BoardGamesBot

SPIRIT ISLAND
AND CLAW
AN EXPANSION BY R. ERIC REUSS

THE COOPERATIVE
SETTLER-DESTRUCTION
STRATEGY GAME

1-4
90-120
MIN
14+

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 3
Components ......................................................................................................................................... 4
Branch & Claw .................................................................................................................................... 6
Setup Changes ....................................................................................................................... 7
Event Cards .......................................................................................................................................... 8
Choice Events ......................................................................................................................... 9
Tokens ...................................................................................................................................................... 10
Rules Updates ................................................................................................................................... 14
Invader Actions ................................................................................................................... 14
Blight ............................................................................................................................................ 15
Spirits ........................................................................................................................................... 15
Power Cards ........................................................................................................................... 16
Health and Damage ...................................................................................................... 16
Solo Play ................................................................................................................................... 17
Thematic Map ...................................................................................................................... 17
Adversary ............................................................................................................................................. 18
Difficulty Chart .............................................................................................................................. 20
Reference ............................................................................................................................................. 22
Glossary/Index ................................................................................................................... 22
Credits ....................................................................................................................................... 23

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The Invaders keep pushing forward. Individually, they are
fragile and easily terrified. As a whole, they are relentless,
implacable, and increasingly unpredictable.
How many ways can we resist them? All of our power thus far
has failed to turn them back. We must grow, change, choose
new paths - embrace the metamorphosis of life, because if we
stay as we are, we will die, and the Island with us.
So let us scream disease into the wind and blossom razors
across the Invaders’ path. Let us call forth the predators of the
Island, who have every bit as much to lose as we do. Let us
turn the Invaders against each other, and buy enough time for
the Dahan to rally and strike; already they begin to organize.
Let us desperately hope that not too many Dahan take the
Invaders’ side. We would not survive a Third Reckoning.
Our dreams promise that victory is attainable, if we can find
a clear path through this tangled jungle of possibilities. We will
trust they do not lie, and fight on.
3

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COMPONENTSCOMPONENTS EVENTS DISCARD EVENTS INVADER BOARD EXTENSION
2 SPIRIT PANELS
1 ADVERSARY PANEL
4 SCENARIO PANELS
20 SCENARIO MARKERS (8 NUMBERED, 12 BLANK)
BEASTS/WILDS/DISEASE/STRIFE
TOKENS
(22 OF EACH)
2 ADVERSARY TILES
1 ADVERSARY-SPECIFIC
EVENT CARD
4 PLAYER AID CARDS
4

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DEMORALIZED
Defend 3 in all lands.
Defend 2 in all lands.
Defend 1 in all lands.
2 per player
Any removed from
the board returns here.
If there is ever NO here,
players lose.
BACK AGAINST THE WALL
Every Spirit Phase each Spirit gains
+1 Energy and +1 Card Play.
BLIGHTED ISLAND
31 MINOR POWER CARDS
25 EVENT CARDS
7 BLIGHT CARDS
21 MAJOR POWER CARDS
15 FEAR CARDS
8 UNIQUE POWER CARDS
(4 PER SPIRIT)
5

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BRANCH & CLAWBRANCH & CLAW VICTORY
SPIRIT ISLAND PHASE ORDER
EXPLORE BUILD RAVAG E
DISCARD
BLIGHT
IF THERE IS EVER
NO BLIGHT HERE,
YOU LOSE
THE GAME.

per player
PER PLAYER
GENERATED
FEAR
SPIRIT PHASE
Growth
Gain Energy
Choose Powers
INVADER PHASE
Blighted Island
Fear
Ravage
Build
Explore
Advance Invader Cards
TIME PASSES
DESTROYING A GENERATES 1
DESTROYING A GENERATES 2
FEAR DECK
WHEN REVEALED
EARNED FEAR CARDS
FEAR DISCARD EVENTS DISCARD EVENTS Before adding this expansion to the base game of Spirit Island, make
sure you’ve played Spirit Island at least a few times. The contents of this
expansion add a ton of variety, thematic elements, and new ways to
fight and frighten the Invaders, but it is truly not the best way to learn the
game, as the new effects are more complicated.
Expansion materials are marked with in one of the corners, for ease of
removing them if you want to play the core game only.
Most expansion materials are simply added to the equivalent base-game
materials.
• Minor and Major Powers, Blight Cards, and Fear Cards are all
mixed in with other cards of that type.
• Spirits, Adversaries, and Scenarios are added to the available
options from which to pick. Several of the new Scenarios use the
Scenario Markers.
This expansion also introduces an Event Deck, which is used during the
Invader Phase
(see page 8), and four tokens representing hazards that
can thwart the Invaders: Beasts, Wilds, Disease, and Strife.
(See page 10.)
INVADER BOARD
EXTENSION
INVADER BOARD
STARTING BEASTS
DISEASE TOKENS
6

