Corps of Discovery: Expansion 1 – Insecta
Corps of Discovery: Expansion 1 – Insecta Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter Goal
Kill 4 Insects! To succeed, your ship needs Resources to create Insecticide, but the Ranidae stands in your way. Once Insecticide is created, lure 4 Insects to Explored Paths to kill them.
Chapter-Specific Components
- 1 Map Folder
- 10 Maps*
- 2 Reference Boards
- 5 Challenge cards
- 2 Character cards (Sacagawea and Charbonneau)
- 2 Gear cards (Small Sack of Beads and Spear)
- 7 Threat cards (6 Insects and 1 Misfortune)
- 3 Destiny cards (Crate, Ineffective Insecticide, and Hardy's Punishment)
- 6 Mushroom tokens**
- 6 Flower tokens**
- 6 Insect tokens
- 3 Meat tokens
- 1 Ranidae token
- 1 Boat Board
* This is not a game map, it's used just as an illustration. None of the actual game maps are shown throughout the rules.
** Included in the core game components.
Extra Setup
Complete the core game setup with the addition of the following steps:
- Place the Boat Board near the Map Board and Reference Board.
- Place the Ranidae token, Ranidae side face up, seated into the Boat Board.
- Start the game with 3 Meat tokens beside your Supply Board. Note: Meat is not a Resource.
- Place the Insect tokens nearby.
The First Exploration
Players start exploring on any Path in Column 7 of the Map.
Map #300
MAP: #300
- Goal: Kill 4 Insects.
- Peak: E4
- Start: Column 7
- At least 3 of each Terrain.
Extra Rules:
When gaining a Resource from Exploring, you can shuttle it immediately to the boat if the Ranidae is Exhausted, otherwise you cannot shuttle.
Once you have shuttled each Resource, you have created Insecticide. Insect Tokens on Explored Paths die.
Reference Board
Insecta
- Goal: Kill 4 Insects.
- Explore (on your turn):
- Remove a Path Token.
- Activate the Terrain of the Explored Path.
- Free Actions (before and/or after Explore):
- Use your Character Ability
- Use your Gear Card
- Remove a Threat Card
- Use a Destiny Card
- Build a Shelter
- Build a Fire
- Backtrack
- Gain Exploration Reward
- Discard a Resource Token
- Remove a Sample Token
- Distact Ranidae
- Shuttle 1 Resource or Water
- Exploration Rewards: Move 1 Insect Token 1 Path orthogonally.
Note: the reference board prints "Distact Ranidae" in the Free Actions list; the rulebook text below spells the same action "Distract the Ranidae".
Note: several Reference Board entries are shown only as icons (for example the Shelter, Trade, Hill and Another Turn entries, and the Terrain-cost symbols). Those icons are not transcribed here; the matching rules appear in the sections below.
Chapter-Specific Logic Rules
Flower: Every row containing at least 1 Flower must also contain at least 1 Mud, and vice versa.
When you activate this terrain, add 1 Flower to your Backpack.
Mushroom Field: A Mushroom Field is a terrain that a Shelter can be built on. A Mushroom Field always has at least 1 Food and at least 1 Wood orthogonally adjacent to it.
When you activate this terrain, add 1 Mushroom to your Backpack.
Icon caption: Can place Shelter.
Hills: The number on the Hill indicates the total count of Skulls within its row and column combined.
Icon caption: Another Turn.
Creating the Insecticide
Free Action: Distract the Ranidae
The Ranidae prevents Shuttling Resources (see below), needed to create Insecticide, to the boat. To Distract the Ranidae, discard 1 Meat (or 1 Water if you have no Meat) and guess the next Terrain type before you Explore a Path.
-
If your guess is correct, turn the Ranidae token to its Calm Waters side; the Ranidae is now Distracted until End of Day.
While Distracted, any player may Shuttle Resources during their turn.
-
If your guess is incorrect, the Ranidae continues blocking access to the boat.
During NIGHT: flip the Ranidae token back to the Ranidae side.
Note: the Ranidae token's own small print (the Ranidae side and the Calm Waters side) is too small to read reliably in the source extract, so it is not transcribed. The rules above are the body text of the rulebook.
Free Action: Shuttle Resources to the Boat
To create Insecticide, you need to Shuttle Resources to the boat: When you gain a Resource or Water from Exploring a Path, you may place it on the matching space on the Boat Board instead of in your Backpack.
- You can Shuttle Resources only while the Ranidae is Distracted.
- Once a Resource or Water is in your Backpack, it can no longer be Shuttled.
- You cannot Shuttle Resources or Water gained from a Tipi or from Destiny, Challenge, Gear, or Character cards.
- If you gain 2 Resources or Water from a single Explore (via a card ability), you can only Shuttle the one found from Exploring, not the one gained from the card.
