How Many People Can Play Spirit Island *Really*?

 How Many People Can Play Spirit Island *Really*?

The other day, Chad mentioned to me that he really only likes playing Spirit Island at 2 players because it's easier to synergize and strategize, to say nothing of the fact that an island built for 2 players is one over which each player's actions have more impact. As Spirit Island continues to rank as my favorite board game, I have played at all player counts (up to 6 with the Jagged Earth expansion), so I was giving this some consideration.

I think I've posted before that I have played this game solo while controlling one Spirit as well as with two Spirits. I've played with a variety of Spirits, but playing solo just doesn't do it for me. One of my favorite parts of the game is coordinating an approach with other players, finding ways to ensure one player is covering while another is setting up for a big turn, that sort of thing. So playing as one Spirit doesn't capture any of that for me. I can see how two different Spirits synergize (or don't!) when I control them both, for sure. But I also have difficulty holding that much information in my head at once. That's when it crosses over from fun to work for me. Roger had mentioned at some point in the past that Spirit Island is the most complicated game we've played together. I immediately snored and wrote it off, but as I took just a minute or two to actually consider what he had said, I realized he was correct: Spirit Island is easily the most complicated game I've ever played. I just enjoy it so much that it didn't really click for me just how complicated it is until someone else pointed it out to me.

All of that is to say that I don't like playing it solo, though I absolutely understand there are people who do. I thought about what Chad had said: "I think it is easier to synergize and strategize with 2." And he's absolutely right: it has also been my experience that a lower player count makes it easier and more effective to do those things. Additionally, a lower player count means a smaller island, which means each individual player has more direct impact and control over the entirety of the island and not just their own board. The bigger the game gets, the more each player is playing a little solitaire and either giving or receiving help from time to time. It can also be tough at higher player counts because if someone can't get their board under control and you can't help them, those consequences affect you, no matter how well you're managing your own board.

So why play with more than 2 or even 3 when we know it's easier to synergize and strategize at lower player counts, which means the odds of winning go up? A couple of reasons, when I sat down to really think about it.

1. I like seeing a lot of different Spirits at play because I think they're all cool, but I don't necessarily want to play all of them. The more people at the table at any given time, the more Spirits that are hitting the table. So a higher player count scratches this particular itch for me.
2. The book-keeping doesn't really get more complicated at higher player counts. There are more components to keep track of, but only kind of. If each player is capable of upkeep on their own boards, even as the game increases in size, individual player responsibility doesn't really increase that much. This isn't a reason to play at higher player counts, persay, but it is a reason why I don't mind it - the book-keeping doesn't really scale up with higher player counts, in my experience.
3. I like the increased threat that comes with more areas of the board that I can't necessarily impact without planning ahead. It increases the difficulty of the puzzle that is Spirit Island, and that's a way in which I like stretching and using my brain. I like that a bigger board forces me to be more creative in what I do each turn.
1. A sort of subset of that is I generally do not enjoy games wherein we're mostly just playing solitaire. There are a number of games wherein each player basically only plays on their own board with the occasional incursion that maybe inconveniences another player. There are a lot of card drafting games like that, or games like Villainous (though that latter is one I happen to enjoy with people who like lighter games!). But to me, Spirit Island is a game of solitaire except when it isn't. I'm constantly talking to other players, seeing if they need help, letting them know I plan on "taking care of this" but having to "let that blight slide." I enjoy solving the puzzle of: "Okay. We know these 7 spaces are in danger, but we each have our own little bubble of where we can help. So where's the overlap, who can do it most effectively, and where can we afford to lose this turn so that next turn is better?" The answers aren't always satisfying, but when planning pays off and I get to see the whole plan unfold, that's extremely satisfying to me. Which leads me to...
4. The game feels harder at higher player counts, so it's more satisfying when we are successful. The stakes are higher, which means the payoff is, too. It is very enjoyable for me to solve the more difficult problems that come up with a higher player count. No, it is unlikely that I understand everything going on at every corner of the board, but it's fun sometimes to play with incomplete information in that way. If I ask someone, "hey, do you have those jungles covered?" and they answer, "Oh hell yeah. We're gonna get some fear, too," that is a very satisfying exchange for me.

I will say that 6 ends up being just a tad too big for me, honestly. And I don't want to play in a five player game in which multiple people are new to the game. That's a tough time to try teaching and playing at the same time. I'll do it if it's people I really enjoy or if I know we're going to get in a second game afterward. But it can be tough to do the higher player counts when several people aren't sure of what they're doing. So ultimately, I think the answer is that anywhere from 1-5 people absolutely can play Spirit Island! 6 is possible but pushing the boundaries a bit, for me. And while I don't enjoy solo play of this game in particular, I think that's way more about me than about the game. The advertised player count is 1-6 (again, with the Jagged Earth expansion), and I think it rings really true! I'm not a fan of false advertising when it comes to player counts or time estimates. I genuinely believe Twilight Imperium (which, as a base game, advertises itself as a game for 3-6 players) should really say it's for 4-6 players. I don't think the game works at only 3 players. I'm no expert, and that's based on my own experience, but I feel very confident that the game *technically* works at 3, but really shouldn't be advertised that way. In the case of Spirit Island, I'm all for them advertising that it works with anywhere from 1-6 players.