
- BGG rank
- BGG #491
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Newton
- 1–4 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2018

Rules assistance for Darwin's Journey: Great Ship
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Darwin's Journey: Great Ship is an expansion for Darwin's Journey released in 2023 for 1–4 players, 60–120 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Nestore Mangone and Simone Luciani and its main mechanics are Worker Placement.
This mini-expansion includes 11 Ship cards. These helpful ships will give players an benefit during the game. Included inside Darwin's Journey: Collector's Edition and was available as an add-on during the Kickstarter campaign for those backing at the base game only pledge level.
Darwin's Journey: Great Ship supports 1–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Darwin's Journey: Great Ship is 60–120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Darwin's Journey: Great Ship for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Darwin's Journey: Great Ship has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Darwin's Journey: Great Ship belongs to these categories: Travel, Exploration, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Worker Placement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Darwin's Journey: Great Ship are: Nestore Mangone and Simone Luciani. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Darwin's Journey: Great Ship as an expansion for Darwin's Journey. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Darwin's Journey to use it. Check that your edition of Darwin's Journey is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.