# Navegador ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2010 - **BGG Rating**: 7.5 - **BGG Rank**: #366 - **Players**: 2-5 (Best with: 4) - **Duration**: 60-90 min - **Weight**: 3.08 / 5 - **Designers**: Mac Gerdts - **Artists**: Mac Gerdts, Marina Fahrenbach - **Publishers**: PD-Verlag, Cranio Creations, Ediciones MasQueOca, The Game Master BV, New Games Order, LLC, Rio Grande Games - **Categories**: Economic, Exploration, Nautical, Renaissance - **Mechanics**: Advantage Token, Area Movement, Market, Rondel ## Verdict If you enjoy a classic eurogame with exploration, economics, and a rondel that keeps you thinking, Navegador is a gem that deserves your attention.Elegant rondel mechanicSatisfying exploration and expansionImpactful economic decisionsJust right indirect interactionExcellent replayabilityMight feel a bit dry for someInitial learning curve presentInteraction isn't direct or aggressiveRECOMMENDED ## Description In Navegador, players are transported to the vibrant Portuguese Age of Discoveries, spanning the 15th and 16th centuries. The core idea is straightforward yet strategically deep: each player starts with a small fleet of ships and a few workers, aiming to expand their wealth and influence through a series of actions. You'll hire more workers for your fleet, acquire sturdier ships, and construct important buildings. Exploration is key, so prepare to sail uncharted waters and establish colonies in newly discovered lands. In these colonies, you'll find valuable resources like sugar, gold, and spices, which can be sold on the market to fill your coffers. With this money, you can build more ships, erect factories, shipyards, or even churches. Workers are essential for founding new colonies, constructing buildings, and gaining privileges, which are divided into five categories and encourage diverse strategies. By game's end, the navigator who achieves the best combination of privileges with their accomplishments – be it colonies, factories, shipyards, discoveries, or churches – will be the ultimate winner. It's a game that makes you ponder every move, balancing exploration with economic prowess. ## How to Play Objective of the Game Ahoy, fellow explorers! In *Navegador*, you're not just playing a game; you're stepping into the shoes of a wealthy trade dynasty, eager to carve out your piece of the Portuguese colonial empire. Your grand quest? To explore uncharted waters, establish thriving colonies, build bustling factories and shipyards, and even found churches. Each of these achievements, along with your intrepid explorers, will earn you precious **Victory Points (VPs)**. The player who best navigates the seas of commerce and influence, accumulating the most VPs by game's end, will be crowned the ultimate victor! Preparation (Setup) Ready to set sail? Let's get your game board shipshape! Market Setup: In the fourth row from the top of the market track, place the **price markers** for sugar, gold, and spices. Player Starting Resources: Each player gets: 2 **ships** of their color, placed in Portugal. Their **worker** in Lisboa, in the column showing "3". Their **game stone** on the middle of the **rondel**. 200 **Cruzados** (the game's currency). A **King's privilege**. Their remaining five **ships** in their personal supply. A **player sheet** pre-equipped with 1 **factory** (orange), 1 **shipyard** (brown), and 1 **church** (grey). Colonies: Each sea region (except Portugal) receives a hidden stack of randomly shuffled **colony tokens**. Privileges: Place one **privilege token** of each type inside each arch of the gallery on the game board. Dangerous Sea Regions: A token for extra ship loss is placed in Nagasaki (and in Macau if playing with 2 or 3 players). Explorers: Each sea region except Portugal receives a teal round **wooden disk** (the explorer token). Buildings: In the lower right corner of the game board, place the **buildings**: The upper three lines get 6 **factories** each for sugar, gold, and spices. The lower two lines get the remaining **shipyards** and **churches**, placed from left to right (if playing with more than 2 players, the most expensive fields are left empty). Navegador Card: The player to the right of the starting player receives the **Navegador card**. The Game Turn Once setup is complete, players take turns in clockwise order. Your turn in *Navegador* revolves around the ingenious **rondel**, where you select your action. Action Selection on the Rondel On your very first turn, you can freely choose any position on the **rondel**. In subsequent turns, you'll move your **game stone** clockwise. You can move up to three fields ahead for free. If you want to move further, each additional