Spirit Island

2017

Spirit Island is an immersive, cooperative board game where players are spirits using elemental powers to protect their island home from colonizing invaders.

120
minutes

1 - 4
player(s)

13+

Heavy

About the game

In the enchanting board game Spirit Island, you are transported to a richly imagined world, teeming with mystical energies and threatened by colonizing invaders. The game takes place on an isolated island, deep in uncharted territories, where you, as a player, embody powerful Spirits of the island, committed to protecting your homeland.

The theme of Spirit Island is deeply tied to the setting: an untouched paradise with diverse landscapes, from verdant jungles to sun-drenched deserts, from tranquil mountains to the vast, open sea. Each landscape is not only a piece on the board but also a character in its own right, with its unique qualities and abilities that you, as a Spirit, can harness and use to your advantage.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Spirit Island is a cooperative, strategy board game that pits players against colonizing invaders. Game components are designed to create an immersive experience and facilitate gameplay. Here is a detailed list of each component included in ‘Spirit Island’ and an explanation of its function and interaction within the game:

1. Island Boards:

These are the main game boards where all the actions take place. Each board represents a section of the island and is divided into different types of territories: mountains, wetlands, jungles, and sands. The layout of the board affects the placement of pieces and the spirits’ abilities.

2. Spirit Panels:

Each player controls a unique spirit, represented by a spirit panel. This panel provides information about the spirit’s special abilities, energy production, card plays, and the growth options available each turn.

3. Presence Discs and Tokens:

Each spirit has a set of presence discs and tokens. The discs are placed on the spirit panel and the island board to show the spirit’s influence over the island. Tokens indicate special effects, like disease, strife, or beasts, which can impact the invaders’ actions.

4. Invader Cards:

These cards dictate the actions of the invaders each turn. They show where the invaders will explore, build, and ravage, allowing players to plan their strategies accordingly.

5. Power Cards:

These are the actions that spirits can take during a turn. Power cards can be slow (occurring after the invaders act) or fast (occurring before the invaders act), and they require energy to use. There are four types: Major Powers, Minor Powers, Unique Powers (specific to each spirit), and Innate Powers (abilities specific to each spirit that require certain elements to activate).

6. Fear Cards:

Fear cards are a measure of how scared the invaders are of the spirits. As players generate fear, they pull fear cards, which provide beneficial effects for the spirits. When all fear cards are used, and the fear pool is empty, the spirits win the game.

7. Dahan Tokens:

Dahan tokens represent the island’s native inhabitants. They can be moved around the island and can fight against the invaders when provoked.

8. Invader Pieces:

These pieces represent the invaders on the island. There are three types: explorers (the weakest), towns, and cities (the strongest). They spread across the island, exploring, building, and ravaging the land.

9. Energy Tokens:

Energy is the resource used to play power cards. It’s generated by the spirits’ presence on the island and can be increased through growth options and certain power cards.

10. Blight Tokens:

When invaders ravage a land, they can cause blight. Too much blight can cause a spirit to lose presence and can lead to a loss if the island becomes too blighted.

11. Scenario and Adversary Cards:

To increase the game’s difficulty or change the gameplay, players can use scenario and adversary cards. These cards provide special rules and challenges that modify the base game.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Spirit Island is a cooperative game where players take on the roles of different spirits who use their unique powers to defend their island against invaders. Here is a step-by-step guide to set up the game:

Step 1: Player Roles

Each player chooses a spirit to play. There are eight spirits in the base game, each with its own unique abilities and playstyle. The spirit boards have two sides: a simplified side for beginners and a complex side for more experienced players. Each player takes the corresponding spirit board and all the pieces of their chosen color.

Step 2: Board Placement

Each player takes a board representing a part of the island and places it in front of them. The number of island boards used depends on the number of players. For a 4-player game, use all four boards. Arrange the boards in any configuration, as long as all boards are touching at least one other board along one entire edge.

