Kol Noth, The Deep Forest of Zuid

A "The Deep Forest" Actual-Play, part one

I play and write about solo games. Confused? Read this.

My playing and writing will always be available for free, but if you enjoy what I write and would be willing, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription which allows you to vote on the tools/games I play. If that’s too much commitment, you can also just buy me a coffee.

If you’d like to support my newsletter in other ways, please subscribe, share and comment.

Check out the Table of Contents for previous games I’ve played and other stuff I’ve written.

Photo by Evgeni Evgeniev on Unsplash

I’ve played Foundations, Microscope, and The Quiet Year. Today, I begin playing The Deep Forest, by Mark Diaz Truman and Avery Alder, a re-imagining of The Quiet Year, also by Avery Alder.

For this game, I’m turning to the southern continent of Zuid, presented as it was after The First Era here:

During the Microscope game, we learned that after the First Era, Ledera finds a way through the mountains, and begins settling the area beyond, coming into conflict with the Ibrida, a gnoll-like human-like tribal people who long lived in the area.

Let’s say there is a forest near the mountains. Ledera chops down trees and settles the land, building a major settlement. The gnolls who were there were pushed out. Eventually, as we know from the microscope game, Ledera suffers from internal struggles. The settlement here is abandoned. Here is where we will begin our game.

Similar to The Quiet Year, The Deep Forest is a map-making game about a community of monsters trying to rebuild after human colonization of the land. It follows the same rules as The Quiet Year, drawing cards, addressing prompts, taking turns and adding things to the map, with some slight alterations.

For a long time, our monstrous home was occupied by invading humans. Now,finally, we’ve driven them off, and we’re left with this: a year of relative peace. One quiet year, with which to dismantle their settlements and reclaim our lands. Come Winter, a band of heroes will arrive and we might not survive the encounter. This is when the game will end. But we don’t know about that yet. What we know is that right now, in this moment, we monsters have an opportunity for healing and self-discovery in our deep forest, away from human eyes.

In this game, players play 2 roles, first as the various members of the monster community, speaking as specific monsters and interested in the well-being of the community. The 2nd, as a storyteller, introducing dilemmas and problems for the community to face and overcome.

To begin, we sketch the remnants of the occupation and it’s lingering effects.

An empire, Ledera, extended it’s reach across the mountains and into our Forest, cutting down wide swaths of trees and building settlements.

Then, one player draws a landmark made by the humans such as a church or a lighthouse and then the other players designate the borders of the occupation which could be a shape representing a village or squares representing fenced fields.

Considering the religious dedication to Light that Ledera has, I think the landmark will be a Temple. I draw a circle around it, representing the town built around the temple, and some rectangles representing a training yard for soldiers.

Now, each player introduces a monster and it’s home, drawing it on the map.

First, I’m going to introduce an Ibrida, gnoll-folk, who stayed behind his clan left the area. Iyurk is his name and he lives in a rickety lean-to he built deep in the forest.

Next, is a Werewolf named Alinah who lives in a cave in the mountains.

A group of Wood Spirits lives in the trees that still stand and are known as The Orii.

A Living Tree, or Treant, that lives by a river. They do not have a name.

Next, we decide on Adoptions and Taboos. These are important remnants left behind by the colonizers that we may either adopt or consider taboo. Each player chooses one.

-A golden orb that produces Light, found in the temple.

-Crops and fields

-domesticated animals (dogs)

-Metal tools and weapons

We Adopt the dogs as companions and pets, unable to resist their friendliness. The rest become taboos.

Here is our map at the start. We have the temple of Light and the surrounding town, the training grounds, the crops and fields, the golden orb, the metal tools/weapons, the various monsters and their homes, as well as a river that runs through the forest.

Time to begin playing. Play proceeds much as it does in The Quiet Year. You go through the seasons (suits) responding to prompts and taking a turn. The actions are a little different though. You can still Start a Project, but instead of Hold a Discussion or Discover Something New, you can Uncover Something Old or Agree on Something. Uncover Something Hold is like Discover Something New, but you uncover something that happened during or before the occupation. Agree on Something is like Hold a Discussion but it begins with a statement and then every player either agrees or explains what their silence looks like.

There is Contempt in this as well, if decisions are made that players/monsters disagree with or felt their input wasn’t taken into account. With all that explained, let’s play!

I’m going to use the ‘Fleeting year’ rules and take 4 cards out of each deck so it’s a shorter game.

Turn 1 → 2 of Hearts

Every full moon, the community gathers in a clearing to commune with each other and the forest.

Projects Advance: No Projects

Start a Project: Clear the Training Grounds (4)

The wood spirits encourage the community to clear the training grounds and plant new trees.

