Africa

About this board game

Africa is a 2001 exploration board game for 2–5 players, with play time of about 60 minutes. Players take on the roles of explorers travelling through uncharted Africa, revealing hidden locations and competing to finish with the most points.

At the beginning, circular playing counters are placed face down in random locations on the board’s various circles. On a turn, an explorer may move to a revealed location anywhere on the board, or move twice, with each movement covering 0, 1, or 2 adjacent revealed spaces.

After moving, the explorer may take an action, such as revealing an unrevealed tile or moving revealed tiles to different locations. The counters represent a varied African landscape of discoveries and opportunities:

• Trade goods that can form different sets
• Nomads and herds of animals
• Gold and diamonds
• Monuments that bring the game toward its conclusion

The game ends when the 11th monument is revealed. Players then tally their points, with scoring offering several different paths: some points are awarded immediately, others are delayed, some come from opportunities, and some are counted at the end of the game.

This range of scoring methods gives every revealed tile potential importance as the exploration unfolds. Once the final totals are calculated, the player with the most points wins. Africa was awarded the “Best Family Game” title by Games Magazine in 2002.