field costs you 1 of your **ships**, which you must take from anywhere on the game board and return to your personal supply. You cannot stay on the same field twice in a row. There are 7 different actions available on the **rondel** (with "Market" appearing twice): Workers: Recruit one new **worker** per **church** you own for 50 **Cruzados** each. Additional **workers** beyond that cost 100 **Cruzados** per game phase (e.g., 300 Cr. in Phase III). Track your new worker count in Lisboa. Minimum 2, maximum 9 **workers**. If you have 9 **workers**, your churches can recruit "virtual workers" for 50 Cr. each, which are instantly sold to the bank for 100 Cr., a net gain of 50 Cr. per worker. Ships: Build as many **ships** as you have **shipyards** for 50 **Cruzados** each. Additional **ships** cost 100 **Cruzados** per game phase (100 in Phase I, 200 in Phase II, 300 in Phase III). All new **ships** are placed in Portugal. If you have all 7 of your **ships** on the board, additional ships from your shipyard are sold instantly to the bank for 100 Cr. each (after paying 50 Cr. per ship). Sailing: Move all your **ships** into new sea regions. Movement limits: Phase I: 1 border; Phase II: up to 2 borders; Phase III: up to 3 borders. Exploring Unknown Waters: Regions with an **explorer disk** (teal round wooden disk) require a minimum of 2 **ships** to enter simultaneously. One of these ships is lost (returned to your supply). You take the **explorer disk** onto your player sheet. Reveal the **colony tokens** from that region's stack. Receive a bonus from the bank equal to the price of the cheapest revealed **colony**. You can only explore one new sea region per turn. If exploring a region with a double loss token (like Nagasaki), you lose 2 **ships** and need at least 3 **ships** to enter. Colony: Found one or more new **colonies** by paying their printed prices to the bank and taking the tokens into your supply. Requirements per new **colony**: at least one of your **ships** in that region, AND two **workers** in Lisboa. Each ship and worker can only be used once per turn for founding colonies. Colony prices: Sugar (white) 40-120 Cr., Gold (yellow) 50-150 Cr., Spices (brown) 60-180 Cr. Buildings: Build new **factories**, **shipyards**, and **churches** by paying their prices to the bank and placing them on your player sheet. Worker requirements: 3 **workers** per new **factory**, 4 **workers** per new **shipyard**, 5 **workers** per new **church**. Your total worker count must be sufficient for all buildings you construct this turn. Market (appears twice): Selling Goods: For each **colony** you own, you can sell 1 unit of its respective good. Receive the current market price for each unit sold. The **price marker** then moves down on the market track by the number of units sold. Processing Goods: For each **factory** you own, you can process 1 unit of its respective good (white for sugar, yellow for gold, brown for spices). Your orange starting factory is a wildcard. Receive income from the bank based on the red column corresponding to the **price marker's** current position. The **price marker** then moves up by the number of units processed. You can sell one type of good and process another, but not sell and process the same type in the same turn. Privilege: Lose 1 **worker** in Lisboa and choose one **privilege token** from the gallery. Place the **privilege** on your player sheet in the highest available position of the appropriate column. Receive a cash bonus from the bank: the newly covered bonus value multiplied by the number of your corresponding achievements (colonies, factories, explorers, shipyards, churches). You can take no more than 3 **privileges** of each type during the game. You must have at least 2 **workers** in Lisboa to take a **privilege**. Game Phases *Navegador* progresses through three phases: Phase I: Game start. Ships cross 1 border per turn. Additional workers/ships cost 100 Cr. Phase II: Triggered after Cabo da Boa Esperança is explored. Ships cross up to 2 borders. Additional workers/ships cost 200 Cr. Privileges are replenished. Phase III: Triggered after Malaca is explored. Ships cross up to 3 borders. Additional workers/ships cost 300 Cr. Privileges are replenished. The new phase effects apply from the *next* turn. The Navegador Card The **Navegador card** grants an extra **sailing action** immediately before any player's turn on the **rondel**. After use, it passes to the player on your right. This extra action follows normal sailing rules and can even be used to explore. If not used within one full round of the **rondel**, the card expires and passes to the next player. End of Game and Scoring The game concludes when one of two conditions is met: The sea region of Nagasaki has been explored. The last **building** has been taken from the game board. Once either of these triggers occurs, each player, including the one who triggered the end, takes one final turn. After this final round, the game ends, and it's time for the grand tally! Scoring Victory Points (VPs) Use your **game stone** on the scoring track to count your VPs. If you exceed 100 VPs, place one of your **ships** on the scoring track to mark 100 VPs. Here's how VPs are calculated: Base VPs: 1 VP per **worker** in Lisboa. 