GrandBois

About this board game

GrandBois is a 2019 forest-control board game for 2–4 players, with games lasting about 30 minutes. Each player secretly draws a clan and competes to establish the greatest presence in the Forest of GrandBois while placing the best lookout tower.

Players take turns selecting forest tiles and adding them to the growing landscape. Each tile shows four forest squares featuring 1–4 clan members in one of five colors, a plain forest square, or a bear. To expand the forest, a tile must cover at least one-quarter of an existing tile.

Covering squares is a contest of strength. A square can be covered only when the new square shows more clan members than the one beneath it. A bear beats every group of clan members, making bear spaces especially powerful when the forest’s boundaries shift.

• Secretly chosen clans create uncertainty about each player’s true allegiance.
• Forest tiles combine clan members, empty forest, and bears.
• New tiles must cover part of the existing forest.
• A lookout tower scores for clan members on adjacent tiles.

Each player also has one tower to place on an empty square of a tile they have just added. Its position can score points for clan members on adjacent tiles, but timing is crucial: placing the tower early gives opponents a strong clue about which clan belongs to you.

That hidden-information choice is central to GrandBois. Wait too long and you may miss a valuable tower position; place it too soon and your rivals gain insight into your identity. Build your presence carefully, protect your secret, and compete for control of the forest.