Once 1 of each Resource and 1 Water are on the boat, return them to the Reserve and flip the Boat Board to the Insecticide side. You have created Insecticide!
Exploration Reward: Row Complete
When the last Unexplored Path token in a row is removed, whether through exploration or a Threat or Challenge card, you can move 1 Insect token to ANY adjacent Path (both Explored or Unexplored). It would be advantageous to wait until the right time to explore the final Path in a row.
Threats
Insects
Insect Placement
- Insect tokens are always placed on an Unexplored Path according to the card's instructions.
- If revealed during the Day, place an Insect token on the Unexplored Path orthogonally closest to the Skull just Explored (excluding ones on the edge).
- If multiple Paths are equally close, you choose between them.
Insect Card Effect
Before you Explore a Path adjacent or diagonal to an Insect, you must first discard 1 Resource or Water. You cannot Explore a Path with an Insect, and you cannot Explore from a Path with an Insect.
Kill Insects
When you create Insecticide, all Insects on Explored Paths are killed. Insects can be moved onto Explored Paths by completing a row and getting the Exploration Reward, from some Destiny cards, or if Irene (included in the Vameter expansion) is in the game. Place all killed Insect tokens in the Mission Briefing area until you collect 4!
Misfortune: Feed the Beast
Before you can attempt to Distract the Ranidae, you must first discard 1 Resource or Water to Feed the Beast. If you do, you can proceed to guess the Terrain type and pay the standard cost to Distract the Ranidae before you Explore.
To remove this Threat, you must discard 1 Resource or Water stored on the boat.
End of Game
You win immediately when you kill the 4th Insect.
All regular loss conditions apply: you still die of thirst or starvation, or from running out of Challenge cards. In Insecta you can also lose the game if it becomes impossible to create Insecticide. This occurs if a required Resource is removed from the game or becomes permanently unreachable. As a reminder, some terrain types are only guaranteed to appear 3 times on the map. Since you can't shuttle Resources already in your Backpack, try to keep the terrains available for the Resources you need on the Boat Board.
Appendix
Gear
Spear
On your turn, you may remove this Gear from the game to kill 1 Threat card Monster (this does not include Flora or the Vameter).
This Gear cannot be used in the Fauna or Maldonado Chapters.
Small Sack of Beads
Take this Gear at the start of the game for an increased challenge!
On your turn, you may remove this Gear from the game to remove 1 Path token from a Challenge card in play. If you still have this Gear at end of game, gain 3 more points during end-game scoring.
This Gear cannot be swapped in using Clark's ability. This cannot be exhausted.
Note: the Small Sack of Beads appendix above says "gain 3 more points". The printed Small Sack of Beads gear card says "END OF GAME: +2 points if you still have this Gear." The two printed values differ; both are transcribed as printed and the rulebook does not resolve which is correct.
Characters
Charbonneau
Exhaust to look at any Path separated from an Explored Path by at least 2 Unexplored Paths.
If you have the Flag Gear: any Path in the same row or column as a Shelter is accessible; these Paths cannot be targeted by Charbonneau's ability.
Sacagawea
Choose an Unexplored Path adjacent to an Explored Path, then select any Path adjacent to it. Explore that second Path (you have effectively "jumped over" the first one).
Other players may now Explore from this new Explored Path as normal (unless it is a Rock or a Monster, Flora, or Vameter token is placed there).
Chapter-Specific Card Text
The following card text is printed on the chapter's component illustrations (pages 29 and 31) and is transcribed as printed.
- Capture Bug (Challenge card, Test insecticide): Pass: the pass condition is shown only as icons on the card and is not transcribed here. Fail: Flip Ranidae face up. Add an Insect Token to one of the westernmost Unexplored Paths that's not on the edge.
- Scout (Sacagawea, Character card): EXHAUST BEFORE EXPLORE: When you Explore, select an Unexplored Path 2 paths away.
- Wanderer (Charbonneau, Character card): EXHAUST: Look at a Path that has at least 2 Unexplored Paths between it and all Explored Paths.
- Small Sack of Beads (Gear card): REMOVE FROM PLAY: Remove 1 Path Token from the current Challenge Card. END OF GAME: +2 points if you still have this Gear. CAN ONLY BE SELECTED AT THE START OF A GAME.
- Spear (Gear card): REMOVE FROM PLAY: Kill 1 Monster.
- Feed the Beast (Misfortune Threat card): Discard 1 extra Resource or Water to make a guess before you can Distract the Ranidae. HOW TO REMOVE: Discard 1 Resource or Water that's on the boat.
- Ineffective Insecticide (Destiny card): DISCARD: Move 2 Insect Tokens to an adjacent Unexplored Path.
Note: the text of the Crate and Hardy's Punishment Destiny cards, and of the six Insect Threat cards, does not appear in these pages of the source and is not transcribed.