Cartographers - How To Play

In this video, we're going to learn how to play Cartographers! If you have any comments or questions, please do not hesitate to post them in the KZbin comments below.
Note: If you cannot fulfill a Ruins card using the shape shown on the card, you instead fill in a single square anywhere, of any type (you are not restricted to the types showing on the card that was just drawn).
Become a member of the Watch It Played Patreon Team! watchitplayed.tv/patreon/v=yC...
Support us by picking up some promos here: watchitplayed.tv/promo-store/...
Our TeeSpring Store (get your shirts, mugs and other items!): watchitplayed.tv/teespring/v=...
Get the Watch It Played Game Shelf poster here: watchitplayed.tv/game-shelf-p...
The BoardGameGeek list of ALL our videos: watchitplayed.tv/wip-geeklist...
This game's BoardGameGeek Page: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2...
Check out my personal vlog here: ‪@RodneyJSmith‬
Get A Watch It Played Microbadge: watchitplayed.tv/bgg-microbad...
Email: watchitplayed(at)live(dot)com
Twitter: @watchitplayed
Twitch: / watchitplayed
Facebook: / watchitplayed
Instagram: @watchitplayed
We truly appreciate your views, feedback and subscriptions.
00:00 - Introduction
00:39 - The Setup
02:21 - Gameplay Overview
02:46 - The Explore Phase
03:17 - The Draw Phase
04:42 - Running Out of Space For A Shape
05:33 - Mountains
05:51 - Shapes With Coins
06:35 - The Check Phase
07:29 - Ambush Cards
08:28 - Ruins Cards
09:45 - Ending And Scoring A Season
11:03 - A Cluster
13:23 - Starting A New Season
14:01 - Ending The Game And Determining A Winner
14:27 - Solo Mode
14:33 - Conclusion
#watchitplayed #boardgames #tutorial

[@WatchItPlayed]

Rules Correction: If you cannot fulfill a Ruins card using the shape shown on the card, you instead fill in a single square anywhere, of any type (you are not restricted to the types showing on the card that was just drawn).

[@SaschaKleiber]

It’s the same with regular exploration cards. It can be any terrain type for them as well.

[@SaschaKleiber]

@YoloHozo it’s in the rules and explained in the video. Those cards are removed from the deck if drawn.

[@BakedGoods]

The box throw flip was mesmerizing

[@karlamaye]

it's.... so.... S M O O T H

[@Farstr1d3r]

OK....At first I was super disappointed, but now, after seeing this comment, I HAVE to watch it a few more times....

[@Farstr1d3r]

Daaaaang. You’re right. I will let it slide, just because Rodney is so smooth. Seriously, I come to watch the box flip in each video about as much as I come to watch the video....

[@dustinpetersen7730]

@@Farstr1d3r I once watched another gaming video with two people. One of them flipped the box and the other said, "Hey, you can't do that! That's Rodney's thing!"

[@Farstr1d3r]

@@dustinpetersen7730 bahahahahaha! Awesome.

[@drbasseri]

I was ready to casually ignore this, but ugh. Now im going to get it

[@GaelicwithJason]

That was a very clear, informative review. I feel like I know just how it plays now and your cheerfulness really made this a pleasant video to watch. Hats off to you, sir! I will be back for sure.

[@WatchItPlayed]

So glad you enjoyed it Gaelic!

[@theepicenter4106]

But it wasn't a review... 😅

[@YellowAvenger1]

Ok. Its a 4-year old video, and I watched for the first time today. I just wanted to say that your presentation was very good. Thanks!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thank you kindly! Have fun playing :)

[@SirNichosis]

Alright, this game looks fantastic. Love the art of the cards, love the "Tetris"-ness of the drawing phase, and it seems like the type to have a whole lot of replay-ability with different shapes and scoring cards. Thanks for the great tutorial Rodney! and for making my list of games I need to get even longer...and longer.......and longer............

