Mountain Shadow tips for beginners: your first year
The three most important tips for Mountain Shadow: always have someone on Fell trees so you have logs, build a Drying rack early so your fish don't spoil, and fill the woodpile in Autumn, because nobody can gather Wood in the dark. Do that and your first winter will be cosy.
Twelve easy tips
- Keep the net and the seed potatoes on the sledge. Without the net, fishing is half as fast. Without seed potatoes, there is nothing to plant. See the trek.
- Always fell some trees. Every building costs logs, and only Fell trees gives logs. Only grown-ups and children from 13 can do it.
- Build in this order: lean-to, drying rack, cabin. The cabin burns a third less wood than the lean-to.
- Plant in Spring, dig in Autumn. Planting only works in Spring. A grown-up plants faster than a child.
- Fish in the warm seasons, and dry the fish. A drying rack turns up to 20 fish and berries a season into winter food. What is left spoils.
- Make hay in Summer and Late summer. That is the only time you can. The goats need it in the cold.
- Fill the woodpile in Autumn. In First snow and The dark, only Fell trees gives a little wood.
- Give the little ones Animals or Rest. Those are the only jobs they can do yet, and someone should look after the goats.
- Stay near home in the cold. Far from the warm home, people get cold and tired. See cold days and the big storm.
- Use favourite jobs. A person's card says "Loves:" and their favourite. They do it 25 % faster.
- Keep people on the same job. They earn stars and get up to 30 % faster.
- Read the report. "Next season:" tells you what is coming, so you can get ready.
A plan for your first year
| Season | Good jobs | Build |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Plant, Fell trees, Fish, Build, Animals | Lean-to, then a drying rack |
| Early summer | Fish, Fell trees, Build, Animals | Start the cabin |
| Summer | Hay, Fish, Fell trees, Build | Finish the cabin |
| Late summer | Berries, Hay, Fish, Visit | Root cellar |
| Autumn | Dig potatoes, Wood, Wood, Fish | Woodshed, stone stove |
| First snow | Ice fish, Animals, Rest | – |
| The dark | Ice fish, Animals, Rest | – |
| Late winter | Ice fish, Wood, Fell trees, Animals | Barn, when you have 14 logs |
This matches the goals of the first year: build a lean-to, plant, start and finish the cabin, make hay, pick cloudberries, visit the Sámi family, dig potatoes and fill the woodpile. See the eight seasons.
When something goes wrong
- A building is slow. Tap it. The card says why: nobody on it, no grown-up, or no logs.
- Someone is tired. Give them Rest for a season. A Sauna helps the whole family get well faster.
- A pile is short. Don't worry. Bark bread, your Sámi friends or the neighbours' sledge always help. Everyone just gets a bit tired. See the winter piles.
- You are not sure. Press Stop time (Space) and think. Time also stands still while you plan.
Common mistakes
- Sending everyone to the far fell. The walk eats the season.
- Fishing at the same spot season after season. It gets tired and gives less.
- Forgetting the barn door when a storm is coming.
See also
- Advanced tips: the numbers behind these tips.
- Your first ten minutes: the very start.
- Jobs and Buildings: every value.
- More beginner tips: the Bloom Haven guide and the Building Town guide.
- Try them out: play Mountain Shadow.
