Emberleaf - Hero Pack 1 - Starter Deck F
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FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
The moment you sacrifice victory points to turn the game around. Everyone's silent. Everyone's calculating whether you've gone mad or if you've understood everything.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
When winning isn't enough: you have to choose how
Hero Pack 1 is the first expansion for Emberleaf, the strategic puzzle game by James Tomblin and Frank West set in The City of Kings universe. It adds an intermediate starting deck that introduces new rules and increases the strategic depth of the base game.
At the heart of the expansion are favor cards: powerful tools that allow you to sacrifice victory points in exchange for immediate advantages. Build your city, place tiles, manage resources. But now you also have to decide how much you're willing to give up to get what you need right away.
What they say abroad
An expansion that adds a layer of choice without overcomplicating the system.
— FroGames
Favor cards change the calculation. It's not enough to optimize: you have to assess how much winning will cost you.
— FroGames
Emberleaf - Hero Pack 1: Starting Deck F
Emberleaf is designed to work great solo, and this expansion keeps that promise. Favor cards become a challenge against yourself: how much can you give up to optimize? The experience is complete, only lacking the competitive tension of multiplayer.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews and play sessionsWhat's in the pack
Components and new mechanics
Intermediate deck F
13 cards that introduce a higher level of complexity compared to the base deck. New combinations, new strategies, new dilemmas.
Favor cards
The heart of the expansion. Sacrifice victory points for immediate advantages: extra resources, special placements, unique powers. Timing is everything.
New rules
Additional mechanics that integrate with the base system. More options, more depth, same fluid gameplay.
Variable setup
Every game is different thanks to the new deck and favor cards. Replayability multiplies.
Recommended sleeves 13 cards in 1 size ▼
If you play often, we recommend protecting the cards with transparent sleeves to make them last longer.
| Size | Quantity |
|---|---|
| 63 × 88 mm | 13 |
| Total cards | 13 |
In an hour, you'll know if you sacrificed too much or too little. And you'll immediately want to play again to figure out where you miscalculated.
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The new deck
Setup: deal the intermediate F deck and the favor cards. Everyone knows this game will be different. The new cards change priorities; mental calculations begin even before the first tile is placed.
The first favor card
Someone plays it early. They sacrifice victory points for an immediate advantage. Others look skeptical. Or genius? Doubt creeps in.
The race gets complicated
Mid-game. Everyone has played at least one favor card. Who gave up more points? Who optimized better? The tension rises, calculations multiply. Every move counts double.
The all-or-nothing moment
Someone plays a second favor card. Or a third. The sacrifice is enormous, but the effect is devastating. Everyone recalculates everything. Is it madness or vision?
The final tally
Victory points minus sacrifices. Who won? Who best calculated their limit? Often, the one who dared the most wins. Or the one who resisted temptation. The margin is always thin.
How to play
The flow of each turn
The expansion integrates into the base game without disrupting the pace. It adds choices, not complications.
Draw a card from the F deck and place a tile according to the basic rules of Emberleaf. The new cards offer more complex combinations.
Decide whether to play a favor card. Choose the sacrifice (how many points to give up) and get the corresponding advantage. You can do this at any time during your turn.
The basic mechanics remain: collect resources, complete contracts, develop your city. Favor cards give you shortcuts, but at a price.
End of turn. The game flows smoothly, but every choice carries more weight. Did you sacrifice enough? Too much? You'll only find out in the end.
Why it's different from others
Six elements that make the difference
The favor card mechanism
It's not just a trade-off. It's a dynamic calculation: how much is a victory point worth now compared to an immediate advantage? The answer changes every game, every turn. It's the beating heart of the expansion.
Perfect integration
No new rulebook is needed. The new mechanics fit into the base game without forcing it. More depth, same flow. You're playing Emberleaf, but with an extra gear.
Well-calibrated intermediate deck
The F deck isn't just "harder." It's more interesting. Cards that open new strategies, combinations that didn't exist before. A step up without becoming daunting.
Multiplied replayability
Every game is a different experiment. Which favor cards do you use? When? How much do you sacrifice? The variable setup and new cards create ever-fresh scenarios.
Deeper decisions
You're not just adding rules; you're adding dilemmas. Every turn asks you to evaluate the present against the future. It's pure strategy, no frills.
Unique powers from sacrifice
Favor cards don't just give generic bonuses. They offer unique advantages that change your approach to the game. Special placements, rare resources, extra actions. Is losing points worth it?
How it ends
How to win (and how to lose)
The player with the most victory points at the end wins, after subtracting the favor card sacrifices. Simple? No.
Victory
- Accumulate more victory points than your opponents through contracts, buildings, and tiles.
- Optimize the timing of favor cards: sacrifice when needed, not when you feel like it.
- Leverage immediate advantages to build an engine that yields more than the initial sacrifice.
Defeat
- Sacrifice too early or too late: incorrect timing costs you the victory.
- Don't use favor cards: others gain advantages you can't catch up to.
- Sacrifice too much: immediate advantages don't compensate for lost points.
An expansion that takes an excellent strategic puzzle and transforms it into a duel of calculation and risk. For those who want more from Emberleaf.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Emberleaf - Hero Pack 1: Starting Deck F
Is the base game required to play?
Yes, absolutely. This is a Hero Pack, meaning an expansion that adds content to Emberleaf. You cannot play it alone. You need the base game for setup, rules, and main components.
Are favor cards difficult to understand?
No. The mechanism is simple: you sacrifice victory points (indicated on the card) to gain an immediate advantage (described on the card). The difficulty lies in timing and evaluation: understanding when to sacrifice requires experience.
How much does it change the game compared to the base?
It adds a significant strategic layer without disrupting the flow. If you like base Emberleaf, this makes it deeper. If you're looking for something completely different, this isn't the right expansion.
Is it worth it for solo players?
Yes. Emberleaf works very well solo, and this expansion maintains the quality. Favor cards become a challenge against yourself: how much can you optimize the sacrifice? It's a more complex puzzle, and if you like the base game solo, you'll like this even more.
Is it available in Italian?
Yes, this is the Italian edition published by Cranio Creations. All cards and rules are in Italian.
Emberleaf Hero Pack 1 Starting Deck F is an expansion for 1-5 players that introduces the favor card mechanism to James Tomblin and Frank West's strategic puzzle. Each game lasts 90-120 minutes and requires the Emberleaf base game. The intermediate F deck adds strategic depth with 13 new cards, while favor cards allow players to sacrifice victory points for immediate advantages. Recommended age 14+, Italian edition Cranio Creations. Available on FroGames.it.
Emberleaf - Hero Pack 1 - Starter Deck F
Frequently Asked Questions
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