Cartographers Review
The "roll-and-write" craze hit the board game industry like a plague of locusts, leaving thousands of dry, joyless spreadsheet simulators in its wake. But Cartographers is different. Designed by Jordy Adan and published by Thunderworks Games, this isn't just about ticking boxes; it's about aggressively drawing weird, blocky shapes on a map like a distressed medieval architect playing Tetris.
First of all, there are no dice, only cards. This is a "flip-and-write" game, and it is the standout star of the genre. It offers a puzzle that is just complex enough to make you scratch your head without requiring a degree in advanced logistics. Every player gets an identical blank map sheet and a pencil, and you are all trying to satisfy the shifting demands of Queen Gimnax.
The Map-Making Madness
A card is flipped in the center of the table showing a shape (e.g., an L-shape or a straight line) and a terrain type (forest, water, farm, town). Every player simultaneously chooses where to draw that precise shape on their own map. You are trying to optimize your map based on four scoring conditions that change every game. You might want forests next to the edges, or water next to farms.
The sheer panic sets in when the "monster" cards appear. Suddenly, you must pass your map to the person next to you, who will maliciously draw a goblin ambush in the absolute worst possible place, ruining five turns of your careful planning. It is the most brilliant, nasty piece of player interaction I’ve seen in a genre that usually feels like competitive solitaire.
Suitability: Family vs. Friends
Family Sessions
Excellent, provided your family can draw basic geometric shapes without causing a domestic incident. Because play is simultaneous, there is zero downtime, making it brilliant for larger, impatient groups. It’s practically a multiplayer meditative colouring book punctuated by brief moments of intense frustration. It’s the sort of game you can play while having a conversation, right up until someone draws a troll on your map.
Hard-core Gamers
For your hard-core gamer friends, it’s a fantastic opener or "filler" between heavier sessions. It doesn't require a large central board—just somewhere to put a tiny deck of cards—meaning everyone can just hold their map on their lap. The spatial puzzle of fitting weird shapes into a changing grid is highly satisfying and rewards those who can plan four turns ahead. It scales infinitely—you can play with two people or a hundred, and the game time remains exactly the same.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Simultaneous play means zero downtime for large groups. | The included pencils are an insult to stationary. |
"Monster Ambush" mechanic provides nasty interaction. | By the end, a messy map looks like incomprehensible art. |
The spatial Tetris puzzle is incredibly satisfying. | Once someone pulls ahead, it feels impossible to catch up. |
Final Thoughts
Cartographers is a robust, highly interactive puzzle that takes up virtually no table space and infinitely scales to whoever happens to be sitting near you. It is quite simply the best thing to happen to graph paper since the invention of the pen.
Final Verdict: Buy it yourself. Keep it in your bag alongside a decent set of colored pens. Cartographers is a robust, highly interactive puzzle that takes up virtually no table space and infinitely scales to whoever happens to be sitting near you.
