Welcome back, expert cartographers. The Queen once again needs your assistance as her plans for western expansion come to fruition. You need to put your skills to the test and find the best paths through the varied terrains. Beware, more Dragul forces seek to stop you in your tracks. Luckily, this time, you have our bravest heroes on your side. Go forth and complete the Queen’s edicts. Make her proud and serve Nalos well!

What Is It?

The flip-and-write sequel to Cartographers! This is an expandalone, meaning it can be played as its own game, or in conjunction with the original. It plays over 4 seasons (rounds), with players flipping explore cards each turn and filling in their maps with the given terrain, trying to maximize their points by working towards the Queen’s edicts (scoring goals). One big difference in Heroes are the new ambush cards, which each have their own unique mechanics to terrorize your map. Additionally, there are now hero cards which may be able to help take down those pesky enemies if you line them up to knock them down.

Who Is It For?

Definitely for fans of the original who want to try new maps and new cards, and especially for those who didn’t think the ambush cards ad enough going on. If you like flip/roll-and-write games in general, this is a great choice on its own as well. The rules are pretty simple, and the game flows with ease, especially since players work simultaneously, so ages 8 and up can easily enjoy this. Multi-player games are a blast, but I’d also recommend this to solo gamers because the solo mode is a lot of fun and has various difficulty depending on the edicts that come out.

Extras + Variants

Map Packs – 3 double-sided map packs are available for Cartographers Heroes, and can also be played with the original as well. These map packs offer more variety for gameplay in general, and add a few themed cards into the explore deck. I tried Nebblis, which has volcanoes, and these cards slowly destroy pieces of your map, starting from the volcano itself. It was definitely interesting to try adjusting my strategy as I played, trying to leave enough room for myself to score the edicts, but still adhering to the requirements of placing the destroyed spots. The map packs are basically their own variant to the game, and if you like this game and play it often, they are a must-have to keep things fresh!

Skills Mini Expansion 2 – Players can add 3 of these to a game to spend their gold on neat abilities like heroes, special terrain spots, changing the shape of a terrain card, and more. Players may use only 1 per season, so they have to choose wisely! They add a little more variety to the game, and give players something to do with their coins, which is a neat mechanic so they aren’t just point scorers. Definitely recommend adding these in to any game. You can also mix this set of cards with the first Skills expansion for more variability!

Solo – I don’t solo a lot, but I love this solo game! I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to (or maybe just has to) play alone. The game difficulty can vary a bunch depending on which edicts come out, and it’s really cool to be able to plan your map on your own.

PROS

  • New ambush cards are unique and more exciting
  • Heroes offer a new way to defeat ambush cards & give a new terrain type, which can help with edicts
  • Plays quickly and smoothly
  • Plenty of variability with different goals, maps, and being able to play alone or with Cartographers

CONS

  • Not a lot of player interaction besides the ambush cards (if they come out, because it’s possible they won’t sometimes) so if you like being more involved with opponents, this might not be for you

Final Thoughts

When I heard about this game, I was ecstatic! I love Cartographers and was excited that this would not only add more to the original, but be its very own game as well. I’m happy about how much variety this adds in general, but also adore the new additions. The ambush cards having unique mechanics is awesome, and I honestly hope more ambush cards get added in the future that have these because they add another layer to the game entirely. I also think the heroes are super cool and there’s quite the balance of putting them in the right place, especially if they come out before the ambush cards. I highly recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of the original, especially if you’re just itching to change things up. If you’ve never played Cartographers, but do appreciate a good flip-and-write, this is still an excellent choice, and, because of the ambush changes, I might even recommend this one first. Don’t forget to get some colorful writing utensils with this one too, because making the map pop is half the fun!

My Final Ratings:
Overall Game – 9/10
Aesthetics: 8/10
Difficulty: 3/10
Replayability: 8/10

Additional Information:
Designers – Jordy Adan, John Brieger
Artists -Davey Baker, Luis Francisco, Lucas Ribeiro
Publisher – Thunderworks Games
MSRP – $25.00
BGG
BGA
Website

*I was provided a preview copy of this game and the mini expansion to do this preview*

Check out my original Cartographers Review as well!

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