Expeditions: Gears of Corruption

Expeditions: Gears of Corruption Rulebook

Table of Contents

Overview and Goal

1–6 players · 60–90 minutes · ages 14+ · competitive

The Gears of Corruption expansion to Expeditions adds elements of risk and danger in the form of secret bonuses on map tokens and a corrupted mech that roams the land. To counter these threats, the expansion offers 2 new mechs and 4 new character/companion pairs, as well as components for a 6th player. Gears of Corruption also accelerates early gameplay by giving players starting resources and a hero worker that can act as any type of worker.

Components

7 mech mats (dual layer; 2 new & 5 replacement)
2 mech miniatures
6 hero worker meeples (gold)
1 location tile (replacement)
8 starting cards
7 mech cards
6 discovery cards (5 new & 1 replacement)
1 corrupted mech reference card
12 corruption cards
1 power token
1 guile token
6 corruption tokens (3 of each)
4 glory tokens
16 map tokens (double sided)
1 action token
1 base snap (green)
16 cardboard coins
2 player aids

Setup

Initial Setup

Perform the following steps to integrate the expansion into the core game.

Permanently replace location tile 16 (Encampment) with the updated tile (showing a corruption level of 8+).
Permanently replace item card 011 (Aether Mirror) with the updated card (showing a "Refresh" instant benefit and an end-of-game value of $4).
Permanently replace the original single-layer mech mats with the dual-layer mats, which include 2 new mechs.
Add the 6 new corruption tokens to the corruption bag. Each of the new tokens represents 2 corruption, a value previously unseen in Expeditions. The abilities of cards such as Close the Vortex do not apply to 2-value corruption tokens, as they don't mention that specific value.
Add the 4 new pairings of character/companion cards to the original starting cards.
Shuffle the 5 new item cards into the discovery deck.

Discovery: This new term describes the shared deck and its cards (items, meteorites, and quests).

Player Components

This expansion adds a 6th player to the game. In a 6-player game there will be slightly more downtime between turns, though the increase in starting resources (hero worker and power/guile) should keep the total playing time to around 90 minutes.

Mech Cards: Shuffle the 7 mech cards and deal 1 to each player. This determines your mech mat, mech miniature, and starting resources (power/guile and hero worker). After gaining those resources, return all mech cards to the box.

Mech/Companion Draft for Experienced Players (Optional)

Arrange the mech cards face up in a row. Randomly deal one character card face up under each mech card, then place the matching companion card with each character. Randomly determine the first player. In reverse player order (starting with the last player), each player selects one combination. Then, players gain their mech mats, mech miniatures, and starting resources.

Shared Components

Map Tokens: Randomize the new, larger map tokens, each of which has a secret bonus on one side. Place 1 map token face down on each of the 14 locations in the Central and North regions (return the extra 2 tokens face-down to the box). Keep the standard map tokens in the general supply, as there are ways other than moving to face-down locations to gain them. You can use as many map tokens in Expeditions as you have access to.

Corrupted Mech Module (Optional) Setup

Place the corrupted mech reference card on the Basecamp glory track, showing the "Corrupted Mech Arrival" side. Shuffle the 12 corruption cards and set them nearby.

Gameplay

Hero Worker

As noted on the mech cards, each player starts with a hero worker. This is a meeple that acts as a wild meeple: It is all colors for all situations and abilities, and it counts towards the "7 workers" glory category. Players may not gain additional hero workers during the game.

Map Tokens

Whenever you gain a map token from a face-down location, you must first gain its secret bonus (your mech is considered to be on that new location when you gain the bonus). A few bonuses include specific types of cards; if that type of card isn't face up among the locations, don't gain anything.

If you gain a map token in any way other than moving to a face-down location, do not gain its secret bonus.

Mech Abilities

TATANKA: You may Solve, Upgrade, and Meld up to 5 times each. The default maximum for each category is 4.

MARSH STRIDER: Your Move range is 1–4 locations. The default Move range is 1–3.