1 VP per **ship** on the game board. 1 VP per full amount of 200 **Cruzados** cash. Player Sheet Evaluation: Before this step, place your **King's privilege** on a free position on your player sheet (it counts as a privilege of the chosen type for VPs, but gives no cash bonus). Each of the 5 columns on your player sheet (Colonies, Factories, Explorers, Shipyards, Churches) has a base VP value shown on the first line, plus bonus VPs from **privileges** placed below. Multiply the total VP sum in each column by the number of corresponding achievements you possess. For example: Colonies: 1 VP per colony (base) + any privilege bonuses. Factories: 2 VPs per factory (base) + any privilege bonuses. Explorers: 5 VPs per explorer (base) + any privilege bonuses. Shipyards: 7 VPs per shipyard (base) + any privilege bonuses. Churches: 5 VPs per church (base) + any privilege bonuses. The player with the most VPs wins! In case of a tie, the player currently holding the **Navegador card** wins. If no one holds it, the player who would next receive it wins. Tips for Winning New to the world of *Navegador*? Here are a couple of pointers to help you navigate towards victory: Balance Exploration and Economy: Don't just rush to explore every region! While explorers give good VPs, remember that **colonies** and **factories** are your economic engines. Selling goods from colonies and processing them with factories provides crucial **Cruzados** to fund your expansion. A strong income allows you to build more **ships**, recruit more **workers**, and construct more **buildings**, all of which contribute to your final score. Strategic Privilege Acquisition: **Privileges** are powerful! They not only give you an immediate cash bonus but also significantly boost your VP generation for specific categories. Pay attention to which categories you are strong in (e.g., many **shipyards** or **churches**) and grab the corresponding **privileges** to maximize your end-game score. Remember, you can only take one privilege per turn, so timing is key! ## FAQ ### Is Navegador a complex game? Who is it suitable for? It's considered a medium-weight eurogame, with a complexity rated 3.08/5 by BGG. It's ideal for players who already have some experience with board games and are looking for a strategic challenge without being overly punishing. If you enjoy games with long-term planning and economics, you'll likely have a great time! ### What is the average playtime for Navegador? A game of Navegador typically lasts between 60 and 90 minutes. Playtime can vary slightly depending on the number of players and the group's familiarity with the rules, but it's a very reasonable duration for a game of this caliber. ### How many players can play Navegador? Navegador can be played by 2 to 5 players. The game scales well, offering a different experience at each player count. With fewer players, board control might be more intense; with more, competition for spaces and resources becomes fiercer. ### What are the main objectives in the game? Your objective is to accumulate the most victory points by the end of the game. This is achieved through a strategic combination of privileges, colonies founded, factories built, ships in your fleet, shipyards, and churches. You need to balance several fronts to emerge victorious! ### Is there much player interaction in the game? Interaction in Navegador is predominantly indirect. You compete for spaces on the board, for resources in the market, and for privileges, which can impact your opponents' strategies. Don't expect direct confrontations, but rather a strategic race for efficiency and opportunities. ### Are the components of good quality? Yes, Navegador is known for having good quality components, including a sturdy board and wooden pieces. The art and design are functional and contribute to the immersion in the Age of Discovery theme. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 47.78 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6822456&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/689/navegador?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com