Cartographers
Thunderworks Games, Arclight Games, Buró · Board game · 2019
1–100 · best 4
Solo
30–45 min
Weight 1.9/5
Buy · from US$ 3.42
8.1
rating
Ludopedia
7.6
rating
BGG
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Ask anything about Cartographers: rules, setup, components, complexity, price, or whether it fits your group.
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Soundtrack
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Step by step, manual and videos
Our Verdict
RECOMMENDED
If you love the satisfying feeling of filling in a map and outsmarting your opponents, Cartographers is a delightful roll-and-write that offers endless replayability with its variable scoring. It's perfect for those who enjoy creative problem-solving and a touch of strategic drawing!
Highlights
- Engaging map-drawing puzzle
- High replayability with variable edicts
- Excellent solo or large group play
- Satisfying spatial reasoning challenge
- Quick to learn, deep to master
Keep in mind
- Can feel repetitive over many plays
- Requires some spatial visualization skill
- Drawing quality doesn't impact score
About the game
What you do in a play session
In Cartographers, Queen Gimnax summons you for an epic quest: to map the wild northern lands and claim them for the Kingdom of Nalos! As a cartographer in the service of the crown, your task is to explore this inhospitable territory, carefully drawing borders and marking the queen's domains. But don't think it will be a walk in the park! The treacherous Dragul are also out there, with their outposts, trying to sabotage your plans. You'll need cunning to draw your lines and minimize their influence, ensuring that the largest part of the map is filled with the queen's desires.
The game unfolds over four seasons, and in each one, players grab their map sheets and start drawing. The goal is to fulfill the royal edicts that the queen announces, as each satisfied edict earns reputation stars – the currency to prove your worth. The edicts change with each game, ensuring that every playthrough is a new adventure of planning and adaptation. You'll need to think strategically about where to fit each terrain shape to maximize your points, avoiding the spaces occupied by the Dragul, which can make you lose precious points. At the end of winter, whoever has the most reputation stars will be crowned the greatest cartographer in the kingdom. It's a fun paper-and-pencil challenge that puts you in the role of an explorer and strategist, with the chance to play solo or with a huge crowd!
The game unfolds over four seasons, and in each one, players grab their map sheets and start drawing. The goal is to fulfill the royal edicts that the queen announces, as each satisfied edict earns reputation stars – the currency to prove your worth. The edicts change with each game, ensuring that every playthrough is a new adventure of planning and adaptation. You'll need to think strategically about where to fit each terrain shape to maximize your points, avoiding the spaces occupied by the Dragul, which can make you lose precious points. At the end of winter, whoever has the most reputation stars will be crowned the greatest cartographer in the kingdom. It's a fun paper-and-pencil challenge that puts you in the role of an explorer and strategist, with the chance to play solo or with a huge crowd!
Expansions
Published additional content
Gallery
Box and component photos
Tap any photo to open fullscreen. Photos submitted by the community or publisher.
Rules videos
Learn by watching before you open the box
In English
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5 Quick Strategy Tips for Cartographers & Cartographers: Heroes - TCbH's Cardboard Academy
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Cartographers - Solo Playthrough
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CARTOGRAPHERS Board Game Unboxing, Set-Up Explanation and a Solo Playthrough
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How to Bake a Cartographers Game Board! | Board Game Bakes
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Come Play With E! Cartographers Edition!
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Learn to chart territories better than your friends in Cartographers (How to Play Board Games)
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S(han)e Solos "Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale" Teach and play
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Carrtographers - How to Play Multiplayer and Solo with Gameplay Examples
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Cartographers - How to play and playthrough - Global Game Night
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Cartographers - Ludus Vulpes
Rules manual
Official PDF file
Best player count
BGG community vote
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Soundtrack
Ambience suggested by Melodice
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Mechanics, categories, families and credits
Mechanics
Categories
Families
Publisher
Thunderworks Games, Arclight Games, Buró, Gameland 游戏大陆, Gen-X Games (GenX), Grok Games
Designer
Jordy Adan
Artist
Lucas Ribeiro, Luis Francisco
Community
Data from BoardGameGeek
63,719owners
6,784wishlist
446want to play
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers before you buy
How many players does Cartographers support?
The cool thing about Cartographers is its super flexibility! You can play solo just fine, or gather all your friends, as it supports 1 to 100 players. Perfect for any occasion!
What is the average playtime for a game of Cartographers?
Get ready for a quick and fun session! A game of Cartographers usually takes between 30 to 45 minutes, ideal for fitting into any time of day.
What is the complexity level of Cartographers?
Cartographers is considered a light-weight game, with a complexity rating of 1.8895/5 on BGG. This means the rules are easy to learn, but there's plenty of room for strategy and interesting decisions.
What are the main components of the game?
The game comes with a bunch of map sheets for you to draw on, exploration cards, queen's edict cards, and Dragul ambush cards. Basically, everything you need to become a great cartographer!
Who is Cartographers best suited for?
It's perfect for those who enjoy 'paper-and-pencil' games, spatial puzzles, and a touch of fantasy. It's great for families, new hobbyists, or veterans looking for a light and addictive game.
Are there any expansions for Cartographers?
Yes! Cartographers has several expansions and map packs that add new cards, challenges, and even scoring conditions, keeping the game fresh and highly replayable.
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