ODIN'S WRATH: You may trash a map at any time on your turn to gain 1 power, 1 guile, or $1. This refers to map tokens in your supply. There is no limit—beyond the remaining maps in your supply—to the number of times you can use this ability on your turn.

LUMBERJACK: Whenever you Vanquish, reduce the cost of the first corruption of each color by 1. This reduces the cost of the 20-value corruption token to 18.

Example: The top corruption at a location is 4-orange, so it only costs 3 power to Vanquish. If the next corruption is 4-turquoise, it costs 3 guile. If it is 4-orange instead, it costs 4 power to gain using the same Vanquish ability.

HIGHLANDER: You may gain cards directly to your hand. By default, gained cards are placed in the active row.

SCARECROW: Whenever you finish a Refresh turn, you may trash a map to perform 1 action (Move, Play, or Gather). This adds at most 1 action to each Refresh turn and applies only to Refresh turns (not to other abilities/benefits that allow you to refresh).

MOLE: Whenever you Gather, you may trash a map to act as if corruption is not covering a benefit. This does not remove the corruption tokens at your location.

Example: If you Gather on location 10 (gain a purple worker or Meld), you may choose the Meld benefit even if it's covered by one or more corruption tokens. This does not allow you to gain both benefits at location 10.

Character and Companion Cards

The expansion adds 4 new character/companion pairs to the starting cards. Each pair is a character card and its companion card.

Bjorn & Mox

BJORN (character): Gain a red worker OR Solve; if you Solve, gain the core value of all your solved quests.

MOX (companion): Play a card OR Vanquish; if this Vanquish removes the location's final corruption, you may gain the revealed benefit.

Freya & Loki

FREYA (character): Sweep 1 face-up card to gain its core value OR Solve; if you Solve, gain the core value of all your solved quests.

LOKI (companion): Trash a card from the sweep pile to gain $1 OR Vanquish; if this Vanquish removes the location's final corruption, you may gain the revealed benefit.

Baaliahon & Zephon

This pair of starting cards leans into the weirdness of the color purple in Expeditions:

BAALIAHON (character): Gain the top corruption accessible from your location (except the 20-value corruption token) OR pay 1 guile and 1 power to Meld. The first ability applies to the top corruption token on your location or the top corruption card (if you're adjacent to the corrupted mech's location).

ZEPHON (companion): Activate a face-up purple card's ability OR trash 1 corruption to tuck a quest. The second ability allows you to trash a corruption token or corruption card in your supply to tuck a quest card you control above your mech mat. This is not the same as solving the quest (you may not pay its Solve cost nor gain its Solve benefit), but quests tucked in this way count towards the "Solve 4 quests" glory category and end-game scoring.

Zehra & Kar

ZEHRA (character): Look at the top card of the deck and either return it to gain guile or sweep it to gain power OR Solve; if you Solve, gain the core value of all your solved quests.

KAR (companion): Gain the top card of the deck OR Vanquish; if this Vanquish removes the location's final corruption, you may gain the revealed benefit.

Corrupted Mech Module (Optional)

This is an optional module designed to emulate an actively antagonistic force.

The corrupted mech appears once per game when a player places the first glory token. At the end of that player's turn, they choose an unused mech miniature and place it on a revealed, unoccupied location. The corrupted mech does not use the corresponding mech mat.

(The corrupted mech reference card words this as "any revealed, unoccupied location"; the rule is the same.)

Flip the corrupted mech reference card to show "Corrupted Mech Turn" and place it to the right of that player. Deal 5 corruption cards face up in a pile next to the reference card, offset so their corruption costs are all visible. Place the remaining corruption cards face down to form a deck beside this pile.

