Fungi: A board game about foraging
This card game is small, inexpensive and packed full of beautiful folky artwork. Two players go on a foraging trip to see who can collect the rarest or most delicious fungi.
Fungi the Board Game: Quick Summary
Score:
7/10
Number of Players:
2
Time to Play:
40 minutes
A pretty, compact game that would pack well in any holiday luggage, Fungi provides a pleasant way to wile away the time without the need for stressy rules or complex play. The rules could be explained better, but once learned, the game sticks in the mind, and you can concentrate on having fun.
What we loved:
Lovely artwork and a great theme for all ages
A simple premise that is engaging and immersive
It's a challenging game without being frustrating
This is an inexpensive game
It's small and good for travelling
What could be improved:
The rules could explain things in an easier way
There is a lot to remember as you play
If you're not into mushroom foraging, this isn't for you!
Foraging fun with Fungi
Board gaming can be expensive, sometimes complicated, and hard to explain to others, and takes up loads of room on the shelf. So wouldn't it be lovely if there was a game that was cheap, with a simple premise that you can teach to anyone and is small?
Fungi is a travel-sized card game from Pegasus Spiele (who have produced some absolutely superb games over the years. You and your opponent gather mushrooms as you wander through the forest until you have enough to cook in your frying pan and score points. The more mushrooms of the same variety you have, the nicer the meal you can make and therefore the more points earned.
How to Play Fungi
In turns, players choose an action, including moving through the forest, picking up mushrooms, or cooking food. Players start with a frying pan, which they use to cook their mushrooms, and they can add butter if they collect four or cider if they collect five. Adding up to 5 points (with cider) to their score.
As players move through the woods, the layout of the cards change, and mushrooms become discarded as they begin to decompose and become inedible. This adds an extra urgency to decision-making, without causing any panic or stress to take away the fun of the game. At its core, Fungi is a cosy game, with a warm theme and enough competition to be a game without it being a battle.
Fungi: It doesn't take up mushroom....
This is a compact game, a small box, the cards are the same as a playing deck, and you only need a small space to lay them all out. After that, you just need to sit somewhere near and away you go. This is one of those games that's perfect for taking on holiday or playing on a winter's night with the electronics switched off.
We particularly liked that each fungus has its Latin name and the correct environment it would grow in shown in the artwork. Because the time to set up and play is very short, this also makes it a good "school night" board game. One to get out and play in the evening after work, either with the family or with friends, without needing hours to lay out, learn how to play and then pack away again.
Fungi: The pros and cons in detail
Fungi: What we enjoyed
This game is really well finished. The artwork on the cards is folksy but very well executed, which is exactly the tone needed for a game like this. Each card has a pastoral depiction of the fungus in its natural setting, and then the Latin name to accompany it. The iconography on the cards is easy to learn and remember, but could have been larger for people who struggle with their eyesight.
Understanding the objective of the game and communicating that to new players is really simple, which means more time is spent playing and enjoying the game, and less time is spent reading a boring instruction book out to everyone. It's challenging, you will be competing to win points, which means interplay is great, and it feels like a game you need to win rather than complete. That challenge doesn't dominate the theme or overtake the enjoyment. This is cosy, like an evening on Ballatro or Stardew Valley, you can play a few games and switch off from the world.
Fungi is retailing at a very affordable level too, between £10 and £14, depending on where you like to shop. This makes a great stocking filler at Christmas or a bonus present for birthdays. Its diminutive size also means it'll sit happily on a shelf and not hog up all the room.
Fungi: What needs to be improved
There isn't a lot that needs to be changed with Fungi. It is very thematic, so if mushrooms aren't your thing, or if it seems a little twee, then this game isn't for you. There are some mechanics, such as the number of cards needed for each bonus, that will require remembering, but nothing is actually too onerous or difficult. The rulebook is translated from German to English, and this means it can feel a touch cumbersome, but once you have played the game a few times, it will stick and you will probably teach it better than if people read the rules to play.
Fungi the Board Game: A Summary
Fungi is a good, if not spectacular, game. It's small size makes it great for travelling with, it has delightful art, and the game play is solid. If you're looking for a small present for a board gaming friend, then you could do worse than fungi.
Expansions and Related Games
Expansions
There are currently no expansions for Fungi
Related Games
If you like Fungi, then there are other nature games that might catch your interest such as Birdwatcher. If you like small games you can travel with then consider Whale to Look and Micro Dojo too.
Other Games You May Like
Birdwatcher
Beat rival wildlife photographers to capture the most beautiful and rarest birds of paradise in Birdwatcher. A relatively cheap, pretty game that provides an alternative to Wingspan.
Fungi the Board Game: Frequently asked questions
What age would Fungi be suitable for?
Pegasus Spiele recommend from 10+ for Fungi, mainly because some of the rules are a little intricate. If you have a bright child of around 8+ they should be able to play this game with a little coaching.
Is Fungi as good as Wingspan or Finspan?
While Fungi is a lot of fun, it isn't nearly as enjoyable or as beautifully designed as either Wingspan or Finspan. It is, however, a lot smaller which makes it perfect for packing and taking on holiday.
What's the difference between the mushroom board games Fungi and Mycelia?
Fungi is a card game where you collect tricks of cards, you're looking for matching sets and each player is collecting rather than trying to dominate the board. In Mycelia, players use their fungi to claim board game spaces to win the game.
Transparency Notice
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