Habsburg Mining Expedition

Errata / Updates

Setup

• Nature Incarnate - all printings
  Habsburg Mining Expedition Level 2: Miners Comes From Far and Wide -- Add 1 Disease and 1 City in the highest-numbered land with a Town Setup symbol on each board; don't just add them to the single highest-numbered land with a Town Setup symbol on the entire island.
  Tags: Island setup, Habsburg Mining Expedition

Frequently Asked Questions

Adversaries

• If a Ravage caused by the Habsburg Mining Expedition (Level 1+) would add a Blight to a land with Blight and no Explorers/Towns, what happens if there are no pieces to Upgrade (e.g., because only Cities are participating in that Ravage)?
  Nothing — neither upgrade nor cascade.

  Avarice Rewarded doesn't check if an upgrade is possible before it replaces the cascade.
  Tags: Upgrade, Blight, Action Modifiers, Habsburg Mining Expedition, 0 more...
• Does Ceaseless Mining (Habsburg Mining Expedition Level 1) cause Ravages in Mining lands from extra Build Steps (e.g., from High Immigration when combining with the Kingdom of England)?
  No, Ceaseless Mining only affects the ordinary Build Step corresponding to the Build Space printed on the Invader Board, since it refers to the Build Step. Build Cards in extra Build Steps will Build normally.

  Similarly, Mining Boom (Levels 3 & 5) won't trigger after extra Build Steps, and The Empire Ascendant (Level 6) won't affect Explore Cards resolved during extra Explore Steps.
  Tags: Combining Adversaries, Build Step, Fortification, Kingdom of England, 1 more...
• Can the Salt Deposits Invader Card be removed or discarded from the Invader Deck?
  No, the only way it can leave the Invader Deck is by being advanced out of the Explore Space into the Build Space at the end of the Invader Phase in which it was revealed.

  In particular:

  • If you would Accelerate it out of the deck, instead discard the next Stage II card underneath it (or the top-most Stage III card if there are no Stage II cards left).
  • Visions of a Shifting Future can't bury it to the bottom of the deck (since it's specially placed during Setup), but can shuffle it to take a chance at delaying it.
  • The Past Returns Again can't swap it with a card in the Invader discard.
    Tags: Accelerate, Invader deck, Visions of a Shifting Future (Fractured Days Split the Sky), The Past Returns Again (Fractured Days Split the Sky), 3 more...
• During a Ravage by the Habsburg Mining Expedition Level 1+, does the upgrade from Avarice Rewarded happen before or after the Dahan counterattack?
  Before, when Blight would normally cascade. If the surviving Dahan are numerous enough to take out the newly-upgraded piece, the upgrade may be to your advantage.
  Tags: Timing, Ravage, Upgrade, Habsburg Mining Expedition, 0 more...
• What is the Difficulty of Habsburg Mining Expedition Level 0 (just the loss condition and Escalation)?
  Difficulty 1.
  Tags: Difficulty, Habsburg Mining Expedition
• Can effects that skip Build Actions prevent Habsburg Mining Expedition Level 1+ from Ravaging in a Mining land that matches the Build Card?
  No.

  There is never a Build Action to skip — the Build Card directly creates Ravage Actions. Any effect that skips Ravage Actions will work though.
  Tags: Skipping Actions, Build Cards, Habsburg Mining Expedition
• How does "Invaders skip all actions" in a particular land interact with a Stage II Escalation affecting that land?
  If the Stage II Escalation is an Invader Action (i.e., Ravage, Build, or Explore), it's skipped. Otherwise, it is an Adversary Action and not affected.

  Specifically:

  • Directly skipped (Invader Actions): Kingdom of England, Habsburg Mining Expedition
  • Indirectly skipped (triggered by Invader Actions): Kingdom of Sweden
  • Unskippable: Kingdom of Brandenburg Prussia, Kingdom of France (Plantation Colony), Tsardom of Russia, Habsburg Monarchy (Livestock Colony), Kingdom of Scotland.

  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Skipping Actions, Stage II escalation, A Year of Perfect Stillness (Vital Strength of the Earth), Paralyzing Fright, 9 more...
• When Habsburg Mining Expedition Level 1+ resolves a Build Card, when does it check which lands are Mining lands (which will Ravage instead of Build)?
  When you start resolving the Build Card, determine which lands get Invader Actions and what type of Invader Actions those will be. Changing the number of Invaders in the land after that doesn't change the type of Action.

