I really bounced off it when I first played, maybe because I thought I was going to love it.
I went back to it during lockdown, I played with someone who knew the game well on TTS and from that we bought it. I really like co ops.
Tbh, I just love the theme; I think I’d have an enjoyable time just reading the names of the spirits and the cards.
I’m not good at it, and don’t get play it enough to improve - I get destroyed as often as I win, but I have had the slightly deflating win.
I think @lalunaverde suggested this previously; I’d be really keen to play a TTS game with you guys
5 Likes
I was going to split off a new post from the Expensive Games topic but this seems as good a place as any.
What would the experts recommend as a first expansion, if I have the basic set? In terms, ideally, of stuff that’s currently available in the UK.
1 Like
Well the first expansion obviously 
And now I remember the name “Branch & Claw”
It adds 2 Spirits and a couple of mechanisms:
- event cards that play out just before any Fear cards would and mostly bring complications to the game. But for an easier game one could absolutely curate those a little to get rid off the worst events. (Haven’t done it and may have yelled at the deck)
- 4 Types of tokens that go on the map. 3 of them deal with different invader phases: the green wild tokens prevent exploration. The yellow “sickness” tokens prevent building. And the blue “strife” tokens prevent fighting. The fourth token are beasts that roam the land and potentially eat the invaders. Yay.
The two spirits are specialized in beasts and wilderness tokens respectively. They are very fun to play. My favorite 2 spirit setup has to be Thunderspeaker and Keeper of the Forbidden Wilds.
There are probably also some more opponents and scenarios in there. I haven’t kept track which was added in which expansion. Perplexity says: the only opponent added is France, which I have never played against. There are a bunch of scenarios but I barely ever play them. Heart of the Island is a good one I tried.
The cardpool obviously also grows to include cards that deal with tokens. But it grows with every expansion and I have no particular favorites.
After Branch & Claw, came Jagged Earth which is the next one I would recommend. But really with SI just go in order of publication.
6 Likes
I agree about Branch & Claw. It was in the initial ks with the base game and I think it is part of the base game in that it completes it. I think it’s sold separately to stop new players using it all in for their first game and going over board with the complexity,
5 Likes
Nobody in the UK has stock of Branch & Claw (except the occasional one-off at £80+). I’ve been tracking prices on BGP:
3 Likes
I spent a while looking at this during/after the period of uncertainty surrounding the future of Greater Than Games. Ultimately I decided to pick up the second expansion, Jagged Earth as my first, and so far only, expansion.
This was because, as far as I could tell:
- It adds the capability to play with 5 or 6 players (which may or may not be important to you),
- It adds all the same mechanics that the first expansion, Branch and Claw, added - the four Token types and Event cards.
- It adds Aspects to the four low complexity base game spirits to make them more interesting. Two of these base game spirits in particular started to feel very plain to me compared to the others after a few plays.
- Ten new spirits, compared to Branch and Claw’s two.
- Jagged Earth is required for the Nature Incarnate expansion, while Branch and Claw is not.
- Some cards in Branch and Claw were retired by later expansions due to producing an “overly swingy play experience”. Notably this includes 3 of the 26 Event cards, which seemed to me like quite a high proportion.
Of course all of that (normally) comes at a price. I think Jagged Earth was typically two or three times more expensive than Branch and Claw when I was looking. And my decision was made under the assumption that if GtG went out of business I may never be able to get any more of them in future.
4 Likes
Not relevant to the discussion, but something that amused me: while checking the information I wrote above, I (re)discovered that the 6th printing of Spirit Island updated some things to include previously-issued errata. However, they forgot to update the text on the box, which meant that the 6th edition printing erroneously describes itself as the 5th edition…
5 Likes
I wasn’t aware but should have thought about how Jagged Earth provides some of those same tokens. It is really my favorite expansion.
Nature Incarnate (the last one) is the one only needed for completionistas like myself. It adds cool spirits, cards, and stuff. But nothing is really new at that point or needed for a full experience.
I never see myself playing the game with more than 4 players. I think 3 spirits is the sweet spot of complexity and synergy but I rarely get to play that because I play either alone with 2 spirits or with one other player.
2 Likes
I have a (so far untested) theory that two players with three spirits would be the perfect way to play.
2 Likes
I have thought about playing with 2 while my friend plays 1. But I really kind of enjoy the feeling of having to manage only one spirit so we’ve never really tried that.
2 Likes
If Branch & Claw isn’t available and you don’t want to wait until it is, then I’d go for Jagged Earth and use the stuff in it that also comes with B&C.
If Branch & Claw will be available again sometime, it’s not worth paying silly money for. Pay the extra for Jagged Earth; it has so much in it.
I only have base game + Branch & Claw, plus the spirits from Horizons. Oh, and the Feather & Flame spirits (maybe ‘only’ was the wrong word!).
Tempted as I am by Jagged Earth, realistically I have nearly twenty spirits, which already gives an insane number of combinations, and some of the ones I have are so dauntingly complicated looking I haven’t tried them yet.
So I’ve decided what I have is plenty. For me.
4 Likes
I got Branch & Claw new a few years ago, but only very recently played it for the first time.
I got Jagged Earth second hand from a Facebook group that Kate is on.
I recently got the foil spirit panels, I prefer the card ones but I found an amazing fan designed insert on BGG that holds all of the content which is currently released inside the base box.
4 Likes
I’m envisaging one each and the other shared between the players. But maybe that would be overload for your friend?
One of the least complex spirits maybe?
2 Likes
If you’re looking for more low-complexity spirits and you have a few extra bucks/pounds/euro to spend, the Spirits in Horizons of Spirit Island are really good. Bonus: you get a second Invader deck (with unique card backs so you don’t get them mixed up).
4 Likes
Jagged Earth is easily the best all around expansion, a bunch of terrific spirits, aspects for some of the older spirits, the new event and token mechanics from Branch and Claw (plus a new token type, Badlands), more adversaries and scenarios, really the complete package. The box is also necessary for the official Broken Token organizer they sold at one point (I have no idea if Broken Token even still operate - there was a scandal around the owner).
Some of the Nature Incarnate spirits are extremely complicated and weird (but cool),and the incarna mechanic is less essential. Still very good. The promo spirits and Branch and Claw are probably the lowest value if you already have Jagged Earth, although I still recommend them. Frankly, I will never object to more spirits or aspects for existing spirits.
5 Likes
If you can find it for a decent price, Branch and Claw gives you the new tokens and a couple of spirits that focus around them, as well as the event deck, which combined really do complete the game. It’s a good way to be introduced to those mechanics.
If you can’t find that, or just want to jump in fully, Jagged Earth is the way to go.
Either way, I think at least one of these is essential to really make Spirit Island sing. Things are too predictable without the Event deck, and the tokens give you more options, without a ton of overhead.
3 Likes
it is a big expansion with lots of stuff. so yeah not cheap.
Right now just not available, and not at a good price since mid 2025. I should have looked harder for both at Essen.
2 Likes
German version is easily available. 54€. But this is definitely a game that is not language independent.
I own the English version due to Kickstarter. German version is published by Pegasus. By now I want to call them an old school publisher (they got started as an rpg online shop in the 90s.) I have their version of Compile because the English iteration refused to show up for … a year?
1 Like