Step 3: Initial Resources

Each player places their presence tokens (the discs and the animal tokens) on the spaces on their spirit board marked with the setup symbol. They also receive energy equal to the amount shown in the energy track space that their energy marker is on, and draw power cards equal to the number shown in the draw space that their draw marker is on.

Step 4: Initial Invader Setup

Place the invader pieces (explorers, towns, and cities) near the boards to form a supply. Draw cards from the invader deck to determine where the invaders start on the island. The top card of the invader deck shows where the initial invaders (a town and an explorer) are placed. The second card shows where to place an additional explorer.

Step 5: Fear Setup

Shuffle the fear cards and place them in a face-down pile. Place the fear marker on the zero spot of the fear track. The number of fear cards used depends on the number of players.

Step 6: Blight Setup

Place the blight tokens on the blight card, on the healthy island side. Then, place one blight token on each land with a city or town.

Step 7: Random Elements

Shuffle the minor and major power cards separately to form two face-down decks. These will be the power card decks that players can draw from during the game. Also shuffle the invader cards and place them on the invader board.

Now, you are ready to start playing Spirit Island!

Game flow Round and round we go

Spirit Island is a complex, cooperative, strategy board game where players take on the role of different Spirits defending their island against invaders. The game is played in rounds and each round is divided into different phases. Every phase has a specific set of actions that players perform. Here is a detailed breakdown of the structure of a game of Spirit Island:

1. Spirit Phase

In the Spirit Phase, players can grow their presence and influence on the island. Players perform the following actions:

Growth: Players choose one of the growth options on their Spirit panel. This could involve adding more presence to the board, gaining energy, or reclaiming cards.
Gain Energy: Players gather energy based on their presence on the energy track.
Choose Power Cards: If a player’s growth allows, they choose new power cards to add to their hand.

2. Fast Power Phase

During the Fast Power Phase, players can play power cards that have the fast power symbol. These actions occur instantly and can help mitigate the Invader Phase that follows. Actions include:

Playing Fast Power Cards: Players decide which fast power cards to play based on their available energy.
Resolving Fast Power Cards: Players resolve the effects of each fast power card they have played, in any order they choose.

3. Invader Phase

The Invader Phase is when the invaders act, expanding their control over the island. The Invader Board guides these actions, which include:

Ravaging: Areas on the island that match the ravage card are damaged by the invaders. Damage can destroy native inhabitants and the players’ presence.
Building: Invaders add new structures to lands matching the build card.
Exploring: New invaders arrive on lands that match the explore card and are adjacent to existing invaders or ocean.
Invader Card Advancement: All invader cards shift one space to the left.

4. Slow Power Phase

In the Slow Power Phase, any power cards with the slow power symbol are now resolved. Actions include:

Playing Slow Power Cards: Players decide which slow power cards to play based on their available energy.
Resolving Slow Power Cards: Players resolve the effects of each slow power card they have played, in any order they choose.

5. Time Passes Phase

The Time Passes Phase is essentially a reset phase. All elements, energy, and damage markers are cleared from the board, and all players’ cards are put in their discard pile. The round then starts again with the Spirit Phase.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

Spirit Island is a complex, cooperative board game where players assume the role of different Spirits defending their island from invaders. On each player’s turn, they can perform a wide range of actions to manipulate the game board and counteract the invaders. These actions typically involve the use of power cards and the inherent abilities of their chosen Spirit.

Each turn in Spirit Island consists of two main phases:

The Spirit Phase: This is the phase where the player can grow their influence, gain more power, or reclaim used power cards.
The Fast and Slow Powers Phase: In this phase, the player can use their fast powers before the Invader Phase and slow powers after the Invader Phase.

The Spirit Phase further breaks down into three strategic choices, which are performed in order:

Presence: The player can choose to add presence to the board, which increases their range of influence and potentially their energy income or card playing ability.
Gain Power Card: The player can draw new power cards to increase their strategic options.
Reclaim Cards: The player can retrieve all their used power cards, effectively resetting their hand.

