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(Rephrased, restructured & combined paragraphs. Fixed contradictory tips on number of ascending cards / sanctuaries. Added tip about sanctuaries that yield points. Adjusted colored sanctuary tip for "People from Below" expansion.)
 
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Tips for playing Faraway}}
==Picking a Starting Hand==


'''Strategy for Picking a Starting Hand - 5 Cards (Advanced Variant):'''  
The starting cards will dictate the rough direction in which you will be headed for the remainder of the game. When looking at your first 3 cards (or first 5 in the advanced variant) and your first card to choose after that, getting a card with a clue is very important. However, you won't need more than 2 or 3 clues in the game. Or at least, you should not necessarily focus on getting more; chances are, you naturally will.


Note: A normal game is played with a 3 card starting hand that is automatically picked for the player. In the advanced variant the player gets five cards and discards down to three.  
Especially in the advanced variant, which gives you a little more control, one solid strategy is to choose two cards that have the potential to yield a high (>= 10), fixed amount of fame points directly, and having your third card be lower than your other two and have a clue.  


Picking wisely is important, as cards in your hand will dictate the direction the player heads to, for the remainder of the game
Another opportunity to look for is getting 2 or even 3 cards that score fame for the same symbol. For example, a card that scores 3 fame points per uddu stone, another that gives you 2 per uddu stone, and another that gives you 1 per uddu stone. That equates to 9 fame points for every card with a stone played after those.


<u>Clues Importance</u>
Of course, control over your starting hand is limited. But if you look for clues, then high numbers, then matching scoring, you should find at least some perspective.


When looking at your first three cards, or your first card to grab after that, getting a card with a clue is pretty important. However, you won't need more than a couple to strategically acquire in the game. 
==Collecting Symbols for Prerequisites==


<u>Fame Card Strategy</u>
Cards that have a many different prerequisites are fine - at least in the beginning. It's not that hard to get them all fulfilled. For example, you may get one card that yields 15 fame points if you have 2 okiko chimeras + 1 goldlog thistle, and another card that yields 12 fame points if you have 1 thistle + 2 uddu stones. That's five symbols in total (reusing the thistle), which is absolutely doable, and often easier to achieve than, say, 3 thistles and nothing else.


<nowiki>*</nowiki>Fame Cards - A solid strategy is to choose 2 high fame cards into their starting 3. There are a variety of fame cards, e.g., rewards 17 straight fame, rewards fame for certain wonders (symbols) - such as 4 fame per clue symbol, or give the player 10 points per each set of 4 different regions collected. All this being said there are still ways to winning that don't require high fame cards in your starting three.  
'''NOTE:''' The uddu stone is the most common of the three wonder symbols. The goldlog thistle is the least common.


<nowiki>*</nowiki>Your third card should be lower than your other two in terms of duration and should have a clue symbol.  
Symbols on sanctuaries apply to every card. Most of the symbols needed to fulfill prerequisites should come from sanctuaries. Try to get between 5 and 7 per game. Considering that a game lasts 8 rounds and you can't get a sanctuary on the first round, that means only having 0 to 2 breaks in your streak of ascending cards.  


<u>Same Symbol Strategy</u>
==Choosing Cards to Play==


Another approach the player can take is to try and get two or even all three cards to go after the same symbol. So for example the player may get one cards that gives 4 fame per stone, another that gives 2 per stone, and another that gives 3 per stone. Going with those three cards means you'd get 9 fame per stone played after those cards. But again, here the player have to look at their duration value as well as what symbols they provide to determine their order.
Playing cards in ascending order gives you more opportunities to search for sanctuaries, which are crucial for obtaining victory - and there are no bad sanctuaries. Just some that might not fit your strategy. Play cards with clues early on to receive a better selection of sanctuaries. Ideally, play a card with a clue and a low number as your first card to maximize those chances. When in doubt, prioritize the clue, as having a choice between two sanctuaries yields significantly better results than just pure luck of the draw, and since the higher cards with clues also tend to have complex prerequisites, which you want to have ample time / cards to fulfill.  


Later, try to stick to the ascending order unless a card will greatly benefit from being played earlier (such as, for example, cards scoring based on sets of the 4 colors). Weigh this against the average sanctuary (that you will not get if you break your streak), which is perhaps worth somewhere around 5 fame points.


'''Collecting symbols (for pre-requisites)'''
Don't focus too much on playing cards to fulfill the prerequisites of previous cards. Focus instead on cards that score many fame points. The symbols on your sanctuaries should take care of most of the prerequisites. Also, don't blindly try to fulfill every last prerequisite just out of principle. You'll exhaust yourself and miss opportunities to pivot. Always think about the potential reward first.


