When I first stumbled upon Cartographers, I must admit, my expectations were set on a different course. In my quest for a casual role-playing board game, drawing maps was the last thing I thought I would be doing. Yeah, who would’ve thought? But hey, it’s on me; the title did kind of give it away. Lesson learned.
Cracking open the box, I found around 40 cards, a 12-page manual, 4 tiny pencils, and a pad full of map sheets. As I scanned the contents, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Where are the dice?” Little did I know, Cartographers had something unique in store for me. In this game, you’re the cartographer (duh!) mapping out unexplored lands through the four seasons. Spring kicks things off, and with each turn of the calendar, you flip cards that tell you what to draw. Simple, right? The goal: rack up points by the end of all four seasons. Now, the journey to victory isn’t a straight shot, after all the map is yet to be filled.
The scoring system is intricate, with each season presenting two out of four special rules. These rules are determined by the A, B, C, and D cards, each offering four options. A cards are all about forests, B dives into fields and water, C hangs with settlements, and D oversees the whole tile shebang. You have to think about how you want to fill your 11×11 tiled map.
Language skills are almost irrelevant to the game
Apart from the strategic scoring system, players can earn points by collecting coins under specific conditions and strategically choosing tiles to fill their boards. The twist comes with the introduction of disruptive cards: ruin tiles and monster tiles. Ruin tiles make you draw the next card in a ruin spot, while monster tiles enable players to disrupt other players’ maps. This adds an intriguing layer of interaction. You know the feeling when your friend is aiming for that combo to score over 9000 points, then you just raise your staff pencil and say, “You shall not”. But hold on, they can do it to you too! The friendship meets a millisecond of doom. You know that feeling? Yeah, that is exactly what I am talking about. Now, here’s the catch. There are only four monster cards, so the whole “disrupting your friends’ plans” thing is a bit limited. Once a monster card shows its face, it’s out of the game. But fear not, there are expansions with hero cards, more monsters, and whatnot.
You don`t need to be an artist to draw the maps
Despite the simplicity, Cartographers is worth a try. If you’re into organizing, planning, and chilling with just a dash of player interaction, this game is your jam. Oh, and did I mention it caters to 1-100 players? My new life goal is a board game night for 99 folks, all huddled around maps and pencils, diving into the whimsical world of cartography.
Pictures taken by the author.
Basic info:
Designer: Jordy Adan
Publisher: Thunderworks Games
Release date: 2019
Number of players: 1-100
Playing time: 30-40 min
Age rating: 10+
Game explorer with a heart split between platformers (videogames) and eurogames (boardgames). Outside gaming, parenting is just another level of strategy.
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