Heart of Darkness: An Adventure Game of African Exploration

About this board game

Heart of Darkness: An Adventure Game of African Exploration is a 1–5 player expedition game with an approximately 420-minute play time, set in mid-19th-century Central and Southern Africa.

Funded by a major newspaper and publisher, your expedition begins at one of six Ports of Entry. Your goal is to venture into the unknown, discover myths and legends, and return with dramatic stories worthy of publication. The player who accumulates the most Drama Points claims success—but the journey can end abruptly if any explorer dies or goes mad in the bush.

The map is divided according to ethnic groups, and your expedition moves from area to area in search of mysteries. You carry food and gifts, making interaction with local people essential, while hunting helps you endure the trek. Your party may include armed askaris, African soldiers, porters, occasional local guides, and goats.

• Explore a map covering Central and Southern Africa.
• Search for myths and legends while moving between areas.
• Manage food and gifts as you interact with local communities.
• Face wildlife, hostile people, hunger, predators, and disasters.
• Protect both your expedition’s health and your explorer’s sanity.

Every step into the wilderness carries danger. Encounters and disasters wear down health and sanity, while the need to survive competes with the publisher’s demand for extraordinary material. In Heart of Darkness, exploration is not simply about reaching distant places—it is about deciding how far to go in pursuit of a story.