Having cards that have a diverse range of pre-requisites is OK - At first the player might think that the player should only keep one of them since that is a lot of symbols and might be hard to get them all, but that's most likely not true. For example, the player may get one card that gives the player 15 fame but requires two chimera and a thistle, and another card that gives 12 fame but requires a thistle and two stones.
==Picking Sanctuaries==


There are two ways the player can get the symbols the player need, cards played that give the player symbols and sanctuaries (see below). '''NOTE: Stone is the most common, Thistle is the least common.'''
Symbols on sanctuaries apply to every card. This can be especially helpful for the last few cards you play, and can allow you to play cards with high fame yield even at the end (where they will likely fit your streak best, as cards with high fame potential also tend to have a high number).


Symbols on sanctuaries apply to every card. <u>Most of the symbols the player will need to fulfill each cards requirements should come from sanctuaries</u>. Try to get between 6-7 per game.  
Scoring options on sanctuaries take all cards into consideration, but the scoring options mostly aren't very powerful. Pick a sanctuary with a scoring option if it has a symbol you want as well, or if it yields 2 points per a symbol that you are already focused on.


 
There are sanctuaries as well as regions that score for having sets of the 4 colors. If you're playing the base game without expansions, all other things being equal, choose a sanctuary with a color. Having sanctuaries of a couple of different colors can make color-set-based scoring conditions much more effective, even towards the end. If you're playing with the "People From Below" expansion, this is not a hard and fast rule anymore, since the expansion also introduces scoring based on colorless cards.
'''Choosing cards to play:'''
 
Now that the player have your starting three cards the player now have to decide which one to play first. Look at duration value and symbols provided to determine order played.
 
Playing your cards in order of shortest to longest (determined by the exploration number at the top left) gives the player more time to search for sanctuaries which are crucial for obtaining victory.
 
 
<nowiki>*</nowiki>Play cards with clues early on - With how important sanctuaries are the player are going to want to have a lot of options to choose from when the player get the chance. Having clues played allow the player to have a better chance of getting a sanctuary, as they get to choose.
 
<u>The player ideally wants to play a clue card with a low duration first to maximize the chances of getting a sanctuary.</u>
 
 
A rookie mistake is to focus too much on playing cards that gives the symbol to collect past requirements and  forgo grabbing the high scoring cards - even though, by end of the game sanctuaries provide thee symbols needed. If the player chooses the high scoring card, chances are they will be able to succeed in fulfilling that card's requirements as well.  To gain sanctuaries, the player must play cards sequentially higher in number to explore. '''That means that the player can only afford to play a card lower in duration than the previous card once or twice.'''
 
 
Playing high fame cards early on allows the player to place 5-7 other cards in front of it that will most likely have some or all of the requirements that card needs, however this is not always the best choice strategically. Consider if the high fame card has a symbol that could be used for one of your other cards. This is especially true for symbols that can be acquired via sanctuaries.
 
You'll gain more fame the longer your exploration takes so all the higher exploration duration cards provide the most points. Chances are at least one of your three cards has a high duration.
 
 
Play your cards carefully. Looking back on your starting three cards I often play them in order from shortest to longest duration unless one card will greatly benefit from being played earlier, take a card that scores based on all four regions being played for example. If that is the case, then I will often play that card first and then the other two lower cards I may play a few cards later depending on their duration value. It may be a risk that I won't get all the necessary required symbols if I play them too late, but hopefully sanctuaries and future cards will be enough.
 
 
'''Clues:'''
 
Clues help the player find the right sanctuary, which helps the player fulfil requirements. With how important sanctuaries are the player are going to want to have a lot of options to choose from when the player get the chance. Having clues played allow the player to have a better chance of getting a sanctuary.  
 
Having just one clue early on is going to be a massive help. Being able to have two sanctuaries to choose from is far better than getting one randomly. Once the player has a clue or two that can sometimes be enough to help the player get all the sanctuaries the player need but obviously the more clues the player gets the better.
 
<u>Typically you can focus on getting only one or two clues.</u> Chances are the player will naturally get a few more from either cards or sanctuaries but not focusing on them after the beginning of the game enables the player to get more higher fame cards However, if the player doesn't get a card with a clue in your first three and the choice from the next three then the player needs to prioritize getting one as soon as possible. Unless the player have all of the required symbols the player need for your high fame cards early in the game, don't worry too much about it, but again, sanctuaries can still help the player score quite a bit on your last played cards. So the player are still going to benefit a lot from having 5-6 sanctuaries to choose from. Many times I have been on my 8th card that granted me a sanctuary and I was able to grab the perfect one I needed to get a ton of points because I had 6 cards to choose from.
 
Rookie mistake: For the longest time I undervalued the importance of clues. I have been in games where I basically didn't get any clues the entire game and I lost pretty bad. 
 
 
There are Sanctuaries and point cards that score for having played clues so it doesn't hurt having a few clues for that reason as well.
 
 
'''Sanctuaries:'''
 
Sanctuaries are crucial for success. Try to get between 6-7 per game.
 
