Teach the Game

A script to read aloud: how you win Heart of Darkness, the map and the Expedition Sheet, a Game Turn, the end, every source of Drama Points and what each resource is for.

How you win

“It is the mid-1800s and we are explorers walking into central and southern Africa for a patron back home who wants thrilling stories. We map the land, follow rivers to their sources, meet villages and wildlife, and stumble on lakes, lost cities and stranger things. Every wonder is written up as Drama Points. The game ends when someone reaches 50 Drama Points, dies or goes mad; then the most Drama Points wins. It is a long, story-heavy game: plan on four hours or more.”

• You need: Drama Points (DP), and an expedition that stays alive long enough to keep earning them.
• You get them by: exploring new regions on the map (terrain and rivers), then searching each region on your Matrix for Findings, Discoveries and, at the end of a Rumor, a Special Discovery — while Food, Health, Sanity and loyal men run out.

The boards

1. Port of Entry — one of the five explored starting regions (here Khartoum).
2. Terrain chart — the d6 roll that decides an unknown region’s terrain.
3. Presumed Terrain — a printed guess, confirmed on a 1–2.
4. Color Codes — the symbol on each border, drawn from a cup to pick a border.
5. Drama Track — your score, from Start to 50.
6. Slaver regions — people names printed in red: Villages like you less.
7. Patrons’ area — the five sponsors you choose from.
8. Turn Track — Disease, Horror and the turn order for this Game Turn.
9. New Sources box — Generic Sources waiting to join the cup.

1. Time scale — how many moves you have left in the Matrix this Game Turn.
2. Askaris scale — your armed men, and your Ammo Stock.
3. Porters scale — your carriers, their capacity and your Discontent.
4. Gifts track — trade goods.
5. Food track — eaten every Game Turn.
6. Matrix — a zoomed-in map of the region you are exploring right now.
7. River Chart — whether an unexplored river reaches your region.
8. Sanity & Health track — both start at 5; low values bring penalties.

A round

A Game Turn has two parts (full rules):

1. Map Phase — one Player Turn each, in Turn Track order: pay Food for everyone, roll for Disease and Horror if your turn marker sits below them, move your Explorer into an adjacent region, then decide its terrain and its rivers. Exploring earns DP.
2. Matrix Phase — first, Discoveries are drawn into your Matrix. Then, in Player Turns: place new Encounters around your Explorer, draw a first Event, pay 1 and move one slot, draw a second Event, then deal with what is in the new slot (details).
3. When your Time runs out: Health check if you did not reach “End here”, clear the Matrix, reset Time to Health + 5, roll for desertions and spend Resources to recover (details).
4. End of the Game Turn — Envy, then check whether the game ends; if not, adjust the Event bag and start a new Map Phase.

How the game ends

• At the end of a Game Turn the game ends if any Explorer has 50 DP or more, or has died or gone insane (Health or Sanity 0, or Discontent 10). An explorer who dies or goes mad scores 3 DP of notoriety (details).
• Surviving explorers then score 1 DP for each category they lead: most Askaris, Porters, Gifts, Food, highest Health, highest Sanity; ties all score.
• Most DP wins; ties share the win. Solo: stop after 5 Game Turns; 50 DP is a good result.

Ways to score

Source	How and when
Exploring terrain	1 DP for Savanna or Veldt, 2 DP for Jungle or Desert, when you decide a region’s terrain
Rivers and sources	2 DP (3 for the Largest Lake) for placing a Waterfall, Marsh, Lake, Mountain or Largest Lake marker; Resources add 1
Findings and Discoveries	2 DP each when you deal with one in the Matrix (Highest Mountain 3); the matching Resource adds 1
Your Patron	+3 DP (2–3 players +2, solo +1) on top, for the finds your Patron cares about
An opponent’s Patron	They lose 1 DP when you find something their Patron wanted
Special Discoveries	3 to 8 DP; Diary +1; The News Patron adds its bonus
Two losses in one Player Turn	1 DP if both Events of a Matrix Player Turn are Incidents that cost you something
Dr Livingstone moment	2 DP each when you end a Map Phase move in an explored region with another Explorer
Envy	2 DP (and −1 Sanity) once per Game Turn, if someone leads you by 6 DP or more
Notoriety	3 DP when you die or go insane
Final award	1 DP for each of: most Askaris, Porters, Gifts, Food; highest Health; highest Sanity

What each resource is for

Resource	Why you need it	How you get it	How you use it
Askaris	Hunts, Village respect and fending off Warbands all roll against their number	6 at start; Credits; Missionaries	Lost to Warbands, hunts, desertion and Special Discoveries; each loss adds Discontent
Porters	Carry your Food and Gifts (the first two carry only Resources)	8 at start; Credits; Missionaries	Capacity shown beside the scale; each loss adds Discontent
Food	Every Askari and Porter eats 1 at the start of each Game Turn	20 at start; Credits; hunting, Villages, Kingdoms, ending in an explored region (20)	Unfed men raise Discontent
Gifts	Buy goodwill: Kingdoms, Villages, trade	10 at start; Credits; Tusk and Wildlife Encounters	Offer to Kings, trade 5 for Canoes, a Guide or 10 Food
Ammo Stock	Higher than your Askaris = easier hunts and ambushes	6 at start; Credits; spend Ammo Resources	Lowered by Ammo-rolls; can save an Askari from a Warrior Nation
Time	Each Matrix move costs 1; Findings and Discoveries cost 1 more	Health + 5 each Game Turn; a Guide adds 2	When it reaches Stop your Matrix search is over
Health and Sanity	Low values cut your Time, cause desertions and anger Villages; 0 ends your expedition	Start at 5 (the maximum); Healers, Plants, Quinine, Cannabis	Lost to Disease, Horror, Malaria, Taboo and more
Discontent	At 10 your men kill you	Rises 1 for each Askari or Porter lost, 1–2 when you can’t feed them	Missionaries lower it by 1
Resources	Tools that change rolls, add DP or save men	20 Credits at setup; a few from Tusks, Wildlife, Villages and Kingdoms	Some work by owning them, others are spent (full list)
Patron	Extra DP for one kind of find	Chosen at your Port of Entry	Shapes where you go and what you look for

Teaching tips

• Start with the Expedition Sheet: every number on it is something the jungle will take away.

• Explain the Map Phase with one move, then sit the table round one Matrix and play two Player Turns of the rulebook’s example (rule 7A).

• Rivers are the hardest part: teach them when the first Water Marker is drawn, not before.

• Chits interact with the previous Encounter and the second Event; keep the Encounter and Incident charts open.

• Show a 14-Food bill for 6 Askaris and 8 Porters, paid once at the start of a Game Turn, before the Matrix search. Practice example.