FAQ
37 answered questions34 official
Rules questions from the BoardGameGeek forum. Answers marked Official were confirmed by Capstone Games or the designers.
Common mistakes
- Pay $1 for every token already on a Planned Work card, including your own; the cost has no cap. Ruling · Rule
- Move all wood in a drying area on each drying phase; only the sale area can hold wood back. Ruling · Rule
- Leave unsawn wood in the sawing area off task cards; tasks take wood from the sale and drying areas. Ruling · Rule
- Collect task money only at game end, not when the task is finished. Ruling · Rule
- Travel the supply path in starting-player order every turn, not by who is furthest back. Ruling · Rule
Showing 37 of 37
Does the cost of a Planned Work card keep rising past 2 tokens? Official
Yes, there is no cap. Each token already on the card costs $1, so with 4 tokens on it the 5th costs $4.
Source: BGG discussion
Can I plan more than one Planned Work in the same round? Official
No, you can take the Planned Work action only once per turn. You may still end up resolving several Planned Works in the same season, and combining different ones can be very strong.
Source: BGG discussion
Does the planning token number change what a Planned Work costs? Official
No. The cost depends only on how many tokens are already on the card. The number on your token only says how many seasons ahead you plan, and winter counts as a season even if that work cannot be done in winter.
Source: BGG discussion
Can I plan a Planned Work in fall for a season in the next year?
Yes, the seasons wrap around into the next year. A "2" token placed in fall of year one lands on spring of year two.
Source: BGG discussion
In what order do players move along the supply path? Official
Players always move their foreman in the order of the starting player track, round after round, no matter where they stand on the path. Your position on the path does not decide who moves next.
Source: BGG discussion
What if the supply of equipment tokens or wood pieces runs out? Official
Only the cart tokens could realistically run out. In that case swap some of your collected tokens for amount tokens. Wood pieces and food cubes are unlimited in the same way, and the amount tokens stand in for them.
Source: BGG discussion
What does the Cutting Planned Work cost for its two extra woodcutters? Official
They are not free. Each extra woodcutter costs $1, just like any other woodcutter you hire.
Source: BGG discussion
[Tactical] Can I pay $1 to move to a free area during the Tactical Variant? Official
Not in general. It is only possible when the Cutting Planned Work is in play and another player cuts in your area before you do. Then you may pay $1 and switch to a free area.
Source: BGG discussion
Can I use several wagons in the same season? Official
Yes. You can make as many transports as you have the workers, fodder and wagons for, in any combination. A fodder that drops to value 2 after a first trip can be used again the same season.
Source: BGG discussion
Do hired bearers and sawyers I did not use stay with me for the next season?
No. Every hired worker goes back to the board at the end of the round, used or not. Only your own mill worker stays.
Source: BGG discussion
Is the food left in the forest cleared at the end of a round or winter? Official
No. Food in the cutting areas stays there, even after winter. Only the food in your own storage is used up in winter.
Source: BGG discussion
Must I move all my wood on the same turn, or can it wait on the woodpile or sawing area? Official
It can wait. Wood can stay on your woodpile as long as you like, and wood can sit in your sawing area over several seasons.
Source: BGG discussion
Can wood for a task with no drying bonus come from the sale area? Official
Yes. Wood needing no drying bonus can come either from the sale area or from drying stage +0, since neither carries a bonus. That holds for the second edition too.
Source: BGG discussion
Can I put unmilled wood from the sawing area onto a task? Official
No. Once wood is in the sawing area it has to be sawn. Wood for tasks may only come from the sale area or the drying stages.
Source: BGG discussion
Can I use wood that is dried further than a task asks for? Official
No. The wood must match what the task shows exactly, so a +2 piece cannot fill a +1 requirement.
Source: BGG discussion
Can I leave wood in the sale area without selling or drying it? Official
Yes, any amount can stay there for a later season. Wood in the sale area can no longer be sawn, only sold, dried or used for tasks.
Source: BGG discussion
Does wood in a drying area have to move on each season, and does it move as a group? Official
Yes to both. All wood in a drying area always moves together as one unit, and drying cannot be paused. The only place to hold wood back is the first area, the sale area.