  If every Invader in a Mining land doesn’t participate in Ravage, that land gets no Invader Action; if only some aren’t participating, it’ll still get a Ravage Action, since whether or not a land is a Mining land isn’t affected by participation in Ravage (or lack thereof).

  Tags: Do not participate in Ravage, Build Cards, Matches, Habsburg Mining Expedition, 0 more...
• With Habsburg Monarchy (Livestock Colony) Level 5 (Wave of Immigration), do you do the effect before or after the Explore on that turn?
  After completely resolving the Explore Card above it, but before resolving the Adversary's "After the Explore Step" Escalation. If you're resolving another Explore Card that turn, e.g., because you're playing the Surges of Colonization scenario, resolve the effects of the Reminder Card before revealing the next Explore Card. Similarly, the effects of the Reminder Card happen before anything triggered by Advancing the Invader Cards, like the extra Build Step caused by the "Fortification" Event.

  Formally, Reminder Cards resolve once you're done resolving the Invader Card above them. (Or, in unusual cases like this FAQ, if they end up atop the Invader Deck.)

  This ruling originally implied that the "Seek Prime Territory" Escalation happens first. Because the timing of the Escalation was made more explicit in later printings, this ruling has been updated accordingly.
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Invader deck, Ordering, Reminder Cards, Combining Adversaries, 6 more...
• When Fortune-Seekers modifies the Salt Deposits card against the Habsburg Mining Expedition, which lands match the Explore Card?
  The ones without Towns/Cities.

  “Non-Mining lands” is a printed land type on the Salt Deposits card, even if it’s not a standard one, so it gets replaced by the condition from Fortune-Seekers.
  Tags: Matches, Explore, Fortune-Seekers, Habsburg Mining Expedition, 0 more...
• What does "Escalation ignores S" on Habsburg Mining Expedition Level 4 mean?
  The "Mining Tunnels" Escalation checks terrains, and neither "Mining land" nor "non-Mining land" are terrains.

  Similarly, "Mining Tunnels" ignores the "Coastal Lands" Invader Card at Levels 0-3. The "Fortification" Event works similarly.
  Tags: Terrain, Matches, Habsburg Mining Expedition
• Against the Habsburg Mining Expedition at Level 6, can the Explore Actions from Mining Tunnels (Escalation) get extra Explorers from The Empire Ascendant (Level 6)?
  No, Mining Tunnels doesn't happen during the Explore Step, so The Empire Ascendant can't modify it.
  Tags: Explore, Habsburg Mining Expedition
• Against the Habsburg Mining Expedition Level 1+, does Disease only prevent Ravages in Mining lands during the Build Step?
  No, Disease in Mining lands will prevent any Ravage, including those caused by Ravage/Build Cards (common), Events (uncommon), or Powers (rare).
  Tags: Disease, Build Step, Ravage, Habsburg Mining Expedition, 0 more...
• If Habsburg Mining Expedition Level 1+ would Ravage in a land with Disease, then an Event ignores Disease during Builds, does the Disease still prevent that Ravage?
  No, the Ravage happens normally.

  Ceaseless Mining makes modifiers to Disease (in this case, making Disease do nothing) apply to Ravages in addition to Builds.
  Tags: Disease, Action Modifiers, Lingering Plagues, Irregular Outbreaks, 1 more...
• Does the cascade replacement from Habsburg Mining Expedition Level 1 apply to cascades caused by something other than adding Blight to a land with Blight *(e.g., the Sands effect of Varied Terrains)*? How about adding Blight to another land in a way that isn't called a “cascade” *(e.g., Scotland Level 5)*?
  Yes and no, respectively.

  If it's from a Ravage and called a “cascade,” Avarice Rewarded turns it into an upgrade. If it's either not called a cascade or not from a Ravage, resolve the effect normally and don't apply Avarice Rewarded.
  Tags: Combining Adversaries, Blight, Kingdom of Scotland, Varied Terrains, 1 more...
• When the Ravage Card is Salt Deposits, does "Farmers Seek the Dahan for Aid" cause it to Build in Mining lands, Ravage in Mining lands, or Build in non-Mining lands?
  Build in Mining lands.

  Which lands the Salt Deposits card matches is determined by the space it’s in on the Invader Board, so it always matches Mining lands in the Ravage space. "Farmers Seek the Dahan for Aid" then turns the Salt Deposits card into a Build Card. Since "Ceaseless Mining" only affects the Build Step, Invaders thus only Build during this rather unusual Ravage Step.
  Tags: Action Modifiers, Ravage, Matches, Farmers Seek the Dahan for Aid, 1 more...

Effect Rules

• What counts as "adding" a piece (e.g., adding an Invader for "Confounding Mists")?
  A new piece getting placed on the island.

  In the "Confounding Mists" case, this most commonly occurs due to a Build or Explore action, but can also happen due to Events, Adversary effects, or Scenarios.

  Pieces that are pushed, gathered, brought, or otherwise moved then count as "moved," but not "added." Replacing one piece with another (or multiple others) counts as neither adding nor moving the new pieces; while the components representing that entity have changed, the entity itself is not a new arrival.
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Replace, Push, Gather, Move, 36 more...

Event Cards

• If there are multiple Ravage Cards, which lands get a Ravage Damage bonus from "Foreign Dignitaries Visit"?
  Each Invader Card grants the bonus to the lowest-numbered land it matches, only for the Ravage it creates in that land (if any). For example, if the first Ravage Card is Wetlands and the second Ravage Card is Coastal lands, then if land #2 is a Coastal Wetlands, it'll get the +2 Damage in the Ravage caused by the Wetlands Card (as the lowest-numbered Wetlands) but not in the later Ravage caused by the Coastal lands card (since that cards grants bonus Damage in land #1).

  Which land gets a bonus doesn't change once it's locked in at the start of resolving that Invader Card, even if the list of matching lands changes due to some of the Ravages (e.g., due to the Tsardom of Russia's "Competition Among Hunters" making lands with 3+ Explorers match all Ravage Cards). Nevertheless, these changes can affect which land gets the bonus from any subsequent Invader Cards that cause Ravage Actions.
  Tags: Matches, Ravage, Foreign Dignitaries Visit, Tsardom of Russia, 5 more...
• For the "Foreign Dignitaries Visit" event, what happens if the lowest-numbered matching land on that board has no Invaders?
  Then no Ravage on that board gets the Damage bonus. The event just checks which lands match the Invader Card (usually having the same terrain), not if that land will actually Ravage.

  Similarly, if an Invader Card causes a mix of Ravage Actions and non-Ravage Actions (e.g., Build Cards causing both Build Actions and Ravage Actions against the Habsburg Mining Expedition), the lowest-numbered matching land could get a different Invader Action, thereby "wasting" the bonus Damage.
  Tags: Matches, Foreign Dignitaries Visit, Habsburg Mining Expedition

General Play

• When an effect checks for lands that don't match a Ravage Card / Build Card, but there are currently multiple Invader Cards of that type, do you choose a specific Invader Card?
  No, find lands that match none of the Invader Cards / that match at least one of the Invaders Cards. So, e.g., if the current Build Cards are "Coastal Lands" and "Jungles," then the "Extensive Building" Event ("On Each Board: Build in a land with Invaders not matching a Build Card.") must Build on each board in a land that is neither Coastal nor a Jungle.

  The top option of "Hard-Working Settlers" ("Immediately Ravage in the land with the most Invaders that matches a Ravage Card.") works in a similar way: players aren't choosing a Ravage Card and finding the most-populated land matching that card (allowing them to choose a card with a favorable Ravage); they're looking at all lands that match at least one of the Ravage Cards and finding the most-populated land amongst all of those lands.

  If there's a card in an extra Invader Space (such as a Build Card in the "High Immigration" tile from the Kingdom of England Level 3) or an effect that changes the type of an Invader Card (like the "Farmers Seek the Dahan for Aid" Event), then be sure to check that card too! For example, if the card in the High Immigration space is "Sands" and the card in the Build Space is "Mountains + Wetlands," then "a land that doesn't match a Build Card" can't be Sands, Mountains, or Wetlands – you have to pick a Jungle. (The "Migratory Herders" effect of The Habsburg Monarchy (Livestock Colony) is intended to be an exception, but strictly speaking isn't written as one.)

  Don't forget effects that change which lands match each card! For example, "Competition Among Hunters" (The Tsardom of Russia Level 3) makes lands with 3+ Explorers match all Ravage Cards, such such lands don't count as lands "not matching a Ravage Card" unless there are no Raavge Cards. Similarly, if "Weave Together the Fabric of Place" joins two lands of different terrains, then that land only counts as not matching a Build Card if neither of its terrains match any of the Build Cards.
  Tags: Build Cards, Combining Adversaries, Matches, Kingdom of England, 13 more...

Invader Actions

• What does the 2nd choice in Farmers Seek the Dahan for Aid modify: a Ravage Step, a Ravage Card, or Ravage Actions?
  Read "the next normal Ravage becomes a Build" as "the next normal Ravage Card (even on a future turn) becomes a Build Card".

  The step is still the Ravage Step, so anything that specifically happens before, during, or after the Ravage Step will still happen at its normal time (but no Build Step effects will apply). Nevertheless, the resolved Invader card will obey all Build Card rules (both normal and Adversary-driven), cause Build Actions, etc.

  See New Nomenclature Roundup for a list of how to read ambiguous older game items.
  Tags: Ravage, Build, Farmers Seek the Dahan for Aid, Kingdom of Scotland, 3 more...
• If an effect *(e.g., "A Year of Perfect Stillness")* makes "Invaders skip all actions", what is affected? How is this different from "Skip all Invader actions"?
  Both phrases mean the same thing: any time the Invaders would Ravage, Build or Explore in that land that turn, skip the Ravage/Build/Explore action in that land only.

  All such actions in that land are skipped, even if you'd rather let them happen. This includes any normal actions that come from the Invader cards, and also any extra actions that come from effects like the power "Manifest Incarnation" or the event "New Cash Crops Take Hold." (See the B&C rulebook, p. 15, for the distinction between "normal" and "extra" actions.)

  This doesn't skip anything the Invaders do due to an Adversary effect, Scenario effect, or Event card unless explicitly the words "Ravage," "Build," or "Explore." For example, when up against Habsburg Mining Expedition, while "A Year of Perfect Stillness" skips the Build half of "Mining Boom (II)," it does not skip the Upgrade.
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Skipping Actions, A Year of Perfect Stillness (Vital Strength of the Earth), Paralyzing Fright, Indomitable Claim, 5 more...
• What happens when multiple Invader Cards are in the same space on the Invader Board? (e.g., due to Explorers are Reluctant)
  In the corresponding step of the Invader Phase, resolve each card one at a time, starting with the oldest card – the one closest to the Invader Board. When Invader Cards advance at the end of the Invader Phase, the cards move together. [B&C p. 14, JE p. 11]

  Each card separately determines where it creates Invader Actions. If a land matches multiple cards, it can thus get an Invader Action from each one! Clarifications for specific actions:

  • Ravage: Defend applies separately to each Ravage. Only add Blight if a single Ravage deals 2+ Damage to the land. In the uncommon case that a Ravage created by the first card adds or moves Invaders, it can change which lands Ravage due to the second card.
  • Build: Towns/Cities added by the first Build Card affect what is built in that land by the second Build Card.
  • Explore: Pieces added by the first Explore Card can be sources for the second Explore Card, though this only matters if something makes an Explore Action add Towns/Cities or allows Explorers to be sources.

  Anything effect that checks which lands match the Invader Cards in a particular space (e.g., the Hard-Working Settlers Event) or the terrains showing on those cards (e.g., the Fortification Event), checks all of those cards. (It generally won't matter how many times those lands match or those terrains appear, just if they do.)
  Tags: Invader deck, Matches, Tsardom of Russia, Surges of Colonization, 6 more...

Play Options

• When combining the two Habsburg Adversaries, when does Migratory Herders (Livestock Colony Level 1) Gather check which lands match the Salt Deposits card (Mining Expedition Level 4)?
  Migratory Herders checks which lands match (i.e., non-Mining lands) after the Build Step is over. Builds in the non-Mining Lands might turn them into Mining Lands before Towns are Gathered, reducing the number of lands where Migratory Herders does anything. The list of lands that will be Gathered into is fixed at this point, before any Gathers happen.

  However, which lands can be gathered from, the lands that don't match (i.e., Mining lands) is checked when actually Gathering the Town, so it's possible to Gather a Town into a non-Mining land to turn that land into a Mining land, and then Gather that Town into the next non-Mining land.

  Tags: Combining Adversaries, Matches, Timing, Habsburg Monarchy (Livestock Colony), 1 more...
• Is it possible for "Untapped Salt Deposits" (Habsburg Mining Expedition Level 4) to combine with "Seize Opportunity" (The Kingdom of Scotland Level 2), since they both alter what happens to the “Coastal Lands” card?
  Yes, just set up the “Coastal Lands” card according to "Seize Opportunity" (as the third Stage II card).

  Both Adversary effects remove the "Coastal Lands” card before randomizing the Stage II Invader Cards – "Untapped Salt Deposits" just doesn’t do anything special with it afterwards, while "Seize Opportunity" puts it back in a specific spot.

  The resulting deck order will be 11-2S-1-C2-33333, regardless of which Adversary is leading.
  Tags: Combining Adversaries, Kingdom of Scotland, Coastal Lands invader card, Habsburg Mining Expedition, 0 more...

Scenarios

• When the Invaders do an extra set of actions during Setup in the Blitz Scenario, does that include any Adversary effects that happen during or trigger after the Build/Explore Step?
  No, while the Invaders are resolving a Build Card and two Explore Cards, they are doing so during Setup, not during the Build Step or Explore Step (which are part of the Invader Phase).

  In particular, the following effects don't apply during Blitz setup because they reference specific steps of the Invader Phase or explicitly exclude setup.

  • "Frontier Explorers" (The Kingdom of France Plantation Colony Level 1) and "Trading Port" (The Kingdom of Scotland Level 1) don't change which pieces are added during or after Exploring – not even from the second Explore Card – because they don't apply during setup.
  • "Migratory Herders" (The Habsburg Monarchy Livestock Colony Level 1) doesn't gather Towns.
  • "More Rural Than Urban" (The Habsburg Monarchy Livestock Colony Level 2) doesn't build 2 Towns in place of building an Inland City, since play hasn't started yet.
  • "Ceaseless Mining" (Habsburg Mining Expedition Level 1) doesn't cause Ravage Actions in Mining lands.
  • "Mining Boom" (Habsburg Mining Expedition Levels 3 & 5) doesn't upgrade or build anything.

  ... but these effects do happen during setup:

  • "Slave Labor" (The Kingdom of France Plantation Colony Level 2) does upgrade Explorers after Building in lands with 2+ Explorers.
  • "Persistent Explorers" (The Kingdom of France Plantation Colony Level 6) does add an Explorer after each of the two Explore Cards.
  • "The Empire Ascendant" (Habsburg Mining Expedition Level 6) does add extra Explorers (and stack with the extra Explorer from Blitz!), since it explicitly applies during Setup.

  ... and these effects can happen during setup, but are unlikely to do so:

  • "Triangle Trade" (The Kingdom of France Plantation Colony Level 4) does add a Town as part of Building a Coastal City, though this only happens if the first Explore Card matches a land with a Coastal Town.
  • "Indentured Servants Earn Land" (The Kingdom of England Level 1) and "Chart the Coastline" (The Kingdom of Scotland Level 3) both allow building in lands without Invaders, albeit in a way that's unlikely to matter unless the first Invader Card matches a land that has a Wilds in it during Setup.

  Tags: Island setup, Matches, Thematic map, Blitz, 5 more...

Spirits and Innate Powers

• Can Vengeance as a Burning Plague let the Habsburg Mining Expedition Ravage in Mining lands with Disease in order to earn Fear?
  Yes.

  The Terror of a Slowly Unfolding Plague modifies how Disease works, so Ceaseless Mining lets it apply to Ravages in Mining lands.
  Tags: Disease, Action Modifiers, Vengeance as a Burning Plague, The Terror of a Slowly Unfolding Plague (Vengeance as a Burning Plague), 1 more...
• Do Adversary effects based on lands (e.g., the loss condition of the Kingdom of England) work in The Endless Dark?
  No, The Endless Dark is not a land for Adversaries.

  In particular:

  • The Kingdom of England can't count The Endless Dark as a "Proud and Mighty Capital" to cause a loss.
  • The Habsburg Monarchy (Livestock Colony) can't make Towns Durable there with "Herds Thrive in Verdant Lands."
  • The Habsburg Mining Expedition can't match The Endless Dark with its Salt Deposits card, nor can Russia match The Endless Dark to a Ravage Card via "Competition Among Hunters."

  However, Towns in The Endless Dark are still not available to be placed against the Kingdom of France.
  Tags: Matches, Victory and Defeat, The Endless Dark (Breath of Darkness Down Your Spine), Kingdom of England, 3 more...
• What Invader cards are "specially placed during Setup" for Visions of a Shifting Future or Rising Interest in the Island?
  Any card that was moved by Adversary or Scenario instructions.

  As of the release of Nature Incarnate, this includes:

  • The early Stage III card of Kingdom of Brandenburg-Prussia Level 2.
  • The early Stage II cards and Coastal card of Kingdom of Scotland Level 2, and the early Stage III card of Scotland Level 4.
  • The interleaved Stage III cards of Tsardom of Russia Level 4 (but not the Stage II cards they alternate with).
  • The Salt Deposits card of Habsburg Mining Expedition Level 4.

  The only Event that is currently specially placed is France's Slave Rebellion.
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Invader deck, Visions of a Shifting Future (Fractured Days Split the Sky), Fractured Days Split the Sky, Kingdom of Scotland, 4 more...