🎯 Win Condition
Score 30 points by spreading 9-12 Enclaves and spending matching cards via Integrate
⚙️ Crafting Method
Craft with Enclaves during Birdsong (Militant Enclaves can only craft Frog or Wild icons)
🎲 Starting Position
5 warriors and 1 Peaceful Enclave in a river clearing
Overview
Scattered long ago and suppressed ever since, the Lilypad Diaspora now hopes to call the Woodland home. While they work to integrate peacefully, peace is rare in the midst of civil war. You score by spreading Enclaves (one per clearing) and spending matching cards via Integrate. Each Enclave provides multiple benefits: adds Frog suit to clearing, enables crafting (Peaceful only), spawns warriors (Militant), and boosts card draw. Balance between Peaceful Enclaves (scoring/crafting) and Militant Enclaves (recruiting/battling). When enemies attack Peaceful Enclaves, Fears Come to Pass triggers: flip all Peaceful Enclaves with attacker's pieces to Militant. You can place 3 Enclaves per turn and score 6-8 VP/turn when fully established.
Faction Board
🎓 Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Lilypad Diaspora Walkthrough
Understanding Enclave Economy & Starting Position
The Lilypad Diaspora revolves entirely around Enclaves - spread them far and wide, keep them alive, and watch points roll in. Each Enclave provides multiple benefits: adds Frog suit to clearing, enables crafting (Peaceful only), scores points when matching cards spent in Evening, spawns warriors when Militant (via Rally), triggers mandatory battles (Militant), boosts card draw (3+ of same suit), and provides card economy when attacked as Peaceful. You can place only ONE Enclave per clearing, so aim to spread 9-12 Enclaves across the board. Start on a river clearing with 5 warriors and 1 Peaceful enclave. Your first turns focus on establishing 2-3 more Enclaves in adjacent clearings to build your economic engine.
•Enclaves are your entire economy - recruiting, crafting, scoring all depend on them
•One Enclave per clearing maximum - spread is essential
•Peaceful Enclaves = crafting + scoring, Militant Enclaves = recruiting + forced battles
•River movement (Swimmers ability) gives unique mobility
•Target 9-12 Enclaves total for victory
Birdsong Preparation & Crafting Priority
Birdsong is your preparatory phase where you craft cards with long-term value and preserve cards for scoring/provoking. Craft using any Enclave (Peaceful or Militant), but note Militant Enclaves can only craft Frog or Wild icons since they replace the clearing's suit. Priority crafts: Mobility cards (Corvid Planners, Tunnels, LoAM, Soup Kitchens), Card Draw (Charm Offensive, Swap Meet), Master Engravers, Coffin Makers, Saboteurs, and Items. After crafting, use Reconcile to flip safe Militant Enclaves to Peaceful (especially in your scoring suit), but keep 1-2 Militant for warrior production. The ruler of the clearing draws a card when you Reconcile, so avoid this if powerful cards sit on top of The Pond.
•Craft in Birdsong before you need the benefits that turn
•Keep enough cards for Provoke and Integrate actions
•Reconcile converts Militant to Peaceful + gives ruler a card
•Maintain 1-2 Militant Enclaves for recruiting
•Rally places 1 warrior at EACH Militant Enclave
Daylight Expansion - Settle Over Provoke
Perform Settle or Provoke up to 3 times in any order. **Settle** is your go-to action: move any number of warriors into a clearing, then either battle OR place a Peaceful Enclave if you rule. Prioritize clearings of the same suit to maximize Integrate scoring. Avoid battling unless absolutely necessary (to reduce rule threshold or grab easy cardboard points). **Provoke** is expensive but scales warriors quickly: discard random non-Frog card, flip Peaceful to Militant OR place new Militant Enclave (must be river clearing or have Diaspora warrior), then Rally (place 1 warrior at each Militant Enclave). Use Provoke when you need rapid army expansion or to establish presence in new areas.