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SETUP CHANGES
• Add the extension to the Invader Board.
• Put the Beasts , Wilds , Disease , and Strife tokens in the
corresponding areas on the Invader Board extension.
• Shuffle the Event Deck and put it on the Events space on the
Invader Board extension. Playing with a Blight Card is now required
rather than optional. (The Event Deck depends on using one.)
• During Setup, put one and one on each Island Board. The
goes in the lowest-numbered land with no printed Setup icons; the
goes in land #2 (with the City). (See page 17.)
Thematic Boards: Instead of placing a single and on each board,
place tokens as indicated by the Setup icons in each land.
STARTING BEASTS
DISEASE TOKENS
SHORT ON SPACE?SHORT ON SPACE?
If your table doesn’t have space for the Invader
Board extension, put the Event Deck near the
Earned Fear stack, so you remember to do it first.
7

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EVENT CARDSEVENT CARDS In the Core Game, the Invaders are perfectly predictable, save for what
lands they will next be interested in. But in truth, all living things - the
Invaders, the Dahan, and Beasts of the wild - sometimes act in
unanticipated ways. To represent this, each Invader Phase, after any
Blighted Island effect and before resolving any Earned Fear Cards, draw
and resolve one Event Card.
(See back cover for the full Turn Order.)
Most cards show two possible primary Events, both bad (see examples,
below).
Which you perform will depend on either:
1.
The Health of the Island (Healthy/Blighted, as shown on the Blight
Card);
2. The Terror Level (I, II, III); or
3. The Stage of Invasion (I, II, or III). The current Stage is shown by the
top card of the Invader Deck.
• Exception: If playing against Brandenburg-Prussia Level 2+,
treat the early Stage III Card as if it were Stage II.
Most Event Cards also have two potentially good Events:
4. Token Event: References Beasts, Disease, or Strife.
5. Dahan Event: Dahan take action or tend to their community.
Just like with other effects, when resolving Events, unless otherwise
specified:
• Perform as much of the card’s instructions as you can, moving from
top to bottom and skipping anything inapplicable or impossible.
• Effects which don’t change pieces on the board last only until the
end of the current turn.
• Pieces only affect their own land unless explicitly specified. I.e., if
a token or Dahan causes Fear/Damage/Destruction, it does so in
the land that it’s in.
BLIGHTED ISLANDBLIGHTED ISLAND
If you have trouble remembering to apply a
Blighted Island effect first, put a Blight from the
box atop the Event Deck as a reminder.
8
1 2 3
4
5
4
5
4
5

