u/Pinstar

I'm in the coral forest. P3 (Just starting the prestige climb) No starting metal in my embark, besides the standard 10 pipes. Lizard majority starting population with a splash of harpies and beavers. Starting glade has a healthy sized patch of fertile soil. My initial blueprint offering has a forester's hut. The other three are not very attractive early game picks, and don't solve for complex food early. None of them make use of the other materials in my starting glade (stone and roots, both with only 2 small patches).

In this situation, would you instant -pick the forester's hut so you can start planting from year 1? Or would you hold your BP pick until you see your first set of orders and open your first glade?

To be clear, if I picked it I would grow exclusively crystalized dew so I can get pipes for my rainpunk engines setup nice and early.

I just want to share this.

Viceroy difficulty, marshlands with both the sparkdew crystals modifier (+6 starting impatience) and cursed from a world event (+150 base hostility, kills villagers if you spend more than 90 seconds sacrificing materials). I had harpies, lizards and foxes. Keeping everyone happy and alive in the early game was not easy.

I'm in year 5, my orders have all been awful. My impatience is running very high but I'm only about halfway through the reputation track. I have a tea doctor and a druids hut, but no containers. My granary used up my supply for pickles and the last two traders have had none for sale. Meanwhile I have the three races that want boots and like 300 leather stored up from wood cutting and a large leather node.

I turn in my 4th order (the last one id be able to do) and get my blueprints. And finally I see it: The leather worker. 3 star water skins, 2 star boots. I build it, max out the rain engine and open the flood gates to all foods, clothing and services. I win just before the storm on resolve alone.

I just wanted to share this, and why Against the Storm is such an awesome game. Does anyone else have tales of "the right blueprint at the right time makes all the difference"?

Is the bonus damage from fortell Harm just the number listed or per damage type. So if my Oracle casts a rank 1 thunder strike (electric and sonic damage) and follow it up with Fortell Harm, would I deal (at the start of the target's next turn) an extra 2 damage or an extra 4 damage (2 electric, 2 sonic)?

Mine is the sealed forest track Anomalous.

Assuming you don't have an order or a proposed trade route that wants a huge number of a specific item, what do you normally have as your production cap for various items?

How many service items do you normally build up before making a final resolve push?

I'm early in a settlement and received 5 purging Fire as an expedition reward. Will my people be able to use the 5 fires to burn cysts before I've built my post? I just want to know if I can delay the building of my post or not.

I'm a returning player and am curious about how more experienced veterans approach ponds. They weren't a thing last time I played and the whole optional bait thing combined with the need to empty it or lose charges before you get any resources from it. What is the general approach? Say you have a small pond in your starting glade, how best to use it when trying to stabilize?