1911: Amundsen vs Scott
1911: Amundsen vs Scott Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 55 cards for the basic game.
- 1 Board with both sides.
- 1 Red Pawn (Amundsen)
- 1 Blue Pawn (Scott)
- 2 "Explorer/Player Aid" Cards
- 2 Rulebooks (Spanish and English)
- "Food Depots" Expansion (4 white cubes)
- "Patrons" Expansion (8 Cards)
- "Damned Weather!" Expansion (5 cards and 1 die)
- "1912 The Way Back" Expansion (10 cards)*
* These cards have the same back as the basic game but are distinguished by a special symbol. You must separate them from the 55 original cards and include them with the expansion.
Games Setup
Put the board showing the main side (blue border).
The player who has travelled further south must now choose which explorer he wants to play in the game.
Each player takes his explorer's card and place his pawn in his ship on the board.
The deck is shuffled and placed near the board.
Each player is dealt a hand of 1 card from the deck.
Draw 3 cards from the deck and place them face up forming a row beside the deck.
The Cards
Each card shows:
- Color and symbol of the card. It is used especially in the actions: "Advance", "Reach the South Pole" or "Back to Route".
- Symbol of the Special Action. It may be a Discard Special Action (to use with the action of "Take Cards") or a Special Action (to use with the action of "Play Cards").
- Effect of the Special Action. Explained in "Special Cards" section (see Page 5).
Course of the Game
The players incarnate Roald Amundsen and Robert F. Scott in his feat to be the first human to reach the South Pole. The winner is the player who arrives there first! The player who incarnates Amundsen starts the game. Thereafter, players take alternative playing turns.
Each player in his turn must choose: Take Cards or Play Cards.
A. Take Cards
The player draws cards from the row, adding them to his hand. Later, the player must move to the right the remaining cards (if any) and complete the gaps with cards from the deck. There are 3 options:
- Take the further card to the right.
- Discard one card* and take the two further cards to the right.
- Discard three cards* and take all three face up cards from the row.
* The colorless special cards "Compass" and "Equipment Loss" (see Page 5) can not be discarded with this action.
Discard Special Action
If any of the discarded cards had the "Discard Special Action" symbol, the player may, if desired, use this effect after taking cards. If the player discards three cards and more than one contained the symbol, the player must choose only one effect.
Hand Limit
Players may never hold more than 7 cards in his hands, so they will not be able to choose the "Take Cards" action if it may provoke exceeding this limit.
Exhausted Deck
When the deck is exhausted, the discarded cards are shuffled to form a new deck. When the deck is exhausted for the second time, if a player manifests that he cannot perform the desired "Take Cards" action, the game ends without a winner. Both explorers have died frozen in Antarctica!
Example: The deck runs out for the second time and there are only two cards in the row. Amundsen is one space from the South Pole with six cards in his hand. Scott, who has four cards and he is two spaces away from the South Pole, realizes that it is impossible to win and, therefore he declares he wants to take three cards. He is not able to do it and the game finishes without a winner.
B. Play Cards
The player chooses one of the next options:
1. Advance
He may play one or more cards based upon its color to advance to the South Pole. Depending on the played cards and their color, the explorer may advance more than one space on the track:
- To advance 1 space: Play 1 card of the color showed in the next space.
- To advance 2 spaces: Play 3 cards (1 card of the color of the next space + 2 cards of the color of the second space).
- To advance 3 spaces: Play 5 cards (1 card of the color of the next space + 2 cards of the color of the second space + 2 cards of the color of the third space).
- To advance 4 spaces: Play 7 cards (1 card of the color of the next space + 2 cards of the color of the second space + 2 cards of the color of the third space + 2 cards of the color of the fourth space).
Amundsen can move from one space (playing 1 yellow card) up to 4 spaces (playing 7 cards).
Dogs and Horses
In this game there are color wildcards for both players. Amundsen has "Greenland Dog" cards and Scott has "Mongolian Horse" cards.
One of the strategic differences between the two expeditions was that Amundsen based his transport in Greenlandic sled dogs, while Scott used Mongolian horses. Amundsen sacrificed several dogs before reaching the pole and stored the meat for the journey of return, and this strategy allowed him to reduce the weight of the dog food and ensured the surviving animals feeding in the return journey.
2. Reach the South Pole
To reach the South Pole the player must play four cards, one of each color.
3. Play Card with Special Action
The explorers may play cards with a Special Action to use its special effect:
- Play "Compass" (see "Special Cards").
- Play "Equipment Loss" (see "Special Cards").
- Play 2 "Blizzard" cards (if playing Amundsen) or 2 "Crevasse" cards (if playing Scott) so that the opponent loses the route (see "Losing the Route").
- Play 1 "Blizzard" or 1 "Crevasse" card indistinctly, so that the opponent is penalized if he has already lost his route (see "Losing the Route").
