)

Product detailed description

The Equinox has arrived, and the Ancient Forest is once again seeking its Guardian. In The Forest Trial, you will journey through mysterious locations, face moral decisions, and write your own story full of courage, quests, and unexpected encounters.

Throughout the game, you’ll take on the role of one of the adventurers who set out into the Ancient Forest to pass the Trial of the Forest and earn the title of Guardian of the Green Valley. You’ll traverse groves, ruins, shops, and watchtowers, gathering equipment, acquiring new abilities, and meeting the forest’s wondrous inhabitants. Every action you take expands your personal story while shifting your character’s morality toward good or evil. So it’s not just about earning points, but also about the kind of adventurer you create during the game.

Action and encounter cards play a major role, allowing you to develop various specializations. You can focus on trade, exploration, combat, or moral decisions that influence the rest of the game. Some locations can be restored, while others can be ravaged, which changes the available actions and options for other players. Each game thus creates a slightly different Ancient Forest and different opportunities. Managing your backpack and equipment also works in a very interesting way—the more items you carry, the more limited your movement on the map becomes.

Expeditions to dangerous areas outside the main map are also a significant part of the game. The Forgotten Swamps, Frosty Peak, or Dark Caves function as standalone adventures with their own rules, cards, and rewards. During these, you’ll fight enemies, search for artifacts, and decide whether to press on for greater glory or retreat. These expeditions bring tension and a sense of a true journey into the unknown, and they complement the calmer parts of the game set in the forest itself very well.

• Each game creates a different adventurer’s story, as the combination of actions, moral choices, and expeditions is constantly changing.
• The game seamlessly blends thematic adventures with clever planning of movement, equipment, and action management.
• The morality system influences not only the atmosphere of the game but also scoring and certain card effects.
• Expeditions into swamps, mountains, and caves bring the feeling of a real expedition with risks and rare rewards.
• Character development is straightforward yet variable, so every player can choose their own playstyle.
• The ancient forest changes during the game, as locations can be restored or, conversely, ravaged depending on your decisions.
• Combat utilizes a combination of dice, equipment, and well-timed card plays, so it’s not just about luck.
• The atmospheric illustrations and world-building create a very pleasant sense of an adventurous fairy tale for older players.
• Thanks to the high variability of the cards and various paths to victory, the game won’t lose its freshness anytime soon.
• Trial of the Forest combines accessible rules with a wealth of possibilities, so it will delight both experienced and less advanced players.

Behind the game Trial of the Forest is Italian game designer Giancarlo Spinelli, who created a system focused on building a personal story and the players’ moral decisions. The illustrations were primarily created by Polish artists Anna “Mikado” Przybylska and Adam Strzelecki, whose work significantly enhances the fairy-tale atmosphere of the Ancient Forest. The game’s original publisher is the Polish studio Rebel Studio.

The game stands out primarily for its combination of thematic adventure, card management, and expeditions to separate areas of the map. It also places great emphasis on the game’s narrative—during the game, each player creates their own sequence of actions that influence not only their abilities but also the very shape of the forest itself. Inspiration can be found in modern Euro adventure games that combine the atmosphere of a fantasy world with a well-thought-out system of decision-making and character development.

Box Contents

• 1 Ancient Forest board
• 12 location tiles
• 24 item tokens
• 9 artifact tokens
• 4 character boards
• 4 character figures
• 16 action tokens
• 4 morale tokens
• 12 expedition flags
• 3 combat dice
• 64 food tokens
• 14 tent tokens
• 3 legendary feat tokens
• 2 tunnel tokens
• 70 feat cards
• 20 encounter cards
• 36 expedition cards
• 4 overview cards
• 1 starting player token
• Czech rules