Journey to the Center of the Earth

About this board game

Journey to the Center of the Earth is a 20-minute route-drawing adventure for 1–50 players, released in 2020. Based on the unforgettable story by Jules Verne, it sends players from Iceland’s Snæfellsjökull volcano toward the center of the Earth and onward to an escape through one of several exit volcanoes.

At the start of the adventure, Otto Lidenbrock and his nephew Axel discover a secret parchment written by the alchemist Arne Saknussemm. In Iceland, they enlist the hunter Hans and begin a dangerous descent toward the greatest adventure humanity has ever known.

Each turn reveals two cards: a coordinate card and a tunnel card. Players draw the tunnel shown on the indicated cell, building a route that may include straight passages, curves, water springs, discoveries, or dangerous creatures.

• Plan a route from the entrance volcano to the center of the Earth.
• Continue from the center toward one of the exit volcanoes.
• Respond to tunnel features, discoveries, and dangerous creatures.
• Manage water as the tunnel deck runs out.

When the tunnel deck is exhausted, players must consume one water point or be eliminated. When the coordinate deck runs out, one exit volcano erupts and can no longer be used, making the route ahead even more urgent.

Help from the novel’s protagonists can change the rules, offering a way to face the expedition’s challenges. With its simple card-driven route building and evocative underground journey, Journey to the Center of the Earth brings a classic literary adventure to the tabletop.