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for taking a risk and watching another video here :)

[@ingridseelaender2362]

I love this game!! My top 1 roll/flip & write. I like its adherence to the theme, you're drawing a map!

[@alasanof]

It's cute how there's both a Draw a Card phase and Draw a Picture phase

[@milanstevic8424]

let's hope there is no Draw a Gun in the final round

[@kascally]

It all kicks off with the Draw some Cash round.

[@michaelwallace9461]

Looks great fun! Only issue is I'd have to put a sticker over the 'Fall' season to say Autumn! :)

[@peterreifenstein2819]

This looks like a lot of fun, the artwork is beautiful, thanks for the concise explanation! 👍👌

[@WatchItPlayed]

You're very welcome - thanks for the kind words!

[@TheCagedRaven]

This game is definitely going on my wish list. I love your videos, as you explain each game in a very calm voice, and in a pace that can be easily followed.

[@WatchItPlayed]

So kind of you to say :)

[@TheSirPrecious]

Whenever I need to learn a board game I type "Title of Game Watch it Played". Your videos are always very clear, thank you! :)

[@WatchItPlayed]

Very kind of you to say - glad you've been enjoying them Mike!

[@guijauregui]

14:34 such a cool flip! Love it :)

[@WatchItPlayed]

Glad you liked the new flip :)

[@matthewbayley7259]

Genuinely I just learned the whole game in this one video, it covered everything. The fantastic Mr Smith...

[@WatchItPlayed]

So nice to hear Matthew, I hope you have a great time playing!

[@JackieFox1976]

Oh, so now we're adding a lid flip at the end of the game? Fancy!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Gotta keep you on your toes!

[@theevilmeeple6895]

Thanks for this. Clear and concise as always. I probably wouldn't have become so obsessed with board games if it weren't for watching your Carcassonne video when I was first dabbling in the hobby a few months ago. I have Cartographers arriving today and after watching this I'm really looking forward to playing!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Although I had played it long before making the video for it, Carcassonne was also the game that really got ME back into the hobby :) It's really great, right? I hope you have a great time with Cartographers too!

[@theevilmeeple6895]

@@WatchItPlayed yeah Carcassone is still a favorite and probably the only "gateway" game that we'll still play even when not trying to introduce new people to the hobby. Thanks again man!

[@Bumberjoy]

This was a Christmas gift for my kids - 10 & 13! This video was so helpful! We are absolutely loving this game! I couldn’t believe my 10 year old (who has adhd and does not often sit for long with a game) was able to be a part of the whole game and was genuinely so excited and interested. The comments helped clear up some scoring questions we had - thanks!

[@WatchItPlayed]

This is so wonderful to hear Amber - I'm glad the game was such a hit and that the video helped. A very merry Christmas to you all!

[@kmontzka]

Thanks for another great overview! This one looks great for our family. And love that we get to draw maps as well as the occasional sabotage ;) Nice way to get off screens during self-isolation and put a pencil in our hands

[@WatchItPlayed]

Very glad you liked what you saw Karl - I hope you all have a fun time playing if you end up picking it up!

[@randomjohn]

As a professional geo-nerd, I think this is a must buy. Looks fun

[@jamieroulstone163]

Must ad this one to the collection.... thanks for the thorough review!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Glad you enjoyed Jamie!

[@VanessaG1229]

Thanks for the how-to Rodney! I was confused about a couple of things in the rule book, but this really helped clear that up for me.

[@WatchItPlayed]

So nice to hear Vanessa. Have fun!

[@jestermask6460]

I love this one. I will buy it soon, right before camping. Merci Rod!

[@WatchItPlayed]

I think you'll find it nice and portable for that purpose!

[@Daedalus1231]

Very helpful! Thank you for providing a clear and detailed explanation of the game!

[@WatchItPlayed]

You're very welcome!

[@dhanigar]

Always appreciate your videos. Thanks!

[@WatchItPlayed]

You're very welcome - thank you for the kind support, and have fun playing!

