In Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor, you play as a steward of a rugged moorland ecosystem, placing trees, shrubs, and terrain in order to attract new species and build the most valuable, balanced habitat. While the core play resembles the original Forest Shuffle, Dartmoor introduces new mechanics: Terrain cards, laid horizontally, that act as homes or feeding areas for flora and fauna and affect where species can be placed (e.g. above or below terrain lines). Some species avoid boggy or wet terrain like peat or marsh, so placement becomes a careful dance of habitat preferences.

Other additions include “caves” that are drafted at the start of the game to give each player an asymmetric starting condition, a special bog-side of the cards that allows for hidden terrain, and a reduction in the number of tree symbols needed for certain bonuses to make those more accessible during gameplay. Despite these changes, the hand management, drafting of cards, and scoring synergies remain true to the Forest Shuffle spirit.