4. Back to the Route
A lost explorer can return to his correct route by playing any color card. The color indicates the space to which the explorer will return, but this space should be behind his current position.
Scott is lost. He may back to the route playing a yellow, blue or green card, moving his pawn 1, 2 or 3 spaces back, respectively.
Losing the Route
When an explorer loses his route, the pawn is placed in the lost ("?") space just behind his current position. A lost player is only able to:
- use the "Take Cards" action
- use the "Play Card with Special Action" action (except "Compass")
- playing a card to go "Back to the Route"
Amundsen playing 2 "Blizzards" forces Scott to lose his route. Scott would do the same to Amundsen with 2 "Crevasses".
A lost player without cards may have no choice but "Take Cards" to back to the route later. Although a player can choose "Take Cards" looking for a color that will allow him to return in a better position.
But... Beware! A lost player is vulnerable to be attacked by the opponent and forced to move back "?" spaces (see "Penalties" below).
Note: if a player is lost close to his ship he can return to it playing a card of any color which is not in the spaces between.
Penalties
If an explorer is already lost and his opponent plays either a "Crevasse" or "Blizzard" card, he must move the pawn to the previous "?" space.
Scott is still lost. Amundsen plays 1 Crevasse in order to force him to backward one "?" space.
End of the Game
The winner is the player who reaches the South Pole first!
Be careful! Both players lose, frozen in Antarctica, if the deck of cards is fully exhausted for the second time and a player, in his turn, can not perform the desired "Take Cards" action (see "Exhausted Deck").
Amundsen reached the South Pole on December 14th, 1911. Scott reached it on January 17th, 1912 but died on his way back. He left this note: "Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale".
Special Cards
Cards have a Play Effect (activated when they are played in a "Play Cards" action) and a Discard Effect (activated when they are discarded in a "Take Cards" action).
Play Effect
- Equipment Loss. This colorless card can not be discarded with the "Take Cards" action. The explorer plays this card in front of his opponent to limit his hand to a maximum of 5 cards during the rest of the game. If the opponent had more than 5 cards, he must discard the excess.
- Compass. This colorless card can not be discarded with the "Take Cards" action. If played before the 85º parallel, the player advances 1 space towards the South Pole. If played after crossing the 85º parallel, the player goes back 1 space. Furthermore, a player must play it before reaching the South Pole, given that to have a compass in his hands prevents him from reaching there.
- Blizzard. If Amundsen plays 2 "Blizzards" together, Scott loses his route. Also, with a single "Blizzard" card, Scott or Amundsen forces the opponent (if he already had lost his route) to move back to the previous "?" space.
- Crevasse. If Scott plays 2 "Crevasse" together, Scott loses his route. Also, with a single "Crevasse" card, Scott or Amundsen forces the opponent (if he already had lost his route) to move back to the previous "?" space.
Discard Effect
- Drop of Supplies. The player draws a random card from the opponent's hand and adds it to his hand (It can't be activated if the player hand will end over the hand limit size).
- Sacrifice. The opponent shows his hand and discards every "Good Weather" and "Greenland Dog" (if Amundsen) or "Good Weather" and "Mongolian Horse" (if Scott) he could have.
- Good Weather. The player draws the top card from the deck. If the color of the card matches with the color of his next space in the route, he may show the card to advance one space. In any case, he adds the card to his hand. It can't be activated if the player is lost or his hand will end over the hand limit size.
Credits
1911 Amundsen vs Scott
- Author: Perepau Llistosella
- Illustration & Design: Pedro Soto
- Rules: Perepau Llistosella y Pedro Soto
- Translation: Luis García Castro
Published by: Looping Games (www.loopingames.com)
Acknowledgements from the Author: to Cittadino Vilallonga family (5mpj.es), to Cristophe Ribouldingue for their efforts to make the game published, to Pol Cors for their support, to Sonja Wasny and to all those people who have dream impossible dreams.
Acknowledgements from the Game Artist: to Eva, because since I'm with her I don't travel alone any more and to little Emma who came to join us while we were lost in Antarctica.
Four Expansions and One Variant
Before the beginning of the game, players may decide whether they want to play with one or more variants of the standard game.
Expansion 1 - Food Depots
Each player receives 2 food depots, rolls the die and puts one of them in the corresponding space (considering that "1" is the first space beside the ship). Now he puts the other one two spaces behind or in front of the depot he has just put.
Example: If the first depot is in 5th space, the second one could be in 7th space or 3rd space.
At the beginning of the game each player receives 3 cards instead of 1, and chooses 2 to place face down next to each of their depots. When a player ends his turn in a space with a Depot, he takes the corresponding card. If the new card forces the player to exceed the hand limit, the player can exchange a card of his hand face down with the card of the Depot. If you play this expansion with the "Expansion 2 - Patrons" (see below), the Food Depots must always be executed first.
