Across Africa Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game contents
• Aim of the game
• Set up
• Playing the game
• End of the game
• Race to the Wharf!

Game contents

• game board
• 30 photo cards with the animals photos (10 worth 2 points, 10 worth 3 points, 10 worth 5 points)
• 24 adventure cards
• 20 diamonds
• the crocodile – a stand for photo cards and diamonds (8 slots for photo cards, and a space for diamonds)
• dice
• 4 pawns
• game rules

Aim of the game

Across Africa is a cooperative game; to win – you have to cooperate. Travellers must collect the appropriate number of points for photos and diamonds until the first pawn crosses the finishing line.

Set up

1. Lay out the game board in the middle of the table.
2. The oldest player shuffles the adventure and photo cards separately and places them face down next to the game board in two separate piles.
3. Put the diamonds next to the game board.
4. Place one diamond on the game board, on the fields marked with the diamond symbol.
5. Next, according to the directions in the enclosed drawing, put the crocodile together and place it next to the game board in a place accessible to all the players.
6. Each player chooses their pawn and puts it on the field marked START!.

Playing the game

The game is begun by the youngest participant and then takes place in accordance with the clockwise direction. The player rolls the dice and moves their pawn forward in line with the thrown number of points to one of the fields. In each turn, the player can roll the dice only once. Depending on where the player stops, they perform the appropriate action and the turn passes to the next person. The game board contains the following fields:

• Path: No additional action. The end of move.
• Camera: You take a photo. It is not that easy, because from time to time in front of the camera lens appears a curious giraffe or a mischievous lemur! You take the top card from the pile of photo cards and put it face up in front of you. There are three types of photos:
  • worth 5 points (no animal companion);
  • worth 3 points (with the giraffe);
  • worth 2 points (with the lemur).
• Thicket: You have come to the wildest areas of the jungle! In the next round, instead of going forward, you must shift your pawn back by the number of points on the dice.
• Adventure: Indulge yourself in the adventure! Take the top card from the pile and perform the described action.

In the game there are 24 adventure cards. Each of them describes the effect. Immediately after its execution, the card is placed at the bottom of the adventure cards pile. The exceptions are:

• Lake Victoria, Kilimanjaro and Baobab cards – these are unique photos worth 5 points, the player keeps by themselves. When the player reaches the field marked with the diamond symbol, they will be able to put them back on the crocodile.
• Explores' map card, which the player retains for themselves and can use it once at any time during the game.

Important! It may happen that after taking the Adventure card, the player will not be able to perform its effect. Then nothing happens and the card is placed at the bottom of the Adventure cards pile.

Example: Anne placed her pawn on the Adventure field (1). She took the top card from the Adventure cards pile (2) – Diamonds mine and performed its effect: she calculated that between the Adventure field, where she took the card on and the nearest camp there were 2 fields (3), then she took two diamonds from the pile next to the board and laid them on two randomly chosen fields that were not occupied by other players (4).

• Camp: You have found the Treasure hunters' camp! If there is still a diamond there, take it and place it in front of you. Then you can put any number of your photos and all your diamonds on the appropriate places on the crocodile. This is the only field on the game board that allows it!

Important! Each time the pawn of one of the players will be on the field Camp, the player can store their photos and diamonds on the crocodile. This applies both to the situation in which the player landed on the field Camp after rolling the dice, as well as after the examination of the following Adventure cards: Telegram, Over Africa, Dry season and Wet season.

There are 8 slots on the crocodile. In each there can be one or two photos with the maximum total value of 5 points. In this way you can distribute any number of the cards from your collection. The player can thus add photos to the slots, in which there are already other photos or place them in empty slots. However, it is not allowed to put two photos worth 2 or 3 points in the same place. Once located, you cannot replace or discard the card! (Exception: Ripped backpack adventure card).

Example: Joe has stopped on the Camp field (1). He is first here, so he takes a diamond, which he immediately puts on the crocodile (2). Besides this, he has two photos in front of him – one worth 2 points and the other worth 5 points. He can add the photo worth 2 points to the photo worth 3 points or put it into any empty slot (3). He can only put the photo worth 5 points to one of the empty slots (4).

Important! After leaving the field Camp, remember to add two points to the number of points on the dice, as you are relaxed and ready for yet further travel.

• Muddy road: During the hike you have arrived at an extremely muddy place. In the next round you have to subtract two points from the number on the dice. If you throw 1 or 2, you remain on this field until the next round. This rule is applicable only for one round.
• Off-road car: Off-road car stops next to you. The car driver offers you help. You move your pawn forward by 3 extra fields.
• Snake: A poisonous snake prowls here! You should stay cautious! In the next round, in order to move forward, you have to throw the minimum of 4 points (roll the dice only once). This rule is applicable only for one round.
• Wharf – Finishing line: You have reached your final destination and thus the game ends.

End of the game

There are two possible endings of the game:

• One of the players has put their pawn on the field Wharf or has crossed it – In this situation, the players are no longer allowed to store their photo cards or diamonds on the crocodile. If they have managed to get 40 points for photos and 5 diamonds, they win, if not – it is time to organize a new expedition!
• Once all the slots on the crocodile are completed – with the photos of a total value of 40 points and 5 diamonds – the players win.

Race to the Wharf!

This is a variant of the game, in which the players compete for a victory. The game is played according to the same rules as its cooperative variant, with a few exceptions:

• the crocodile is not used, it is placed in the box;
• each player collects photos and diamonds in front of them;
• each diamond is worth 5 points;
• the player who first reaches the finishing line receives additional 5 points.

Note! If, as a result of one of the adventure cards, for example Dry season, Wet season, several players will land on the field Camp, on which there is still a diamond, it will be taken by the player who performed the adventure card.

The game ends when any player puts their pawn on the last field of the game board or crosses it. All the players add up the points for the gained cards and diamonds. The winner is the person who has won the most points.