u/Geledon

Rules question regarding Fang: Hi everyone—I’m definitely overusing Reddit lately. Sometimes I find answers in old threads, but I couldn't find this one...

Several times in previous games with Fang, I had very powerful actions to play that required casting a Fast Power without having the necessary range at the moment of playing the card. The plan was to move a Presence using a Beast (via my first Innate Power) to get into range and strike the region (the same applied to other cards requiring a Sacred Site that I could have formed after moving my Beasts/Presence, but didn't have when I played the cards).

Can I still cast the spell and decide the precise order of actions afterward so everything coordinates correctly?

Also, just double-checking: we agree that transforming a Presence into a Beast happens before casting spells, right? I wasn't sure if I could use that ability after moving Beasts/Presence to end up with two Beasts at once (though I didn't think that was allowed).

So far, I’ve avoided doing these things, but what are the classic gameplay mistakes with Fang? This is my second game, and both times I’ve finished the match right at the start of Phase II—the Invaders don't even have time to settle in! (Granted, I’m playing at a low difficulty—Prussia Level 2—but I struggle much more with other Spirits, so this feels a bit odd.)

Hi everyone! I recently started playing Spirit Island, and I absolutely love it. That said—and as you might have guessed from the post title—there’s a topic I’d like to get your thoughts on.

Ever since I began my Spirit Island journey, I couldn't help but notice that the balance between spirits is quite uneven. In an asymmetric game, this is to be expected—since each spirit has its own strengths and weaknesses, it makes sense. However, I find it incredibly frustrating that some spirits are affected more negatively than others by certain factors, such as the adversary/matchup, solo vs. multiplayer play, difficulty levels, events, and so on.

As I regularly browse the discussion threads, I get the impression that certain Spirits are automatically viewed as potential liabilities for their teams (Vital Strength of the Earth, Shadows Flicker Like Flame), while others are seen as highly dependent on card draws or inherently more difficult to play successfully than the rest (Bringer of Dreams and Nightmares). I’ve even read—though perhaps people are exaggerating—that some are no longer fun to play because they are simply too powerful (A Spread of Rampant Green or Keeper of the Forbidden Wilds).

To give a concrete example, I’ll talk about the recent experience that gave me this impression. I’ve loved playing Thunderspeaker from the very start. The spirit really gives me the feeling of commanding an army—a powerful one, certainly, but one that can suffer severe setbacks following a military defeat. In short, the gameplay is fantastic. Since acquiring the *Branch & Claw* expansion, however, I feel that Thunderspeaker suffers much more from certain events than other spirits do:

- Events that destroy Dahan reduce the size of its "army."

- Events that boost adversary attacks can bypass established defenses.

- Events that move Dahan can save Invaders from a counterattack.

I realize, of course, that introducing randomness we have to adapt to is the whole point of the Event phase. However, these events occur right before the Invader phase, leaving us with no way to react or save our Dahan. Furthermore, the consequences of an unfavorable event are far more severe for Thunderspeaker than for other spirits—which, I admit, I find quite frustrating. I’ve played other Spirits since then, and honestly, I no longer feel any frustration or tension when it comes time to flip an Event card.

So, that’s a long post—thanks to everyone who took the time to read it. Just a reminder: the goal here certainly isn't to badmouth Spirit Island. I still play it and love it. I’m looking for your thoughts to spark a discussion and see how you handle this :DD

Hi there! I recently started playing Spirit Island and I'm getting stuck on a few key rules, so I want to make sure I'm playing correctly :D

- When using a "Slow" power card, am I allowed to change the target if the Invader placement during the Explore phase makes a different region a better target? It happens to me often (especially late in the game) that I play four Slow cards and then decide which targets work best to wipe out the most Invaders.

- When there is Defense in a land, does it prevent a Blight marker from being placed? (For example, if the Invaders attack for 4 but there is 3 Defense, does that mean no Blight and the Dahan are safe? I was playing the Mountain Spirit—one of the base game ones that relies heavily on Defense provided by its Sacred Sites.)

- If a card removes or adds Blight, do you take the marker from the box or from the Blight pool/space? Because if you remove the starting Blight token from the board, you'd end up with a different number of tokens in the pool than at the start of the game... That seems incredibly powerful and would really stall the game :D?