Source: BGG discussion
Can a drying hut put milled and unmilled wood in the same drying area? Official
Yes. Using a hut token to dry a piece is an exception to the usual area limits, so a mix of milled and unmilled wood can end up together.
Source: BGG discussion
Can several drying huts move one piece of wood several areas at once? Official
Yes. Three drying huts can move one piece three areas, and two huts can take a piece from the sale area to +2. You can also move several pieces with several huts, even ending up above the normal limit.
Source: BGG discussion
Is the limit of 4 only for saws, or for all equipment tokens? Official
Only saw tokens are limited to 4. You can collect as many other equipment tokens as you like on your sawmill.
Source: BGG discussion
How are the task cards refilled after someone buys one? Official
When you buy a task you take the card from the display and keep it next to your player board. The display is topped up each round to the number set by the player count.
Source: BGG discussion
Can I turn in more than one set of tokens with the Hut Construction Planned Work? Official
Yes, you can build several sets with it. It is a good way to get 4, 6 or more hut tokens.
Source: BGG discussion
When can I turn a set of tokens into huts? Official
At any time during your own turn, whether while walking the supply path or in the wood work phases. You do not have to convert a complete set right away, just as with selling at the market, and you cannot do it during general steps such as filling the supply path.
Source: BGG discussion
Do tokens used for huts or sold go back into the draw pile? Official
No. Craftwork tokens that are sold or used to build huts are removed from the game.
Source: BGG discussion
Can a hut take all the food from an area? Official
Yes, but only from an area no one else has chosen. Cutting areas are already claimed when you use the hut, so you can only take food from an unoccupied area, which may hold up to 3.
Source: BGG discussion
Can I take a loan at any time or only in winter? Official
You may take a loan, or two, on your own turn whenever you want, in any season. The rulebook's Loan Cards section covers this, and a loan can be a smart tactical move.
Source: BGG discussion
When do I pay back loans, and how much?
You cannot repay a loan during play. It stays next to your sawmill pad and is settled at game end: $7 for one loan, $16 in total for two. You can hold at most 2 loans.
Source: BGG discussion
What happens if I cannot pay for winter even after two loans and selling everything? Official
The rulebook does not cover it, so agree one of two options before play. Either sell everything and owe nothing more, starting the next season with nothing, or go bankrupt and set the game up for the lower player count for the rest of the year.
Source: BGG discussion
Where does the winter bonus wood go, and is it separate from winter woodcutting? Official
They are two separate steps. Before winter, every player takes 1 wood of any kind from the supply onto their woodpile, no worker needed. Cutting with your mill worker then gives 2 firewood from the supply, also onto the woodpile. The rulebook text is right and its pictures are wrong.
Source: BGG discussion
How much firewood does winter woodcutting give with hut workers? Official
The first winter woodcutting action gives 2 firewood, whoever does it, and each further action gives 1 more. It depends on how many times you use the action, not on whether it is your mill worker or a hut worker.
Source: BGG discussion
Can I use a mill worker hut token in winter? Official
Yes, a hut token used as a mill worker works in winter.
Source: BGG discussion
Can I use several sledges in the same winter? Official
Yes. With worker huts you can do several jobs in winter, including more than one sledge transport.
Source: BGG discussion
How does extra food increase sledge transport in winter? Official
Each worker with a sledge carries 2 wood. Every extra food you hand in, beyond what you need for feeding, adds 1 wood. Each additional worker from a hut needs a sledge of their own.
Source: BGG discussion
Can I sell wood in winter? Official
There is no selling phase in winter. Milled wood waits in the sale area and can be sold or dried in spring at the earliest, or in the final sale after the second winter. The exception is covering a winter shortfall when loans are not enough.
Source: BGG discussion
Is log driving possible in winter? Official
No. In winter only the winter actions can be done, and the only transport is by sledge.
Source: BGG discussion
Is there a tie-breaker? Official
No. Any tie-breaker would feel random, so equal scores simply stay tied.
Source: BGG discussion
When do I collect the money for completed tasks? Official
At the end of the game, not when you finish the task. Taking the money early does not break the game but removes the money pressure that the rules intend.
Source: BGG discussion