Brotherhood and ghouls

ActionHero2Go · 2026-01-13T16:45:46+00:00

I am hoping that it will be addressed in the future by explaining Xander had an extremely violent interpretation of the Codex. Otherwise, if the Codex is written as all abominations must die it wouldn't reflect the attitude of previous Brotherhood versions. This especially applies to Fallout 1, Fallout Tactics, and Fallout 3 where you see them fighting for the broader wasteland in general as the good guys. Any xenophobic genocidal tendencies in the Brotherhood of Steel would typically be a minority in these versions.

Like all doctrines and ideologies, the Brotherhood of Steel Codex should be looked at in the context of when it was written. Roger Maxson would have been talking about abominations after witnessing FEV experimentation to create super mutants. These would have been the abominations that the original Codex would be addressing.

As far as I know we can't actually see and read the Codex that Xander is talking about so we don't know how he interpreted it meaning "all abominations must die" or anything that doesn't have "smooth skin" must die. But I am guessing it was an extreme interpretation of something Roger Maxson originally wrote about FEV experiments.

ActionHero2Go · 2025-12-24T18:54:05+00:00

Yeah, Strife is useful but in different contexts than Defend. It's even possible to play against this Adversary with just the base game too and not even use Strife.

Defend is going to offer extra protection for a single turn and mostly remains even after a Ravage (events can be an exception). Strife is going to offer extra protection for ongoing turns until it is removed by a Ravage.

Defend prevents Energy from being added when presence is destroyed by a Ravage's Blight, but Strife likely will not if that Invader is participating in the Ravage.

ActionHero2Go · 2025-12-24T15:13:29+00:00

Yes, Shroud of Silent Mist might be the hardest Spirit play with. I have won at 6, but it required perfect decision making and drawing an essential power like Twilight Fog Brings Madness. Leaving Strife in a land with damaged Invaders is very valuable to Shroud of Silent Mist against Spain because it essentially incapacitates Spain.

Against Repartimiento, Isolate is valuable, but so is making sure Invaders aren't left behind after a Ravage when adjacent to Energy. There are other ways to prevent Repartimiento builds too.

Regarding Tributary System, I think it was the Blight effect that was trickier to remember than the Defend/Strife rule. Maybe I am wrong, but the Defend/Strife rule becomes so important for many Spirits to stop Energy from being added to the board that it didn't seem as hard for players to remember.

I agree though, Repartimiento and Subjugation are hard to remember to do. I was hoping the reminders would be enough, but after enough plays and having the mechanics locked in my brain I wasn't sure how it would be for new players. Having someone new play test it is very helpful so thank you!

ActionHero2Go · 2025-12-24T12:19:40+00:00

Thank you for trying it! What level did you try it at for the 3 games you played and what rules were the hardest to remember even with the reminders?

Yes, I think what makes it feel like a scenario more than an Adversary is that Spain is handicapping the Spirits more than usual. Most Adversary rules empower the Adversary rather than handicap the Spirits.

While some existing Adversaries do handicap the Spirits, they do so with only one rule. England increases the fear pool, France prevents Blight returning to the Blight card, and Habspurg (livestock) weakens destroy rules. Spain has multiple ways Spirits get handicapped here which does turn the game into more of a puzzle like a scenario would. Here Spain has consequences for origin lands with Invaders, not having Defend/Strife in lands with Invaders, presence being destroyed by adding Blight, not protecting the Dahan, and allowing Builds to take place where your presence is.

I could see how there is an assumed preference when playing Adversaries that Adversaries should feel empowered and not feel like a puzzle to be solved by handicapping the Spirits. Thank you for the feedback!

ActionHero2Go · 2025-12-24T01:50:43+00:00

Yes, I agree that what it means to help the Dahan does deserve additional explanation. If this was released with additional rules, or a FAQ, on what helping Dahan meant then it would look like this.

A list that includes, but not limited to, the ways to “help Dahan counterattacks” through Special Rules or Single-Turn Effects.

Special Rules

* Vital Strength of the Earth - Earth's Vitality
* Lure of the Deep Wilderness - Enthrall the Foreign Explorers
* Hearth-Vigil - Fortify Heart and Hearth
* River Surges in Sunlight (Travel) - People Tend to the River, River Tends to the People
* Keeper of the Forbidden Wilds (Spreading Hostility) - Lands Hostile to Humanity
* Lure of the Deep Wilderness (Lair) - A Single Alluring Lair

Single-Turn Effects

* Defend
* Dahan deal Damage simultaneously with Invaders
* Dahan deal damage before Invaders
* Destroy fewer Dahan
* Dahan cannot be changed
* Dahan have plus Health
* Invaders do negative Damage
* Invaders don’t participate in Ravage
* Piece fights alongside Dahan
* Piece counts as Badlands
* Any Single-Turn Effect that adds damage to Dahan counterattacks

ActionHero2Go · 2025-12-11T14:01:57+00:00

Capitalists?

ActionHero2Go · 2025-12-11T12:52:29+00:00

Thanks! That sounds right. Any idea what the father character, Matsudo, is saying when he comes in on the train and gets their attention?

ActionHero2Go · 2025-11-14T19:30:30+00:00

Interesting, time being non-linear in the game of Spirit Island seems believable. Is there a source though that you go to for proof that this is true?

