Cartographers Heroes

2021

Embark on a thrilling adventure with Cartographers Heroes, a sequel to the critically acclaimed map-drawing game. Brave war-torn lands, chart heroic deeds, and secure your place in history!

45
minutes

1 - 100
player(s)

10+

Medium

About the game

Welcome to the enchanting world of Cartographers Heroes, a standalone sequel to the critically acclaimed board game, Cartographers. Immerse yourself in a realm where creativity, strategy, and adventure converge in a captivating gaming experience.

Set in the captivating and vibrant fantasy realm of Queen Gimnax’s kingdom, you are tasked with the duty of a royal cartographer. Your mission is to map out the unexplored territories of the kingdom, navigating through rugged mountains, verdant forests, and sprawling fields. But beware, as the land is fraught with perilous monsters that can derail your plans.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Cartographers Heroes is an engaging, fantasy-inspired map-building game. To fully understand and enjoy the game, let’s explore its components and their functions:

1. Game Sheets (100x): Each player uses a game sheet to draw their map. The sheet represents the territory that players are trying to map and develop. The sheets are double-sided, allowing for different game experiences.

2. Colored Pencils (4x): These are used by players to draw different types of terrain on their game sheets. Each color represents a different terrain type, as indicated in the game’s legend.

3. Explore Cards (16x): These cards are drawn each round to determine what shapes and terrains players can draw on their maps. Each card shows a choice of two shapes that players can draw, each associated with a specific type of terrain.

4. Season Cards (4x): These cards define the scoring rules for each of the four rounds (or ‘seasons’) of the game. Each season card has a unique scoring condition, motivating players to develop their maps in different ways each round.

5. Hero Cards (8x): These cards introduce a new element to the game. When a hero card is drawn, players must draw the indicated shape on their map. Hero cards also show a monster pattern that can be used to eliminate monster spaces on the map.

6. Monster Cards (4x): These cards are mixed into the explore deck and introduce monsters to the game. When a monster card is drawn, all players must draw the monster’s shape on their map. Monsters bring negative points if not surrounded by other terrain types.

7. Artifact Cards (4x): These cards add another layer of complexity to the game. When an artifact card is drawn, the player who draws it places an artifact on their map. Other players can then draw the artifact’s shape on their maps to gain additional points.

8. Rune Cards (4x): These cards introduce special abilities that players can use once per game. Each rune card has a unique effect, such as allowing a player to draw an extra shape, or to change the type of terrain in a specific area of their map.

9. Ambush Cards (4x): These cards are special monster cards that are hidden in the explore deck. When an ambush card is drawn, the player who drew it must draw the monster’s shape on another player’s map.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Cartographers Heroes is a standalone sequel to the critically acclaimed map-drawing game Cartographers. It includes all-new map sheets, scoring cards, explore cards, and ambush cards with unique abilities.

To set up the game, follow these steps:

Prepare the game materials: Each player should be given a map sheet and a pen. Place the four season cards in order (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) in the middle of the table.
Set up the Explore Deck: Shuffle the explore cards and then draw cards from the top until the total time values of the drawn cards match or exceed the time value on the current season card. These drawn cards form the explore deck for the current season. Set the rest of the explore cards aside, not to be used in this game.
Prepare the Scoring Cards: There are four scoring piles (A, B, C, D). Shuffle each pile separately. Then draw one card from each pile and place these four cards face-up next to the season cards. These scoring cards determine how players will score in each round.
Prepare the Ambush Cards: Shuffle the ambush cards and set them aside in a face-down pile. These cards will come into play if the players draw the monster card from the explore deck.
Prepare the Hero Cards: Shuffle the hero cards and place them in a separate face-down pile. These cards may be drawn during the game to help players defend against monsters.

At the start of each season, players will explore the wilderness around their outpost, drawing the shapes of the lands and ruins on their map while dealing with the villainous ambushes of the Dragul. The game ends after the last Winter season, and the player with the most reputation stars wins.

Remember: The key to victory in Cartographers Heroes is to wisely plan your map and master the game’s unique scoring system. Good luck and happy map-drawing!

Game flow Round and round we go

Cartographers Heroes is a turn-based, card-drawn, map-building game that involves strategic decision making. The game extends over four seasons, each of which has different scoring conditions.