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Players make any necessary decisions. When an Event says, “On Each
Board: (do this OR that)”, you may select differently on each board. You
are permitted to read the entire Event Card before making any decisions,
but you don’t have to if your playgroup would rather think about one
thing at a time.
Like other effects, when Events deal Damage, unless otherwise specified,
the Damage is done only to Invaders. Some Events modify Invader
Damage, or do Damage to the Dahan
(see Health and Damage, page
16)
. Events are only considered Spirit Effects (for, e.g., Heart of the
Wildfire) if the Spirits pay a cost to make something happen
(see Choice
Events, below).
CHOICE EVENTS
As seen below, some cards are Choice Events. These describe a situation
and give the Spirits two courses of action to take with differing
consequences. Usually, the choice is a joint decision, and players must
reach consensus over which path to take. If no consensus can be reached,
the first listed option is always the default.
Often, one choice has a cost: usually some amount of Energy per player
in the game. The cost is paid jointly however the Spirits like; it does not
need to be evenly divided. It could be paid entirely by one player.
If a cost says it is “Aided by a particular Element” it
means that Spirits:
• May Forget one or more Power Cards (from
hand, play, or discard) with that Element to
count +4 Energy towards the cost per
Forgotten card.
• May discard one or more Power Cards (from
hand to discard) with that Element to count +2
Energy towards the cost per discarded card.
• Count +1 Energy towards the cost for each
of that Element they have in play (from Power
Cards, Presence Tracks, or other effects).
A Power Card may only be used for one of these bonuses. If you discard a
Power Card, you cannot also Forget it. Also, a Power Card Forgotten from
play no longer provides any Elements. The “Aided by” Energy is only for
the purposes of paying the cost - you cannot get real Energy out of it!
MEANINGLESS CHOICESMEANINGLESS CHOICES
If you are playing with the Scenario “Blitz”, the Choice Event
“Outpaced” is guaranteed to be irrelevant, as there is no Slow
Phase. If this happens - or if future Adversaries/Scenarios make a
particular Event irrelevant or senseless - discard that Event Card
and draw a replacement.
9

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TOKENSTOKENS New Powers and Spirits use four types of tokens to represent perils and
hazards which hinder the Invaders. Beasts, Wilds, and Disease tokens are
added to lands; Strife is added to specific Invaders. There is no limit to
how many tokens can be in a land, or to how many Strife tokens can be
on an Invader.
BEASTS
Beasts tokens represent any sort of wild Beasts that are numerous,
dangerous, or aggressive enough to be a problem for the Invaders. (The
Dahan know how to avoid them or drive them off well enough to prevent
substantial casualties.) They are unpredictable allies, and are much more
likely to pick off Explorers than to attack Towns or Cities.
Beasts tokens do not have an intrinsic effect. Many Powers which add
have a second effect which only works on lands with , and roughly half
of the Event Cards have Token Events for Beasts.
WILDS
Wilds tokens represent lands that are perilous to explore - plants which
look edible but are actually toxic, difficulty finding fresh water, especially
dangerous paths, etc. However, once a given danger is discovered and
noted (there are always a few survivors), it is easily avoided by future
Explorers.
When Invaders would Explore into a land with , instead Remove one
from that land.
DISEASE
Disease tokens represent maladies and poor health. They reduce
population: sometimes sharply, but more often by keeping growth in
check. Disease is dangerous to the Dahan - not as devastating as was the
case historically (thanks to their relationships with Spirits of healing and
vigor), but some of the Token Events dealing with can harm the
Dahan.
When Invaders would Build in a land with , instead Remove one
from that land.
BEASTS: Harms
Invaders and
generates Fear as
specified by Powers
and Event Cards.
DISEASE: Prevents
the next Build and is
then Removed.
WILDS: Prevents the
next Explore and is
then Removed.
STRIFE: Blocks a
specific Invader’s
Damage the next
time they Damage
Dahan and/or the
land, and is then
Removed.
10

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STRIFE
Strife tokens represent internal turmoil and discord within the Invader
ranks. In such turbulent and angry situations, fields go untended, farms
remain small, and aggression against the Dahan becomes disorganized
and ineffectual.
Unlike the other three tokens types, Strife is added to a specific Invader
rather than the land as a whole. When you add a Strife in a particular
land, you choose which Invader it’s added to and place the Strife token
beneath that Invader piece. (If there are no Invaders, you cannot add
Strife.)
Whenever Invaders Damage the Dahan and/or the land, each attacking
Invader with any number of deals exactly 0 Damage and Removes
one . Using the is required; you cannot save it for later, even if the
Invader is already doing 0 Damage due to, e.g., Defend. If the Invader
is Damaging multiple things simultaneously (as during Ravage), the
affects all of them. If Invaders Damage other Invaders, Strife has no
effect and is not Removed.
Reminder: Even if Damage is reduced to 0 (by Defend and/or Strife),
the Dahan still fight back! Only if something cancels or skips the Ravage
Action entirely do they remain complacent.
If an Invader with Strife moves, the Strife moves with it. If it is Removed or
Destroyed, return the Strife token to the supply. If it is Replaced with
another Invader, the Strife stays; but if it is Replaced with something else
- such as a Beasts token or Dahan - the Strife goes away.
(See next pages for examples of tokens in use.)
STRIFE TIMINGSTRIFE TIMING
Strife applies after all other modifiers to an individual Invader’s
Damage. However, effects which change the total Damage done
in a land (e.g., Defend, and some Events) apply later, after you’ve
added up Damage from each individual Invader.
Strife is Removed when the Damage it affects is dealt - so during
Ravage, it is Removed at the same time as Dahan casualties, before
the Dahan counterattack. This may be relevant if a “-1 Health
per “ Fear Card has been drawn.
11

