Explorers of the Lost Valley
Explorers of the Lost Valley Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 14 dinosaur cards.
- 4 advantage cards.
- 1 initial player token.
- 8 ammunition tokens.
- 24 exploration tokens.
- 5 trophy tokens.
- 10 trail tokens.
- 2 six-faced dice.
Setup
Shuffle all the cards together. Now, you must discard (faced up) a certain number of cards based on the number of players.
If only two people are going to play, discard three cards. If three people are going to play, discard two cards. If four people are going to play, discard only one card.
Discarded cards are ignored for the rest of the adventure.
Put the ammunition tokens in a pile in the center of the table, next to the deck. The number of tokens also depends on the number of players.
If only two people are going to play, use six tokens. If three people are going to play, use seven tokens. If four people are going to play, use them all.
Now, reveal the first two cards. Put them together, faced up, at the right side of the deck. Finally, each player takes 6 exploration tokens.
Whoever has the thickest moustache goes first (or the one who rolls higher). Take the initial player token. Then, play clockwise.
The Adventure
In their turn, each player can take one of the following actions:
- Choose one of the two cards at the right side of the deck. If it's a dinosaur, you will try to "hunt" it. If it's an advantage, just take it.
- Discard one of the two cards at the right side of the deck. When a player takes this action, the next one in the turn order will NOT be able to choose it.
- Go back to the base camp.
- Abandon the adventure.
A player can earn an additional action after discarding two of his own exploration tokens. In order to do this, you need, at least, 3 exploration tokens. The same player can only win one extra action per turn, no matter how many exploration tokens he has.
Now, it's the next player's turn.
At the right side of the deck, there has to be ALWAYS two cards faced up. That means that, after taking or discarding a card, you have to replace it with another one from the deck.
Hunt a Dinosaur
During the adventure, you will face a lot of terrifying dinosaurs. For example, this Iguanodon bernissartensis:
The number that you see at the bottom left side of the card is the DIFFICULTY of hunting that dinosaur.
The white icons at the upper side of the card are the POINTS this dinosaur will give you after being captured. This will help you win the game!
The numbers that you see at the bottom right side of the card are the DAMAGE this dinosaur inflicts. The first number (black field) is the damage it inflicts after a successful hunt. The second number (red field) is the damage it inflicts after a failed hunt.
The illustration and the name of the dinosaur is also important, because it indicates its SPECIES. If you are the only player with a certain kind of dinosaur at the end of the adventure, you will win more points.
In order to hunt a dinosaur, you must take your chances and throw the dice. You have to obtain the difficulty of the dinosaur or more in order to succeed.
If you are successful, you have captured the dinosaur. Inflict yourself as much damage as necessary (your damage is taken out of the exploration tokens) and take the dinosaur card for yourself.
After a failed throw, you can try again, taking an ammunition token from the center of the table. You can take up to two ammunition tokens per dinosaur (which means that you can throw the dice up to three times). Remember that you won't be able to take an ammunition token if there's not one left in the center of the table. Remember also that each ammunition token will subtract one point at the end of the adventure.
If, after all, you still fail, inflict yourself as much damage as necessary (taken out of exploration tokens) and pass the turn.
Advantage Cards
Sometimes, you will be able to take an advantage card. Each one of these cards has a positive effect, but it also subtracts one point at the end of the adventure.
- Haven of Peace: If you take the haven of peace, take up to 6 exploration tokens.
- Allies: If you take the allies, you will gain an additional action this turn. Also, you will gain +1 in all your future hunt throws (until the adventure ends).
- Ammunition Box: If you take the ammunition box, you can put back at the center of the table all the ammunition tokens you have used.
- Hound: If you take the hound, reveal the next card of the deck. If it's a dinosaur, you can capture it without making a hunt throw and without receiving any damage. If it's an advantage, you will NOT benefit from its effect, but it will subtract one point at the end of the adventure.
Damage and Being Exhausted
Players begin with 6 exploration tokens each, but they will lose them after fighting the dinosaurs.
When a player has no exploration tokens left, he has to decide immediately between going back to the base camp or abandoning the adventure. If the inflicted damage was superior to the player's current tokens, nothing special happens (there is no penalty for the "overkill").
A player that goes back to the base camp takes up to 6 exploration tokens. After that, he must discard both his advantages and his captured dinosaurs. Also, he will have to put all the ammunition he took back at the center of the table.
A player that abandons the adventure will stop playing. He won't discard any cards and he keeps the used ammunition. He will be ignored for the rest of the adventure but, at the end, he will score like everyone else... and can be declared winner!
Scoring
When a card is taken and can't be replaced (because the deck is empty), the adventure ends. The adventure also ends if all the players have abandoned it.
Now, you have to score:
- Each captured dinosaur will give you as many points as indicated on its card.
- If a player is the only one that has a certain dinosaur species, then all the members of that species will score double.
Also, you can lose points:
- Each ammunition token you have at the end of the adventure subtracts 1 point.
- Each advantage card you have at the end of the adventure subtracts 1 point.
The player with the most points takes a trophy token. In case of a tie, only the player with more exploration tokens takes the trophy (if the tie persists, all the tied players win a trophy token).
Now, each player takes up to 6 exploration tokens and puts back all the used ammunition tokens at the center of the table. Shuffle all the cards together and start a new adventure from the very beginning.
The player who goes last in the last adventure will go first in this one.
The first player to have two trophies is the absolute winner of the game. Well done! Queen Victoria will congratulate you in person!
Advanced Game
For the advanced game, you have to use the 10 trail tokens:
- 4 pterodactylus tokens.
- 3 iguanodon tokens.
- 2 plesiosaurus tokens.
- 1 megalosaurus token.
At the beginning of the game, give two random tokens to each player. These tokens have to be faced up in front of the players.
Each token you keep at the end of the adventure will give you extra points:
- If you have a pterodactylus trail token, each pterodactylus you captured will give you +1 point.
- If you have an iguanodon trail token, each iguanodon you captured will give you +1 point.
- If you have a plesiosaurus trail token, each plesiosaurus you captured will give you +2 points.
- If you have a megalosaurus trail token, each megalosaurus you captured will give you +2 points.
If you have two identical trail tokens, you won't accumulate the extra points.
If you are the only player with a certain dinosaur species, you will apply the extra points BEFORE doubling the score.
In your turn you can, as an action, discard one of your trail tokens. If you do so, you can politely ask for a dinosaur... and that means stealing it from another player! You can't steal from a player that has abandoned the adventure.
If you want to steal a dinosaur, throw a die. The result will be the maximum point value that dinosaur has to have (count only the printed value).
If the chosen player doesn't have any dinosaur with that value (or less), you get nothing.
When a player decides to discard a trail token, the next one CAN'T choose this action.
Remember also that trail tokens are kept from adventure to adventure and, if you discard one, there is no way to recover it.