[@adamhocherman8065]

Hi, great video. I just wanted to confirm something about the scoring in subsequent rounds. It is my interpretation that in each round you evaluate the entire board for all conditions that match the edicts for that round. This may mean that conditions from a previous round are scored a second time. Similarly, coins are cumulative - so if you had two in the first round and added three in the second round, you would score 2 + 5, rather than 2 + 3.

[@WatchItPlayed]

You do evaluate all your work each time you score, BUT, you only score for the 2 card scoring conditions that are active for THAT round. You just score the total number of coins you have at the time of scoring. ie, if in the first round you had 2 coins, you'd score for 2 coins in the first round. If you gain 3 new coins in round two, then you'd score as having 5 coins in round two.

[@AlinettePoe]

Thank you for such a clear, dynamic and fun explanation.- You are amazing 😉

[@WatchItPlayed]

Very kind of you to say - so glad you enjoyed!

[@kevinpeoples8702]

I’ve got this preordered. Very excited.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hope you have a great time with it!

[@brianfoley1805]

Your just sold me on this game! Looks fun!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for checking it out Brian - have fun playing!

[@TheBoardDad]

Thanks Rodney. Just started learning this one and this was a big help, as always.

[@WatchItPlayed]

So glad to hear it - have fun playing Board Dad!

[@dylanm9071]

That artwork is incredible, just like the review!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thank you kindly!

[@donaldkehler7029]

Just got this one today. Excited to play it tonight!

[@WatchItPlayed]

I hope you have a great time!

[@deanlowdon8381]

Thanks for the run through, cleared up a couple of issues we had after reading the rules.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Very glad to hear it was helpful Dean!

[@deanlowdon8381]

Watch It Played Your tutorials always are! 🙂

[@AdamsJamsYouTube]

What a fantastic video - brilliantly explained. Thank you!

[@WatchItPlayed]

So glad you enjoyed it!

[@FrankMinogue]

I LOVE this! I love maps! I am getting it!

[@osirisgolad]

14:12 Looks like you got your -1 confused with a +1 there. Also, I see you've upped your game and gone for the box barrel roll instead of a mere flip. Impressive.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Yep, the maths got me there :)

[@guillermoyaroslavlverduzco1551]

Awesome explanation, as always. Thanks man!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Very glad you enjoyed!

[@FrankMinogue]

Nice lid flip at the end!

[@Loutjee92]

Another great video! And another game on my wishlist! 😃

[@WatchItPlayed]

So glad you enjoyed this - it's been getting a lot of play around here.

[@xugreatone1]

Thanks for sharing a close-up of the solo rules!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Sure thing!

[@guritche]

Could have taken the 30 extra seconds to explain the solo rules...

[@abhishek007sabat]

Good explanation and the game looks cool. Will get it for myself

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for checking it out, and have a great time playing!

[@benleague3115]

This game is on its way to becoming a classic. We like that you can buy a pad of paper from them and get a whole new experience.

[@LightandFire676]

Excellent, as usual. I got bored of reading the pdf and came here. My friends have officially stopped coming to see me amidst the plague, so I'm flexing my solo-gaming muscle.

[@WatchItPlayed]

I hope you have a great time with it!

[@Nukekid23]

Nice two fingered box flip, keeping it fresh, neat.

[@aba_dab_o]

Hurrah for more roll and write How To Play videos! ^_^ Thanks for the tutorial! Got mine preordered! #datboxfliptho

[@Virtual-CPT]

I really love your videos!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thank you kindly!

[@negroscuro7]

thank you, nice video explanation, as you always do!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thank you kindly!

[@kindredspiritm]

Thanks again for a wonderful how to play. I think at 5:03 the latest printing of the rules state that if you cannot legally draw any of the available shapes you must draw a single square of any terrain type (excluding mountains). This is similar to the Ruins rule.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for the heads up!

[@KolbyKirk]

Thanks for the vid! Just got confirmation that my pre-order of this game has shipped. I'm looking forward to makin' maps and fightin' monsters.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hope you have a great time with it Kolby!

