
- BGG rank
- BGG #468
- BGG rating
- 8.1
Horizons of Spirit Island
- 1–3 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2022

Rules assistance for Spirit Island: Branch & Claw
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.
Spirit Island: Branch & Claw is an expansion for Spirit Island released in 2017 for 1–4 players, 90–120 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by R. Eric Reuss and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Simultaneous Action Selection.
The Branch & Claw Expansion for Spirit Island features: Two new Spirits! (Sharp Fangs Behind the Leaves and Keeper of the Forbidden Wilds) A new Adversary! (France) A new step added to the Invader Phase of the game: Events! The Event Deck has events that happen each turn, adding further variation to the game play. New Tokens that can be added to the board! Wilds, Disease and Strife Tokens prevent the Invaders from Exploring, Building and Ravaging, respectively, and Beast tokens represent the wild beasts of the land that will help you out when you least expect it. New Power cards: 31 Minor and 21 Major, many of which make use of the new Tokens! 15 new Fear cards! New Blight cards and new Scenarios!
Spirit Island: Branch & Claw supports 1–4 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 Spirit Island: Branch & Claw is 90–120 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 Spirit Island: Branch & Claw for ages 14 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.
Spirit Island: Branch & Claw has a complexity rating of 4.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a heavy 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.
Spirit Island: Branch & Claw belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Fighting, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Simultaneous Action Selection. 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 Spirit Island: Branch & Claw are: R. Eric Reuss. 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 Spirit Island: Branch & Claw as an expansion for Spirit Island. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Spirit Island to use it. Check that your edition of Spirit Island is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.