Overview

Cartographers is a flip-and-write game where players compete as royal cartographers mapping the northern lands for Queen Gimnax. Each season, explore cards are revealed showing terrain types and shapes that all players simultaneously draw on their map sheets. Scoring is driven by four randomly selected scoring cards paired with seasonal edicts. Players earn reputation stars by fulfilling the queen’s edicts while minimizing the impact of monster attacks from the Dragul. After four seasons, the player with the most reputation stars wins.

Components

• 100 map sheets (double-sided: wilderness side A, wastelands side B)
• 4 pencils
• 4 edict cards (A, B, C, D)
• 13 explore cards
• 16 scoring cards (4 per category)
• 4 ambush cards
• 4 season cards (spring, summer, fall, winter)

Setup

1. Give each player a blank map sheet (collectively decide side A or B).
2. Give each player a pencil.
3. Players write a cartographer name at the top of their sheet.
4. Arrange the 4 edict cards face-up in alphabetical order (A, B, C, D) in the center.
5. Separate scoring cards into 4 stacks by card back, shuffle each, draw one from each stack. Place one scoring card below each edict card. Return the rest to the box.
6. Stack the 4 season cards face-up in order: spring on top, then summer, fall, winter.
7. Shuffle the 4 ambush cards into a face-down deck.
8. Shuffle the 13 explore cards into a face-down deck. Take the top ambush card and shuffle it into the explore deck without revealing it. Place the explore deck next to the season cards.

Turn Structure

The game is played over 4 seasons. Each season consists of multiple turns with three phases:

1. Explore Phase:

• Reveal the top card of the explore deck, placing it face-up so all can see.
• Display cards in a column so time values remain visible.
• If a ruins card is revealed, immediately reveal another card (and again if a second ruins appears).

2. Draw Phase:

• All players simultaneously choose one terrain type and one shape from the revealed explore card.
• Draw the chosen shape on your map, filled with the chosen terrain type.
• Shapes can be rotated and/or flipped.
• Shapes cannot overlap filled spaces or map edges.
• Shapes need not be adjacent to previously drawn shapes.
• If no shape can be legally drawn, draw a 1x1 square anywhere with the chosen terrain.
• If you surround a mountain space (all 4 adjacent spaces filled), fill in the next coin symbol on your coin track.
• If your chosen shape includes a coin icon, fill in the next coin symbol.

3. Check Phase:

• Add the time values of all revealed explore cards.
• If the total meets or exceeds the current season’s time threshold, the season ends.
• Otherwise, return to the Explore Phase for another turn.

Season time thresholds: Spring = 8, Summer = 8, Fall = 7, Winter = 6.

Actions

Special card types:

• Rift Lands: Draw a 1x1 square anywhere, filled with any terrain type shown on the card.
• Ruins: The next explore card’s shape must overlap a ruins space on your map (if possible). If impossible or no unfilled ruins remain, draw a 1x1 square anywhere with any terrain type.
• Ambush: Check the arrow direction. Pass your map sheet to the neighbor in that direction. That player draws the depicted monster shape on your map. If the shape cannot be legally drawn, they draw a 1x1 monster square instead. Then return all maps. Discard the ambush card.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

At the end of each season, score based on the current season card which indicates two edicts to evaluate:

• Spring: edicts A and B
• Summer: edicts B and C
• Fall: edicts C and D
• Winter: edicts D and A

For each season, players record:

1. Reputation stars from the first scoring card being evaluated.
2. Reputation stars from the second scoring card.
3. +1 reputation star per filled-in coin symbol on the coin track.
4. -1 reputation star per empty space adjacent to a monster space (each empty space only penalized once even if adjacent to multiple monsters).

After winter scoring, total all reputation stars across all four seasons. The player with the most wins. Tiebreaker: fewest reputation stars lost to monsters across all seasons. Further tie: shared victory.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Mountain spaces, wasteland spaces, and monster spaces all count as filled spaces.
• Filled ruins spaces count as filled; unfilled ruins spaces do not.
• A cluster is a group of connected spaces with the same terrain type.
• Spaces are adjacent only if they share a side (not diagonals).
• If an ambush card appears right after a ruins card, the ambush resolves normally; the ruins effect applies to the next explore card revealed.
• If an ambush card is not revealed during a season, it stays in the explore deck and an additional ambush card is added next season (multiple ambush cards possible in later seasons).
• When preparing a new season, reshuffle all explore cards (including those revealed this season) and add a new ambush card from the ambush deck.

Player Reference

Phase	Action
Explore	Reveal top explore card; reveal again if ruins
Draw	All players simultaneously choose shape + terrain, draw on map
Check	Sum time values; if >= threshold, season ends
Season end	Score two edicts + coins - monster penalties

Scoring edicts by season: | Season | Edicts Scored | |——–|—————| | Spring | A + B | | Summer | B + C | | Fall | C + D | | Winter | D + A |