Board game “Ghosts of the Torn Land” + board game review “Thorns and Claws”

Last week I gave a detailed look at the four-player strategy co-op game Spirits of the Island here. Today I have a preview of two major and one “minor” expansion that could help you not only increase replayability, but also bring new tokens or the ability to play with more players. You’ll find out more about the news in the following paragraphs.

• Number of players: 1 – 6
• Play time: 90 – 180 minutes
• Price: 1484 CZK (Tlama Games)
• Age: 14+

Torn Lands Expands Ghost Island’s World and Range of Possibilities

The basic version of Ghost Island will easily take several hours to play with the maximum number of players for the first few games. If the game has been too short for you so far, you can expand it to two more players with Torn Land, which not only allows you to bring more tokens into the game, but also expands the entire map with two new parts. , which somehow makes sense. After all, everyone needs their own living space, which you then work with when implementing the various shapes of the playing surface.

So that the player does not have to work only with the basic offer of ghosts, there are ten more new ones. Yes, the set of game “characters” has been significantly expanded, so that now you have the opportunity to find more interesting alternatives with unique game cards and, above all, abilities that you can use when playing for them. For example, such a spirit of the Deep Forest Lure can move and place its presence only in the interior of the country, but when it comes to plunder, up to two colonists cannot use their “right” to loot each of its presence. The most interesting thing about it is that it can “turn into pawns” enemy cities and settlements.

The new Torn Earth expansion brings a lot of these custom creatures to Spirits of the Island, so I wouldn’t hesitate to say that if you’re playing solo, you’ll be taken care of for at least a few dozen hours. Of course, you can count on their unique ability cards, as well as the 55 general ability cards (slow/fast) available to everyone. Events are a pretty big new feature.

Although in the basic version of Ghost Island you can predict what the enemies will do, this element brings unpredictability to the game. After you have assessed the effect of devastating the island, you also have to work with one of the event cards, which indicates several results that can be achieved. If you, for example, pull a piece focused on the trade of natives with colonists, this can, depending on your decision, lead to the passivity of the inhabitants during the plunder of the colonists, the destruction of the village or an increase in its defense for a significant amount of energy. There are really many alternatives and all of them are very interesting, at least in my opinion.

Then the colonizers have to deal with the wastelands, where they are more vulnerable. Four types of tokens have also been added to the game, partly related to the Thorns and Talons expansion. Enriching the whole with the Russian Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy is necessary for the settlers. Of course, each faction has its own elements that it can use in three new scenarios, the conditions of which are really interesting.

In my opinion, Torn Lands is a major expansion for Isle Ghosts. In fact, it increases the possibilities of the whole in every way, which enriches not only the possibilities of other players, but also expands the range of mechanics, spirits and enemies. It is these facts that make this expansion something that cannot be ignored.

Thorns and claws will allow you to turn people against you.

The first expansion presented is indeed bloated, but it is not the only thing that can be expanded with Island Spirits. Next to it is also the Thorns and Claws deck, which, as the name suggests, works quite carefully with the idea of ​​events and above all with the quartet of tokens, the presence of which I have already indicated in the previous lines. Each of them negatively affects your enemies in some way. Creatures attack colonists, diseases prevent construction, conflicts repair damage caused by colonists, and wilderness prevents exploration.

Overall, I really like this news. I also like a bunch of the newly added events, whether it’s slaves, missionaries, or lighter rains. I also find it interesting that the French Kingdom faction is ambitious, looking to dominate the island with a bit of growth or a couple of new formations. Yes, Thorns and Claws has some newcomers who can do some damage. It’s nice to see Sharpfang’s spirit hiding in the bushes, accompanied by wild creatures who partially do his bidding. All in all, this expansion is a solid one.

I thought a lot about whether or not to start a Wings and Flames deck from scratch. In the end, I thought it would be better to include it in the already presented part of the Island Ghosts: Thorns and Talons, since it was really a promo card in the first place. In total, this expansion will offer you four new spirits and the Kingdom of Scotland. The new monsters added in this expansion are pretty cool. For example, this Heart of Wildfire can deal damage and also drive away natives and animals, because no one wants to be where there is a fire, right?

The Scots themselves then expand very quickly along the coast, so you won’t have any free time. However, with the new creatures you will be able to resist them. Of the two expansions presented, I find Thorns and Claws more interesting, which are simply more ambitious. However, this is primarily my personal impression.

Ghosts of the Island Gets a New Charge with Three Expansions

I have played several games of Ghosts of the Island so far, both in the base format without the expansions and with them, and I must admit that while the base version is excellent and can be fun on its own, the expansions are something a strategist should not miss. They are what bring Events into the game world, which reduce the ability to predict your enemies’ moves, increase the game time, and also enrich the game with additional spirits and factions. Personally, I bought the entire shamrock with my own money, but if I were to decide which one to go with, I would probably go with Torn Land, because it really has a lot to offer.