[@registererica]

Fun game! Thanks for the play through

[@WatchItPlayed]

You're very welcome - appreciate you checking it out!

[@hanak69]

Thanks, Rodney, for this nice explanation.

[@WatchItPlayed]

You're very welcome Kobe!

[@mirkosrndovic]

Just played it for the first time, it was very good, can't wait to play again. It was a solo mode game, was a little bit confusing where to put monsters. It's interesting how simple this game is when played, but may seem complicated when describing the rules, although Rodney did a really fantastic job, the best if I may say.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Really glad you enjoyed this Mirko! You might enjoy our solo play through of one of the expansions too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGWqqJaQlr5lpa8

[@johnioannis8206]

One more time perfect and helpful! Thx!!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Really glad you liked it :)

[@nelsonsalahub]

great video. super helpful channel

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for the kind feedback - glad you enjoyed!

[@jordyadan8599]

Great video as always!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Are you the Jordy Adan who designed the game? If so, especially glad you liked it, and congrats on the games release :)

[@jordyadan8599]

@@WatchItPlayed That is correct, thank you!

[@4theteam2006]

Thanks for another great explanation 😁

[@WatchItPlayed]

Glad you liked it!

[@darylcoffman7269]

Wife got me this game for valentines day. Cant wait to play it!

[@WatchItPlayed]

I hope you have a great time with it!

[@MoReese77]

solid as always Rodney the Cartographer.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks Mo :)

[@ChilledoutOZ]

So good at explaining games...thanks

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thank you kindly Andy!

[@ekurisona663]

thanks, rodney 😊

[@WatchItPlayed]

You're very welcome!

[@richgarc84]

This seems like a great little game that'd be great at my family's get together.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Glad you liked what you saw!

[@Kyle-ng7il]

I love your flips. 😎est person on KZbin

[@WatchItPlayed]

You're too kind!

[@Farstr1d3r]

WAIT A MINUTE. That’s a different box flip!!!! (Just got this today....FINALLY.....and am excited to play!)

[@WatchItPlayed]

Like to keep you guessing :) Have a great time playing!

[@stevepruneau6561]

Well this makes me tingle with all the good Roll Player vibes! Pretty high rating on BGG also, not that I had any doubt. All this pencil and paper stuff... like make an APP already! ;) Joking. I'm not that lazy :P A worthy game to eventually add to my collection (almost 200 strong now) YIKES!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Glad you liked what you saw Steve!

[@Keindzjim]

I typically don't like (roll and) write-games; but must admit this one seems quite fun!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@SupremeDistraction]

Pause for applause after that masterful flip.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thank you kindly *takes a bow*

[@bakermitchell6209]

A guild on BGG is hosting a "Cartographers" match by forum. Sweet! I've heard so many great things about this game. I've printed out my scoring sheet/map and the first card has been revealed. Wait a second.....I don't know how to play. Rodney to the rescue. Looking forward to brawling it out online.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Good luck Baker!

[@bakermitchell6209]

Watch It Played Thanks Rodney! You’re more than welcome to come join over on the Brawling Bros podcast guild. Tim Virnig has even thrown in a playmat to the winner. But seriously, after placing a drawing my first piece.... I’m hooked.

[@bakermitchell6209]

@@WatchItPlayed Well, the PlayByForum game has ended...and I'm not sure how, but I won! I must have had a great teacher! They're starting up a second game today. (6/25)....if anyone is interested on the Brawling Brothers guild!

[@Lugo428]

Up to 100 players. 4 pencils. Hilarious.

[@ZoidbergForPresident]

It's 4 more pencils than in Welcome to your perfect home, so yeah. :P

[@Lugo428]

@@ZoidbergForPresident zoidberg 2020!

[@yu-hengwang8338]

HAHA! hilarious.

[@daveseidnergd]

If only there was a way to obtain 96 more pencils... hmmm... I guess one could buy 24 more copies of Cartographers?

[@Lugo428]

@@daveseidnergd something tells me you'd run into a similar problem...

