Which Everdell Expansion Is For You?

Everdell is a woodland worker placement and tableau building game. You use your workers to collect resources, with the aim of playing our cards into your city. These cards will provide you with some special ability or end game scoring option, as well as being worth inherent end game points too. This game has a LOT of different expansions, all which offer something new and something different to players new and old. This guide will aim to give you a quick overview of the expansions that are available and you can pick and choose the best things for your family or game group.

For The Newbies

Everdell base game is an absolute hoot to play, and you can have hours of fun exploring the different combinations. Eventually you may feel like you want to spice things up a little bit and if that desire hits then I think the best expansion to start with is actually one of the most recent expansions Newleaf. This expansion offers you the station bringing you new card gaining options and bonus resources, visitors who offer you alternative end game point scoring options as well as two additional basic events. The new cards that it brings are utterly brilliant in my opinion, I love them. Some really shake up the standard city building, for example “Main Road” that gives you one precious additional space in your city. There are a bunch of modules in this expansion that you can choose to use or leave out, but quite honestly some of these are something I would not play without now. One of these is the tickets, which allow you to move a deployed worker twice in the game. For newbies this is ideal as it helps you get more done. In a game where resources always feel very tight, this can really improve enjoyment.

For Those Wanting Asymmetry

Many games are improved by having a bit of increased replayability, it really is undeniable that variety is the spice of life. If you are looking for a bit of spice to add to your game, then the individual player powers really bring it. These are introduced in Bellfaire although as you get new animeeples with each subsequent expansion, you will also get new player power cards too. These individual player powers really give each animal a different feel when playing, these can allow you to hold more cards, gain more resources or lay certain card types easier. Each that I have played and with having a Complete Collection now, I have yet to play more than half of them personally! This expansion is modular and offers a new market board which opens up the tight resource gaining and the garland awards which are shared end game events for VP scoring. It also offers a replacement place for the meeples and cards to be put if you are against the Evertree taking up space on your table. This expansion also contributed the components needed for 5 and 6 player games too.

For Those Playing Solo

Everdell has a campaign where you are playing against a dastardly rat named Rugwort in various different challenges of increasing difficulty. This solo mode was relatively straightforward to play against and so for those who wanted a richer experience of solo and two player Everdell then my suggestion is Mistwood. This brings in the spider character Nightweave who twists sticky schemes that you must navigate in order to secure yourself a converted win. Mistwood also brings in a few modular expansions that liven up the base deck by replacing the farms with seasonal variants. These offer different effects than just gaining a berry. There are two similar small packs, one containing some additional legendary cards which offer more powerful versions of base game cards. The Corrin Evertail cards is a 5 card modular expansion that is, like the Legendary cards, only recommended for experienced players as it does add complexity.

For Those Who Always Use The Same Strategy

For those that find that their experience of Everdell has soured a little as you have settled into “your strategy”, then you can completely shake up your games by introducing Pearlbrook. This replaces the basic events with wonders that are worth MEGA points. You will now be piloting an additional frog worker who you can use to gain pearls which you can turn in for wonders or spend them for special one-time effects with adornment cards. The addition of this new resource as well as the base deck additions means that any tried and tested strategy that you have become comfortable with will need to be shaken up and rethought.

For Those Wanting To Add New Mechanics

If you want to bring significantly more “stuff” to your Everdell experience then you need to get yourself Spirecrest. Weather cards start putting problems in your way, as the game starts fighting back against you giving you hurdles to overcome. You send your rabbit animeeple on a journey throughout the gameplay giving you unique scoring opportunities as well as special abilities. It also brings “big critters” which have interesting and unique abilities, and most importantly, they can wear saddles and give your meeple a piggyback! Quick go forth and get the rideable big critters.

Roundup

Quite honestly, I really think you cannot go wrong with picking any of the Everdell expansions, but i have tried to give you an idea of perhaps which one you may like best. I think you can expand the game without increasing the complexity by adding Newleaf or you can ramp up the solo experience using the Mistwood Nightweave AI. This is a game that just keeps on giving and I for one love diving into the world for an escape every so often.