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TOKENSTOKENS BEASTS EXAMPLESBEASTS EXAMPLES
For these examples, you have drawn an Event Card with “Beasts Attack!”. During this event, each
deals 2 Damage. Remove any token that Destroys a Town or City.
A) This is a land with 1 and 1 Dahan. This land has no Invaders, so nothing happens here.
B) This is a land with 1 . It has an Explorer and a Town, so it Destroys the Explorer and deals
1 Damage to the Town. The could instead Destroy the Town and then be Removed.
C) This is a land with 2 . The only Invader is a City, so both deal 2 Damage to the City.
The that dealt the 3rd point of Damage is Removed.
DISEASE EXAMPLESDISEASE EXAMPLES
For these examples, the Build Action takes place in Mountains. When Invaders would Build in a
land with , instead Remove one from that land.
A) This is a land without . It has more Towns than Cities, so a City is Built here.
B) This is a land with 2 . Invaders in this land do not Build; instead Remove 1 .
C) This is a land with 1 . Invaders in this land do not Build; instead Remove 1 .
D) This is a land with 1 . This land has no Invaders, so no Build happens here. The stays.
12
A
B
C
D
A B
C

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WILDS EXAMPLESWILDS EXAMPLES
For these examples, the Explore Action takes place in Jungles. When Invaders would Explore into a
land with , instead Remove one from that land.
A) This is a land without . This land includes a Town or City already, so an Explorer is added
here.
B) This is a land with 1 . This land does not have and is not adjacent to a source of Invaders,
so no Explore happens here. The stays.
C) This is a land with 1 . It is adjacent to a land with a Town or City, so normally the Invaders
would Explore here. Instead Remove 1 .
D) This is a land without . It is Coastal, so an Explorer is added here.
STRIFE EXAMPLESSTRIFE EXAMPLES
For this example, the Ravage Action takes place in Wetlands. Each attacking Invader with any
number of deals exactly 0 Damage and Remove one .
This Wetland has 2 Dahan, 1 City (with 1 Strife), and 1 Explorer in it. The Invaders deal a total of
1 Damage (0 from the City and 1 from the Explorer) to the land and to the Dahan.
(Step 1) 1 Damage to the land is not enough to add Blight. 1 Damage is dealt to one of the Dahan.
Remove the Strife token from the City.
(Step 2) Now it’s the Dahan’s turn to fight back. They deal 4 Damage, Destroying the Explorer
and the City.
Wetlands about to Ravage Step 1 Step 2
13
D
A
B
C

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RULES UPDATESRULES UPDATES VICTORY
SPIRIT ISLAND PHASE ORDER
EXPLORE BUILD RAVAGE
DISCARD
BLIGHT
IF THERE IS EVER
NO BLIGHT HERE,
YOU LOSE
THE GAME.

per player
PER PLAYER
GENERATED
FEAR
SPIRIT PHASE
Growth
Gain Energy
Choose Powers
INVADER PHASE
Blighted Island
Fear
Ravage
Build
Explore
Advance Invader Cards
TIME PASSES
DESTROYING A GENERATES 1
DESTROYING A GENERATES 2
FEAR DECK
WHEN REVEALED
EARNED FEAR CARDS
FEAR DISCARD
VICTORY
SPIRIT ISLAND PHASE ORDER
EXPLORE BUILD RAVAGE
DISCARD
BLIGHT
IF THERE IS EVER
NO BLIGHT HERE,
YOU LOSE
THE GAME.

