Games Caverna The Cave Farmers Cave vs. Cave Era II The Iron Age Board Game Expansion | Strategy Game for Adults and Kids | Ages 12+ | 1-2 Players | Average Playtime 45-60 Minutes | Made

So many more choices! The game lasts longer with this expansion but my husband and I are ok with that. Some people may think it adds too much time and that for the added time you may as well play full Caverna but I don’t agree. Caverna Cave vs Cave and this expansion are very different from full on Caverna. There’s no feeding your people and it’s a much tighter game. It’s also much more portable for travel or if you want to take it to a restaurant, cafe/coffee shop, bar to play. Highly recommend. Also prefer this to Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small.

The Forgotten Folk is an expansion to Caverna: the cave farmers. It gives players 8 new folks to play and each with their own unique skills and limitations. It includes 8 Folk boards, 8 overview tiles, two new resources (Gemfruits and Mushrooms), 7 Goblin markers, 1 cave Goblin marker, and 32 new furnishing tiles (4 for each Folk).Setup will now include two Folk boards being dealt to each player in a 1 to 4 player game. In a 5 to 7 player game each player will receive one Folk board with the rest placed in a pile face-down. Going in reverse turn order, a player will draw a face-down Folk and decide between the two boards they have. When they have chosen, the Folk board not chosen is returned to the face-down pile. This will continue until all players have chosen their Folks.Players will receive four furnishing tiles associated with their Folk, and these tiles will replace furnishing tiles found on the supply board. Each new furnishing tile will give the name of the tile it will replace.The 8 Folk:Cave Goblins- The player will start with an additional Dwelling and a third person occupying it. They are allowed to have 6 people without needing to build the Additional Dwelling tile. All Dwellings score zero victory points for this player. Goblins are clumsy and must always return one resource when they have gathered. They are also incompetent as they need to spend two more Ore than what is required to build a weapon (ie 3 Ore to make level 1 weapon).The Cave Goblin tiles added are the Forgotten Cave (+2 mushrooms), Guard Dog School (pay 1 dog instead of Ore for a level 5 weapon), Kennels (dogs breed), Menagerie (3 VP for each set of 5 different animals).Dark Elves- the player has access to an alternative level 10 loot item for expeditions. A player will pay 2 wood and 1 stone to place a Dwelling, and immediately place a Goblin on it. The player is still limited to having 6 people in their family, and all Dwellings count as zero VP at the end of the game. Deep mining allows the player to always obtain one Ruby when a Ruby Mine is placed.The Dark Elves tiles added are Archer Range tile (score VP in a straight line for each empty meadow), Bone Carver (trade 2 or 4 animals, including dogs, for 3 or 6 gold), Charcoal Storage (exchange up to 3 wood for a gold each during harvest), Mushroom Cave (+2 mushrooms).Elves- Player starts the game with two Gemfruits along with starting food. A player is allowed to use forest spaces for sowing crops and placing furnishing tiles. Pastures can be built directly on forest spaces without the need for Meadows (but tiles requiring a Meadow space still needs a Meadow). Players do not receive any bonuses from Wild Boar spots or food from Water sources. When placing a "Cavern & Tunnel" or "Cavern & Cavern" twin tiles the player must pay 2 rubies to place as normal, pay 1 ruby to place a single "Cavern" or "Tunnel" tile, or decline to place any tile into the mountain space.The Elves tiles added are Bird Hide (get 2 food immediately, and 3 VP, for each empty forest space adjacent), Elven Market (once per round exchange 2 gold for Ruby and Vegetable), Feeding Room (spend 1 or 2 Vegetables to breed 2 or 4 different animals again), Hunter's Hut (start of Harvest gather +1 food for every 3rd empty forest).Humans- players are allowed to overhang twin tiles in the forest. Doing so the player will gain 2 food and 1 gold. Cannot place twin tiles on the mountain area of the home board. Player must place a single "Cavern" or "Tunnel", or none. The human folk do not score negative points for empty spaces in the mountain.Humans tiles added are Manure Heap (gain 2 Vegetables, and 1 VP, for each Pasture adjacent), Mead Parlor (1 gold for every 2 empty Meadow), Scarecrow (add 3 grain instead of 2 while sowing), Silage Bin (immediately breed 1 different animal, and 3 VP, for each Meadow adjacent to this tile).Mountain Dwarves- player is able to pay Stone and/or Ore instead of wood. Twin tiles placed on the Mountain may overhang, and player obtains 2 gold when they do. No twin tiles in the forest area, and player must place a single "Field" or "Meadow" tile instead, or none at all. Do not score negative VP for empty forest spaces.Mountain Dwarves added tiles are Concert Organ (1 gold for each empty Cavern adjacent to this tile), Mining Office (immediately +2 Ore, and 3 VP, for each adjacent Ore mine), Overseer's Dwelling (room for 1, and immediately 2 Ore and 1 Ruby for each adjacent Ore and Ruby Mine), Training Room (spend 1 Ore before Expedition to increase Weapon strength).Pale Ones- Player may place a person on the "Drifting Mining" or "Excavation" action spaces even if occupied (one each). Allowed to overhand twin tiles in the Mountain spaces, and