From the source rules

Who goes first in Harrow County: The Game of Gothic Conflict?

Off the Page Games · English base-game rulebook · ©2023 · full two-player game

The player who reveals the First Player Token Bonus Tile during setup receives the First Player Token and goes first.

Rule details

Shuffle all nine Bonus Tiles. Take turns revealing one and placing it face up in the leftmost empty space between matching Mason Jars. Fill all four spaces even if the First Player Token tile appears earlier.

If the First Player Token tile was not among the four placed tiles, keep taking turns revealing remaining tiles off to the side until it appears. Give the token to its revealer, then shuffle the five tiles outside the Scoreboard into a facedown pile.

The token holder acts first in Phase 1 when Townsfolk or Buildings are being placed, and starts Phase 2’s Mason Jar turns. Players normally alternate three Mason Jar turns each.

If neither player has won at round end, give the token to the player who does not currently hold it. This can produce adjacent turns across the round boundary.

The First Player Token Bonus Tile can also transfer the token during a round. In the two-player game, its new holder can get another turn before the opponent if turns remain; each player still flips only three Mason Jars that round.

The Training Game has a different fixed opening: give the token to the Protectors, played as Emmy. Use that tutorial instruction when playing the Training Game.

In the separate three-player Hester rules, Hester acts after the second player. Taking the token does not give its new holder adjacent turns: Hester takes a turn between them. Solo Hester play does not use the First Player Token.

This answer covers the reviewed full two-player base game. The Fair Folk expansion and four-player bundle rules are not established by this manual.

The source link opens the publisher-linked shared folder. Select “Harrow County Правила игры на английском.pdf”; Determine First Player is on PDF and printed page 19.

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