The game follows a specific structure:

Draw Exploration Cards: At the beginning of each season, a player draws an exploration card from the deck. These cards determine the shape of the terrain the players will draw on their maps during that round, and the type of terrain it will be (forest, farmland, water, or village).
Draw on Map: After the exploration card is revealed, all players simultaneously draw the specified terrain shape anywhere on their map. The shape must be exactly as shown on the card, but can be rotated or flipped.
Monster Cards: Some exploration cards are monster cards, which must be drawn immediately. They come with a specific shape but are not tied to a specific terrain type. Instead, they fill up valuable space on your map and give negative points at the end of the season.
Scoring: At the end of each season, players score points based on the scoring cards for that season. Each season has two unique scoring cards and scoring conditions change from season to season.
End of the Game: After four seasons, the game ends. The player with the highest total score across all four seasons is the winner.

Throughout the game, players must strategically decide where to place their terrain to maximize their points based on the scoring cards for each season. Additionally, they must manage their space wisely to avoid being overrun by monsters and losing valuable points.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

In Cartographers Heroes, each player’s turn, known as a season, is divided into several drawing phases. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what happens during a player’s turn:

1. Draw a Card: The first step in a player’s turn is to draw a card from the deck. Each card will have a type of terrain and a specific shape to draw in that terrain.

Edict cards dictate the scoring rules for the round.
Explore cards illustrate the territories to be drawn.
Disaster cards introduce challenges in the form of monsters.

2. Draw a Shape: After drawing a card, the player must draw the shape indicated by the card on their map sheet. The shape must be drawn exactly as it appears on the card, but it can be rotated or flipped.

3. Fill in the Shape: The player will then fill in the shape with the terrain type shown on the card. The four terrain types are forest, farm, water, and village.

4. Coin: If the drawn shape covers a mountain or a coin icon on your map, you gain a coin. Coins provide bonus points at the end of the game.

5. Monster: If a monster card is drawn, the player must add a monster to their map. Monsters cannot be placed on mountains or spaces already occupied by other terrains. At the end of the season, players lose points for each empty space surrounding a monster.

6. End of Season Scoring: At the end of each season, scoring occurs. The scoring rules are based on the active edict cards for the current season. Different edict cards reward points for different terrain configurations.

Strategic choices in Cartographers Heroes often revolve around optimizing your terrain placement to score the highest points based on the active edict cards, while also trying to mitigate the negative effects of monsters. Balancing immediate rewards, like coins, with long-term scoring strategies is a key part of the game.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The game of ‘Cartographers Heroes’ is designed to last four rounds, with each round representing a season in the game’s world. At the end of the fourth round (winter), the game concludes and players proceed to the final scoring.

Victory in ‘Cartographers Heroes’ is determined by the accumulation of reputation stars, which are earned by fulfilling the objectives on the score cards drawn each round. These cards typically involve creating specific spatial configurations of terrain on your map.

Victory Conditions:

Edict cards: At the start of the game, four edict score cards (A, B, C and D) are drawn. These cards each present a unique terrain configuration that can earn players reputation stars. The scoring for these cards is done twice in the game, once halfway through (summer) and once at the end (winter).
Monster cards: If a monster card is drawn, players must draw the depicted monster shape on their map. At the end of the game, each empty square adjacent to a monster loses reputation stars.
Coins: Players earn a coin each time they completely fill a row or column on their map. Each coin is worth one reputation star at the end of the game.

Before the final scoring, players should take the following actions:

Ensure all drawn shapes are valid and all coins earned are counted.
Calculate the loss of reputation stars due to monsters on the map.
Verify that all edict cards have been scored correctly.

The player with the highest total of reputation stars at the end of the game is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, the player with the fewest empty squares on their map wins.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In Cartographers Heroes, players earn points in four scoring phases – A, B, C, and D. Each phase corresponds to a specific scoring card. Here is how the points are awarded:

Scoring Card A: This card is scored in the first and third phases. The scoring objective depends on the specific card drawn. It may involve arranging specific shapes of terrain or positioning terrains in a particular pattern.
Scoring Card B: Like Card A, this card is scored in two phases, specifically the first and fourth phases. The scoring objective will be different than that of Card A.
Scoring Card C: This card is scored in the second and fourth phases. Again, the scoring objective will be unique and specific to this card.
Scoring Card D: This card is scored in the second and third phases. The scoring objective will be different from the other cards.

