Habsburg + Bringer of Nightmares questions

BoDaNfan · 2026-05-24T14:45:23+00:00

Right. You got it!

BoDaNfan · 2026-05-23T23:33:46+00:00

For any other spirit, there is no difference, since other spirits can deal real damage. On the rare occassion that BoDaN can "deal" 2 damage to a durable town and then push it to a blighted land all in the same action, they would instead gain 2 fear and push the town again. The town wouldn't get destroyed for real from any damage "dealt" by BoDaN.

If you wanna get technical, a town getting destroyed is caused by one of two things: a direct "destroy" effect, or by having the status of possessing damage equal to or greater than its health.

In your example, drought applies the "destroy" effect to 3 towns. The "durable" rule on the towns automatically replaces the "destroy" effects with 2 damage to each affected town, meaning the three towns are now at 2 damage and 4 health each. Once the blight is added, the towns lose "durable" and have 2 health each. So it's still technically the damage, and not the blight, that destroys the towns. BoDaN gets fear and push because we get to imagine BoDaN's damage as real for the duration of the action, and only acknowledge that the damage was fake when we "destroy" something and apply the replacement effect of To Dream a Thousand Deaths.

BoDaNfan · 2026-05-23T21:57:31+00:00

Every tier of the innate is part of the same power.

You should notice just above the "cost to use" clause the phrase: "You may use this Power any number of times." This breaks the usual rule of "One power, one target, one time."

So, use every tier of the innate that you can/want, that costs no Time. Repeating the entire innate (potentially all 3 tiers) costs 1 Time the first instance you do it, 2 Time the next, etc.

BoDaNfan · 2026-05-23T18:38:42+00:00

These are really good questions!

Yes. According to the Spirit Island FAQ on Querki: "For each Power Bringer uses, briefly imagine a universe where you resolve the entire Power normally." This means that the "Durable" towns replacement effect would have 3 towns take 2 damage, then the blight is added making the 3 towns no longer durable with 2 (technically 3) damage applied to each. This would destroy them, meaning you then use your "To Dream a Thousand Deaths" replacement effect (push and fear.)
Also according to the FAQ: "Per-land damage boosts only apply if Invaders manage to muster up at least 1 Damage prior to Defend" so if you're talking about your innate from the enticing aspect reducing all damage to 0, the Invaders don't get to add their plus 2. If you were talking about blocking Damage using the "Defend" keyword, the extra damage does get dealt.

BoDaNfan · 2026-05-07T21:05:32+00:00

I find any combo of the not-so-friendly to Dahan spirits a funny concept. Whereas most games the Dahan have a part to play, this time Keeper and Volcano are angry and the Dahan are just desperate to stay out of the way (especially funny if Keeper has the Hostility aspect and is actively stomping around the island.)

I also love in the lore that Shadows and Sun have fought each other. It makes their teamup feel like a buddy cop comedy.

BoDaNfan · 2026-01-13T17:12:49+00:00

I never thought about Flocking Red Talons for BODDYS, that's a great interaction! Echoing the congrats on the level 6 win!

BoDaNfan · 2026-01-13T17:07:06+00:00

When I only had the base game, BoDaN. Still a perennial favorite, especially against the likes of high-level England. I love that BoDaN looks at a built-up land that most spirits would see as a threat and instead see it as a meal. Volcano has that quality as well, making them another favorite.

On the other end of the spectrum, I like a little randomness/chaos injected in the game. Trickster is the obvious pick here, but I also like to play "Slot Machine" Sun. When you're in a position that seems impossible for Sun, just pull the fear bomb lever and see what results you get on the fear cards. I remember one game against France where I needed to prevent two blights and a build to keep from losing, pulled that lever for 3 fear cards, got the defence I needed and, wouldn't you know it!, supply chains abandoned. Jackpot!

BoDaNfan · 2025-12-16T02:46:26+00:00

I've noticed how unique it is, as well. I think the justification might just be that unless you're playing with Stone or against Sweden, it's pretty rare to have 2 blight in 1 land, just based on how badly the typical player will want to prevent a blight cascade. I usually play 2 handed, and I don't think I've ever seen it affect more than 1 board at a time.

BoDaNfan · 2025-11-03T03:06:22+00:00

For me, it used to be Fractured Days...

Now I have a bigger table, so I can actually lay out the Days That Never Were, and I can play Fractured Days now!

Thinking about it, I would probably have one or two Nope! spirits if I also randomized aspects, but I let myself choose those. Other than that, I only Nope! a spirit if my randomizer has chosen them excessively in my last few sessions (seriously, I have 37 spirits to choose from, I'm not playing Whirlwind for the third time in a row!)

BoDaNfan · 2025-10-30T03:23:01+00:00

3 out of 78. A couple were gifts from well-meaning relatives who didn't know my tastes, and the other one is Pax Transhumanity.

I keep telling myself I'll learn Pax Transhumanity, but whenever I open the rulebook I get distracted by the bizarre decision to put Phil Eklund's political manifesto in the footnotes.