The Fast and Slow Powers Phase involves the use of power cards and inherent abilities:

Fast Powers: These are actions that take place before the Invader phase. They can be used to prevent damage, remove invaders, or manipulate the game board in preparation for the Invader’s actions.
Invader Phase: This is not a player action but it’s important to strategically plan for this phase during the Fast Powers phase. Invaders will build, explore, and ravage the island during this phase.
Slow Powers: These actions take place after the Invader phase. They can be used to repair damage, build defenses, or set up for the next round.

Strategic choices in Spirit Island revolve around managing your Spirit’s energy and cards, coordinating with other players, and predicting the Invaders’ movements. The unique abilities of each Spirit can greatly influence what strategies are most effective. Understanding the rules and flow of the game is crucial for formulating a winning strategy.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The game of ‘Spirit Island’ ends under a variety of conditions, each leading to a different outcome. It is a cooperative game, meaning the players either win or lose together.

Victory Conditions:

The primary victory condition in ‘Spirit Island’ is achieved through fully removing all Invaders (both towns and cities) from the Island. This is accomplished through the use of powers, fear effects, and Dahan counter-attacks. When there are no Invaders left on the board, the game ends immediately with a Victory for the Spirits.

An additional victory condition is possible if the Fear deck is fully depleted before all Invaders are removed from the Island. This is known as a ‘Fear Victory’. Depending on the current level of terror (which is determined by how many times the Fear deck has been depleted), a Fear Victory can occur even if there are still some Invaders on the board. For example, at Terror Level 3, a Fear Victory is achieved if there are no cities or towns left on the board, even if there are still some Explorer tokens present.

Defeat Conditions:

On the other hand, the game ends in defeat if any of the following conditions are met:

If any Spirit’s presence is completely removed from the board, the game ends immediately in defeat. This can occur if too many lands where a Spirit has presence are Ravaged by Invaders.
If the Invader deck runs out. This represents the Invaders overrunning the island.
If the island becomes blighted. This happens when the Blight card is flipped and all blight from the card is placed on the island.

Actions Before Final Scoring:

In ‘Spirit Island’, there is no traditional scoring at the end of the game. Instead, the game is purely win-or-lose based on the victory and defeat conditions outlined above. Therefore, there are no actions players must take before final scoring.

However, to increase the challenge and promote replayability, the game does include a difficulty scaling system and optional ‘Scenario’ and ‘Adversary’ rules. These introduce additional conditions, objectives, and restrictions, which can indirectly affect the final outcome of the game. These rules are optional and do not apply to every game.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

‘Spirit Island’ is a complex cooperative game where players become different spirits of the land, each with its unique mystical powers. Points are scored based on the successful protection of the island from invading settlers. Here is the detailed scoring mechanism:

Determining Scores

Your score in ‘Spirit Island’ is calculated at the end of the game, and is composed of three parts:

Victory Points: If the players lose, the score is always 0. If the players win, the score starts at 30 (for a Terror Level 1 victory) and can go up to 100 (for a Terror Level 3 victory).
Difficulty Points: The base difficulty level of the scenario and adversaries played adds to the score. For example, playing against a level 3 adversary will add 3 points to your score.
Island Points: The condition of the island at the end of the game also affects the score. Each part of the island that is blighted subtracts 2 points from your score, and each presence left on the board adds 1 point.

Tie-Breaking Rules

In the event of a tie, the tie-breaking rules in ‘Spirit Island’ are as follows:

Least Damage: The player whose actions resulted in the least blight on the island wins.
Most Dahan: If there is still a tie, the player who has protected the most Dahan (native islanders) wins.
Most Cards: If there is still a tie, the player with the most cards in their hand wins.

Note: As ‘Spirit Island’ is a cooperative game, these tie-breaking rules are primarily for scenarios where players want to compare their individual contributions to the victory.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Spirit Island is a complex, cooperative board game where players take on the roles of different spirits trying to defend their island from invaders. The game has a number of special rules, exceptions and clarifications that are important to gameplay:

1. Power Card Rules:

Fast Powers: These powers can be used before the Invaders spread and explore. They are indicated by a bird icon.
Slow Powers: These are used after the Invaders have taken their actions. They are indicated by a turtle icon.

