4 years in the past, simply as folks had been beginning to journey once more after being cooped up for months for COVID, we reviewed a enjoyable household board recreation by Underdog Video games referred to as Trekking the World.
So once we heard Underdog Video games was publishing a brand new model of the sport, we had been greater than wanting to strive it out. And now that it’s hitting retailer cabinets, we’re glad to share the main points with you.
Whereas the premise stays the identical as the unique, Trekking the World 2nd Version is way more streamlined and simplified to play. Not that the first version is sophisticated. However this new model is even higher for basic household play.
We actually just like the modifications made to the sport.
We’ll give a fast overview of the right way to play Trekking the World 2nd Version, then go into particulars on the numerous parts which have modified to make this enjoyable household board recreation even higher.
Trekking the World 2nd Version, as you may think, is a household board recreation about taking journeys around the globe. Gamers acquire factors by taking Excursions, having Encounters, and accumulating Souvenirs at completely different places.
Initially of the sport, the Tour card deck is shuffled and lower in half. One half shall be positioned art-side as much as create the Tour deck. The opposite half shall be positioned text-side as much as create the Encounter deck. 4 playing cards from every deck will all the time be accessible to the gamers. The Itinerary deck can also be shuffled and 5 playing cards are positioned out withstand be accessible to gamers on their turns.
Every participant takes a cash tracker (set to 0) and a suitcase board for the souvenirs they acquire through the recreation. Gamers additionally every begin with a Frequent Flyer token.
Earlier than a participant’s first flip, they place their Trekker on any airport of their alternative.
Shifting and Accumulating Souvenirs
On a participant’s flip, they select an Itinerary card from these on show, do what it says from prime to backside, then discard it. Every Itinerary card present 3 parts. On the prime, it exhibits the precise variety of areas the participant will get to maneuver on their flip. Subsequent, it exhibits how a lot cash the participant receives that flip (like an ATM withdrawl). Lastly, if the participant’s Trekker is on one of many continents proven on the backside, they obtain the indicated Memento cubes.
When transferring, a participant could use the airports as one among their motion steps however they have to spend $1 to take action. They could additionally cross by way of or land on areas occupied by different gamers.
When including a Memento dice to their suitcase, if it covers an icon, the participant additionally receives the matching token for later use. The 4 tokens and their talents are:
- Frequent Flyer – Use this token to fly out of your present location to any airport. This have to be accomplished initially of a flip, earlier than selecting an Itinerary card.
- Transfer – Use this token to maneuver one additional house.
- Cash – When gaining cash from an Itinerary, use this token to double the sum of money you obtain.
- Memento – When gaining souvenirs on a flip, use this token to realize the identical quantity and coloration of memento cubes once more.
Having Encounters
After finishing an Itinerary, if a participant ends on the precise location matching one of many accessible Encounter playing cards, they get to take it. Every Encounter card grants a one-time use capability to that participant. As soon as the participant makes use of their capability on a future flip, they discard the cardboard.
Some Encounter playing cards grant factors on the finish of the sport. These playing cards are held to the tip of the sport fairly than getting used and discarded.
Taking Excursions
Tour playing cards are the principle means of gaining factors all through the sport.
After finishing an Itinerary, if a participant ends on the precise location matching one of many accessible Tour playing cards, and in the event that they manage to pay for, they might pay for taking that Tour. As soon as they deduct the quantity from their Cash tracker, they take the cardboard and can get the indicated factors on the finish of the sport.
Finish of Turns and Finish of Sport
After a participant’s flip, any empty areas within the card show are refilled by playing cards from the corresponding decks. Play then passes to the participant on their left.
As soon as a participant takes their 4th Tour (in a 4 or 5 participant recreation), or their fifth Tour (in a 2 or 3 participant recreation), the sport finish is triggered. Gamers full the present spherical of turns after which complete their factors.
Factors are awarded for:
- Tour playing cards taken
- Encounter playing cards granting end-game factors
- Accomplished columns of their suitcase
The participant with probably the most factors wins!
Adjustments to the 2nd Version
Simply pulling the elements out of the 2nd version field, I may instantly inform many issues had modified within the new version. Certain, there’s nonetheless a map board of the world, Trekker meeples, giant double-sided playing cards of every location on the map, coloured cubes, and suitcases. However among the elements of the first version are now not within the recreation and new elements have been added – resembling cash dials and Itinerary tokens.
Underdog Video games has listed 3 of the most important modifications to the sport:
- 2nd Version is a drafting & racing recreation whereas 1st Version was a set-collection & racing recreation.
- 2nd Version options card powers that gamers get totally free by going to completely different locations.
- 2nd Version has a solo mode and 1st Version doesn’t.
However there are lots of extra modifications that we fortunately endorse as properly.