Expansion 2 - Patrons
At the beginning, after choosing explorers, each player takes the four patrons from his country, shuffles them and draws one. He puts it visible in front of him. Patrons cards are discarded after using them (some are activated at the beginning of the game).
Norwegian Patrons
- Ferry Llistënberg: The player starts the game with 3 cards in his hand.
- Öte Petersson: The first horse to appear in the row will be removed. The gap is then filled with the next card.
- Mikael Björnetson: The player starts the game on the first space of the route.
- Anna Karbünsen: The player can discard the patron to use it as a color wildcard.
British Patrons
- George Al Caldwell: The player starts the game with 4 cards in his hand.
- Marvin MacRayne: The first two dogs to appear in the row will be removed. The gap is then filled with the next card.
- Adolph Anybarrow VII: The player starts the game on the first space of the route.
- Joseph Galloway: The player can discard the patron to use it as a color wildcard.
Expansion 3 - 1912 The Way Back
This expansion is composed of 10 cards distinguishable by a special symbol. These cards have the same reverse side as the cards of the basic game. You must be careful to separate them before the beginning of any game. The game boards have on their reverse a secondary design representing the return trip of Amundsen and Scott to the ships that brought them to Antarctica.
Important: Although both players may have agreed to play this variant, if one of them reaches the South Pole before the opponent had crossed the 85º parallel, the game ends immediately with the victory of the former.
When a player reaches the South Pole, the game board is flipped to play the way back. The pawns are placed in the spaces according to the ones reached in the southwards trip (one of them starts in the South Pole, and the other in the same color as his last position). The player who has not yet reached the South Pole follows the same rules until he reaches it, although he won't be able to make the opponent lose the route.
The discarded cards are shuffled with the rest of the deck. Set apart 25 cards and mix them with the 10 cards of the expansion. This new 35-card deck is all the deck for the way back. The cards in the row remain the same.
Each player in his turn of 1912 The Way Back must choose between two actions:
A. Take Cards
In addition to the previous 3 options of "Take Cards", the players in this expansion will be able to use a fourth option: Discard the rightmost card and draw a face down card from the deck.
B. Advance One Space
The 1912 The Way Back board shows spaces with two requirements: by color and by symbol. Players can only move one space per turn: discarding 2 cards with the required combination, or 1 card that matches the combination by itself.
The last space corresponds to the ship of each player. To reach the ship and win the game, the player must play the required ship card according to his explorer.
If no player reaches his ship before the deck is exhausted for the second time, the game ends with a draw.
Special Cards in 1912 The Way Back
In 1912 The Way Back, none of the cards has effects, neither after being discarded or played, with the exception of the colorless card: "Equipment Loss" and "Compass"; and the new ship cards: "Fram" and "Terranova".
- The Ships: They are colorless cards so can not be discarded with the "Take Cards" action. When a player draws it from the deck or takes it from the row the card with the opponent's ship, he must return it to its owner and discard all the cards from his hand except one! And, if the owner has the maximum of cards in hand, he must discard all to receive the ship!
- Equipment Loss: The player with the "Equipment Loss" card in front of him, takes that card and adds it to his hand (he has found his lost equipment). He regains the maximum of 7 cards in hand and this card acts now as a color or symbol wildcard.
- Compass: These cards now are wildcards. You can play the "Compass" as any color or any symbol.
Expansion 4 - Damned Weather!
This variant with 5 cards and a die adds a bit of luck related to the weather conditions.
The players shuffle the cards and place them face down. When a player ends his turn being the first one to cross a parallel, he discovers the first card from the weather deck and rolls the die. According to the die result:
- Sunny. Both players draw a card from the deck. A player does not take a card if it exceeds the hand limit.
- Stable. The player who has crossed the parallel takes 1 card from the row, and then the opponent takes the other 2. The players complete the row again with cards from the deck. If a player can not take a card due to hand limit, he must discard it. If this expansion is combined with the "Advanced Game" variant (see below), the players choose between the 3 further cards to the right.
- Windy. Players exchange 1 card from his hand. If a player has no cards in hand, he does not give any but receives a card.
- Stormy. The 3 cards (6 cards in the "Advanced Game" variant) from the row are discarded. The players complete the row again with cards from the deck.
- Freezing Cold. Both players select and discard one card (not the colorless card) from his hand. Remember that a player can not discard a colorless card.
When a player passes through another parallel uncrossed by any explorer, draw a new card and roll the die. If a player crosses two parallels in one "advanced" action, draw and execute two cards.
Variant - Advanced Game
Advanced players will play with a visible row of 6 cards. The rest of the rules remain the same because a player only takes cards of the 3 located further to the right. To replenish cards, you move the cards to the right and then fill the gaps with cards from the deck.