Last week I detailed the four-player strategy co-op Island Spirits here. Today I have a preview of two major and one “minor” expansion that will help you not only increase replayability, but also bring new tokens or the ability to play with more players. You will learn more about the news in the following paragraphs.
- Number of players: 16
- Game time: 90 – 180 minutes
- Price: 1484 CZK (Tlama Games)
- Age: 14+
Torn Lands expands the world and scope of Ghost Island
The base version of Ghost Island will easily take several hours to complete during your first few games with the maximum number of players. If you’ve found the game too short so far, you can expand it to up to two more players via 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 various forms of the playing surface.
So that the player does not have to work only with the main offering of ghosts, there are ten more new ones. Yes, the set of game “characters” has been significantly expanded, so now you have the opportunity to find more interesting alternatives with unique game cards and, above all, abilities that you can use while playing as them. For example, such a Deep Forest Lure spirit can only move and place its presence within the country, but when it comes to plunder, up to two colonizers cannot exercise their “right” to prey on each of its presence. The most interesting thing about him is that he can “turn enemy cities and settlements into pawns.”
The new Torn Earth expansion brings a ton of these customized creatures to Spirits of the Island, so I’m not at all afraid to say that if you’re playing solo, you’ll be well 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 common ability cards (slow/fast) available to everyone. The events represent quite an important new feature.
While in the base version of Ghost Island you can predict what enemies will do, this element introduces unpredictability to the game. Once you’ve assessed the effect of devastating the island, you should also work through one of the event cards, which lists several outcomes that can be achieved. If you, for example, pull out a piece focused on the trade of natives with colonists, this could, depending on your decision, lead to passivity of the inhabitants during the robberies of the colonists, the destruction of the village, or increasing its defense for a significant amount of energy. There are really a lot of alternatives and they are all very interesting, at least in my opinion.
The colonizers then have to deal with the wastelands, where they are more vulnerable. Four types of tokens were also added to the game, partly related to the Thorns and Talons expansion. Enrichment of the whole by 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 represents a major expansion for Isle Ghosts. In fact, in all respects they increase the capabilities of the whole, which enrich not only the capabilities of other players, but also expand the range of mechanics, spirits and opponents. It is these facts that make this expansion something that cannot be ignored.
Spikes and claws will allow you to turn people against you.
The first expansion revealed is indeed bloated, but it’s not the only thing that can be expanded with Island Spirits. Next to it is also a deck of Thorns and Claws, which, as the name itself 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 a certain way. Creatures attack the colonists, diseases prevent construction, conflicts undo the damage caused by the colonists, and the wilderness prevents exploration.
Overall, I really like this news. I also liked a number of newly added events involving slaves, missionaries, or lower-intensity rains. I also find interesting the ambitious faction of the Kingdom of France, seeking to dominate the island through rapid growth or a couple of new formations. Yes, Thorns and Claws also has newcomers who can deal damage. It’s nice, for example, to hide in the bushes the spirit of Sharp Fang, accompanied by wild creatures that partially carry out his will. The included extension is very decent.
I’ve been thinking a lot about whether or not I should start the Wings and Flames deck from scratch. In the end, I thought it would be better to include it in the already featured Haunting of the Island: Thorns and Claws installment, because it was originally primarily a promo card. 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, such a Forest Fire Heart can cause damage and also drive away natives and animals, because no one wants to be where it is burning, right?
The Scots themselves then expand very quickly along the coast, so you won’t have any free time. However, with new creatures you will be able to resist them. Of the pair of expansions presented, I find the more interesting Thorns and Claws, which is simply more ambitious. However, this is primarily my personal impression.
Ghosts of the Island gets a new boost with three expansions
I’ve played several Ghosts of the Island games to date, both in the base format without expansions and with them, and I have to admit that while the base version is excellent and can be fun on its own, when combined with the expansions it’s something a strategist shouldn’t miss . It is they who introduce Events into the game world, which reduce the ability to predict the moves of your enemies, increase the game time and, in addition, enrich the game with additional spirits and factions. Personally, I bought all of Shamrock with my own funds, but if I were thinking about which one to go to, I would probably choose Torn Land because it really has a lot to offer.
Source :Indian TV
