What happens to pieces when they get replaced? Do they go back to the box?

During setup, they're removed from the game and returned to the box. [Nature Incarnate, page 14]

During play, they return to the supply unless the effect explicitly says otherwise. (The exact formatting of "Call Forth Predators" in earlier printings of Branch and Claw implies otherwise, but the Jagged Earth rulebook explicitly states on page 28 that this is the general rule going forward.)

Most pieces aren't component-limited, so this doesn't usually matter one way or the other. Nevertheless, it's occasionally relevant for a few cases with piece limits:

Blight returns to the Blight Card/Space.
Against The Kingdom of France (Plantation Colony), a replaced Town returns to France's limited supply of Towns rather than permanently decreasing the number of Towns in the game.
Replaced Presence goes to the destroyed Presence supply, like all other cases where Presence leaves the island without a specified destination.
Incarna return to the Incarna supply when they leave the island.

Category: Effect Rules
Tags: Replace, Downgrade, Upgrade, Incarna, Presence, Destroyed Presence, Kingdom of France
Products: Branch & Claw, Jagged Earth, Nature Incarnate
Created: Oct 7, 2026, 7:29:31 AM
Last modified: Oct 7, 2026, 7:29:31 AM