per player
PER PLAYER
GENERATED
FEAR
SPIRIT PHASE
Growth
Gain Energy
Choose Powers
INVADER PHASE
Blighted Island
Fear
Ravage
Build
Explore
Advance Invader Cards
TIME PASSES
DESTROYING A GENERATES 1
DESTROYING A GENERATES 2
FEAR DECK
WHEN REVEALED
EARNED FEAR CARDS
FEAR DISCARD
INVADER ACTIONS
MULTIPLE/MISSING INVADER CARDS
Some Fear and Event Cards may change the usual orderly progression
of Invader Cards along the Invader Action Track, causing there to be
multiple - or zero - cards on an Action Space.
If there are no cards on an Action Space, you don’t perform it, just like the
first turn of the game when you do not Ravage.
If there is more than one card on an Action Space, you perform that
Action multiple times: once for each card there. If order is important (e.g.,
with multiple Builds against England Level 2), the card which got there
first - the one on the bottom - goes first. If there is more than one card
for Explore, reveal and fully resolve one Explore Card (including any )
before revealing the next.
When advancing Invader Cards, all the cards on an Action Space move
together
(see below). So if you have two cards on the Build Space this
turn, you’ll have two Ravages next turn.
14

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“NORMAL” ACTIONS VS. “EXTRA” ACTIONS
Some Fear and Event Cards refer to a “normal” Invader Action - for
instance, “Skip the normal Build”. “Normal” just means “the Actions caused
by Invader Cards in the normal 3 Invader Action Spaces”, even if there are
multiple Invader Cards in an Action Space.
By contrast, Invader Actions taken due to any other game mechanism
(Event Cards, Fear Effects, Spirit Powers, Adversary or Scenario rules
changes, etc) are “extra” Invader Actions.
INVADERS DOING DAMAGE MULTIPLE TIMES IN SAME LAND
The possibility for multiple Ravages means Invaders could deal Damage
in a land multiple times on a single turn. Important things to note:
• Defend Powers apply each time the Invaders do Damage in a land.
• Each time the land itself is Damaged is separate - it does not
accumulate Damage until the end of the turn the way Invaders and
Dahan do. Only add a Blight when a single instance of Damage is
enough to cause Blight.
• Similarly, Blight can be added to a land multiple times in a turn!
Check each time it takes Damage.
BLIGHT
Two Power Cards in this expansion can move Blight from one land to
another. Moving Blight does not Destroy Presence or trigger Blight
cascade.
SPIRITS
“PICK TWO” GROWTH
Spirits with “Growth (Pick Two)” may choose any two options, in either
order. However, they cannot choose the same option twice in a single turn.
GROWTH THAT COSTS ENERGY
Both Spirits in this expansion have a Growth option that costs Energy
to pick. If the Spirit does not have the required amount of Energy, they
can’t choose that option. (Since both Spirits get 2 Growth choices, though,
they could use the first Growth choice to gain Energy to help pay for the
second one.)
15

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RULES UPDATESRULES UPDATES POWER CARDS
If you play an additional Slow Power Card during the Fast Power Phase,
you still have to wait until the Slow Power Phase to use it.
DISCARDING POWERS AS A RANDOMIZER
Several Choice Events use Powers as a randomizer: you put the top Power
from the appropriate deck straight into the discard pile (shuffling the
discard first if necessary), then check some attribute of that card (its
Energy cost, whether it grants a particular Element, or whether it is Fast/
Slow - ignoring any Elemental Thresholds which might speed it up).
If you discard Elemental Boon (which may or may not grant each
Element), you may choose whether it has the Element in question.
HEALTH AND DAMAGE
DAMAGING THE DAHAN
When Spirit Powers Damage the Dahan, you may choose how that
Damage is allocated, just like when you Damage Invaders. When Events
or Invaders Damage the Dahan, you must Destroy Dahan as efficiently
as possible. You cannot choose to hurt an undamaged Dahan to spare a
wounded one.
HEALTH CHANGES
Some effects increase or decrease the Health of Invaders or Dahan. These
effects never reduce a piece’s Health below 1. If an Invader or Dahan has
already taken Damage equal to or greater than their new Health, it is
immediately Destroyed.
DAMAGE CHANGES
If there are Damage modifiers to both individual Invaders (e.g., “Each
does +1 Damage”) and to Invaders as a whole (e.g., Defend), apply the
individual modifiers first, then the land-wide modifiers.
GAME-WIDE HEALTHGAME-WIDE HEALTH
Some Fear Cards say “For the rest of this turn, Invaders have -1
Health per “. This is a general rule that applies across the game
for that turn. Whenever an Invader gains or loses , they
acquire/lose the -1 Health penalty along with it.
Similarly, if the Event “Tight-Knit Communities” has granted all
/ +1 Health for the turn, a Town that is Replaced with an
Explorer will lose its Health bonus.
16