2. Invader Actions:

Build: Invaders build in lands where they have presence and match the current build card.
Explore: Invaders explore lands adjacent to where they have presence and match the current explore card.

3. Fear: The game has a mechanic called Fear, which is generated by the spirits to frighten the invaders. When you create enough Fear, you earn Fear cards which can provide beneficial effects. However, Fear doesn’t affect Invader actions until the next Fear phase.

4. Special Rules:

Blights: When a land has too many invaders, it becomes blighted. This can limit a spirit’s presence and powers.
Invader Cards: The Invader cards not only dictate the actions of the invaders, but they also advance, meaning Invader actions can be predicted in advance.

5. Rule Clarifications:

Dahan: The Dahan are the island’s native inhabitants. They don’t take actions unless directed by a power card, and they don’t count as invaders.
Simultaneous Actions: All spirit actions in a single phase are considered simultaneous. This means you can choose the order in which to resolve actions.
Presence: Spirits use presence to influence the island. If a spirit’s presence is removed from the board, it doesn’t affect powers that have already been played.

Remember, Spirit Island is a cooperative game, and players should work together to best coordinate their strategies and powers. It can be complex, but once you understand the rules, it becomes a deeply strategic and rewarding game.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Advanced Strategies for ‘Spirit Island’

Spirit Island is a complex cooperative game where players control different spirits to defend their island from invaders. Here are some advanced strategies to consider:

Focus on Fear Generation: Generating fear can be more effective than trying to kill every invader. Aim to push invaders into lands where you can terrorize them and generate fear, thus advancing the fear track.
Target High-Risk Areas: Prioritize areas where the invader’s presence is highest. These are typically the lands they are exploring or building in. By focusing on these areas, you can mitigate the expansion of the invader.
Use Power Cards Strategically: Power cards can greatly enhance your abilities. Try to combine these powers with the innate abilities of your spirit for greater effect.
Team Up: Coordinate with other players to maximize your abilities. Some spirits work well together and can create powerful combinations.

Beginner Tips

If you’re new to the game, these tips can help you get started:

Start with simpler spirits like the River Surges in Sunlight or the Vital Strength of the Earth. These spirits have straightforward, powerful abilities that are easy for beginners to use.
Learn the invader phase well. Understanding the invader’s actions can help you anticipate their moves and plan your strategy effectively.
Remember, you don’t have to clear the board of invaders to win. You just need to generate enough fear to scare them away.
Don’t ignore the Dahan (native islanders). They can be very helpful in fighting off invaders, especially in the early game.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Ignoring the Fear Track: Some beginners forget about the fear track or underestimate its importance. Generating fear is a key strategy in Spirit Island.
Misusing Power Cards: Power cards are a valuable resource. Don’t waste them on ineffective moves. Always consider how a power card can best support your strategy before using it.
Not Coordinating with Other Players: Spirit Island is a cooperative game. Failing to coordinate with other players can lead to ineffective strategies and wasted moves.
Overlooking Invader Actions: Each invader phase, the invaders will explore, build, and ravage. Ignoring any of these actions can lead to an overwhelming invader presence.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay

Here are some ways to improve your gameplay:

Balance Your Energy and Card Usage: Ensure you’re not spending all your energy on power cards and neglecting your spirit’s growth. A balance between growth and power can lead to more effective strategies.
Communicate: Regularly discuss strategies and plans with your fellow players. This can help everyone coordinate their moves and work together more effectively.
Understand Your Spirit: Each spirit has unique abilities and strategies. Take the time to understand your spirit’s strengths and weaknesses and plan your strategy accordingly.
Study the Invader Cards: Knowing what the invaders will do next can help you anticipate their moves and plan your defense. Always pay attention to the invader cards.