Good day, adventurers of the board games and BoardGameKing subscribers! Today we got something innovative and worth mentioning… This is Expedition game by FabricateIO and it’s going to be launched on Kickstarter on April 8th !
Game contents
Todd Medema from FabricateIO sent us the beta version of Expedition and here’s what we’ve got inside the box:
- Adventurer cards – 10
- Encounter cards – 40
- Ability cards – 80 (20 – Ranged; 25 – Melee; 20 – Music; 15 – Magic)
- Loot cards – 30
- Reference cards – 6 (for each player)
Moreover, you will need D20 dice for each player or dice-app on your device. Probably, there would be some changes in contents when the game is released on Kickstarter. We will keep you informed about that!
Gameplay
The most interesting thing about the Expedition Game is that it uses the app on android or iOS devices and cards. So, app deals with math and you just enjoy the game! It is amazing because the majority of RPG games have a lot of difficulties with all the attack factors, defense and so on.
This game can be played from 1 to 6 players. Yes, it is available to play solo but we will discuss it later. There are 10 available characters (or adventurers). They have a lot of specific features and abilities. So, the more players we have the more interesting team we get – Alcoholic Diplomat with Idealistic Monk would be fun!
Rules
Setup
First, you will have to prepare for the game. Of course, you will need to launch the app ( it is in beta version now ). Then, you choose one Adventurer card from the deck and then pass the deck to other players. Keep your card face up in front of you.
Next, you will need to draw the starting abilities which are marked on each adventurer card. Don’t forget to read them and understand which action they perform. After that, shuffle them and place face down in front of you.
N.B. – Adventurers cards have the information about your health and bonuses. Try to use them wisely because they are crucial to achieve victory! As for the app, you will need to setup the quantity of players (1-6) and the way you are going to play – with rules tips or without them at all.
Preparing for combat
Each encounter needs a several rounds to deal with. Each round it is possible to play one or more ability card to attack your enemy. It is important to choose the ability quickly because there is a special timer which determines the damage you take, so try to be careful!
To attack, all players must shuffle the ability cards they have and draw only three top cards from the deck. Then look at these three cards and choose only one card. Then, put your finger on the timer and wait for other players.
Finally, it’s time to roll the dice! The number on the dice shows the action which must be performed according to ability cards. If the enemy is defeated you can get some loot out of him and if your adventurer got killed… well, there are some variants and the plot in this game is not linear. Everything depends on your actions!
It means that you can choose from the way you want to play – you can kill peasants or help them to get back their values (cheese in the first quest).
By the way, there is no need to read a huge manual to deal with the rules – all you have to do is read the tips which pop on the screen and soon you will manage all the tricks!
Final thoughts
As for the BoardGameKing, it was an incredible experience to play Expedition game! It is well-designed, perfectly balanced and really innovative. Also, cards are printed quite well.
As for the app, it would be great to remade the balance for solo mode (1 player) because sometimes it is easy to kill your adventurer if he is Alcoholic Diplomat, for example.
To sum it up, we strongly recommend this game for fans of D&D and RPG card games and it will suit not only hardcore players, but beginners too! To say more, the app really makes a difference in simplification of the genre. 10\10!