Forbidden Island - Tips & Strategies

I just recently have have taught this game to a few groups, one in particular was a group of 7-8 year olds at a summer camp. Teaching a group a board/card game can be tricky business. Tell too much too fast and they’ll get confused. Tell too little and they may miss some of the fun intricacies of the gameplay. Most important, how do you break down the rules and gameplay in the right order to ensure good comprehension? Yes, using the rulebook as a model is a great idea however, that may take a bit too long (remember, I’m teaching kids with short attention spans, but fortunately with minds like sponges!) Intro-ing the game in this order also helps set it up as you take each part out of the box and explain it.

Here’s what I did to get everyone pulled in and ready to play:

1. THE TEASE
Before I open the box, I tease them with the story/object of the game to build excitement and curiosity!

2. THE ISLAND
I show them a couple pieces of the island and they each has 2 sides and tell why that is. Then I build the island.

3. THE TREASURES
I introduce each treasure by name and place them in each corner, telling them these are what WE need to work as a team to capture.

4. THE TREASURE DECK (treasures only)
Show them the four different treasure cards and explain how they’ll need four of each to capture the designated treasure. Remind them we are working as a team and thus some players may capture more than one, others none, and that’s okay! Tell them they will be receiving 2 treasure cards at the end of their turns.

5. CAPTURING TREASURES
Point to the treasure locations on the map. Tell player that once they get their 4 treasure cards, they need to get to that space to capture the treasure.

6. THE FLOOD DECK
Show how there is one flood card for each location on the map. Explain about what happens when those cards come up. Tell them they will be flipping flood cards at the end of each of their turns.

7. THE FLOOD METER
Explain how the flood meter works. Show them that there are WATER RISES cards in the treasure deck and when those come up, the meter moves. Explain that the number of flood cards flipped at the end of the players’ turns increases as the meter moves.

8. THE TURN-3 ACTIONS!
Explain how players can choose three of any combination of the 4 different actions available to them. A)Move- show what this means B)Shore up- demonstrate this C)Give a treasure to another player or D) Capture a Treasure [if you have the cards] Remind them that at the end of their turn they get two treasure cards and they have to flip the designated number of flood cards.

9. THE ROLES
They are almost ready to start playing, but first…they need their roles. Randomly hand out roles (or not if you want know which role would be good for them heheh) Explain that the game can be won with any combination of roles. Go through each player and explain their role to them. Finally, show them where to place their starting piece on the island!

10. FTW!!!
Remind them how to win the game (getting to the chopper with the treasures) and what can prevent them from success (flood meter, sunken Fool’s Landing, etc.)

Now you’ve set the game up and you’re ready to go!

–Tell them they will see some special action cards come out of the treasure deck (Helicopter Lift, Sandbags) and you’ll explain what those mean when they come up.

–Elaborate on the rules when the appropriate time comes up.

–Set the meter on Novice for the first time to practically guarantee a successful first-time adventure! They’ll be coming back for more!!

Nothing can inspire confidence and boost interest in a game than early success. This is particularly true with newbies and young players. Start the game on novice, and flood only four tiles. It will almost guarantee a win, and it will allow new players to focus on the different types of actions. Let them see the goals and strategies before the real chaos begins. After the first game, step up to five, then six flooded tiles.

Shore up, shore up and shore up

In our first game the game beat us because we forgot to shore up the treasure spaces because we were so worried about trading cards for that treasure. I was so disappointed when I watched the treasure I had just got all 4 cards for sink. Whoops.

We also let my son pick the type he wants to be from the randomly drawn cards. It makes him happy to have right of first refusal.

while it can be easy to use your “Helicopter lift” treasure cards to get players together to trade cards or move to a location to pick up a treasure don’t forget that at least one player has to have one in their hand to get you off the island to win the game! You don’t win just by getting back to fools landing you also have to escape the island!

I wrote an article about turning normal board games into campaigns a few months back, and Forbidden Island was a great game to lend an overarching continuity. This is just an excerpt, but it explains the basics of how to play a Forbidden Island campaign.
For the full article, go to: http://gameshop.com.au/blog/thegamesshopper/2012/08/09/the-new-campaigners/

“When Forbidden Island was released, there were a few minor differences between the German version and the English version (as there is with many games.) Namely, the German version contained a page of variant islands that could be set up in place of the traditional board. These variants are more conceptual and less balanced, which means that the challenge flies through the roof on a few of them (the biggest decision in the Atoll is when to flip the table and go watch Mythbusters instead of playing.) Forbidden Island already has a lot of replay value with the adjustable difficulty scale, the unique character types, and the randomly created board. But these extra islands transform that replay value into something greater: the opportunity for a super-nerdy story campaign.

My fiance and I have been doing the following:

– We are playing each island in order, starting with the Island of Shadows.
– We use new characters each time until we have used all six, at which point we reshuffle the roles and start again with new team combinations.
– If we ever lose a game, those characters have drowned and cannot participate in the rest of the campaign.
– If all the characters drown, then we just bring them all back to life as the plucky apprentices of the late experts and keep playing. But we feel very bad about ourselves, like someone who adopts the same breed of dog after their old one dies and gives it the same name.

It’s a campaign that doesn’t skew the balance, but does impose a glorious sense of tension onto each playthrough. Every time I draw the Explorer at the beginning of a game I cringe, because I love the Explorer so dearly and just can’t bear to lose him. Let the Diver be sacrificed to the fell gods of the sea, I proclaim, he loves it down there in the murky blackness! Just leave me my precious Explorer with his clever diagonal mechanics!”

To help curb some peoples instinct to Quarterback, I suggest only helping new players with their first turn. After a full run around the table, it is best to let people learn by experience.

Use your class abilities constantly. If you aren’t, you’re ultimately going to lose, or cut it much closer than you should. Class abilities are all essentially cheats that the designer wants you to use. Using your abilities is how to quickly and safely get off the island!

Secondly, focus your efforts. Your hand limits are deliberately small. If you cannot hold the cards for both the red and the yellow treasure, pick one treasure, focus on getting it, and discard the other cards. If you move quickly enough, the cards will come back around in the deck quickly enough to survive.

Focus also applies to the treasure in the first place. It’s too hard to save both of the potential treasure spots. Pick one, and devote all of your efforts to keeping it around until you can grab the treasure.

Try not to “waste” and action on your turn. Shore up (flip) any flooded tiles you can, as a flooded tile can be lost on a “Waters Rise” card draw. Keeping tiles in play, even if they aren’t essential, decreases the chance of losing more of the island to rising waters. They may also become an alternative route to Fools’ Landing once the four treasures are recovered.
Share this game with family, friends, and younger players. It is an excellent gateway to bigger things.

The treasures are supposed to have magical qualities, so why not make it so?

When you are in possession of a treasure, you can use 1 action and discard a matching treasure card to use the special ability.

The Ocean’s Chalice: Discard one Chalice card and use one action to draw 2 fewer flood cards that turn.

The Earth Stone: Discard one Stone card and use one action to shore up any tile on the board.

The Statue of the Wind: Discard one Statue card and use one action to move any one character to any tile.

The Crystal of Fire: Discard one Crystal card and use one action to have any player’s treasure card traded with another player’s.

Hang onto the sandbag cards to use for protecting Fool’s landing as well as any remaining temples you need to travel to for the treasure. Use them wisely!