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SOLO PLAY
Blight Cards which have only 2 Blight per player on the Blighted Island
side can be especially nasty when playing solo. If you get one of them in a
single-player game, you may choose to draw a random replacement from
among the unused Blight Cards.
THEMATIC MAP
When setting up a game with the thematic side of the Island Boards, add
Beasts, Wilds, Disease, and Strife tokens as indicated by the Setup icons in
each land. Strife icons are shown above the Invader piece they are
affecting.
Playing on thematic map with this expansion increases the Difficulty by
1 (instead of increasing Difficulty by 3, without this expansion). This is
because the boards start with tokens which may help limit the Invaders’
spread.
17

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ADVERSARYADVERSARY THE KINGDOM OF FRANCE (PLANTATION COLONY):
KING LOUIS XIV
King Louis XIV, the longest ruling monarch in Europe, rules France with
an iron fist but requires a constant stream of revenue to finance his wars
on the continent. Recently involved in a war against Sweden and the
Holy Roman Empire to place his grandson Phillip on the Spanish throne,
Louis relies on the strength of the French Army to hold together a tenuous
alliance with Spain and Scotland against the Swedish, Habsburg, and
Prussian Kingdoms.
Prevented from raising money from the aristocracy, and with a
peasant population already suffering under some of the highest tax rates
in Europe, he has begun setting up plantation colonies and extracting the
resources of distant lands for the benefit of the kingdom of France.
18

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Many European powers had plantation colonies worked by imported
slaves. This Adversary combines the dynamics of rapid plantation (Town)
development and 18th century French frontier exploration.
It includes a special Event Card - “Slave
Rebellion” - which is only used when called
for by the Adversary.
This Adversary is notably easier for Spirits
which are good at Destroying Towns (e.g.,
Lightning Swift Strike).
This Adversary is notably harder for Spirits
which have difficulty Destroying buildings
(e.g., Bringer of Dreams and Nightmares),
due to the additional loss condition.
THEMATIC REBELLIONTHEMATIC REBELLION
The predictability of the “Slave Rebellion” Event makes for a more
balanced game. If you prefer a more thematic uncertainty, shuffle
the Slave Rebellion Card into the top two cards, then move the
bottom two cards of the Event Deck to the top.
19

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DIFFICULTY CHARTDIFFICULTY CHART USING THEMATIC MAPS WITH BRANCH & CLAW ADDS 1 TO THE
DIFFICULTY.
Please note that Difficulty is a rough guide: some Spirits are better/worse
against certain Adversaries and Scenarios, and Scenario/Adversary
combinations will vary in how much they combo with each other.
(*) +/-1, depending how the prior game went. However, this Scenario also
instructs you to increase your Adversary level if you won too decisively.
(**) The competitive treasure-searching in this Scenario makes the game
more swingy. On average, it adds about +1 Threat, but can be much
harder or easier depending on who finds what.
SCENARIOS THE KINGDOM OF
BRANDENBURG-
PRUSSIA
THE KINGDOM
OF ENGLAND
THE KINGDOM
OF SWEDEN
THE KINGDOM
OF FRANCE
DIFFICULTY 0
(NO CHANGE)
BLITZ
GUARD THE ISLE’S HEART
SECOND WAVE (*)
DIFFICULTY 1 POWERS LONG
FORGOTTEN (**)
BASE LEVEL BASE LEVEL BASE LEVEL
DIFFICULTY 2 WARD THE SHORES LEVEL 1 LEVEL 1 BASE LEVEL
DIFFICULTY 3 RITUALS OF TERROR
RITUALS OF
DESTROYING FLAME
LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 1
DIFFICULTY 4 DAHAN INSURRECTION LEVEL 2 LEVEL 2
DIFFICULTY 5 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 2
DIFFICULTY 6 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 4
DIFFICULTY 7 LEVEL 4 LEVEL 4 LEVEL 5 LEVEL 3
DIFFICULTY 8 LEVEL 6 LEVEL 4
DIFFICULTY 9 LEVEL 5 LEVEL 5 LEVEL 5
DIFFICULTY 10 LEVEL 6 LEVEL 6 LEVEL 6
20