Corrupted Mech Turn

From now on, the corrupted mech will take a turn before that player's turn, following these steps:

Deal a new corruption card face up to the top of the pile. If the deck of corruption cards is empty, move the bottom card of the pile to the top.
Refer to the direction icon on the top corruption card to perform one of the following: a. If there is a location available in the indicated direction, the mech moves 1 location in that direction.
- Face-down locations are available. Discard the map token, reveal the location, place corruption tokens on it, and move the corrupted mech onto it.
- Unoccupied locations (revealed locations with no other mechs) are available.
- Locations occupied by other mechs are not available. However, when the corrupted mech attempts to move onto an occupied location, the occupying player suffers the corrupted mech penalty described below. b. If there is no available location in the indicated direction, the mech tries the next direction clockwise (and so on until the mech moves). c. If there are no available locations in any direction, the mech stops trying after attempting all 6 directions and does not move.
If the top card shows a second direction icon, the mech attempts to move again as described in step (a). Do not move the mech using any other cards in the pile.

Corrupted Mech Penalty

If any location the corrupted mech tries to move onto is occupied, the occupying player immediately suffers the penalty noted on the corruption card.

The penalties are: lose 1 power, lose 1 guile, lose $1, or discard 1 card from hand.
If the player doesn't have anything to lose, nothing happens (e.g., if the penalty is losing 1 power but they have 0 power).
This penalty can be incurred by multiple players on the same turn or even the same player twice for double-movement cards.

Vanquishing Corruption Cards

Players may use the Vanquish ability to remove corruption cards if the corrupted mech is adjacent to their mech. This works the same way as Vanquishing corruption tokens: Pay the cost noted at the bottom of the top corruption card to gain that card. You may repeat this process to gain more than one corruption card during the same Vanquish ability.

Corruption cards count as corruption for the 7-corruption glory category and endgame scoring (gain $2 per card).
Some discovery cards and mech abilities use the terms "corruption," "corruption token," and "corruption card." When these components refer to "corruption" by itself, it includes both corruption tokens and corruption cards.
For various abilities, corruption cards count as tokens, but they are not considered to have colors or values, and the only way you can gain a corruption card is by using a Vanquish ability against the corrupted mech. The Lumberjack mech ignores 1 resource (1 power or 1 guile, not 1 of each) on the top corruption card only.
Vanquishing corruption cards is an alternative to vanquishing corruption tokens on your current location. Each Vanquish ability may target one or the other but not both.

Defeating the Corrupted Mech

If a player removes the last revealed corruption card, remove the corrupted mech from the game (even if there are unrevealed corruption cards remaining). Return all remaining corruption cards, the corrupted mech reference card, and the mech miniature to the box.

General Reminders and Clarifications

Cards or icons that grant 1 location benefit allow you to gain exactly 1 icon (even if there are multiple benefit icons on that location).
If you have an item card in your active row with a worker on it, its ongoing ability is active until you refresh that worker/card (i.e., the ongoing ability isn't just for upgraded item cards).
If you Solve with a character ability that states "...gain the core value of all your solved quests," it includes the quest solved using that ability. Tuck the quest above your mech mat, then gain the core value from all tucked quests.
The core value of any card is always relative to your current status. For example, if you've melded 1 or more meteorites and you're looking at the core value of a meteorite card within the map, its core value for you includes the second guile/power.
The color of a card is the color of the worker shown at the bottom left corner of the card.
If you gain a refresh benefit without taking a Refresh turn, your action token does not shift to "refresh".
When an ability or benefit refers to adjacency (i.e., an adjacent card, gather benefit, etc), it's always relative to your mech. For example, adjacent cards are those next to the location your mech is currently on, not the cards in your active row.
Whenever you Gather, you must gain all exposed benefits if possible ("/" means "or").
There is no limit to the number of cards you can have under your control ("cards you control" refers to cards in hand and in your active row, not tucked cards).

What Does the "1x" on the "Activate an Adjacent Card's Ability" Icon Refer To?

The "1x" in this benefit indicates that you may only activate the selected card's ability once this turn (in case you find a loophole that would allow for multiple activations of the same card). A card's ability may only be activated once per turn unless specifically noted otherwise.

Can I Use the Odin's Wrath Mech Ability More Than Once Per Turn?

Yes, you may save up map tokens and use this ability multiple times on the same turn.