From the publisher’s rulebook
Who goes first in Spirits of the Forest?
ThunderGryph English base rules, ©2018
Whoever most recently hiked in a forest goes first.
Rule details
Turns proceed clockwise, passing to the player on the left.
On the very first turn, the starter may collect only one tile, regardless of how many spirit symbols it has.
In the solo variant, you collect a tile for yourself before assigning the tile at the opposite end of that row to the opposing area.
Source & edition
- Spirits of the Forest: ThunderGryph Games rulesThunderGryph Games · Game Setup; Game Overview opening-turn restriction; Solo Variant; credits; PDF pages 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 11 · Checked 2026-09-23Printed page references: 2, 3, 7, 8, 10
Image: © ThunderGryph Games (edition publisher) · ThunderGryph Games
If there’s a tie
The rulebook doesn’t say.
More starting rules
Browse available game rulesGames with a similar starting rule
GrandBoisThe player who most recently walked through a forest starts.
Into the BlueThe player who swam most recently starts the game.
AqualinThe player who was most recently in the ocean goes first.
Forbidden JungleStart with whoever most recently touched a tree.
Santa MonicaThe player who most recently visited a beach goes first.
Free game-night tools: score keeper · turn timer · dice roller · all tools
Found a different instruction in your edition? Send a correction with the game, edition, and source.