- And one last thing it's not entirely clear: when do you reveal the Explore card? At the end of the Invader turn during the Progression phase, or at the very last moment before their next turn?

I'm not sure if my questions are clear (especially the last one), but I'm struggling to explain it any better :) Sorry if there are any inaccuracies in the message—I used Google Translate—but thanks in advance anyway! :DD

PS: I absolutely LOVED Spirit Island, by the way. I got crushed in the first game but won the second one (on super-easy mode), but it was so satisfying because it was still really tough, lol!!

Hi there!

Just dropping a quick note because I’m really curious to hear your thoughts on playing Terraforming Mars solo. :)

To give you some context: I’m a complete newcomer to this game. I’ve recently "discovered" the pleasure of playing board games solo—with a cup of tea and some music—and I’ve lately become a huge fan of Agricola. While looking into other games that offer some complexity and work for both solo and multiplayer play, I naturally came across Terraforming Mars.

I’ve read the rules and played two or three solo games, but I couldn't help feeling that certain cards—specifically victory point cards or those involving slower engine-building—just didn't work well. As a result, I constantly feel like I have to pick cards that are "viable for solo play," which is a bit frustrating; it feels as though a large chunk of the game's variety isn't actually accessible...

So, the question is: Do I simply not know the game well enough yet?

(Message translate with google trad :D)

Hi everyone!!

First post on the Agricola subreddit; I discovered the game a week ago and I'm totally hooked... I'm playing solo games back-to-back and starting to optimize my play—in short, it's a blast. That said, I usually play modern games with clear rulebooks, and I admit I'm struggling with a few rules, so I was wondering if you could help me out:

- When you get extra animals during the breeding phase and can't place them, can you use them for cooking? (The rules specify that this step happens after feeding your farmers, but is it possible to cook the animal to get a head start on food before the next cycle's harvest?)

- Regarding the "Shepherd's Crook" Minor Improvement (+2 sheep; create a pasture covering 4 farm spaces): I used 10 wood to make two adjacent 2x2 plots. The total size is 4 spaces, but they are separate plots upon creation... I wasn't sure, so I did it in two steps (one turn to place the large pasture, another to split it), but I had my doubts.

- Finally, for the "Sheep Counter" Occupation: it says it can be used "at any time," so I assume that means as many times in a row as I want? The bonus seems so powerful in solo play—it lets you grab batches of sheep and process them for better cooking yields. Plus, for optimizing births vs. cooking, it seems incredibly strong, which makes me wonder if I'm missing something!

Anyway, sorry for the wall of text, and thanks in advance, fellow farmers!

(Message translated via Google Translate)

Hey ;) !

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I need some advice for my island. I have a premium account, and I'm currently growing T5 aromatic plants on Bridge, which I then turn into resistance potions. It's pretty well-established, and I'm profitable, but the problem is that the fields take a looooong time to harvest/replant/water every day...

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I was wondering if breeding wouldn't be faster? (I hate leveling up all the specializations, but... a whole island of fields takes forever).

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Also, between cultivating and horses, I don't have to choose. I know that for one I'd have to buy the foals and not the other. Has anyone already calculated the cost of buying foals?

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Thanks in advance :DD

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(translated message)

Bonjour !

Je suis un joueur solo d'Albion (lance <3), et j'ai commencé récemment a m'interesser au contenu de groupe (petite et grande échelle) et je souhaite y jouer comme tank, qui me paraît plus intéressant et plus stimulant que DPS.

Et j'ai plein de question :

- masse ou marteau ? Je redemande car j'ai déjà un peu monter mes marteau pour du PvP solo mais j'ai globalement l'impression que la masse 1h domine ?

- Es ce que l'IP de l'arme est réellement importante ? En gros es ce que je doit investir du temps a spec mes armes ou les armures sont suffisantes (parce que les cc et le ganking ne sont pas influencé par la spec de l'arme je croit ?)

- des conseils annexe pour jouer en tank ? Je suis un joueur de lol, j'aide eja fait de la small et du ZVZ un peu, je reste ouvert car je découvre le rôle de tank :3 !