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ADVERSARY & SCENARIOADVERSARY & SCENARIO
SCENARIOS THE KINGDOM OF
BRANDENBURG-
PRUSSIA
THE KINGDOM
OF ENGLAND
THE KINGDOM
OF SWEDEN
THE KINGDOM
OF FRANCE
DIFFICULTY 0
(NO CHANGE)
BLITZ
GUARD THE ISLE’S HEART
SECOND WAVE (*)
DIFFICULTY 1 POWERS LONG
FORGOTTEN (**)
BASE LEVEL BASE LEVEL BASE LEVEL
DIFFICULTY 2 WARD THE SHORES LEVEL 1 LEVEL 1 BASE LEVEL
DIFFICULTY 3 RITUALS OF TERROR
RITUALS OF
DESTROYING FLAME
LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 1
DIFFICULTY 4 DAHAN INSURRECTION LEVEL 2 LEVEL 2
DIFFICULTY 5 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 2
DIFFICULTY 6 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 4
DIFFICULTY 7 LEVEL 4 LEVEL 4 LEVEL 5 LEVEL 3
DIFFICULTY 8 LEVEL 6 LEVEL 4
DIFFICULTY 9 LEVEL 5 LEVEL 5 LEVEL 5
DIFFICULTY 10 LEVEL 6 LEVEL 6 LEVEL 6
21

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REFERENCEREFERENCE GLOSSARY/INDEX
Aided By (Element): The Energy cost of a Choice Event is reduced by 1
for having this Element, 2 for Discarding a Power Card from hand
which grants this Element, or by 4 for Forgetting a Power Card (from
hand, play, or discard) which grants this Element. [p. 9]
Beasts (Token): Dangerous Beasts. Harms Invaders erratically. [p. 10]
Choice Event: An Event which offers the Spirits a choice of paths. The first
choice is the default, if the Spirits cannot agree. [p. 9]
Dahan Event: The portion of an Event Card in which the Dahan act on
their own. [p. 8]
Disease (Token): Illness and plague. Prevents the next Build Action in its
land and is then Removed. [p. 10]
Event: An unforeseen development, resolved before Earned Fear Cards
each Invader Phase. [p. 8]
Extra Action: Invader Actions caused by Adversary effects, Events, Fear,
Powers, a Scenario, or anything other than an Invader Card on one of
the three Action Spaces on the Invader Board. [p. 15]
Invader Action: One of three bad things the Invaders do: Ravage, Build,
or Explore. Usually caused by cards on the Invader Board (“normal
Actions”), but can also be caused by Adversary effects, Events, Fear,
Powers, etc (“extra Actions”). [p. 14]
Invader Stage: The Stage shown on the top card of the Invader Deck - I,
II, or III. If playing against Bradenburg-Prussia Level 2+, treat the early
Stage III card as if it were Stage II. [p. 8]
Normal Action: The normal Invader Actions taken each turn due to
Invader Cards on one of the three Action Spaces on the Invader Board.
Does not include extra Actions from Events, Adversaries, Powers, etc.
Stage: See Invader Stage.
Strife (Token): Internal discord. Placed under an individual Invader (in
target land), unlike other tokens. When an Invader with Strife deals
Damage to Dahan and/or the land, that Damage is blocked, and the
Strife is then Removed. [p. 11]
Token Event: The portion of an Event Card with an effect centering
around Beasts, Disease, or Strife tokens. [p. 8]
Wilds (Token): Dangerous wilderness. Prevents the next Explore Action in
its land and is then Removed. [p. 10]
Spirit Island is the property of Flat River Group, LLC © 2016
For more information about this and other great games,
go to www.GreaterThanGames.com. If you have any questions,
or require replacement pieces, please email
contact@greaterthangames.com.
22