Symbols on sanctuaries apply to every card which can be especially helpful for cards that are played 7th and 8th. Many cards require symbols in order to score and the last thing the player want is to get to your 8th card and realize that your 15 fame card isn't going to score because the player didn't manage to get that thistle the player needed which costed the player the game.  I have seen some games where a card worth a lot of fame was played last but it managed to score, because the sanctuaries provided the required symbols.  
 
Sanctuary Color
 
There are both sanctuaries and cards which score a significant amount of points for having one of each of the four regions. When looking at which sanctuary to choose and the player have a few good options if the one that is colored vs being grey isn't quite as good as your other choice I would go with that one. '''Having all four regions in your sanctuaries means that even if the last card the player play is a card that scores for a full set of regions, the player get 10 points.'''
 
Sanctuaries allow the player to <u>pick up additional high scoring cards later in the game</u> while providing the player with the confidence that the player have or will most likely fulfil its requirements.
 
Now of course the player can win with few sanctuaries and the player should if it's the difference between playing a perfect card or not; this game is very situational. But as a general rule, the player want a lot of sanctuaries.

Latest revision as of 03:44, 25 January 2026

Picking a Starting Hand

The starting cards will dictate the rough direction in which you will be headed for the remainder of the game. When looking at your first 3 cards (or first 5 in the advanced variant) and your first card to choose after that, getting a card with a clue is very important. However, you won't need more than 2 or 3 clues in the game. Or at least, you should not necessarily focus on getting more; chances are, you naturally will.

Especially in the advanced variant, which gives you a little more control, one solid strategy is to choose two cards that have the potential to yield a high (>= 10), fixed amount of fame points directly, and having your third card be lower than your other two and have a clue.

Another opportunity to look for is getting 2 or even 3 cards that score fame for the same symbol. For example, a card that scores 3 fame points per uddu stone, another that gives you 2 per uddu stone, and another that gives you 1 per uddu stone. That equates to 9 fame points for every card with a stone played after those.

Of course, control over your starting hand is limited. But if you look for clues, then high numbers, then matching scoring, you should find at least some perspective.

Collecting Symbols for Prerequisites

Cards that have a many different prerequisites are fine - at least in the beginning. It's not that hard to get them all fulfilled. For example, you may get one card that yields 15 fame points if you have 2 okiko chimeras + 1 goldlog thistle, and another card that yields 12 fame points if you have 1 thistle + 2 uddu stones. That's five symbols in total (reusing the thistle), which is absolutely doable, and often easier to achieve than, say, 3 thistles and nothing else.

NOTE: The uddu stone is the most common of the three wonder symbols. The goldlog thistle is the least common.

Symbols on sanctuaries apply to every card. Most of the symbols needed to fulfill prerequisites should come from sanctuaries. Try to get between 5 and 7 per game. Considering that a game lasts 8 rounds and you can't get a sanctuary on the first round, that means only having 0 to 2 breaks in your streak of ascending cards.

Choosing Cards to Play

Playing cards in ascending order gives you more opportunities to search for sanctuaries, which are crucial for obtaining victory - and there are no bad sanctuaries. Just some that might not fit your strategy. Play cards with clues early on to receive a better selection of sanctuaries. Ideally, play a card with a clue and a low number as your first card to maximize those chances. When in doubt, prioritize the clue, as having a choice between two sanctuaries yields significantly better results than just pure luck of the draw, and since the higher cards with clues also tend to have complex prerequisites, which you want to have ample time / cards to fulfill.

Later, try to stick to the ascending order unless a card will greatly benefit from being played earlier (such as, for example, cards scoring based on sets of the 4 colors). Weigh this against the average sanctuary (that you will not get if you break your streak), which is perhaps worth somewhere around 5 fame points.

Don't focus too much on playing cards to fulfill the prerequisites of previous cards. Focus instead on cards that score many fame points. The symbols on your sanctuaries should take care of most of the prerequisites. Also, don't blindly try to fulfill every last prerequisite just out of principle. You'll exhaust yourself and miss opportunities to pivot. Always think about the potential reward first.

Picking Sanctuaries

Symbols on sanctuaries apply to every card. This can be especially helpful for the last few cards you play, and can allow you to play cards with high fame yield even at the end (where they will likely fit your streak best, as cards with high fame potential also tend to have a high number).

Scoring options on sanctuaries take all cards into consideration, but the scoring options mostly aren't very powerful. Pick a sanctuary with a scoring option if it has a symbol you want as well, or if it yields 2 points per a symbol that you are already focused on.

There are sanctuaries as well as regions that score for having sets of the 4 colors. If you're playing the base game without expansions, all other things being equal, choose a sanctuary with a color. Having sanctuaries of a couple of different colors can make color-set-based scoring conditions much more effective, even towards the end. If you're playing with the "People From Below" expansion, this is not a hard and fast rule anymore, since the expansion also introduces scoring based on colorless cards.

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