Shifting and Paying
Probably the most noticeable to us proper out of the gate is how gamers transfer and acquire issues all through the sport.
Within the 1st version, gamers acquire coloured, quantity playing cards to their hand. They’ll use these playing cards to both transfer areas on their flip or spend them as matching icons to take Excursions. For instance, the first version vacation spot playing cards have icons on the underside that basically present their “value”. When at that location, gamers could flip in matching playing cards of these colours to take the Tour and get these factors.
With the 2nd version, gamers don’t have a hand of playing cards in any respect. As an alternative, they choose an Itinerary card on the desk which lets them transfer, acquire cash, and doubtlessly acquire cubes. And to take a Tour at a location, they merely spend from cash they’ve collected.
We love this alteration!
With the first version, it’s important to be very considered through which playing cards you play to maneuver and which you retain to spend on Excursions. With the brand new addition of cash that you just get on each flip, it’s a lot easier to pay for taking a Tour whenever you get to a selected location. (Supplied somebody hasn’t beat you to it but.) Now the alternatives are extra about which Itinerary playing cards you select as a result of they grant completely different quantities of cash.
You may select to maneuver additional on a flip, however you’ll take much less cash. Or you’ll be able to go for extra money, however simply transfer a single house. It’s a fantastic stability of decisions whereas additionally simplifying turns.
Memento accumulating
Associated to motion and Itinerary playing cards is the change to how Memento cubes are collected.
Within the 1st version, Memento cubes are randomly positioned on each location on the board. If a participant ends their activate a location that has a dice, they acquire it. If the dice is already taken, too dangerous.
Within the 2nd version, it’s fairly easy to gather Souvenirs. When you finish your motion on a continent exhibiting on the Itinerary card you selected, you get the indicated Memento cubes.
Not solely can we get to gather extra Souvenirs all through the sport, however we’re much less annoyed by getting caught out of accumulating simply because somebody is a pair steps forward of us on the board. And fairly than having to plan our actions around the globe to land on particular places to snag a sure coloured dice, we’ve got extra management over which colours we are able to acquire by selecting from the 5 Itinerary playing cards on show.
Which implies the large decisions actually come all the way down to these Itinerary playing cards. There are 3 issues to think about with that choice (transfer, cash, cubes) and we adore it. They aren’t robust decisions, however they do make a distinction in attempting to get what we’d like and to the place we’d like earlier than others get there.
Itinerary tokens
Talking of Souvenirs, when positioned in your suitcase, they might grant you particular talents.
We love this addition too!
Within the 1st version, accumulating Souvenirs are price factors on the finish of the sport primarily based on accomplished columns in your suitcase. However that’s it.
Within the 2nd version, these factors nonetheless exist. So it’s good to gather a wide range of cubes so you’ll be able to full extra columns totally for extra factors. However along with that, whenever you cowl icons in your suitcase, you get to take the corresponding Itinerary token. And on future turns, you’ll be able to spend these tokens for added goodies (additional motion, free flight, extra money, extra cubes).
It’s another excuse why we like accumulating souvenirs as we journey in Trekking the World 2nd version.
BONUS: The brand new version suitcases are additionally double-layerd cardboard with inserts for the cubes. So fairly than sliding round, they’re extra shielded from bumps. So good!
Encounters and particular talents
Within the 1st version, the vacation spot playing cards are solely used for taking Excursions and getting factors. The again facet has attention-grabbing details about the placement which is enjoyable to learn. Nevertheless it doesn’t serve a recreation play goal.
Within the 2nd version, the double-sided vacation spot playing cards even have a profit on the again. Now, the again facet of the cardboard known as the Encounter facet. Every recreation, all these playing cards are cut up in order that half shall be used for Excursions and the opposite half shall be used as Encounters.
When ending a flip at a location, if there’s an Encounter card on show that matches, the participant takes the Encounter. And on the backside of every card is a particular capability that the participant can use later.
The first version does have some particular talents. They’re referred to as Journey playing cards and a couple of are randomly arrange every recreation. Gamers must spend two playing cards from their hand to make use of one of many talents. With these new Encounters, there’s much more talents gamers can use all through the sport with no need to pay with playing cards. Way more enjoyable and feels extra strategic.
Bonus factors eradicated
Normally bonus factors are a fantastic factor.
Nonetheless, we’re glad to see the bonus level choices within the unique Trekking the World are gone.
There are two methods to realize bonus factors within the 1st version.
The primary is thru Area Bonuses. If a participant collects the final dice from a location on a continent, they get the Bonus Token subsequent to that continent. These tokens are randomly arrange initially of the sport and really feel arbitrary. In case you are fortunate sufficient, you could possibly snag it. However identical to the randomness of accumulating cubes from places to start with, this feels prefer it unfairly grants factors to a participant. Sure, it encourages gamers to maneuver to each location accumulating cubes, however that feels ancillary to setting out for particular places to take Excursions.
