Lost Ruins of Arnak: Expedition Leaders

To set up the game with the Expedition Leaders expansion, first replace the Stone Key item card and the Miner Assistant tile from the base game with their updated versions provided in this expansion. Next, decide which side of the main game board to use for the research track: the Ape Temple or the Lizard Temple. If playing with the new research tracks, place the corresponding new research track overlay on top of the old one. Integrate all new artifact cards, item cards, location tiles, guardian tiles, idol tiles, and assistant tiles by shuffling them into their respective base game piles. When placing the Moon Staff, players must choose whether to use the blue Moon Staff from the base game or the new red Moon Staff from the expansion. Finally, each player selects one of the six unique Expedition Leaders and performs their specific setup instructions, which may include taking unique starting cards, tokens, or placing archaeologists in specific ways. Players can choose their leaders or draw them randomly from shuffled leader tokens.

The core objective of Lost Ruins of Arnak remains unchanged with the Expedition Leaders expansion. Players still aim to accumulate the most victory points by exploring the island, discovering new and valuable locations, overcoming formidable guardians, and advancing their research up the temple track. The expansion introduces new avenues for scoring and strategic depth through unique leader abilities and new game components, but the fundamental goal of being the most successful expedition remains paramount.

During their turn, players perform actions as in the base game, but their chosen Expedition Leader introduces unique abilities and strategic considerations. For example, the Captain gains a third archaeologist and can choose different effects from their 'Overdracht' card based on how many archaeologists are deployed. The Falconeer moves their eagle token at the start of each round, activating effects based on its position, and can use specific card abilities to advance the eagle further. The Baroness starts with coins on future round spaces and an 'Express Bezorging' card that allows direct hand placement of purchased items. The Professor focuses on artifacts, starting with an 'Archief' of three artifact cards and gaining income into a briefcase, which can be used for artifact-related actions. The Scout has only one archaeologist but gains 'Snack' tokens that can be used with specific cards ('Wandeltocht' or 'Cartografie') to activate tent locations or gain tablets and idol effects. The Mystic starts each round with an additional fear card but can activate powerful rituals by destroying starting cards and discarding fear cards from their ritual discard pile. Each leader's unique abilities offer distinct playstyles and strategic paths.

Scoring in Lost Ruins of Arnak: Expedition Leaders largely follows the base game's rules, with victory points awarded for discovered locations, overcome guardians, collected artifacts, and progress on the research track. However, the expansion introduces additional scoring opportunities and considerations tied to the unique abilities of each Expedition Leader. For instance, the Mystic's discarded fear cards from their ritual pile do not count as negative points at the end of the game, which can significantly impact their final score. Players should integrate their leader's specific advantages into their overall strategy to maximize point generation, leveraging their unique cards and board interactions to gain an edge over opponents.

The game concludes after five rounds, just like in the base game. At the end of the fifth round, players proceed to final scoring. All standard scoring categories from the base game are tallied, including points from discovered locations, defeated guardians, collected artifacts, and progress on the research track. Any specific scoring conditions or bonuses provided by the chosen Expedition Leader's abilities or new components from the expansion are also factored into the final score. The player with the highest total victory points is declared the winner of the expedition.