•Settle 3 times per turn is ideal (move + place Peaceful Enclave)
•Target same-suit clearings for maximum scoring potential
•Provoke costs a random card but recruits at ALL Militant Enclaves
•Battle action of Settle is generally suboptimal
•Spread to 9-12 clearings as quickly as possible
Evening Scoring & The Integrate Engine
Evening has three steps: Retaliate (MUST battle at each Militant Enclave - risky if under-defended), Integrate (spend 1 card to score 1 VP per Peaceful Enclave in matching suit clearings - this is your primary scoring engine), and Draw (1 card + bonuses from board, max 5 hand size). Integrate scales exponentially: 3 Peaceful Enclaves in Rabbit clearings + spend 1 Rabbit card = 3 VP. With 4 suits and 3 Enclaves per suit, you can score 6-8 VP per turn easily. Feed all excess cards into Integrate. Balance Peaceful (scoring) vs Militant (recruiting) Enclaves based on game state. Low aggression games favor more Peaceful Enclaves for massive scoring.
•Integrate is your primary scoring method - scales with Enclave spread
•3 Peaceful Enclaves in same suit + 1 matching card = 3 VP
•Retaliate forces battles at Militant Enclaves (can be risky)
•Card draw scales with Enclave placement (3+ same suit = bonus)
•Left alone, you outscore almost any faction
Defensive Play & Fears Come to Pass
When enemies attack your Peaceful Enclaves, **Fears Come to Pass** triggers: after an enemy removes a Peaceful Enclave or battles at one, flip ALL Peaceful Enclaves with that enemy's pieces to Militant and place 1 warrior at each flipped Enclave. This punishes aggression and converts your economy from scoring to recruiting instantly. Some Enclaves will be under-defended - that's acceptable in low-aggression games. Use **Peace Talks** defensively: once per turn, an enemy at a Militant Enclave can spend a card to flip it Peaceful, and the ruler draws a card. This gives opponents a way to de-escalate while you gain cards. Balance between maintaining Peaceful Enclaves for scoring and accepting some will flip Militant when attacked.
•Fears Come to Pass punishes enemies who attack Peaceful Enclaves
•Flips ALL Peaceful Enclaves with attacker's pieces to Militant
•Peace Talks allows enemies to de-escalate (flip Militant to Peaceful)
•Some under-defended Enclaves are acceptable - you place 3/turn
•Win condition: Spread 9-12 Enclaves, score 6-8 VP/turn via Integrate
💡 Tip: Hover over highlighted game terms to see detailed explanations and related mechanics.
Mechanics & Strategy
Unique Mechanics
Special abilities and rules that define this faction
Frog Culture
Clearings can hold one Enclave, adding Frog suit if Peaceful or replacing clearing's suit if Militant.
Law of Root Homeland Expansion
Fears Come to Pass
After enemy removes Peaceful Enclave or battles at one, flip all Peaceful Enclaves with that enemy's pieces to Militant and place 1 warrior at each.
Law of Root Homeland Expansion
Peace Talks
Once per turn, enemy at Militant Enclave can spend card to flip it Peaceful. Ruler draws 1 card.
Law of Root Homeland Expansion
Swimmers
When moving, treat rivers as paths, ignoring rule.
Law of Root Homeland Expansion
Turn Order
Actions available in each phase
Early Game
- Establish 2-3 Enclaves in adjacent clearings
- Build economic engine
- Craft mobility and card draw cards
Mid Game
- Reach 9-12 Enclaves total
- Score 2-3 VP per turn minimum
- Balance Peaceful and Militant Enclaves
Late Game
- Score 6-8 VP per turn via Integrate
- Maintain Enclave spread despite attacks
- Convert all excess cards to VP
Strengths & Weaknesses
💪 Strengths
- +Exceptional card economy (up to 4 cards/turn)
- +Rival Woodland Alliance in crafting
- +Rapid recruiting via Provoke
- +Scales scoring exponentially (6-8 VP/turn)
- +Flexible coexistence with militant factions
⚠️ Weaknesses
- -Vulnerable to early aggression before Enclaves established
- -Retaliate forces battles at Militant Enclaves (risky if under-defended)
- -One Enclave per clearing limits concentration
- -Depends on card suits matching Enclave locations
- -Weak to factions that can remove buildings quickly
🤝 Synergies
- • Games with multiple passive factions
- • Maps with corners and defensible positions
- • Low player counts where policing is less critical
🛡️ Hard Counters
- • Underground Duchy (matches battle actions, tunnel mobility)
- • Marquise de Cat (overwhelming field presence)
- • Lord of the Hundreds (aggressive counter-insurgent)
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