[@soloshock9519]

Dat flip tho 😂 👍

[@Tennethums1]

Man this looks good.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for checking it out!

[@Gimo03]

Sounds like a nice game.

[@maxmaxwell343]

You have an amazing ability to explain things clearly… are you a teacher? 😁 Liked and subscribed

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks so much for the kind words - I'm not a teacher, except for games!

[@KnucklesEki]

The icons and card borders look a lot like Roll Player (edit: It's in the title itself... I'm blind). Wonder if this, like Roll Player, can be used to generate things for RPGs... ideas coming to mind.

[@isaacalien]

Absolutely it can, one game of this and you've randomly generated a new region of land to go exploring. What became of the ruined fishing village? Are the Bugbears lurking nearby to blame? Your party must investigate!

[@gregkleinfall1901]

Hi Rodney...excellent video as usual. This was not on my radar since I am normally not a fan of roll and write. But this one has me interested. BTW...Unless I am missing something, I believe your final score is off by two (i.e. should be 46, not 48). No big deal, just couldn't help but mention it :)

[@WatchItPlayed]

As creator of the video, I've decided I will allow myself 2 extra points! (good catch).

[@gregkleinfall1901]

@@WatchItPlayed You can give yourself as many as you like. Your videos are the best, albeit they have cost me a significant amount of monetary funds.

[@ojishehe]

I love this game its fun in solo too!

[@WatchItPlayed]

So glad you've been enjoying it!

[@freya002YT]

Very cool game

[@gla3mon]

This looks neat

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for checking it out!

[@jodyin795]

Wow, great explanation! Looking forward to playing :) I'm confused by one card: it's the Roll Player Backstory card. One side has sort of a grid with some colored gems, almost like candy crush or something, but then abbreviations on my skill level for strength (STR), dexterity (DEX), etc. And then there are three stars with the numbers 1, 3, and 6 on them. I'm just going to disregard this, but does anyone know the purpose of it?

[@WatchItPlayed]

That is for one of the other games that they publish: Roll Player. It's included as a bonus, so if you have that game, you can add the card to it.

[@ivan39navi]

Feels like Tetris the Board Game hahaha. I want to get this XD

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for taking the time to watch Ivan!

[@zubairpi]

Hey thanks man

[@WatchItPlayed]

My pleasure!

[@japaneseflea]

just bought this game for the kids for Christmas... very tempted to open the box and look it over - after all i **should** already know how to play

[@WatchItPlayed]

You really should! But will you be able to resist marking up the sheets ;)

[@japaneseflea]

kids really enjoyed getting this game for Christmas... 11 and 13 y/o girls loved it.. 15 y/o old boy wasn't as enthused but I've seen him enjoy playing the game with the girls when he thinks i'm not looking.

[@michaelmcdow787]

Question: Can you build over a rune square on a normal turn when a rune card is not flipped over first? I know this is mentioned at 9:00 mins in the video, but where is this in the rule book?

[@WatchItPlayed]

You can build over a ruin square. I can't tell you where it is in the rule book, as I'm not in front of my copy right now, but we work on all our tutorials with the publisher, to ensure we have everything correct - sometimes that means our videos are more accurate than the rule book, because we add in clarifications after the fact.

[@lel7798]

nice video. one issue, what if one player fills the whole map? i do not think i saw anything about it and it seems likely to happen

[@WatchItPlayed]

You'll find that in the index for the video (Running Out Of Space For A Shape).

[@sat1345]

this should be great as PC/ video game port

[@hannahmiller1869]

ISO: Game that can be played during social distancing! Found this game and found the explanation very helpful and straightforward. Do you have any other game suggestions me and my 6+, twenties-something friends could play while video calling?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Glad you enjoyed! This article might help: www.today.com/shop/11-best-games-play-zoom-t179862

[@Archytas-Leroy55]

Rodney, can you draw a monster over someone elses terrain in multiplayer when an ambush card is drawn? Can I draw terrain over a monster on my sheet if playing solo? I assume no to both questions, but I had to ask. Thanks!!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Nope, they have to be drawn into empty areas.

