In the Footsteps of Darwin

Overview

Players are junior naturalists aboard HMS Beagle, helping Charles Darwin finish On the Origin of Species. Over the course of the game, each player places exactly 12 tiles (animals and characters) onto their Naturalist’s notebook, organized by ecosystem (America, Africa, Asia, Oceania) and animal class (Arthropod, Mammal, Bird, Reptile). Players study animals, take inspiration from historical characters, collect compasses, hire guides, write publications, and develop theories. The naturalist who scores the most victory points wins.

Components

• 1 Journey board (double-sided: Journey side and Appendix side)
• 64 Animal tiles
• 5 Character tiles
• 28 Theory tiles
• 5 Naturalist’s notebooks (player boards with 4x4 grid)
• 16 Publication tokens
• 10 Guide tokens
• 15 Compass tokens
• 1 Darwin token
• 1 Beagle figure
• 1 Score pad
• 1 Cloth bag
• 1 Rulebook + 1 Appendix booklet

Setup

1. Place the Journey board at the center, Journey side up. Place the Beagle on its starting space.
2. Give each player a Naturalist’s notebook. The last player who traveled by ship takes the Darwin token and goes first.
3. Place Guide, Publication, and Compass tokens on their dedicated spaces on the Journey board.
4. Take 12 tiles per player from the box, form face-down draw piles. Take 9 additional tiles and place them face up on the 9 spaces of the Journey board.
5. Deal 1 Theory tile to each player (place face up on topmost Theory space of notebook). Form 2 face-down Theory draw piles on the board, then draw 3 face up onto their display spaces.
6. Each player takes a Guide token and places it on their notebook’s Guide space.

Turn Structure

Starting with the player who has the Darwin token, players take turns clockwise. On your turn:

1. Study an Animal or Take Inspiration from a Character – Choose 1 of the 3 tiles facing the Beagle.
2. Voyage of the Beagle – Move the Beagle and refill the board.

The game ends after each player has placed exactly 12 tiles on their notebook.

Actions

Study an Animal

Take an animal tile from one of the 3 spaces facing the Beagle. Place it on the matching space of your notebook (matching ecosystem column and class row). Resolve any immediate bonus:

Bonus Type	Effect
Survey	Take a Compass token, place in Survey area (max 5)
Hire a Guide	Take a Guide token (max 2)
Discover	Worth fixed VP at end of game (if still visible)
Chart	Worth VP at end of game = Compasses x visible Chart icons
Emblematic	Take the Darwin token from whoever controls it

If you place an animal on a space already occupied (same class + ecosystem), stack it on top. The covered tile’s VP value and Emblematic icon are ignored (but other tokens already gained are kept).

Stacking triggers a Theory: Take 1 Theory tile from the 3 on display or from the top of any draw pile. Place on the next available Theory space (max 6). Refill the display.

Take Inspiration from a Character

Place the character tile on an available space on the left side of your notebook (max 3 characters). Gain the character’s bonus:

Character	Bonus
Charles Darwin	Take 1 Theory tile + Hire a Guide
Robert FitzRoy	Hire 2 Guides
John Henslow	Survey + Hire a Guide
Conrad Martens	Chart + Hire a Guide
Robert McCormick	Score 4 VP at end of game + Hire a Guide

Voyage of the Beagle

After placing your tile:

1. Move the Beagle forward (following arrows) a number of spaces equal to the distance between the Beagle and the tile you selected (1, 2, or 3 spaces).
2. Draw a new tile from any draw pile, place face up on the empty space.

Use a Guide (Special Action)

At the beginning of your turn (before selecting a tile), you may return 1 Guide token to perform one special action:

• Sail: Move the Beagle 1 space forward or backward. Then play your turn normally.
• Probe: Discard the 3 tiles facing the Beagle (return face down to bottom of any draw pile), then draw 3 new tiles from any draw pile(s). Then play your turn normally.

Write a Publication

When you cover all 4 spaces of a given ecosystem (column) or class (row) on your notebook, take any Publication token from the board and place it on your notebook. Each completed row/column can only trigger a publication once.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

At game end (all tiles placed), score in 5 categories:

1. Discoveries: Sum VP from visible discovered animals. Add Robert McCormick’s 4 VP if applicable.
2. Chart: Multiply number of Compasses by number of visible Chart icons.
3. Publications: 5 VP per Publication token.
4. Theories: Check each Theory tile’s condition and score accordingly (1-2 VP per qualifying item).
5. Darwin Token: 2 VP if you control it.

Winner: Highest total VP. Tiebreaker: most VP in the Theory category. If still tied, shared victory.

Theory Tiles

Each Theory tile corresponds to a chapter of On the Origin of Species and scores VP based on a condition:

• Chapters 1-4: 1 VP per animal of a specific class (including covered)
• Chapters 5-8: 1 VP per animal from a specific ecosystem (including covered)
• Chapters 9-12: 1 VP per animal in a specific quarter of the notebook (including covered)
• Chapter 13: 1 VP per Theory tile you have
• Chapter 14: 2 VP per visible Guide icon on tiles
• Chapter 15: 2 VP per Publication
• Chapter 16: 1 VP per visible Emblematic animal

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• You may not have more than 5 Compass tokens. If you would gain a 6th, you still study the animal but skip the compass.
• You may not have more than 2 Guide tokens. If you would hire a 3rd, you still take the tile/character but skip hiring.
• You may not have more than 6 Theory tiles. If you gain a 7th, return one of your choice to the bottom of any draw pile.
• You may not take inspiration from more than 3 Characters.
• When covering an animal, the covered tile’s VP and Emblematic icon are lost, but previously collected tokens (compasses, guides) are kept.
• You may cover the same notebook space multiple times.
• A completed row or column can only trigger one Publication, even if covered and re-completed.
• When the last tile from a draw pile is placed onto the Journey board, the game ends.

Player Reference

Turn Step	Action
Optional: Use Guide	Sail (move Beagle 1 space) or Probe (replace 3 tiles)
1. Select Tile	Study an Animal or Take Inspiration from a Character
2. Voyage	Move Beagle forward (1-3 spaces), refill empty space

Scoring Category	How to Score
Discoveries	VP from visible discovered animals
Chart	Compasses x visible Chart icons
Publications	5 VP each
Theories	Per Theory tile conditions
Darwin Token	2 VP

Game length: 12 tiles per player. Max items: 5 Compasses, 2 Guides, 6 Theories, 3 Characters.