Everdell Player Counts, Variants, and Expansions

Everdell has grown into a whole valley of boxes: five expansions, a giant collection, a two-player game, and standalone games set past the edge of the map. That is a lot to choose from. The good news is that the base game has plenty in it, and every addition works best one at a time.

This lesson starts with player counts and the solo game, then a variant, then the boxes worth knowing.

How does the game change by player count?

The base game plays 1 to 4.

• Two players: only 3 Forest cards go out, and each holds one worker. There are fewer rivals for the spaces you want, so plans hold together longer. Every card your opponent takes from the Meadow matters, because you are the only other buyer.
• Three players: all 4 Forest cards are out, still one worker each. Exclusive spaces get contested more often.
• Four players: the second space on each Forest card opens up, though never for two workers of the same player. The Meadow turns over faster, and Events tend to go quickly.

Starting hands grow by seat, from 5 cards for the first player to 8 for the fourth.

The solo game: three years against Rugwort

The base box includes a solo opponent, Rugwort, an old rat who returns for three years, each one harder. Set up as for two players. You start with 5 cards; Rugwort has no hand.

• Each time you play a card, Rugwort plays one too. Roll the 8-sided die to pick which Meadow card goes into his city.
• His workers block a Forest card and a basic location, moving to new spaces as the seasons change.
• He scores 2 points per card in his city (3 for purple cards), points for basic Events he achieves, points for special Events you fail to achieve, a worker on the autumn trail, and any point tokens you give him.

Year 1 is Rugwort the Rascal. Year 2, Rugwort the Rotten, scores more for the special Events you miss. Year 3, Rugwort the Rapscallion, takes one of your workers away in autumn. Beat him in year 3 and, the rulebook promises, the bards of Everdell will sing of it.

A variant from the tournament table

The Fool is a card you play into an empty space in an opponent’s city. Some groups love it; some don’t. At the World Boardgaming Championships event, all copies of the Fool may be removed from the deck if every player agrees at the start. That is a fair house rule for any table that would rather build than heckle.

The base game

Starling Games sells the current printing as the Everdell Standard Edition, the 3rd edition, for 1 to 4 players. Start here.

The five expansions

Each one needs the base game.

Pearlbrook adds a river board, a frog ambassador for each player, a new resource, pearls, and aquatic Critters and Constructions. Collect pearls to build Wonders and Adornments. It suits groups who want one new system with big scoring goals.

Spirecrest adds a mountain board, Discovery cards, seasonal Weather cards, maps, expeditions, and Big Critters with saddles that help your workers. The publisher calls it challenging, and it suits groups who already know the base game well.

Bellfaire is modular. It adds player powers for each critter clan, Garland Awards, new special Events, and a Market board, and it takes the game to 5 or 6 players. If your group is bigger than four, this is the one.

Newleaf adds a Station board with train car tiles that extend the Meadow, reservation tokens to hold a Meadow card for later, visitors, and 59 new Critter and Construction cards. It suits groups who want more cards and more planning without a whole new map.

Mistwood brings Nightweave, an automated opponent for solo and cooperative play, along with new critters and the Corrin Evertail, Legends II, and Through Every Season modules. If you mostly play Everdell alone, start here after Rugwort.

The Complete Collection

The Everdell Complete Collection holds the base game, all five expansions, and the collector’s content in one box, with storage trays and a consolidated rulebook and card reference, The Gilded Book and The Archive. It is a library, not a single game. Add one module at a time.

Other games in the same world

• Everdell Duo is a standalone game for 1 or 2 players, about 30 minutes, with head-to-head play and a 15-chapter cooperative campaign. It is the easy pick for couples.
• Farshore, Silverfrost, and Emerland are standalone games set past the edges of the valley: a seaside town with sailing, a snowy frontier, and a jungle with upgradable cards. None needs the base game.
• Welcome to Everdell is a family version for ages 6 and up, with simple worker placement and short games.

How to choose

• You love the base game as it is: play the three Rugwort years, then decide.
• Your group is 5 or 6: Bellfaire.
• You want more cards and choices: Newleaf.
• You want one new system to chase: Pearlbrook.
• You play solo most: Mistwood.
• You play as a pair: Everdell Duo, or the base game at two.

Our piece on whether expansions are worth it has a broader way to decide, for this game and the rest of your shelf.