The opposite technique to acquire bonus factors within the 1st version is thru Souvenirs. The participant that good points probably the most of a selected memento is granted bonus factors for doing so. Completely different colours grant completely different factors for having probably the most. For instance, yellow dice majority grants 12 factors and black majority grants 9 factors.
However once more this falls prey to the randomness of accumulating cubes and for a first-player benefit – who can race out accumulating cubes earlier than others.
As such, by eliminating these additional factors to arbitrarily chase, the 2nd version is extra streamlined and targeted on the theme of the sport. We don’t miss these additional factors in any respect as the purpose unfold amongst gamers on the finish of the sport remains to be shut every time.
Simpler to maneuver round
Along with the simplified means motion is dealt with (by selecting an Itinerary card fairly than enjoying playing cards out of your hand), really transferring across the board is much more family-friendly within the 2nd version due to two main rule modifications.
The primary large rule change is that participant’s Trekker meeples don’t block different gamers!
Within the 1st version, if one other participant’s Trekker is on a location, you cannot transfer on or by way of it. They block your route fully.
Within the 2nd version, you’ll be able to freely transfer to and thru areas occupied by different gamers. This can be a welcome change for basic household play. It’s additionally much more consistent with the journey theme of the sport. In spite of everything, simply because another person is on the Eiffel Tower, doesn’t imply I can’t go to it as properly.
The opposite motion rule change that simplifies journey is the usage of airports.
Within the 1st version, in case you begin your activate an airport house, you might Fly to a different airport earlier than you start your motion that flip.
Within the 2nd version, you might fly from one airport to another airport at any level through the your motion that flip for the price of $1. It nonetheless counts as one among your factors of motion, however it’ll value you some cash. Little or no cash, however nonetheless it prices one thing. But it grants you way more freedom in with the ability to traverse the board throughout your turns and not using a ton of pre-planning future turns.
One other technique to fly is with the usage of Frequent Flyer tokens. They’re the blue Itinerary tokens you’ll be able to acquire by putting blue memento cubes over the airplane icon in your suitcase. And every participant begins the sport with 1 of those tokens. Gamers can spend a token to Fly from wherever they’re to any airport location. It could possibly are available in very useful whenever you’re able to make a giant play within the recreation.
Solo mode
Over the previous a number of years, many recreation designers have added choices for taking part in board video games solo. And Trekking the World 2nd version has such a recreation mode.
When gamers are focused on taking up the sport problem by themselves, it is a nice choice.
There are 4 completely different issue ranges to select from. The Problem card signifies what number of Excursions the participant should take and what number of souvenirs they have to acquire to win. It additionally lists a Vacationer Tax which is an quantity that have to be paid to take an Encounter at a location if a Vacationer Trekker can also be at that location.
The sport play alternates between the participant and the 4 different Trekkers.
The participant takes turns as within the regular recreation. Nonetheless, when it’s the Vacationer flip, the participant flips a card from the Vacationer card deck. It exhibits a coloration of Trekker to behave that flip. If that Trekker is already on the board, it’ll take the Encounter card matching its location. If that Trekker is just not on the board, it will get positioned on the placement matching the leftmost Encounter not occupied by one other Vacationer. Thus it basically takes one Trekker coloration two turns to get on the board then declare an Encounter.
If the Vacationers collectively declare 7 Encounter playing cards or their draw deck runs out, the Vacationers win and the participant loses the solo recreation.
If the participant collects sufficient Excursions and Souvenirs as indicated on their Problem card, earlier than the Vacationers hit their mark, the participant wins.
I sometimes don’t play solo mode with board video games. However I did give it a go in Trekking the World 2nd version and fairly loved it.
It’s undoubtedly a race to assert Excursions whereas Vacationers maintain popping up everywhere in the board and taking playing cards. Nevertheless it’s enjoyable to swipe Encounter playing cards out from beneath them when potential, even when it requires paying the Vacationer Tax. Completely price it.
Our verdict on Trekking the World 2nd Version
Trekking the World 2nd version wins out for us palms down!
We love the streamlined play that’s extra becoming for the journey theme of the sport. There are nonetheless loads of decisions to think about and tradeoffs to make as we race around the globe to maintain it attention-grabbing. But, it’s way more approachable than the first version.
As you’ll be able to see, we actually just like the fluid motion, extra memento accumulating, gaining and paying for Excursions with cash, the Encounter card talents, and the tradeoffs when selecting Itinerary playing cards for motion, cash, and cubes.
As such, our 1st version copy of the sport is now searching for a brand new dwelling as we grasp on tightly to our copy of Trekking the World 2nd version.
The Board Sport Household wish to thank Underdog Video games for a overview copy of Trekking the World 2nd Version.
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