Last modified March 31, 2025 by jarjar
FIRST IMPRESSION
In the magical land of Navoria, new and mysterious continents have emerged from the depths of the sea. The council of Navoria has ordered the exploration of these unknown lands, and you, along with a handful of brave adventurers, have answered the call.
Explorers of Navoria is the first game published by Chinese author Meng Chunlin. The main mechanic, and which is very fun, consists of drawing two action tokens from a bag and using one of them at best to recover an Adventure card that you will place in your card tableau. These same tokens will be used during a second phase and become workers allowing us to carry out other actions.
Visually, the game is beautiful with colors and a theme reminiscent of "Root" and "Oath", which caught my attention! It is a relatively simple game (style "gateway game") where you have to look for paying combos without trying to be present everywhere, it is important to keep the focus.
The game is fluid and can be explained in a few minutes. The goal is to make the maximum number of points in three rounds. The creation of a point engine during the income phase seems essential. Luck and adaptation are required because, to have access to one of the five families of cards, you must have the token of the right color in hand.
GAME FACT
An error in the author's name crept into the first printing of the box: It should be Chunlin instead of Chunulin.
EXPANSION: FORGOTTEN LANDS
An expansion that slightly complicates the game, and increases the number of players to 1-5. The expansion features a single-player campaign, with three difficulty levels and variable side missions. Players have asymmetrical powers and new starting equipment. There is also a new worker slot and a brand new card deck. The bonuses at the end of exploration tracks are now replaced by variable score objectives, and there are additional faction bonuses for those who reach the end of exploration tracks first. Additionally, each round has a unique score objective.
POINTS OF RULES
>> If there is only one action token left in the bag, you are allowed to do the "Take from Bag" action, you simply take the single token and use it instead of having to choose between two tokens.
>> If there are any tokens left in the city center at the end of the recruitment phase, they can be put back in the bag. They will not be used for the rest of the round.
TECHNICAL SHEET
Number of games played: 2
Best player configuration: 3-4
Level: family + (gateway style)
My best score: 112
MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I loved :
>> This draw from the bag of the two tokens which allows us to go and get our cards, very amusing!
>> The colors and illustrations, undoubtedly inspired by the work of Kyle Ferrin (Root).
>> The format of the box, perfect!
>> A good gateway game.
I liked less:
>> The board is still quite busy, making reading more difficult, especially on the exploration tracks.
>> the player board, a second layer would have been nice, the pieces move easily.
>> Lack of turn marker – publishers, take note, this is not the first game to forget this important component!
A very attractive visual, where you have to look for the best possible combinations in order to come out a winner. A good game, quite simple, relaxing and light that does not take too much time to play and does not require too much brain capacity, but which remains very enjoyable!
FUN FACTOR 🙂🙂🙂🙂