obtain 1 gold and 1 mushroom. Cannot place twin tiles in Forest, so player can place single tiles or nothing at all. Do not score negative points for empty forest spaces.Pales Ones tiles added are Mystic's Hut (+2 Gemfruits), Schnapps Parlor (exchange 1 Vegetable for 2 gold or 3 food), Sheep Dog School (Dogs watch double the amount of sheep), Sheep Market (exchange 1 dog and 2 sheep for 4 gold).Silicoids- People consume 1 stone instead of two food, this includes newborns. Round 4 allows player to feed two Silicoids with 1 stone. All Furnishing tiles are discounted 1 stone. Each Harvest allows 3 or 6 food to be exchanged for 1 or 2 gold. Additionally 1 gold can be exchange for 1 stone.Silicoids tiles that are added are Jeweler (exchange 2 gold for 1 ruby and 2 ore), Quarrying room (+1 stone when using "Excavation" action), Stone Trader (Each Harvest exchange 1 or 2 wood for 1 or 2 stone), Water Troughs (adjacent Pastures may hold 3 additional animals).Trolls- first weapon forged must be a strength four and use exactly 2 wood. Weapons are capped at strength 10. When going on an expedition, player will receive an additional loot that must be different from the rest. Trolls consume 3 food instead of 2 during harvesting. Newborn Troll consumes only 1 food. Trolls are able to exchange dogs, sheep, and Donkeys for 2 food each.Trolls tiles added are Bone Crusher (exchange dogs, sheep, and Donkeys for 2 food each), Candle Maker (every 2 animals exchanged for food +1 gold), Explorer's Cave (each time a water source or wild boar reserve is covered gain 3 food or 2 wild boar), Goblin Dwelling (obtain a Goblin when room is placed)When Goblins are added to a players home board they are not able to be used until the next round, but they still eat two food like adults. They act like Cave Goblins when it comes to weapon forging and gathering resources. The added special rule is they are not going be placed until after everyone has finished placing their normal people. This means that Goblins will always be placed last.The Forgotten Folk expansion for Caverna is a welcomed addition as variety seems to be one of the main wants of the base game. Each Folk brings a change in the way the game plays. An example is some folk being able to eat all the animals available, or using alternative food sources like stone. This is something that players will have to adjust their strategy to as some folk make the game feel drastically different. The inclusion of new tiles to replace the ones in the base game add to variety that players can now experience. These new tiles not only give new options, but some even allow others to have the same abilities that another player may have. An example of this is the Bone Crusher tile that gives the same ability of the Troll to another player. What is also great is if players want to be a simple dwarf, they can as it would not affect them if everyone else had a Folk board. The Goblins give a great additional option for individuals that like getting more people to place, or for those that felt they could never get around to getting more people. Adding to this idea of more options is simply including some of the new tiles from the folk that are not in play for a four player game. Each of the Folk have their own strengths and weaknesses, but the best thing is they allow each player to feel unique and give them a focus in the game. An example is the Humans who do not want to do any twin tiles placements in the mountains. Highly recommend this expansion as having asymmetrical abilities, and new tiles to add, makes the game feel unique each time it is played.Teaching the Game: Make sure people pay attention to what is unique to their folk because if they do not they can miss out on VP, or cost themselves VP. An example is the Silicoids who get a discount of one stone, but they must still build in the forest as they will gather negative VP for empty spaces. And do not let anyone feel discourage in wanting to play a regular dwarf, it will not affect them or the other players.

The Forgotten Folk expansion adds EIGHT (yes, 8!!) new races for Caverna! And each race is well designed with it's own unique way to play. I won't bother with a thorough explanation of the eight races as the previous reviewer does an excellent job, and I have nothing more to add. This expansion could breath new life into the game, if your players are bored by Caverna due too overplay.The reason I only give this a 3-STAR review is that, ultimately, the new races end up LIMITING your choices in Caverna. Yep, this expansion does in some way break Caverna's greatest strength-the ability to try anything! The new races all have a specific strategy to win. That's not a bad thing, and some players will no doubt welcome it, but it will limit your choices, and make one feel more like they are playing Terra Mystica then Caverna (IMO). In the long tern I think you're just better off playing the 'generic dwarf" from the base game.Ironically, however, the focused nature of the new races actually has a benefit! Yes, these new races are actually GREAT for noobs to the game! This expansion (by chance or by design) is a great teaching tool for new players. Rather then be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices in Caverna, a new player, playing one of the new races, has his/her strategy spelled out for them! And it's for this reason that I will keep the expansion. Otherwise, for me, this is a take it or leave it addition to the game.