# Everdell: Spirecrest ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2020 - **BGG Rating**: 8.3 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 1-4 (Best with: 2) - **Duration**: 40-100 min - **Weight**: 3.05 / 5 - **Designers**: James A. Wilson - **Artists**: Andrew Bosley, Dann May - **Publishers**: Starling Games (II), Gémklub, Hobby World, Maldito Games, Matagot, Pegasus Spiele, Rexhry, Tycoon Games, White Goblin Games, Ігромаг - **Categories**: Animals, Card Game, City Building, Expansion for Base-game, Fantasy - **Mechanics**: Events, Hand Management, Open Drafting, Set Collection, Worker Placement ## Verdict If you love building animal towns and enjoy a weather‑driven challenge, Spirecrest will hook you.Exciting new mechanicsHigh‑quality componentsIncreased replayabilityExtra learning curveRequires translated cardsRECOMMENDED ## Description Far beyond the peaceful borders of Everdell Valley, Spirecrest pushes the adventure into mysterious, uncharted lands where weather imposes obstacles and fresh critters appear at every turn. The expansion adds Weather cards that temporarily modify the rules, forcing players to adapt their plans, while Discovery cards introduce new locations and critters that grant exclusive abilities and alternate scoring routes. Big Critters act as special workers and also as mounts, bringing unique powers that can swing the game in your favor. Everdell's core mechanics—worker placement, hand management, open drafting, and set collection—remain, but now they unfold under the pressure of climatic events that can speed up or stall progress. The box brings new building tiles, event cards, and high‑quality components, including even more detailed animal meeples. Designed for 1‑4 players, games run 40‑100 minutes and carry a moderate complexity (weight 3/5). If you enjoyed crafting your critter kingdom in the base game, Spirecrest adds deeper strategy and narrative layers while preserving the charming atmosphere and stunning artwork that made Everdell a hit. It rewards careful planning yet still allows surprising twists thanks to ever‑changing weather and powerful new characters. ## How to Play Game Objective In Everdell: Spirecrest, you venture beyond the boundaries of the Everdell Valley into the mysterious mountains of Spirecrest. Your goal is to lead a rabbit Traveler through uncharted lands, braving challenging weather and making amazing discoveries. Along the way, you will gather map tiles to plan a final Expedition. By smartly utilizing Discovery cards and planning your journey, you will build the story of your city and your epic journey. Setup Follow the base game setup rules and add the following steps: Place the Mountain board along the lower half of the main board. Divide the Weather cards into seasons. Shuffle and place one facedown on each corresponding season spot on the Mountain board. Return the rest to the box. Keep Discovery cards divided into three categories: Foothills, Peaks, and Ridge. Shuffle each group individually and place them facedown on their corresponding spots on the Mountain board. Give each player one Everdell map tile. Shuffle the 24 map tiles and place one more than the number of players faceup on the Foothills portion of the trail. Place the same amount facedown on the Peaks trail and Ridge trail. Return the remaining tiles to the box. Arrange the Big Critter meeples on or near the Mountain board (optional). Flip over the winter Weather card and place a Traveler meeple for each player on the Foothills icon at the beginning of the trail. Game Flow Your Traveler progresses through the mountains in a specific order: Foothills, then Peaks, then Ridge, and finally the Expedition. This progression is tied to the seasons: Winter: Exploring Foothills. Spring: Exploring Peaks. Summer: Exploring Ridge. Autumn: The Expedition. Every time you perform a Prepare for Season action, you must immediately perform the Explore action, which consists of three steps in this exact order: Chart: Take one map tile from your current area and add it to the end of your Expedition. Discover: Reveal 3 Discovery cards from your current area and play one into your area. Travel: Move your Traveler to the next area on the trail. Reveal the Weather card and map tiles for that area if they are not already revealed. When you perform the autumn Prepare for Season action, first turn over the autumn Weather card, then move your Traveler off the Mountain board and onto the Everdell tile at the beginning of your Expedition. Actions and How to Play The Explore Action This action is triggered after Prepare for Season and follows these rules: Charting: Your Expedition starts with the Everdell map tile. New map tiles are placed to the right of the previous one. You will gain a total of 3 map tiles over the game. Discovering: Reveal 3 Discovery cards from your current area's deck. You may play only one: The first card is free. The second card costs 1 of any resource or 1 discarded card from your hand. The third card costs 2 of any resource, 2 discarded cards, or 1 of each. Discovery cards do not count against your city size limit and are considered "card-playing abilities" (they cannot be combined with cards like the Innkeeper or the Crane). Traveling: Move your Traveler to the next area. You must follow the rule restrictions of the current season's Weather card. Different players may be affected by different Weather if they are in different seasons. Discovery Card Types Trails and Cities: Trails provide endgame points for fulfilling requirements. Cities (found in the Ridge deck) provide points based on card types not in your city. Ongoing Effects: Abilities that remain in effect for the game or as stated. Locations: Can be private or Open locations that other players can visit. When Played: Abilities that trigger immediately upon playing. Big Critters: When played, take the matching meeple. This Big Critter replaces one of your workers. They are considered "workers" and can visit normal locations or be moved by cards like the Ranger. Weather Effects Weather restrictions apply based on your current season. Some effects force discards at the end of your turn. If a Weather effect adds a cost, it is ignored if the card is played for free (e.g., via occupied token). Winter: Blizzard (less resources from Forest), Dense Fog (extra cost to play cards), Freezing Rain (cannot visit Forest). Spring: Heavy Rain (less resources/cards from Basic locations), Lightning Storms (extra cost for Construction), Severe Wind (discard 1 card after playing a card). Summer: Drought (Green Production cards don't activate), Heat Wave (extra berry cost for Critters), Tornado (cannot play cards from the Meadow). Autumn: Flooding (extra cost for Meadow cards), Hail (discard 1 card after visiting Basic or Forest), Wild Fire (permanently lose 1 worker). End of Game and Scoring The Expedition occurs immediately after you pass at the end of the game. The Expedition Process: You must travel through your Expedition in the order they were charted (from left to right). To move to a tile, you must pay the listed cost on that tile. You may choose how many tiles to travel through. You gain points for the map tile your Traveler ends on and all previous tiles to the left. You do not gain points for tiles you do not explore. Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção regarding general victory conditions and total point calculation. Tips for Winning Plan your Expedition: Since you must pay costs in the order the tiles were charted, ensure you have the necessary resources saved for the end of the game to maximize your Expedition points. Manage Weather: Be mindful of the Weather card of your current season; for example, if you are in Summer during a Tornado, you cannot play cards from the Meadow, so draw them into your hand first. Utilize Big Critters: Use the unique abilities of Big Critters (like Whisper ignoring exclusive placement rules) to gain an advantage over standard workers. ## FAQ ### How many players can play Spirecrest? 1 to 4 players, just like the base game. ### How long does a game last? Typically 40‑100 minutes, depending on player count and familiarity. ### Do I need the Everdell base game? Yes, Spirecrest is an expansion and cannot be played standalone. ### What are the main new features? Weather cards, Discovery cards, Big Critters, new building tiles and events that temporarily alter rules. ### Is the complexity much higher? The complexity rises slightly (weight 3/5) but remains approachable for Everdell fans. ### Are the components high quality? Absolutely, with detailed animal meeples and beautifully illustrated tiles, matching the base set. ### Is there a digital version? Yes, an official implementation is available on Tabletopia. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 56.77 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=3435440&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/31333/everdell-spirecrest?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com