Game Objective

In Spirit Island: Nature Incarnate, you play as powerful Spirits of nature defending your island from invading colonizers. Your goal is to drive the Invaders away and protect the land. While the specific victory conditions depend on the Adversary and Scenario chosen, players generally work together to prevent the island from being overwhelmed by Blight or the Invaders' presence.

Setup

Follow these steps to prepare your game:

• Blight Setup: Start the game with exactly 1 additional Blight on the Blight Card / Blight space. If using a Healthy Island card, treat it as "2 per player, 1". Otherwise, treat the Blight space as "5 per player, 1".
• Spirit Components: Each player receives their Spirit Panel. If your Spirit has an Incarna, place the Incarna piece according to your specific setup instructions. If the piece has two sides, the Unempowered side (no yellow border) must face up.
• Adversary Setup (Habsburg Mining Expedition):
  • Add 1 Explorer in each land with no Dahan.
  • Add 1 Explorer and 1 Town in the highest-numbered land with a Setup symbol.
  • Salt Deposits: Remove the Stage II "Coastal Lands" card and place the Salt Deposits card in its place (the new deck order becomes 1-2SS-2-3).
• Thematic Boards: If using Thematic Boards, place 1 Vitality Token in lands 1, 5, and 6 on the Northwest Board, and land 7 on the East Board.
• Removal of Cards: If you own the Branch and Claw expansion, remove the following cards from the game: Outpaced, War Touches the Island’s Shores, A Strange Madness Among the Beasts, Growth Through Sacrifice, and Tipping Point.

Game Flow

The game progresses through a series of turns. While the full base game sequence is assumed, this expansion introduces specific modifications to the Invader Phase and Scenario effects:

• Invader Phase: The Invaders typically follow an Explore, Build, and Ravage sequence.
  • Mining Lands: Lands with 3 or more Invaders are considered Mining lands. In these lands, Build Cards cause Ravage Actions instead of Build Actions.
  • Mining Boom (I & II): After the Build Step, specific Upgrade or Build/Upgrade actions occur on chosen lands with Presence.
• Scenario: Surges of Colonization: Instead of a steady flow, Invaders arrive in surging waves. This makes certain effects, such as Defend, more swingy (useless on some turns and extra-useful on others).
• Triggered Actions: When resolving actions, wait until all triggered Actions are completed before checking for victory or defeat.

Actions and How to Play

Spirit Actions

Spirits use Innate Powers and Power Cards to manipulate the board. Key mechanics include:

• Growth: During the Spirit Phase, choose one Growth Option (e.g., Gain Energy, Add a Presence, or Empower Incarna).
• Incarna Management: An Incarna is a special type of Presence.
  • It can count as other pieces printed on it (such as Presence).
  • Empowering: Flipping the Incarna to its Empowered side (yellow border) permanently strengthens it.
  • Movement: You may Add or Move your Incarna to lands with your Presence.
• Extra Spirit Actions: Some special rules allow actions during the Spirit, Invader, or Time Passes phases. These cannot interrupt the resolution of a Power or Growth Action but can be used between them.

Technical Actions

• Upgrade/Downgrade: Upgrade replaces an Invader with the next-largest type (Explorer → Town → City). Downgrade replaces it with the next-smaller type; downgrading an Explorer removes it.
• Bring: A piece that Brings another takes that piece along when moving.
• Prepare & Claim: Prepare means putting a component on your Spirit Panel for later use; Claim means permanently adding it to your panel.
• Marking: Use a marker to Mark a piece or land to indicate it is special. These properties last until Time Passes.

Special Spirit Abilities

• Vitality Tokens: In a land with no Blight, a Vitality Token prevents 1 Blight from being added and is then removed.
• Bargains: Some Major Powers offer a Bargain. This requires removing Presence from the game and gaining less Energy per turn in exchange for a powerful effect.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when a victory or defeat condition is met. Check these only after all triggered Actions are resolved.

• Defeat Conditions:
  • Land Stripped Bare (Scenario): At the end of the Time Passes Phase, Invaders win if any land has at least 8 total Invaders (combined).
  • Irreparable Damage (Habsburg Monarchy): If the number of Blight removed from the Blight Card during Ravages that do 6 overkill to the land exceeds the number of players, the Invaders win.
  • Presence Loss: You do not lose if you lose all normal Presence but still have your Incarna on the island.
• Victory Conditions: Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção.

Tips for Winning

• Incarna Positioning: Use your Incarna to measure Range for Growth Options that add Presence at a distance.
• Strategic Sacrifice: If an action forces you to lose Presence, you can choose to lose your Incarna to save your normal Presence, provided you have a way to bring the Incarna back.
• Adversary Counter-play: Against the Habsburg Mining Expedition, prioritize Spirits that are effective at preventing Explore Actions or destroying multiple Explorers.