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- BGG #15,340
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Purim
- 1–4 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2023
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,910
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Embark
2018
Rules assistance for Embark
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 30–60 min
- 14+
- Complexity 2.2/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Embark
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Embark is a board game released in 2018 for 2–5 players, 30–60 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Philip duBarry and its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence, Simultaneous Action Selection, and Worker Placement.
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About the game
As new islands appear out of the mist, send your voyagers in search of wealth and adventure! In Embark, you will load various boats heading to these new, uninhabited islands in order to explore, colonize, and mine their riches. Only fully-loaded boats will launch, so assign your voyagers carefully. Explorers will scout out the islands, unlocking their mysteries. Miners will collect ore, and colonists will cultivate farms and reap the benefits that the islands have to offer. Watch out for your opponents’ warriors, who can replace your voyagers and take over their jobs! Embark is a game for 2-5 players, designed by Philip duBarry, and developed by Seth Jaffee. It lasts about 15 minutes per player, and could be described as a light-to-medium weight game. In Embark, you and your friends simultaneously assign your voyagers to boats, then take turns assigning them jobs by placing them into specific berths in the boats. When a boat is full, it launches, carrying your voyagers to one of the islands in play, where your voyagers will start to perform the jobs to which they were assigned: Explorers explore the island, scoring 1 point per round, and increasing an exploration bonus for the island. Miners collect ore, which will score an end game bonus. Colonists build farms worth a chunk of points. Having a majority of colonists also wins a player the exploration bonus for the island. Captains can do any of the three jobs above. Warriors must displace another voyager and take over their job, sending the displaced voyager back to the owner's pub to be reassigned next round. After six rounds of assigning voyagers and launching boats, the game ends, bonuses are tallied, and the player with the most points wins! —description from the publisher
Designers
Publishers
- Tasty Minstrel Games
Questions and answers
Embark supports 2–5 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 Embark is 30–60 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 Embark 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.
Embark has a complexity rating of 2.2 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.
Embark belongs to these categories: Travel, Adventure, and Nautical. Its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence, Simultaneous Action Selection, and 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 Embark are: Philip duBarry. 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 Embark as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.