When I grow up, I will become a falconer – review of the “Lost Island of Arnak: Expedition Leaders” add-on

Adventure closed in a cardboard box

As a child, I loved playing games. Not only those without electricity, but also computer ones. One of the hosts on my monitor was Lara Croft, who needs no introduction. I think that the fearless archaeologist would be perfectly fine on the island of Arnak, to which Polish players were invited by the Rebel publishing house some time ago. However, it was not the adventurer who found his way to the heart of the unbridled jungle. Instead, the falconer, captain, mystic and other leaders of the expedition visited. And it is in them that we can impersonate, reaching for the addition to the Lost Island of Arnak .

A small, but quite heavy box in which the expansion has been closed, in terms of its layout, it fits perfectly with the basic version of the game. Inside, there are many components already known to those who have previously visited the island of Arnak, as well as some novelties. The first group includes new artifacts, items, archaeological sites, guards, assistants and idol figures. More tiles and cards for even more variety are of course always welcome. However, they are not usually the reason why players reach for add-ons. So what new features are the Expedition Leaders introducing ?

On the trail of adventure

The first is a double-sided board with research tracks. Each of them represents a site of an ancient cult to be discovered. In the basic version of the game, we could explore the temples of the Bird and the Snake. Now we will also enter the kingdoms of Lizard and Monkeys. As in previous expeditions, also in the company of expedition leaders, paying the cost of resources, we can move deeper into ancient buildings, gaining various types of bonuses – from resources, through additional cards, to assistants extremely useful during the expedition. However, even more surprises await us in the much more difficult-to-discover ancient walls. Among them are, among others a valuable artifact to use, as well as meeting the deadly guardian of the temple.

Hand in hand with specialists

The most important element of the game, with which the Expedition leaders expansion pack expands the game of The Lost Island of Arnak , is the ability to play as one of the six characters. Each of them has individual skills and its own starting deck, and thus, can explore unexplored areas in a different way. During the expedition, we can play the role of a captain who has at his disposal not two, but three archaeologists, a falconer using an eagle to obtain resources, a baroness who uses his fortune to obtain valuable items, a professor who is able to find mysterious artifacts, a researcher much faster than others. traveling alone, thanks to which he can visit many more places than others, or a mystic who uses fear for his own purposes.

Is it worth trusting the leaders of the expedition?

The Lost Island of Arnak is a medium-heavy Euro game, based primarily on deckbuilding and worker placement mechanics. The board game of the Rebel publishing house was extremely warmly received by fans of this type of title. Navigating deep into temples, exploring archaeological sites, fighting guards, acquiring useful items and valuable artifacts is pure pleasure. So is it worth inviting the leaders of the expedition to join you?

With just one game with the expansion introducing heroes with unique abilities, you never again reach for the Lost Isle of Arnak in its basic version. Why? Because the asymmetric abilities of the players seem to be a natural complement to the game mechanics. Thanks to them, the gameplay becomes much more interesting and varied. The additional tiles and cards that increase replayability also bring a lot of good, as do two completely new research tracks. For those who crave even more game modes, an additional variant has been prepared, in which, instead of the standard one, a moon scepter is used. This item increases card rotation on the market, removing as many as two items from it every round.

Regardless of which temple you choose to visit on your next trip to Arnak Island, be sure to take one of the expedition leaders with you. Will you choose a seasoned captain? Will you try to discover the secrets of the jungle with a mystic full of secrets? Or maybe you will be tempted by the baroness’s fortune? Regardless of which leader you choose, one thing you can be sure of – an excellent, extremely atmospheric trip to an extraordinary world full of adventures is waiting for you. Do you dare to take up this challenge?