In this section per game clarifications will be posted as well as the English rules in case these are not provided with the game.
Rules download section
Tournament Schedule
Saturday 25 October 2025 (to be confirmed!) – at SPIEL’25 in conference room “Deutschland”
| Registration | 09:00 – 09:45 |
| Welcome Speech | 10:00 |
| Start first game | 10:15 |
| Start Award Ceremony | tbd. |
| End of Event | tbd. |
Time per Game
Games are played in the following order. The mandatory maximum playing times per game are:
| 7 Empires | 120 min. |
| Botanicus | 90 min. |
| Cities | 40 min. |
| Forest Shuffle | 70 min. |
Board Game Timer
In order to keep the playing times of the games within normal limits, we are planning to introduce time limits on the playing time per player per game this year wherever necessary.
Please expect that during the tournament for individual games the app Board Game Timer will be used. It will measure the playing time per player for the entire game.
A special thanks to our partner Mads Purup, the developer of the app, who has extended it for us, kept it free of charge and also ported it to Android. Please give him good reviews in the App Store/Google Play if you like the app and recommend it to other players.
The timer app can be used either at all tables for the entire game, or after the referee’s decision for the remaining game time at tables where an overlong game appears.
The use of the timer app is explicitly not aimed at forcing particularly fast play. Accordingly, the time limits will be such that no one should be in danger of hitting a time limit during normal fast play.
Each team is required to bring two mobile devices to the tournament with the app installed, fully charged and in flight mode.
Please install the app on your devices and familiarize yourself with it in case it is used in the tournament.
The App will be started in mode “Count Up”. Time limits will be communicated by the referees.
7 Empires
- …
Botanicus
- …
Cities
- …
Forest Shuffle + Alpine
The Forest Shuffle base game is played together with the Alpine Expansion.
Please pay particular attention to the detailed explanations of the individual cards (e.g. Mole or Violet Carpenter Bee) in the document ‘Rules – Forest Shuffle – Appendix’. This can be downloaded at the top of this page in the ‘Rules Download’ section.
Explanation of ‘Game preparation – 3’: After shuffling, 25 random cards (10 + 15) are placed back into the game box unseen.
Explanation of ‘Game preparation – 5’: The two winter cards are to be inserted into the pile individually, in different places. Then shuffle the pile well. It must (as always) be cut by a second player.
Explanation of ‘Game play – limit of hand cards’: Each player must reveal the number of cards in their hand at any time when asked.
Explanation of ‘Playing a Card and Checking the Clearing – Order of events’: The various ‘activities’ during your turn must be carried out in the following order: Play a card – Pay the cost – Place the top card from the deck in the clearing (if a tree has been placed) – Execute the effects of mushrooms – Execute the effects of the card played – Execute the bonus of the card played – Check the clearing.
Explanation of ‘Playing a Card and Checking the Clearing – Trees’: Whenever you play a tree, you then turn over the top card from the deck and place it in the clearing. It does not matter whether the tree was played directly at the start of the action or later as a result of an effect or bonus. The card from the deck is placed in the clearing immediately, even before effects or bonuses are activated.
Explanation of ‘Effects – Mushrooms’: The permanent effect of mushrooms is always triggered when a corresponding card is played into your forest. It does not matter how the card comes into play.
Explanation of ‘Explanation of symbols – ⟳’: Take another complete turn after this one. Note that the clearing must be checked at the end of this turn and therefore before the next turn.
Change to ‘Scoring’: The final scoring is carried out on the scoring sheet available ‘Rules Download’ section. To increase clarity and traceability for all players at the table, divide the scoring within the categories ‘Trees’, ‘Bottom’, “Top” and ‘Right and Left’ into suitable small scores, which you enter individually. Then calculate the subtotals for each category.
Rule Question
If there are any open rule questions or proposals. Please feel free to ask them here: