Playmat instructions

Here are instructions if you got a playmat without an instruction sheet:

• The island is still divided into "boards" for game-effect purposes. The borders between boards are a bit thicker than the other land boundaries.
• You make use of one "board" per player, just as shown in the core rules. You can put Fear markers into out-of-play lands that border in-play lands, cover over unused boards with decks/supplies, and/or make an actual border-line with unused Presence / pebbles / paperclips - whatever you find easiest.
• The Ocean on each "board" is distinct, just like if you were playing without the playmat. (This is relevant for Ocean's Hungry Grasp.)
• The northern and southern edges of the island are NOT considered Coastal, just like if you were playing without the playmat. The rocky cliffs which make them inaccessible from the Ocean can be seen along the southern border; the perspective means they're not visible along the north.
• There are two non-usual Setup icons - [SPIKY ICON] and [GROWING ICON] - for tokens that have not yet been published. Punchboard thematic boards can be updated with stickers or reprinted, but neither option looked especially viable for playmats, so we printed them on there just in case! Omit them from setup. Update August 2020: [SPIKY ICON] is Badlands from Jagged Earth. [GROWING ICON] has not yet been published.
• REMINDER: The balanced boards are much much better to learn on than the thematic map, which is: more challenging on average, less consistent in its difficulty level, not as easy to parse, and a temptation to start using Branch & Claw materials too soon. (They're best saved until you have moderate familiarity playing the base game.)

• There are no rules changes per se. In the very unlikely but hypothetically possible case that you empty the Minor Power deck, players cannot gain Minor Powers until/unless someone Forgets one (so there's a deck again). Likewise for the Major Power deck.
• If you are planning on using the playmat to play with more than 4 players, for the sake of the island and your fun, please do NOT learn Spirit Island this way! You are setting yourself up for a game that is more complex (and more difficult) than is likely be enjoyable for a first play. Spirit Island is best learned with 4 or fewer players on the balanced boards.
• If you are planning on using two copies of the game to play with more than 4 players, we strongly recommend your first play or two be with 4 or fewer players per game. If 5+ people want to all learn together, we suggest two side-by-side games: this will let everyone use a low-complexity spirit, and keep the visual complexity of each island reasonable. (You can share some of your experience by using identical island layouts + spirits for each game, and seeing where they diverge based on player choice and Invader exploration. You can even use a single Invader deck if everyone's willing to take turns at the pace of the slower game.)