[@redhead_cz]

How do I calculate points for the same "task" in the next season? Do I add in the points from previous (thus doubling the count from previous season plus the new points from this season), or do I need to remember which were in previous and count only the new? It's not clear from the rules.

[@WatchItPlayed]

You just score it again, from scratch. This means you might score some of the same points in the next season that you did in the first.

[@redhead_cz]

@@WatchItPlayed Thanks a lot.

[@svenjordan2647]

A mix of Penny Papers and Isle of Sky, but nice game

[@nightmaregiraffe2671]

This game looks better than I thought. Great job as always Rodney. P.S. There's nothing for me to discover. The solo rules are clearly printed. I feel cheated!!! @RDTN

[@WatchItPlayed]

You will "discover" how they work, when you read them - don't listen to that RDTN propaganda :)

[@nightmaregiraffe2671]

@@WatchItPlayed There's no folding from Rodney! I love it!!!

[@Bodom4ever5322]

Re: Ruin cards at 8:55. If you have free ruin spaces on your board, but the required shape doesn't fit on any of them, does the single square you are required to draw then have to go on the ruin space? Or can it go anywhere?

[@WatchItPlayed]

It can go anywhere.

[@Bodom4ever5322]

@@WatchItPlayed cheers!

[@spikee7733]

When the time changes and we move to B C do we still count the points from the clusters that we had from the previous round? Or we count only new acts?

[@WatchItPlayed]

I'm not quite sure what you're asking, but I'll answer it this way, and hopefully it covers it: you score your whole sheet, as it appears, during each scoring phase.

[@spikee7733]

@@WatchItPlayed thank u, u covered me

[@judythomas8281]

Are the seven squares on the wastelands side considered to be filled in or blank?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Filled in. Basically, those are pre-clocked spaces.

[@ricstu]

Is this available to ship to UK does anyone know?

[@WatchItPlayed]

I hope you found a copy!

[@ryankirkpatrick8062]

Do the silver stars at the bottom of the scoring cards mean anything?

[@WatchItPlayed]

As I recall, they relate to the solo mode.

[@Shaunphillips1]

I have a question! You scored for the cluster of houses in the first season, do you also score the same cluster of houses for the second season? Thanks in advance!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hey Shaun, if the same card is scoring a second time, all the valid patterns still count on your map, even ones that score previously.

[@Shaunphillips1]

@@WatchItPlayed Thanks for that reply!

[@braytac]

ow i am getting this then laminate the sheets and use some dry erase markers

[@toweypat]

Ah, good idea!

[@BayonetRecon]

Have you ever had a video where you discussed why you store your games horizontally instead of vertically? :)

[@WatchItPlayed]

I don't think I've discussed this before. Just a preference, particularly for how the components lie within the boxes.

[@messenger3478]

Just got this game. What is the Roll Player card for? It doesn't mention it at all in rule book.

[@WatchItPlayed]

It’s a promo card for their other game Roll Player, but isn’t used in Cartographers.

[@messenger3478]

@@WatchItPlayed Thank you! Wish they would have said that in the rule book. It was so confusing.

[@kizurir8816]

In the solo mode, the scoring says: substract the total of the scoring cards from your total points. I assume the score of a scoring card is within the star in the right bottom corner and not the "1P" underneath it?

[@kizurir8816]

The difference of my score is either 58 or -20

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hey Kzuri, I didn't teach the solo rules so I can't help you there, but you might find our solo play through can help: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGWqqJaQlr5lpa8

[@susanschmidt8442]

Do you recount the gold each turn?

[@WatchItPlayed]

You do!

[@toweypat]

Maybe I missed it, but what is the use of those coin spaces you fill in?

[@WatchItPlayed]

That is covered in the video, during the segment on scoring. At the end of each season, you get a point for each coin you have filled in.

[@toweypat]

@@WatchItPlayed Thank you.