Forks: Second Edition Board Game Review

Written by Rob Burman

Sometimes you don’t want a game that takes an hour to set up, an instruction manual that takes a degree to decipher and play time that runs into days if you’re not careful. Now and again you want something that’s the board gaming equivalent of an episode of Friends or Married at First Sight. It’s light, breezy and doesn’t require too much brain power to process. Well, if that sounds like the sort of game for you, then we humbly present Forks: Second Edition.

Related article: Games to play in under 15 minutes

Forks First vs Second Edition

First up, you may have come across the original Forks when it was released in 2019. Well, the second edition has had a rules makeover, as well as some cosmetic theming changes too. Although the idea of investing/manipulating markets is still present, now you’re marketing holiday destinations rather than embezzling stocks. Although visually it’s a definite step up - and the art deco illustrations of the five locations are suitably eye-catching - promoting and investing in holiday destinations doesn’t make as much sense, compared to the original’s concept.

How to Play Forks

Theming aside, the mechanics of the game are extremely smooth and lightning-quick. The aim is to have the most valuable destinations in your hand at the end of the game. In the centre of the play area is the market, which is shared between all players. Cards are added to the middle throughout the course of play and, at the end of the game, the three most valuable destinations will score points, while the two least valuable actually subtract from your overall total.

So, how do you score those sweet points? Well, each round you draw three cards and choose one to keep, while the other two are passed to the player on your left. Out of those two cards, you then select which to add to your hand and which to add to the market (therefore increasing their value). Like so many pick-and-pass games, there’s a definite agony of choice as you decide which ones are best to keep.

You see, each destination has a value from three to 12, which indicates how valuable it is in the end phase. Say, for example, you’ve got the option of keeping a location card for Green Acres worth 11 or one worth five. If you put the 11 card into the market, you’re (hopefully) ensuring it’s more likely to score in the end phase and you’ll get +5 points for your other Green Acres card.

However, perhaps it’s better to put the five into the market and hope that other players will add more Green Acres cards to the market and you’ll score a mighty 11 points. Woo-hoo! Of course, the gamble is that by only putting low value cards into the market, that location ends up being one of the least valuable at the end of the game and you score negative 11 points because you got greedy.

NOOOOO!

Forks Game Review and Verdict

Sometimes you can feel like your ability to manipulate the market is restricted by the cards you’re passed and, occasionally, you’ll be given a hand that only has bad choices, which can be frustrating. However, this is mitigated slightly by the ‘merge variant’ of the rules, which allows you to play any card in your hand into the market, rather than only one of the two you’ve been passed.

This allows you to course correct slightly if you realise you’re betting on the wrong locations midway through a game. In fact, we only play the merge variant as it feels like you’ve got more control. 

You should play this game. Forks: Second Edition is a fast-paced filler with straightforward rules and a speedy play time. It’s a perfect little travel game with a tempting price tag. It's also perfect if you liked Startups, as  Forks: Second Edition feels like a scaled down version of Startups that shares many of the mechanics of choosing which companies (destinations) to invest in and which to ditch.

About Forks 2nd Edition Board Game

Designer: Mark Stockton-Pitt

Publisher: Radical 8 Games

Time: 15m

Players: 2-6

Ages: 8+

Price: £10

What’s in the box?

• Rules leaflet
• 55 Destination cards
• Setup/tiebreak card