a few pointers to get your city off to a good start
Looking for a friendly, low-pressure group where you can enjoy the game at your own pace? You've found the right place. We're a relaxed, supportive group that plays for fun — no stress, no pressure. We enjoy the Tournament, the Spire, and the Fellowship Adventure, and we're happy when members take part, but it's never mandatory — life happens, we get it. We also love helping out, so if anything below doesn't make sense yet, just ask in chat and someone will be glad to walk you through it.
the single best tip we've got
One of the most useful things to realize early on: you don't need to build Steel, Marble, and Planks manufactories. One of the three is your personal boosted good — it's different for every player — and the more Relics you collect from solving province encounters on the World Map, the more that one good produces. Somewhere around 500 Relics, the bonus tops out at roughly +700%, meaning a boosted manufactory can produce about eight times as much as an unboosted one, for the same footprint and time.
Open Buildings and look for the manufactory type highlighted in yellow — that's the good the game boosts for you. It's also shown under the Relics tab in your Main Hall.
A handful of boosted manufactories will out-produce a full mixed set of all three basic goods, using far less city space to do it.
You can trade with everyone you've met on the World Map, and with your fellowship, without any penalty — see the next section.
Space is always tight in this game. Skipping two manufactory types leaves a lot more room for residences, culture buildings, and event buildings.
getting what you don't produce
Trading directly with another player — a fellow member, or anyone whose city you've found on the World Map — costs nothing extra. It's only the game's own automatic offers (the Wholesaler) that take a real cut in exchange for convenience.
As a fellowship, we keep our trades fair — a 2-star offer (even value on both sides) is the norm here, not the 1-star trades you'll sometimes see elsewhere. If you're just starting out and only need small amounts, post in chat — there's almost always someone happy to help a new member along.
spend wisely
Most goods regenerate — run out of Planks today, and you'll have more tomorrow. A handful of items don't work that way, and spending them casually on small conveniences usually means regretting it a few chapters later.
The premium currency. Handy for skipping wait times, but easy to burn through on small conveniences. Save them for the magic academy, expansions, blueprints or extra builders.
hold ontoNeeded to upgrade and place Ancient Wonders past certain levels and to upgrade Event Buildings. Earned slowly through Tournament chests, the Spire, the occasional quest and by transforming blueprints — spend it deliberately.
hold ontoA rare crafting ingredient from deep into the Tournament's chest ladder (10th chest onward), that also pops up occasionally as a spire reward, in quests or for sale in exchange for diamonds. Used with Spell Fragments to craft Royal Restoration or in groups of three to fract artifacts that upgrade event buildings in the Magic Academy — the supply is small.
hold ontoAt first, earned mostly by selling buildings you no longer need and as a spire reward. Later also available to produce in the magic Academy. Useful for crafting — worth watching, but much easier to replenish than the three above.
use with careCome from disenchanting spare enchantments and items, plus some Spire rewards. The most renewable of the crafting ingredients — no need to hoard these.
spend relatively freelythe weekly (and not-so-weekly) events
None of these are mandatory here — we're a relaxed fellowship and life happens. But they're a great source of Relics, goods, and the rare crafting items above once you're ready for them, so here's what each one actually is.
A weekly event (Tuesday to Saturday) built on the same "encounter" mechanic as scouting provinces — cater to it with goods, or fight it. Rewards include Relics, Knowledge Points, and — as our fellowship clears chests together by accumulating points — Royal Restorations.
unlocks in chapter IIA weekly event (Sunday to Friday). You fight (sometimes with two or even three rounds) or negotiate your way up through a series of chambers for prizes such a Spell Fragments, spells, time boosters, etc. Each encounter also earns Radiant Stones, which you can spend in Harold's Shop.
unlocks in chapter VA shared, fellowship-wide event that runs for about a week every so often, built around a joint map instead of individual scoring. We've got a separate guide with all the details on how it works and how to contribute. For more fellowship adventure advice, click here. unlocks in chapter II
Enjoying any — or none — of these is completely fine here. Jump in whenever you feel ready, and ask in chat if you'd like company for your first attempt at any of them.