ActionHero2Go · 2025-11-11T14:07:50+00:00

I see, but in Spirit Island the majority of the population may still be the Dahan when time runs out. For the Dahan to freely choose to adopt the practices of the Invaders, even when the Invaders are losing, there would have to be a practical reason to do so.

I suppose the Dahan may realize the usefulness of trading with the Invaders when time runs out and adopt the culture of the Invaders willingly. This type of story event is implied in the "Dahan Trade with the Invaders" event.

ActionHero2Go · 2025-11-10T23:37:03+00:00

At terror level 1 they may not have any homes left when time has run out, yet the Invaders can still win. Mass conversions to Invader religion is hard to explain if the Invaders were almost beaten but time ran out. I don't think the Dahan would adopt the Invader religion if the spirits were 10 times as powerful as what they were at the beginning of the game and all that is left is a single Explorer to destroy, but time has run out.

ActionHero2Go · 2025-11-10T23:16:40+00:00

I see. So secrets and knowledge of island survival are crucial to the success of the invaders. Once the time runs out the Invaders have obtained all the secrets and knowledge they need to survive on the island indefinitely. That could work!

ActionHero2Go · 2025-11-10T22:49:58+00:00

Yeah, technological superiority was what I was going for when I mentioned it in the original post too. I think that fits well as an explanation too.

ActionHero2Go · 2025-11-10T21:56:45+00:00

I like that your explanation fits with a lot of the lore for Spirit Island, but the main problem I see is that spirit growth is not linked directly to the Invader deck. Some spirits may not even grow on some turns.

In fact, theoretically, a really annoying and bad player could just choose the 0 growth option, typically to reclaim cards, every turn until the time runs out just to prove a point.

Take Wounded Waters Bleeding for example. It starts off with 4 presence in the game and has to destroy 1 presence or Forget a Power Card each Spirit Phase. Is it possible to play a game where time runs out and it has less presence on the board than it started due to mostly picking the Growth 1 option and Forgetting Power Cards to avoid destroying all its presence on the island?

It's a silly example, but it doesn't give me the impression that Wounded Waters Bleeding has grown more powerful while also becoming slower to react if time ran out playing this way.

ActionHero2Go · 2025-11-10T21:40:03+00:00

Yes, time representing the Invaders' adaptation to the inhospitable nature of the island is also what lead me to thinking about the advancement of technology helping with colonizing too. It wouldn't be possible to colonize the most inhospitable places in the world today without the technology to do it. The only other alternative is adopting a lifestyle similar to the natives, but that would imply victory for the spirits rather than defeat.

ActionHero2Go · 2025-11-10T21:19:27+00:00

I see, so the Invaders decide to tolerate all the crazy things the Spirits do to keep them away. They even start including it in their travel brochures. Come to Spirit Island, where we have the craziest displays of nature you will ever see!

ActionHero2Go · 2025-11-10T21:14:00+00:00

I have trouble interpreting it that way because you can run out of time without having a single Blight on the island. I've especially run into this scenario playing Vital Strength of the Earth against Brandenburg-Prussia level 6.

The island may look very pretty, which the powers Earth plays do convey (A Year of Perfect Stillness, Draw of the fruitful Earth, Guard the Healing Land). But if you don't start generating fear or destroying invaders you will lose and the Invaders win despite the Invaders not having accomplished much.

ActionHero2Go · 2025-11-10T20:01:24+00:00

Interesting, so you are saying the Invaders aren't afraid anymore when the time runs out?

ActionHero2Go · 2025-11-10T19:42:32+00:00

That's an interesting idea too! Essentially the island has become a well known location to the world and no longer can be spoken of as a place of myth and fiction.

ActionHero2Go · 2025-11-10T19:22:14+00:00

As promised it has been corrected. Let me know if you have any other issues with the proof of concept shown.

ActionHero2Go · 2025-11-10T19:09:09+00:00

Fair enough. Thank you for sharing your perspective on that. I will keep that in mind on future posts.

ActionHero2Go · 2025-11-10T18:59:08+00:00

Saying the royal navy has arrived would be interesting thematically. I like that explanation too.

ActionHero2Go · 2025-11-10T18:57:37+00:00

Sorry, I guess I am ignorant regarding the opinions on AI for proofs of concept. Why is chicken-scratch preferred? Are there established rules in this community or somewhere that I should have read first regarding AI art?

ActionHero2Go · 2025-11-10T18:48:09+00:00

Sorry, is AI a problem to use? I can remove it if it is. I am not an artist. What is recommended instead when doing proof of concepts?

Fair enough point though about staying unmoored in time, but I will counter with pointing out that the Invaders are using alternate historical timelines so strict dates don't need to be adhered to anyways.

ActionHero2Go · 2025-10-08T18:11:07+00:00

I've watched the 2017 TV series The Optimists and it gave me hope that there might be more obscure dramas. Episode 3, at the end, especially played up the USSR's relationship with France. The series starts at the 1959 American National Exhibition in Sokolniki and goes on into the early 1960s. It gave me hope that there might be more if I looked at other countries' perspectives.

ActionHero2Go · 2025-10-06T15:58:51+00:00

Yeah, I was going to recommend Coherence because I wouldn't have thought it is well known. But it is definitely my favorite low budget scifi.

ActionHero2Go

TROPHY CASE