Board Game Robinson Crusoe - Adventures on the Cursed Island

Atmospheric Co-op Euro

This is an outstanding adventure co-op game and undoubtedly a nurtured and long-awaited project that resulted in a grand fusion of modern mechanics from different schools of game design.

In this amazing co-op, chains of random events often become a pattern, dice rolls are perfectly combined with typical Euro worker placement, and planning and mathematical calculations are inextricably linked to role-playing against a narrative background. Thanks to this game, you will feel as if you are actually on a mysterious island, where you will feel loneliness, hopelessness and everything that the unfortunate Robinson Crusoe must have felt with all your soul fibers.

Updated edition of the game

The new edition of the game has undergone over 450 corrections and improvements, it has eliminated all the shortcomings of the first edition, significantly edited the rules, and also changed the text on many cards for greater clarity. The seventh scenario has been added to the game, the character cards have become thicker, and the wooden resource chips have acquired a more believable appearance.

Gameplay

Before starting the game, players choose one of seven scenarios and receive characters with unique abilities. The scenario sheet contains all the necessary information about goals, special rules, exceptions, etc. Each character has four abilities that can be activated with determination tokens. To win the game, players must achieve scenario goals related to inventing items or exploring certain locations.

A game round is divided into six phases: events, morale, mining, actions, weather, and night.

• In the event phase, players reveal the top card from the corresponding deck and play its effect.
• In the morale phase, players gain or lose determination tokens depending on the position of the marker on the track.
• In the mining phase, a location with a camp brings resources.
• In the action phase, players perform actions.
• In the weather phase, players roll weather dice — rain, winter and hungry animals (they do not bode well).
• At night, players feed and, if desired, move the camp to a neighboring location.

Action Phase

In this phase, players place two of their tokens on the field (plus possible neutral ones). To perform actions, one or two tokens are required. If two tokens are placed on resource gathering, research or construction, the player does not have to roll dice, as the action will immediately be considered successful. The actions are performed in a fixed order - eliminate the threat, hunt, build, gather, research, set up camp, rest.

For eliminating the threat, players receive a reward and also get rid of the negative effect of the threat. To hunt, the player must place two tokens. He reveals the top card of the beast and fights it. In battle, the strength of the beast is compared with the level of the weapon. The player can obtain food and skin, but at the same time receive wounds. After the battle, animal cards reduce the level of weapons. By placing tokens in construction zones, players can increase the level of weapons, invent an item, or start building a shelter, roof, and palisade. Wood, leather, and some items are required for construction.

Resource gathering usually takes place in locations adjacent to the camp. To increase the distance, you need to spend one additional token for each cell. The research action allows you to open new locations in the vicinity of the researched locations. Areas adjacent to the camp are opened with at least one action token, additional tokens will be required to explore more distant areas. New locations contribute to the invention of some items and replenishment of the hunting deck. They can also bring discovery tokens and activate the scenario`s totem effects.

If only one token is placed on construction, research, and resource gathering, its owner rolls three dice. The "U" symbol is considered a success, otherwise the player faces failure and two determination tokens as compensation. The other two dice are responsible for suffering wounds and receiving adventure cards. The player plays the effect of the adventure card received. The resources obtained and discovery tokens are placed in the waiting cell. They become available only at the end of the action phase.

Victory and defeat

Participants win if they achieve the scenario`s goal. Defeat is counted: if the players fail to complete the task in the allotted number of rounds, if at least one character dies from wounds, or the location with the camp becomes inaccessible.