Players earn points based on how well they meet the objectives of the scoring cards. The total points from all four scoring phases make up a player’s final score.

In addition, players can earn extra points from Ruin Cards if they draw a terrain card on the Ruin space. They can also lose points from Monster Cards. Each open space adjacent to a Monster Card deducts 1 point from the player’s score.

In the case of a tie, the following tie-breaking rules apply:

The player with the fewest empty spaces in their map wins the tie.
If there is still a tie, the player who was the first to achieve their personal objective wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most coins wins.

If there is still a tie after applying all these rules, then the game is considered a draw.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Cartographers Heroes is a standalone sequel and expansion to the critically acclaimed map-drawing game, Cartographers. While it retains the core mechanics of the original game, it introduces new elements such as heroes and monsters. Here are some special rules, exceptions, and clarifications to keep in mind:

1. Hero Cards:

Hero cards are a new type of card in Cartographers Heroes. When a player draws a Hero card, they should mark the depicted shape on their map, but unlike regular terrain cards, they must also draw a small sword symbol in one of the shape’s squares. This sword represents a hero.

2. Monster Cards:

When a player draws a Monster card, they must draw the depicted shape on their map just like any other card. However, unlike other cards, a player does not get to choose where to place the monster – instead, the player to their right decides. Monsters score negative points at the end of the season, but any adjacent hero can slay them and prevent this.

3. Slaying Monsters:

At the end of the season, if there is a monster adjacent to a hero (including diagonally), the player can slay the monster. To indicate this, they should cross out the monster’s symbol on their map. Each slain monster prevents the scoring of negative points and also gives the player a bonus point.

4. Terrain Type Restrictions:

When drawing a shape from a card, the shape must be drawn with the corresponding terrain type. However, an exception to this rule is when filling in a Ruin space. If a player chooses to fill in a Ruin space with a shape, they may use any terrain type, not just the type shown on the card.

5. Scoring Ruins:

At the end of the game, if a Ruin space is not filled in, it counts as a negative point. However, if it is filled in, it scores points as normal for its terrain type.

6. Special Scoring Conditions:

Each game will have four special scoring conditions, as determined by the four randomly chosen scoring cards for the game. Players should pay close attention to these, as they can greatly affect the outcome of the game.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Cartographers Heroes is a strategy-based board game that requires careful planning, a keen eye for detail, and a strong understanding of the game rules. Here are some advanced strategies, beginner tips, common mistakes to avoid, and ways to optimize gameplay:

Advanced Strategies:

Balance your focus: Don’t neglect one type of terrain over the other. Aim for a balanced strategy to ensure your scoring opportunities are not limited.
Use monsters wisely: Monsters can be a hindrance but can also be used strategically. Place them in areas that won’t affect your scoring or where you can surround them with other shapes.
Plan ahead: Always try to anticipate future shapes and plan your placements accordingly. Keeping some space available for future turns can be a game-changer.

Beginner Tips:

Learn the scoring cards: Understanding how each card scores is essential. Before the game starts, take some time to familiarize yourself with each scoring card in the deck.
Fill the corners first: At the beginning of the game, try to fill in the corners of your map. This can help you avoid being cornered by monsters later in the game.
Use coins: Don’t underestimate the value of coins. They can provide a steady stream of points throughout the game.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Not utilizing all the shapes: Neglecting to use all the shapes available can limit your scoring potential. Try to utilize all the shapes given in each round.
Ignoring monsters: Ignoring monster cards can lead to a loss of points. Make sure to deal with them as soon as they appear.
Overlooking the seasons: Each season has a different scoring method. Not adapting your strategy for each season is a common mistake that can cost you points.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay:

Practice: The more you play, the better you’ll understand the game’s dynamics and strategies. Practice games will help you refine your tactics and become a better player.
Adapt your strategy: Be flexible with your approach and willing to change your strategy based on the scoring cards and shapes you receive.
Focus on your own board: Keep your focus on your own board and avoid getting distracted by what other players are doing. Your strategy should be based on your own scoring cards and shapes.