In LEGENDARY FORESTS, players take on the role of Dryads, imaginary spirits of the forest.
Your goal is to grow a planet with the most beautiful forest. Create a planet more beautiful than your opponents' to win the victory.
Components
- 1 Construction token
- 125 World tiles
- Instructions
Object of the Game
Grow your Planet through the use of World tiles. Each turn, all players will take the same tile and add it to their personal Planet. Certain tiles will also allow players to place majestic Tree tokens.
Find the best placement for each tile and skillfully place Tree tokens to score the most victory points and win the game.
Elements of the Game
World Tiles
The World tiles are the same for all players. They are numbered 1 - 25.
These numbers are found on either a light or dark background.
The tiles show areas covered in either leaves or grass. Areas with leaves also have Half- Runes, while the areas with grass do not.
There are three different types of leaves:
Each player has a set of 25 tiles, identifiable by the colors on the back.
The back of each 1 tile (see p.4) is also different, so that it can be found more easily.
Tree Tokens
The Tree tokens are placed over the course of game, in Zones covered with leaves of the same color.
These tokens allow players to score victory points.
Construction Token
This token indicates which player will get to choose a Tree token first when placement is triggered during the course of the game.
Setup
Each player chooses a color and takes the set of 25 World tiles in that color.
A. Find the tile with the number 1 in your set of tiles. It has a different back to help you find it. Place this tile face up in front of you. It serves as the starting point for your Planet.
B. Randomly choose a player: this player becomes the Architect for the entire game and begins the game with the Construction token.
C. The Architect shuffles his tiles face down (with the exception of the tile, which is already face-up on the table). They remove 5 tiles at random, which are put back into the box without anyone looking at them. Then they form a face-down draw pile with the remaining 19 tiles.
D. With the exception of the Architect, whose tiles are already prepared, the other players arrange their 24 tiles face up next to them, in whatever order they wish.
Playing Hint: You may find it easier if you sort your tiles in order by number.
E. For each player in the game, take two Tree tokens of each color. Place these tokens in the center of the table to form the reserve. The remaining pieces are put back in the box.
Note: Your planet will grow over the course of the game. It begins with the 
tile and will grow bigger as other World tiles are added.
Be careful not to mix up your unplayed World tiles with the ones you have already added to your Planet.
Game Play
The game takes place over 19 turns. Each turn takes place over 4 phases, played in order:
- Architect draws a World tile
- Other players draw the same tile
- All players place their tiles
- Players place Tree tokens (when triggered)
1. Architect draws a World tile
The Architect draws the first tile from the top of their pile. They reveal it and announce the number in a clear voice.
2. Other players draw the same tile
The other players search through their unplayed tiles for the tile with the same number and take it in hand.
3. All players place their tiles
All players (including the Architect) add the new tile to their growing planet at the same time. The new tile must be placed adjacent to an existing tile, according to the following rules:
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At least 1 side must touch a tile that is already part of your Planet. The first tile drawn therefore must be placed adjacent to
tile. -
The touching sides of all adjacent tiles must be the same color.
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The tile can be rotated as each player sees fit.
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Once placed, a tile cannot be moved or removed.
If you cannot place a tile, put it back in the box. However, if you can place a tile, you must do so.
Zones and Runes
On each of the tile edges that have a pink, red, or yellow background, there is also a Half-Rune. When two Half-Runes are connected, they form a Full-Rune.
Half-Rune 
Full-Rune
When a tile is played, areas that are the same color will be joined together. All areas of one color that are connected together are called a «Zone» There are two possible types of Zones:
Grass areas have no Runes, so they never form Zones.
4. Players place Tree tokens (when triggered)
This phase is only triggered when the tile drawn by the Architect has a number on a light background 
.
After all players have placed their tiles, beginning with the player with the Construction token, then proceeding clockwise, each player takes one Tree token from the center of the table and places it on any Zone of their Planet according to the following rules:
The color of the Tree token must match the color of the Zone in which it is placed.
Tree tokens can never be placed in Zones with grass.
More than one Tree token can be placed in the same Zone. However multiple Tree tokens in the same Zone do not award more victory points. A Zone either has no trees or it has trees (1 or more).
If a color is no longer available from the supply, then you cannot take any more Tree tokens of that color.
Once placed, a Tree token cannot be moved or removed.
After everyone has taken a Tree token, the Construction token passes one player to the left.
Example: These 4 tiles form 3 Yellow Zones, 1 Pink Zone, and 2 Red Zones. As of this moment, only the Pink Zone and 1 of the Red Zones are closed (because they no longer contain any Half-Runes).
You could place a Yellow Tree token in the Yellow Zone of your choice, but not in a Zone of a different color.
End of a Turn
After all players have placed their new tile and Tree token (if triggered), then a new turn begins.
If the deck is empty when the Architect has to draw a new tile, then proceed to End of Game.
End of the Game
The game ends as soon as all players have placed their 19th tile, as indicated by the Architect, as well as any Tree tokens that might have been triggered. Each player calculates their victory points based on the rules below.
Calculating Victory Points
Only Tree tokens yield victory points, based on the type of Zone in which they are located. If a Tree token is in a Closed Zone, it scores victory points equal to twice the number of Full-Runes in that Zone.
If a Tree token is in an Open Zone, it scores victory points equal to the exact number of Full-Runes in that Zone. Half- Runes do not count.
The player with the most victory points wins the game. In case of a tie, the victory is shared. If you do not wish to share, you can play again!
Note: Two or more Trees in the same Zone, whether it is Open or Closed, score the same as a single Tree.
Example: In this example, the Tree token in the Closed L-shaped Pink Zone scores 8 victory points (4x2), because it has 4 Full- Runes. The second Pink Tree token is in an Open Zone without any Full- Runes, so it scores 0 points.
The two Yellow tokens in the Yellow Zone in the lower right corner only count as one token because they are in the same Zone. It is an Open Zone and therefore scores 2 victory points (2x1).
The player has a final score of 10 victory points.
In this example, the Tree in the Open Y-shaped Pink Zone scores 4 victory points (4x1).
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