Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale

Product Information

Besides the unique scoring conditions of that season, you always score positive points for gold coins and negative points for spaces around monsters. For the coin space you fill in a number equal to the number of coins you have shaded in at that moment. For any empty spaces around monsters at that moment, take a negative point for each and fill it in. Add all together to form your season score. Now that the season has ended, it’s time to calculate your score. At the bottom of the map sheet there are four different scorings shown, each one divided into four sections. Each season scores differently.

Player interaction – The monster cards add an element of direct player interaction, which is uncommon in flip/roll-and-write games. This aspect of gameplay manages to maintain the fun/lighthearted feel of the game without feeling too mean-spirited – it’s just enough to keep you on your toes, but not over the top with destroying other player’s plans. It was a struggle for me to even begin writing this review because I was trying to grapple with how to present the story in a way that was comprehensible. Aside from the pencils (which have the weird side benefit of making everything in the box smell AMAZING), this is really my only complaint. Ruins: If one or more ruins cards are revealed, each player must draw one of the available shapes, depicted on the next explore card that is revealed, so that it overlaps a ruins space on their map. If not possible, instead draw a 1×1 square anywhere on their map and fill it with any terrain type.

There Is a Season (Turn, Turn, Turn)

Each turn a card is drawn given you a shape or two to choose from and a terrain or two also. You will each sketch one of these terrain/shape combos on to your map, anywhere you like. Depending on the scoring cards you might want to cover ruins or place next to mountains or near the edge of the board. Flip over the top Explorer card so everyone can see it. It is most likely going to have an icon of its terrain type and a configuration shape (like a Tetris piece). Player count – Because of the simultaneous nature of the game, there is really no limit to the number of players you can include in the game (each player gets a sheet of paper and a pencil). This would be a great game for really large groups of people who are looking to all play the same game (not quite a party game, but with the right crowd it could work).

Each player loses one reputation star for each empty space adjacent to a monster space on their map, writing that number in the corresponding box. (If an empty space is adjacent to multiple monster spaces, the player still only loses one reputation star for that space.) Now take the Scoring Cards; you’ll notice that there are four of each set signified by a red, green, blue or yellow symbol. Shuffle each set of Scoring Cards and then draw one from each set, and place these four cards, at random, below the four Edict Cards. These give players the Edicts – the scoring conditions they’ll be working towards – so make sure everyone can see them! Each player evaluates their own map to determine how many reputation stars they earn for each of the two scoring cards being evaluated this season, writing those numbers in the corresponding boxes. (See scoring cards section below after end of game section.) Once the players have completed and scored for Winter, then they’ll add up their scores from each season and the person with the highest final score is the winner. Thoughts At the same time, all players make a mark on their score sheet based on the card that was flipped. Anywhere on your personal grid, draw the chosen shape and shade it in with the pattern of the chosen terrain type. You can put it anywhere it fits, you cannot overlap mountains or shapes you have already put down. You can rotate and flip, as long as the shape orientation stays the same.The object of the game is to establish a seat of power for the monarch Queen Gimnax of the Kingdom of Nalos by reclaiming the northern lands taken by the Dragul. [1] The selected location must satisfy several criteria, among them that the surrounding area provides natural defenses and resources. [1] Players assume the role of a surveyor scout that travels into the Dragul lands to find a suitable location. [1] Each player receives a pencil and the same double-sided map, agreeing before the start of the game which side to use. [1] The number of players is limited only by the number of available score sheets; each box includes 100. [1] Now take the Scoring Cards; you’ll notice that there are four of each set signified by a red, green, blue or yellow symbol. Shuffle each set of Scoring Cards and then draw one from each set, and place these four cards, at random, below the four Edict Cards. These give players the Edicts - the scoring conditions they’ll be working towards - so make sure everyone can see them! Variety of Themes: Explore different thematic landscapes, from mystical forests and treacherous swamps to majestic mountains and enigmatic ruins. Each map tells its own story and presents its own set of challenges. Finally, and perhaps the most important step, each player writes a name, a title and draws a family crest on their map sheet (this crucial process often adds 5+ minutes to the playtime!). Rift Lands: If the rift lands card is revealed, each player draws a 1×1 square anywhere on their map and fills it with any terrain type shown on the card. All normal rules and restrictions apply.

Each player will take a sheet with a grid on it. Across the grid are ruins and mountains and possible a massive canyon, depending on the difficulty chosen. You will then set up the cards for the current season. The four seasons you play through get progressively smaller - in theory, so you will need to make forward thinking decisions from the off. To score points you must collect coins, and achieve goals. Four goal cards are laid out but only two are scored each season. A & B, then B & C, then C & D, before D & A. This means each card will score twice and that you know when they will score, allowing you to plan ahead. Of course most games you will get lost in a couple of the objectives, forgetting the ones you were meant to concentrate on this round! After you have flipped enough explorer cards for their time values in the top left corner to equal or exceed the season total, you move to scoring for that season. Each of the four seasons are going to have a combination of 2 of the four letters (Like A/B or B/D or A/C) that is unique to that season. These are the two unique scoring edicts that you score this round. Each of those will have their own condition to get you points. Add it up and fill in the total in the respective space at the bottom of your scoresheet. The other specialty card you may flip when flipping explorer cards is a “ruins” card. When you hit one of these, then immediately flip another explorer card until you hit a non-specialty one. You do that explorer card as normal BUT now at least one of its squares needs to overlap one of the “ruins” symbols on your scoresheet. You do not have to wait for the ruins to draw over it, but you do want to keep these readily available for these cases. If you hit an ambush in this process, stop and deal with that. Every once in a while, a monster card will be revealed, which requires all players to pass their map to a neighbor to their right or left (depending on the direction indicated on the card), and then each player will fill in squares with monsters on their opponent’s map based on the shape shown on the card. This creates an additional challenge for players to solve – during each scoring round, any empty space adjacent to a monster on their map will cause players to lose 1 reputation point. Players have a year to map out the world, whilst simultaneously completing the queen’s four edicts. As they do so, they gather reputation stars. Whomsoever has the most at the end of the game is the winner.If a Ruins card was drawn in the Explore phase, players must place their shape such that it overlaps one of the Ruins spaces on the map. If they can’t overlap a Ruins space, or there are none left, then they must draw a 1×1 square with any terrain type anywhere on the map. When drawing Monster shapes on your opponent’s map, try to consider how easily that player can fill in the adjacent squares. Also, some edicts, such as Stoneside Forest, give you reputation stars for connecting certain terrain together. If you can cut off these connections before they are formed you can get the upper hand on your opponent!