Caverna: The Cave Farmers
136 questions players ask about Caverna: The Cave Farmers. Pick one for the answer. See also the full rulebook.
Updated 2026-11-01.
Setup and Components
Work Phase and Play Order
- Do I have to place all my dwarves, and can I pass while action spaces are still free?
- How many rubies does it cost to place an armed dwarf out of the normal weapon order?
- What choices does an 'A and then/or B' action space give me?
- Is a dwarf's action carried out right after it is placed or after everyone has placed?
- Can a dwarf that was just armed at the Blacksmith still go on an expedition in the same round?
- Can the starting player take the starting player token again?
- Does a newly revealed action space get goods in the same round?
- Is round 9 skipped in a two-player game, including its harvest?
- Can I place a dwarf on an action space without taking one of its actions?
Food, Feeding and Converting Goods
- Can I convert goods to Food at any time, and for any purpose, not just feeding?
- Can I convert or use grain and vegetables that are still growing on my fields?
- How much Food does Gold convert into, and is there a limit?
- When can I spend rubies, and does it use an action?
- How much Food does an armed dwarf or a newborn dwarf need at harvest?
- How many begging markers do I take if I cannot feed my dwarves?
- If I eat a donkey from my mine to pay for feeding, does the Mining Cave still reduce the cost?
- Do the Mining Cave and Working Cave work when each dwarf costs only 1 Food?
- Can I convert a dog to food?
Harvest and Breeding
- How do the red question-mark harvest markers work?
- Do I feed my dwarves in a round with no harvest?
- How many baby animals do I get per breeding phase?
- If there is no room for a newborn animal, do I still get the Breeding Cave or Quarry bonus or can I eat it?
- Can I convert a newborn animal or its parents to food right after breeding?
- Can I eat an animal just before breeding to free room for a baby?
- When an expedition lets me breed animals, do the babies need room, and does the Quarry apply?
- If only one baby has room but two animal types could breed, which one breeds?
- Does the Breeding Cave give Food per newborn or per animal type?
- Does each field give up one crop per harvest, and can I skip the Field phase with nothing sown?
The Actions
- Must the first Meadow or Field tile be placed straight out from the cave entrance?
- Can I use one expedition loot item right away to pay for another in the same expedition?
- How does the expedition loot 'all weapons +1' work?
- Can rubies be exchanged for gold 1:1?
- On an either/or space such as Logging, can I take only the wood and skip the expedition?
- On an 'and then/or' space like Ore mine construction, which action must come first?
- When does taking the Starting player action change who goes first?
- Can I spend ore to upgrade an already-armed dwarf?
- Can I build a Dwelling with Furnish a Cavern, and which dwellings can Wish for Children build?
- Can I put a meadow, pasture or other tile over an existing field or developed tile?
General Rules and Furnishings
- Where does the sixth dwarf come from, and can it use a weapon and go on expeditions?
- Does the Seam give one Ore for each Stone I receive?
- Does the Guest Room turn every 'either/or' into 'and/or'?
- Does the Cooking Cave need gold to convert grain and vegetables into food?
- What is the 'Family Chamber' in the appendix?
- Is the wild boar a farm animal, and where can I keep it?
- Where can dogs be kept, and do they need to share with other animals?
- Can I own both the Trader and the Spare Part Storage?
- Can the Beer Parlor, Hunting Parlor and similar conversion tiles be used more than once?
- How many sheep can dogs keep on a meadow or pasture, and does a stable or fence add to that?
End of the Game and Scoring
- Can the Beer Parlor convert grain that is still on my fields, even after the final harvest?
- Do grain and vegetables still on my fields score at the end of the game?
- Can I convert goods or spend rubies after the final harvest or during scoring?
- Which Home board spaces count as unused and cost me a point?
- Can begging markers push my score below zero?
- Does the State Parlor count dwellings that touch it diagonally?
Solo Game
Caverna: The Forgotten FolkExpansion
- If a Goblin takes a Family growth action, do I get a Goblin or a regular person?
- What is the maximum number of people, and can the Additional Dwelling be built if I have a Goblin?
- Are all Cave Goblins incompetent, and what is the Cave Goblin marker?
- Can Dark Elves get a Goblin from an expedition by using a spare dwelling already on their board?
- Can I pay a ruby to place a Goblin before my other people?
- In what order are Goblins placed when several players have them?
- Do Goblins follow the restrictions or abilities of the folk I play?
- When a Goblin covers a water source, do I get the Food, and what if rubies pay for the tile?
- How does the Clumsy Goblin work with accumulation spaces?
Caverna: Frantic FiendsExpansion
- If I use Herald or a friendly Orc on an accumulation space, do I get the accumulated goods?
- Can I build or place animals and crops on a space with an orc on it?
- Can I push and bribe the same orc more than once?
- Which weapon strength counts when an orc is removed by bribe or trap?
- Can orcs enter the cave diagonally?
- Do the base solo rules and starting food apply in Frantic Fiends solo play?
Caverna: Water ExpansionExpansion
- How does the Hot Springs family growth work?
- Which spaces must the Fairy Pool, Wishing Well, Mushroom Grotto and springs tiles be built on?
- How many underground lake and river spaces are on the personal board?
- How often does the Mushroom Grotto give its vegetable?
- Does the Wishing Well infinite loop with Spare Parts Storage and Trader still work?
Caverna: Mini ExpansionExpansion
- Is a meadow with a Gazebo on it still a meadow?
- Can the Dormitory and the Additional Dwelling both give a sixth dwarf, or is there only one sixth dwarf?
- Does using the Stone Collector cost me a dwarf for the round?
- Can the Dormitory be built with Furnish a Dwelling?
- Who can take a resource from the Robbers' Lair?
Caverna: The Forgotten Folk – Adventurers PromoExpansion
- When an Adventurer uses an accumulation space, does it take the goods piled there?
- Do newly created Adventurers start with a strength 4 weapon?
- What does the +4 treasure chest do?
- How many treasures do levels 10 and 16 give in the Adventurers promo?
- Can I use the Halflings or Adventurers promo without The Forgotten Folk?