The Ludarium Academy · Masterclass · Free

Ravage, Build, Explore

An unofficial Spirit Island course

Learn and teach Spirit Island in one sitting, then read the Invader cards ahead, spend Fear and Energy well, play the starter Spirits, and climb the adversaries together.

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Spirit Island setup for two players. On the left, the Invader board: 8 Fear markers in the Fear Pool, the 9-card Fear Deck in three groups of 3 split by two Terror Level dividers, Terror Level 1, and the Blight Card Healthy side up with Blight on it. Below those, the Ravage space is empty, the first Invader card sits face up on Build, and the Invader Deck sits on Explore, with an arrow showing the cards slide toward Ravage. On the right, the Island: two boards of eight lands each, side by side, with Ocean on the outer edges, each player's starting Presence, and Invaders and Dahan in some lands. Below the Island, the Minor and Major Power decks with space for discards, and the supply of Energy, Dahan, and Invaders. Along the bottom, each player's Spirit panel with Presence filling both tracks except the leftmost space, and a hand of 4 Unique Power Cards.Free printable teach sheetSetup, a turn, scoring, and three tips on one page.

Six levels, 23 lessons

Start with lesson one

  1. Level 0 · Learn to play

    Seedling

    After this level: Set up, teach, and play a full game with the Blight, Fear, and Ravage rules right, without opening the rulebook.

    1. 01How to Play Spirit Island
    2. 02How to Teach Spirit Island
    3. 03Spirit Island Rules New Tables Get Wrong

  2. Level 1 · Beginner

    Sapling

    After this level: Read the Invader track ahead, race the Fear Deck, grow your Spirit without stalling, and pick a starter team that covers the Island.

    1. 04Spirit Island Invader Cards: Ravage, Build, Explore
    2. 05Spirit Island Fear and Terror Levels
    3. 06Spirit Island Growth, Energy, and Card Plays
    4. 07The Four Starter Spirits in Spirit Island

  3. Level 2 · Intermediate

    Grove

    After this level: Open each game with a plan, use the Dahan as allies, choose Power Cards and Elements on purpose, and play all eight Spirits in the box.

    1. 08Spirit Island Openings: The First Three Turns
    2. 09Spirit Island Dahan Strategy: Allies Who Fight Back
    3. 10Choosing Power Cards in Spirit Island
    4. 11Spirit Island Elements and Innate Powers
    5. 12The Other Four Spirits in the Spirit Island Box

  4. Level 3 · Advanced

    Wildwood

    After this level: Hold Blight in check, count the Invader Deck, plan a win turns ahead, play well solo, and beat your first adversary.

    1. 13Spirit Island Blight: Managing the Clock You Can See
    2. 14Reading the Spirit Island Invader Deck: Odds and Counting
    3. 15The Spirit Island Endgame: Planning the Win
    4. 16Playing Spirit Island Solo
    5. 17Spirit Island Adversaries and Scenarios

  5. Level 4 · Expert

    Tempest

    After this level: Climb Brandenburg-Prussia, England, and Sweden toward level 6, knowing what each one punishes and how to answer it.

    1. 18Climbing Brandenburg-Prussia in Spirit Island
    2. 19Climbing the Kingdom of England in Spirit Island
    3. 20Climbing the Kingdom of Sweden in Spirit Island

  6. Level 5 · Mastery

    Ancient

    After this level: Win on the thematic map and stacked challenges, score and log your games, and keep a whole table of Spirits playing as one.

    1. 21Spirit Island at High Difficulty: Thematic Maps and Stacking
    2. 22A Spirit Island Practice Plan for Your Group
    3. 23Spirit Island Multiplayer Strategy and Teamwork

Every lesson is free to read here, any time. Sign up and they also arrive by email, one at a time, so the course keeps you learning between game nights.

Who it is for

  • New players who want the rules clear before the first Explorer lands.
  • Hosts who teach heavy co-ops and want a clean, accurate teach of this one.
  • Players who know the rules but keep losing to Blight or running out of time.
  • Groups who want to climb the adversary levels together, without one player running the table.
Players
1 to 4
Play time
90 to 120 minutes
Ages
Ages 14 and up
Rules as of
Spirit Island core rulebook, version 23.08 (Greater Than Games digital rulebook)

Questions

What is the phase order in Spirit Island?

Every turn runs the Spirit Phase, Fast Powers, the Invader Phase, Slow Powers, then Time Passes. In the Spirit Phase you Grow, gain Energy, then play and pay for Power Cards. The Invader Phase resolves any Blighted Island effect, then earned Fear Cards, then Ravage, Build, and Explore, then the Invader cards slide one space.

How does Blight work in Spirit Island?

A Ravage that deals 2 or more Damage to a land adds 1 Blight there, however much Damage it deals. After setup, each added Blight destroys 1 Presence of every Spirit in that land, and if the land already had Blight, 1 more Blight cascades into an adjacent land. If the Blight Card runs out, follow its instructions.

How do you win Spirit Island?

Meet the victory condition for the current Terror Level. At Terror Level 1 you must clear every Invader, at Level 2 every Town and City, and at Level 3 every City. Earning Fear Cards raises the Terror Level, and earning the whole Fear Deck wins outright.

Which Spirit should a beginner play in Spirit Island?

The rulebook names four low-complexity Spirits: Lightning's Swift Strike, Vital Strength of the Earth, River Surges in Sunlight, and Shadows Flicker Like Flame, the trickiest of the four. For your first game or two, use that Spirit's Power Progression card.

What is the best first adversary in Spirit Island?

The rulebook recommends the Kingdom of Brandenburg-Prussia, because it mostly changes setup rather than adding new rules. England and Sweden make deeper changes to how the Invaders work.

Can you play Spirit Island solo?

Yes. A solo game uses one Island board as the whole Island. You may target yourself with Powers that target another Spirit, but you do not get the extra benefits some of them give when used on someone else.

Teach sheet · PDF · Rules as described in the Spirit Island core rulebook, version 23.08 (Greater Than Games digital rulebook); official rules.

Unofficial. Not affiliated with Greater Than Games or Flat River Group. Spirit Island is the property of Flat River Group, LLC.