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CREDITS
Game Designer: R. Eric Reuss
Developer: Ted Vessenes
Editor-in-Chief: Christopher Badell
Creative Director: Adam Rebottaro
Managing Art Director: Jennifer Closson
Graphic Design: SaRae Henderson, Darrell Louder
Cover Art: Jorge Ramos
Cover Vines: Nolan N. Nasser
3-D Model Design: Jorge Ramos
Thematic Board Maps: Steffen Brand, Jade Gordon
Thematic and Adversary Maps: Zach Bodenner
Editors: Brian Blankstein, Dylan Thurston, Ted Vessenes
PLAYTESTERS
Daniel R. Abraham, Vivian Abraham, Joel Aernouts, Andy Arenson,
Bernie Bagin, Ben Barden, Rick Baxter, Geoffrey Benedict, Mark Bigney,
Brian Blankstein, Mike “Spiff” Booth, Chris Burton, Galen Garrick
Brownsmith, Trey Chambers, Danielle Church, Chris Cieslik, Justin du
Coeur, Jesse Cox, Christopher Dade, Nathan Dilday, Nathan Engert,
Kathryn Goldenoak, Jeremy Gottesman, Shoshana Gourdin, Bryan
Graham, Luke Hagerling, Betsy Helms, David Helms, Tim Hogue,
Donner Holten, Prescott Jenner, Paul Kalmar, Robert Kamphaus II,
Dave Kapell, Kathryn Kun, Andy Latto, Charles Leiserson Jr., Brian W.
Lenz, Russ Luzetski, Andrew Menard, Hung Nguyen, Leanna Opaskar,
Mark Opaskar, Alex Pogue, Danielle Reese, Curtis Reubens, Anna
Roberts, Uncle Don Ross, Ariel Segall, Cameron T. Seitzman, Randy
Smith, Kevin Spak, Brock Stafford, Rick Stefanich, David A. Stern III,
Tyler Stewart, Bill Stull, Dylan Thurston, Jared Tinney, Brent Ur, Carolyn
VanEseltine, Rebecca Vessenes, Ted Vessenes, Paul Watson, Katarina
Whimsy, Sameer Yalamanchi, and countless people who gave feedback
at conventions. Many thanks to all of you!
ARTISTS
Jason Behnke, Loic Belliau, Kat G. Birmelin, Cari Corene, Lucas Durham,
Rocky Hammer, Sydni Kruger, Nolan N. Nasser, Jorge Ramos, Moro
Rogers, Graham Stermberg, Shane Tyree, Joshua Wright
23

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TOKENS
BEASTS: Harms
Invaders and
generates Fear as
specified by Powers
and Event Cards.
DISEASE: Prevents
the next Build and is
then Removed.
WILDS: Prevents the
next Explore and is
then Removed.
STRIFE: Blocks a
specific Invader’s
Damage the next
time they Damage
Dahan and/or the
land, and is then
Removed.
During Setup, put one and one
on each Island Board. The
goes in the lowest-numbered land
with no printed Setup icons; the
goes in land #2 (with the City).
NEW TURN
ORDER
(All play is simultaneous.)
Spirit Phase
• Growth
• Gain Energy
• Play and pay for Power Cards
Fast Power Phase (Cards and Innate)
Invader Phase
• Blighted Island Effect
• Event
• Fear Effects
• Ravage (Including Strife)
• Build (Including Disease)
• Explore (Including Wilds)
• Advance Invader Cards
Slow Power Phase (Cards and Innate)
Time Passes
• Played Power Cards go to
personal discards.
• Damage and Elements go
away.
AIDED BY
If a cost says it is “Aided by a particular Element” it means that Spirits:
• May Forget one or more Power Cards (from hand, play, or discard) with
that Element to count +4 Energy towards the cost per Forgotten card.
• May discard one or more Power Cards (from hand to discard) with that
Element to count +2 Energy towards the cost per discarded card.
• Count +1 Energy towards the cost for each of that Element they have in
play (from Power Cards, Presence Tracks, or other effects).
Each Power Card can only be used for one of these (e.g., cannot be both
Discarded and Forgotten).
For specific card clarifications and
answers to any other questions, visit the
Living FAQ at https://querki.net/u/
darker/spirit-island-faq.
?
VER : 23.09

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