Finis Terrae

Publisher's game description:

Finis Terrae is a game about exploration, trade and piracy, in which each player explores the game map, which is composed differently and unexpectedly each time, thus simulating the map of an unknown world.

In this space between the open sea and the deep sea, distinct areas will gradually emerge, along with their respective goals and strategies: rescuing shipwrecked sailors, recovering buried treasure and underwater artifacts, establishing new trading ports, and trading spices. Explorers will be hampered by pirates and adverse weather conditions and could even become pirates themselves.

The winner is the one who can prove that he is the most experienced navigator, i.e., the one who achieves the highest score in the three categories of exploration, trade, and colonization.

Each round of the game consists of 4 phases:

• Cartographic phase: Each player lays out some game tiles, and a new part of the map is revealed.
• Preparation phase: During this phase, the weather and trading conditions are determined.
• Navigation phase: During this phase, explorers sail the seas, establish ports, trade in spices, and rescue treasures and shipwrecked sailors.
• End of day: The navigation for the next day is being prepared. The first player to take their turn is determined at the end of each round according to the "sunrise" rule (whoever is furthest east). The pirates are led alternately by each player and are an element that constantly changes the strategy and affects all players.

Not all traders in Finis Terrae are honest, and any explorer can choose to dedicate themselves to piracy and rob other explorers.

Due to its nature, Finis Terrae is suitable for various play styles: from the simplest and most straightforward (without much thought) to the more strategic and demanding. A moderate element of luck helps to liven up the mid-level gameplay.