
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,986
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Heart of Crown: Fairy Garden
- 2–4 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2013

Rules assistance for Heart of Crown: Path Before Heaven
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Heart of Crown: Path Before Heaven is an expansion for Heart of Crown released in 2015 for 2–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by ginkgo and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Open Drafting.
The fifth expansion for Heart of Crown. It requires either the base set or the Fairy Garden expansion to play and may be integrated with the other Heart of Crown expansions. The set contains 72 cards in the Japanese release: 1 new Princess 2 new Support cards 10 new types of Common Card (5 of each type plus randomizer) Completely revised versions of 8 support cards from the Six City Alliance expansion 1 placeholder card for the pile of Exiled cards The English release contains: 1 new Princess 10 Support cards 10 new types of Common Card (5 of each type) 10 randomizer cards 11 dividers
Heart of Crown: Path Before Heaven supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Heart of Crown: Path Before Heaven is 30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Heart of Crown: Path Before Heaven for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Heart of Crown: Path Before Heaven has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Heart of Crown: Path Before Heaven belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Open Drafting. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Heart of Crown: Path Before Heaven are: ginkgo. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Heart of Crown: Path Before Heaven as an expansion for Heart of Crown. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Heart of Crown to use it. Check that your edition of Heart of Crown is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.