Turn 2 → 4 of Hearts

A big, heavy wheeled plow is found near the crop fields. The community works together to take it apart piece by piece. It costs them time and energy but once it’s in pieces, they are pleased by the result.

Projects advance.

Uncover Something Old

Within the village, an old well is found, still working.

Turn 3 → Jack of Hearts

It is atypical for monsters to form a community, but this community came together in response to the colonization by Ledera and now find themselves continuing to work together now that Ledera is gone. Being a monster can be lonely and it’s nice to have companions.

Projects Advance.

Agree On Something

The community comes together to speak.

Iyurk growls. “The village must be torn down.”

Alinah howls in agreement.

The Treant sways it’s branches as if nodding.

The Orii flitter and fly. “Yes, yes, tear down the structures.”

Turn 4 → Ace of Hearts

The Orii begin manifesting as more than simple wisps and spirits, becoming corporeal, as figures created from twigs, rocks and other small things from the forest floor. When asked, they do not know where, why or how this power has come to them but it is something they can do now.

Projects advance.

Start a Project: Tear down the walls of the village(6)

The community agrees to begin tearing down the structures of the village. It will take a long time, however. To begin with, they must tear down the walls.

Turn 5 → 9 of Hearts

The Treant has great gouges carved down its great trunk and charred limbs sticking out, blackened and brittle, wounds left from the humans. They do not know if their wounds will heal over time.

Projects Advance. Clear the training grounds completes.

The last of the training dummies is torn from the ground and ripped to pieces. The barracks as well has been broken down. The soil is turned over and ready for planting.

Ironsworn Action + Theme: Leave Superstition

Agree On Something

Iyurk speaks to the group. “We should use the metal tools and weapons left behind by the humans. They are useful and effective. There is no reason not to use them.”

“I agree. They are nothing more than tools, which, in our hands, can be useful. We can promise not use them on each other,” Alinah says.

The Treant does not speak, standing, tall and still.

The Orii, in their corporeal, twiggy forms, also say nothing, looking at the ground.

Turn 6 → Queen of Hearts

Alinah is a recent addition to the community, coming during the tail end of the occupation. She wanted to go far, far away from human civilizations, where she was scorned and thought to be a monster.

Projects advance.

Start a project. Identify, store and repair/maintain metal tools/weapons (3)

Iyurk begins categorizing and storing the metal tools, as well as sharpening them and maintaining them.

The Orii and the Treant keep away.

The Orii and Treant take Contempt

Turn 7 → King of Hearts

The community follows a ritual of sun worship, each taking time out of the day to stand, kneel or prostrate themselves in sunlight (or as best they can depending on the weather), for a determined amount of time, a ritual they’d seen the humans engage in regularly.

Agree on Something

“I can understand why the humans did this,” Alinah says. “It feels good.”

Iyurk does not speak, grumbling to himself.

The Treant speaks, slowly and deeply. “The sun… gives life… to all.”

“Without sun, there would be no trees and without trees, there would be no us,” the Orii say, agreeing.

Projects Advance.

Uncover Something Old

Alinah discovers underground tunnels beneath the village and temple, built by the humans for some unknown purpose. Their length and depth is a mystery.

Turn 8 → 8 of Hearts

Beyond spoken words, the community also communicates using messages that are left using twigs, branches, and other forest debris, a complex series of symbols, a system that began during the occupation to share knowledge without the humans knowing.

Projects advance.

Start a project: Explore Tunnels (4)

Alinah decides it would be a good idea to explore the tunnels, see how far and down they go, and determine what purpose they may have had.

Turn 9 → 7 of Hearts

Across the river, called The Moon Circle, there was a circle of trees around a clearing, and within stood an ancient stone circle, from centuries ago. This place was once revered by the beings in the area, where the full moon would shine down and mushrooms grew that provided sustenance and euphoria, often used in rituals. The Lederans claimed it was evil sorcery, and desecrated the place, pushing over the stones and ‘cleansing’ the area with fire, burning the circle of trees and destroying the mushrooms that grew there. They poisoned the soil with toxins so nothing could grow, leaving a barren circle of dirt.

Projects Advance. Iyurk’s metal project completes

Iyurk has identified, maintained and repaired the metal tools and weapons so they can now be used in projects and things. Metal is no longer a Taboo, but not quite an Adoption as The Treant and the Orii refuse to touch any metal.

Start a new Project: Replenish the soil of the Moon Circle (6)

The Orii express an interest in renewing the desecrated moon circle. They decide to begin with removing the toxins and replenishing the soil.

The days grow longer and warmer. Spring has ended. Summer has arrived.

Turn 10 → Jack of Diamonds

The Treant sabotages the tunnel exploration by slamming the ground from above, creating cave-ins and blocking all entrances. Iyurk catches them doing so.

Projects Advance. Destroy the village wall project completes.