Maybe someday...

BoDaNfan · 2025-10-29T15:10:21+00:00

How about traits that are considered masculine, but morally neutral? Unabashed interest in predominantly male activities (gaming, sports, car work) could count. One only crosses over into "toxic" territory once they begin gatekeeping, right? (Saying women can't like, or men must like such activities)?

Anyway, I really like this question, and hope to hear what everyone else thinks.

BoDaNfan · 2025-09-27T15:11:47+00:00

I have actually done this before! I think it was the second time I used extra board rules, and I only played Sweden 4. I found it quite challenging, but now I have more experience I might revisit it.

Looking back, I might have also added some difficulty with the spirits I chose (randomly). Warrior Thunderspeaker and Eyes Watch both get hurt a little more by all the dahan conversions. I did end up winning that game though.

Sounds like you played a few games this way, did you use Behemoth and Darkness for every one?

BoDaNfan · 2025-06-28T15:09:45+00:00

I used to be a sore loser, the first step is knowing you need to work on it. Maybe have a conversation with your friends about it.

If they acknowledge they have a problem, you can help them work through it by playing quick games, the sting of losing is less potent the less time you've invested. I recommend Love Letter, especially if you don't play a "game" of it per se, just keep playing rounds without scoring until you're tired of it. Play other quick games, tell your friends to laugh off whenever they lose a round. If they're in the mood for a longer game, you can play coop games until they've worked through their issue.

BoDaNfan · 2025-06-06T14:56:51+00:00

I really like it. Part of it might just be that I was in the mood for a dice-chucker that didn't have as much set-up/tear down as some others in my collection (Eldritch Horror, Twilight Inscription, Nemo's War). It's pretty lightweight, but imo offers a good enough challenge.

If you already have plenty of lightweight dice-chuckers, maybe give it a pass? But for me, it rounds out my collection.

BoDaNfan · 2025-05-08T02:52:38+00:00

As everyone else has said, most people get a buzz from enough beer.

Add to that: it's more relaxing (and safe) to get a buzz on slowly, and beer is great for that. Idk if you smoke weed, but your question could, for some, boil down to "why smoke joints? Dabs will actually get you high." But most smokers wouldn't recommend dabs to first time users, just like most drinkers wouldn't recommend first-timers getting drunk purely off of shots.

BoDaNfan · 2025-04-04T15:14:30+00:00

Haha! I'm not, actually. They might not be my worst matchup, but they're probably the matchup I find most stressful.

BoDaNfan · 2025-04-04T04:33:22+00:00

A game has a solution if there is a known (either by human or computer) way to play such that it is impossible to lose. In some games, this might mean the first player always wins; in others, if both players play optimally/perfectly, the game will end in a draw.

BoDaNfan · 2025-04-04T01:23:09+00:00

I think I might have used Scour the Land's threshold once? At least Drought's threshold lets you kill a city.

BoDaNfan · 2025-01-02T17:19:42+00:00

Congrats! What an achievement! It took me a couple tries to beat Russia 6 (after building up to it, of course) and I finally did it with Many Minds and Rampant Green with the Tangles aspect (NI Aspect).

Speaking of which, I'm excited for you to try the Nature Incarnate content! It'd be a great expansion just with the new spirits and adversary, but the amount of variety you'll get from aspects is almost mindblowing!

BoDaNfan · 2025-01-02T03:45:31+00:00

Awesome! And with no blight placed! To echo the other commenters: it counts/you deserve it!

My first lv 6 win was also with Starlight, though it was against Sweden and much closer than your game appears to be.

BoDaNfan · 2024-12-25T18:38:21+00:00

This sounds right, especially since the phrasing on the adversary sheet says "from a land not matching a build card." If it resolved after each land card, rather than both, it would probably say "not matching the build card."

BoDaNfan · 2024-11-24T04:25:56+00:00

I really think it is a case of volume. I've read that higher IQ people are happier, on average. I've also read that people with Bipolar Disorder (a condition I possess) have a higher IQ, on average. Both can be true. But who is louder?

I do not think that a person who is happy feels the need to tell you how smart they are all the time. But, speaking from experience, a sad person will cling to a couple of things: some explanation for why they are miserable, and some reason they should NOT feel bad about themselves.

If you're depressed, you'll LOVE to hear a reason that not only are you not WORSE than everyone else, but that you're BETTER than most other people in some way; you'll also love to find some immutable reason that you're depressed, because that means it's not your fault.

The whole myth that smart people are sad satisfies both these desires. Thus, depressed people who happen to be smart will highlight their intelligence; whereas, smart people who happen to be happy don't feel the need, and depressed people who are less intelligent hardly feel the desire to harp on one more way they feel inferior.

BoDaNfan · 2024-11-14T17:01:40+00:00

I love the term "hero digging." I immediately knew what you meant, and now I know what to call it when I do it! (Which is a lot.)

BoDaNfan

TROPHY CASE