The last of the village walls is brought down with a crash, it’s boards ripped apart.

Agree On Something

Iyurk addresses the group, a metal axe on his belt. “The Treant acted against the community’s interest and there should be a consequence.”

“We cannot just destroy what someone else is trying to do,” Alinah says, agreeing. “That’s not how our community should do things.”

The Treant speaks. “I agree…and I apologize for acting without speaking, but I had my reasons.”

The Orii are silent, glaring at Iyurk’s metal weapon.

Turn 11 → 2 of Diamonds

The community becomes worried about the Golden Orb, as it seems to sometimes move on its own and project thoughts into their heads. They Agree On Something.

“The Orb must be placed as deep in the temple as possible and left there, we must not go in the temple, approach, or touch it if at all possible,” the Orii say.

“Yes,” the Treant speaks, limbs waving in the sky. “Locked away and forgotten about. It is unnatural.”

“It disturbs me, I agree,” Alinah says. “Let us put it away and ensure nobody enters the temple.”

Iyurk is silent, looking around, annoyed.

Projects Advance.

Start a Project: Lock the Orb in the Temple (2)

The group agrees to lock the Orb in the temple. It will take time to transport it deep as it can go, and lock or block the doors to ensure nobody can get in or out.

Turn 12 → 4 of Diamonds

Iyurk growls and snaps at the other community members when he sees them, showing a frustration towards others.

The community realizes he’s upset with how the community is dealing with remnants from the occupation and that he’d rather use the occupier’s tools and methods instead of destroying them or locking them away.

Projects Advance.

Start a project: Tear down the Village(6)

The community begins work on tearing down the village structures.

Turn 13 → 9 of Diamonds

The Treant finds Alinah and Iyurk cooking food over fire as the humans used to do and cries out. “No! We must not use fire as the humans did! It is forbidden!”

Add “Fire” to Taboo.

Projects Advance.

Alinah carries the golden orb into the temple, leaving it in a deep inner chamber. The doors to it are blocked with leftover wood from the destruction of the wall and village.

Agree On Something

“The humans will come back,” Iyurk states. “We should be using their tools and methods so we are more prepared when they come.”

“You are not wrong, we, perhaps, could find some use for their things,” Alinah says.

The Treant does not speak and does not sway in the wind.

The Orii are also silent, looking at the ground.

Turn 14 → 10 of Diamonds

The Orii tells of a darkness in the tunnels beneath the village and the temple, that they feel every time they’re in the area. It seems to be growing.

Projects Advance.

Start a Project: Re-open and explore tunnels (6)

Alinah makes the case that, if there’s something dark and growing beneath the village, than it is better to go find out than wait for it to burst into the open. She begins to excavate an entrance in order to begin exploring the tunnels once more.

The Treant takes Contempt.

Turn 15 → 3 of Diamonds

Iyurk cannot be argued with and begins a Project to release the Golden Orb and use its power to help the community.

Alinah, the Treant, and the Orii take Contempt.

Projects Advance.

The soil of the Moon Circle has been replenished, as seedlings for a new circle of trees begins to grow.

Start A Project: Set stones and grow trees (6)

The Orii and the Treant begin placing the stones back in their places and orientation, as well as ‘encouraging’ the trees to grow quickly.

Turn 16 → 8 of Diamonds

During a hot, dry patch, the forest and community thirsts for water as the river dries to a dribble. Alinah brings from her cave, barrels and barrels of water she took and stored from the village. It is used to water plants and slake the community’s thirst.

Projects Advance.

Turn 17 → 5 of Diamonds

The community argues over Iyurk’s project to use the Golden Orb. In a final display of anger, Iyurk walks away and does not return to the project. It fails.

Projects Advance.

Start a Project: Train the Dogs(6)

Iyurk and Alinah decide more can be done with the friendly dogs that play around, and begin training them to hunt and protect.

A cold wind blows through the trees. Summer has ended. Autumn has arrived.

End of Part One

There we have it, spring to summer completed. I have a strange but interesting community of monsters, a few projects completed as they try to take back their land to what it once was, some conflict between members and some mysteries left to be solved.

The Deep Forest is a great game, which isn’t surprising considering how good The Quiet Year is. The alternate situation and prompts make it such a different experience from The Quiet Year, at least in terms of the community you’re rebuilding and growing. I also enjoy the anti-colonialism themes. It’s as good as The Quiet Year, and I don’t think it gets nearly as much attention.

What do you think of the game or the monster community I’ve created so far?

Thanks for reading!

My playing and writing will always be available for free, but if you enjoy what I write and would be willing, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription which gets you off-topic posts as well as input into the tools/games I play. If that’s too much commitment, you can also just buy me a coffee.

If you’d like to support my newsletter in other ways, please subscribe, share and comment.