Stats:
No. of players: 2-6
Amount of time to play: 45 min
Age requirements: 10+
Set-up time: 10 minutes

The Adventurers Rules Description:

In The Adventurers you play a treasure hunter delving into the Ancient Temple of Chac. You must avoid the traps in the temple and escape with more treasure than your opponents.

You start The Adventurers with two characters. Good thing cause you might need them both. Each round walls might crush you or maybe a large boulder (ala Indiana Jones) will bring an untimely demise. Or maybe you’ll fall in a pit of lava or plunge to your death over a huge waterfall. All these things might happen in The Adventurers, but you might just be able to loot the temple with unrivaled riches.

Each turn you determine your load level. Basically the more treasure you have the harder it will be for you to take actions. Your number of actions is determined by rolling 5 dice. Each die that is equal to or greater than your load level grants you one action.

Based on where you are in the temple you may take different actions. Some options include searching for treasure, picking locked alcoves or deciphering glyphs. All the while the boulder that might trap you in the temple keeps rolling on its path. Once the boulder picks up speed you’ll want to move faster. But like I said above more treasure equals slower adventurer.

There are also special abilities that different adventurers can use once per game. Some characters are better at picking locks or swimming or carrying a heavy load.

The game ends when either all the adventurers exit the temple or the boulder seals the exit. At that point you add the value of all your treasure cards. The player with the most points wins.

A Quick Review of The Adventurers:

The Adventurers is a great family game. It is pretty simple to explain and play, accommodates up to six players and only takes 45 minutes or do to play.

I am not sure I feel like I am hunting for treasure playing this game, but I do feel like I need to keep moving. Deciding how much treasure to carry is important. Not having actions can put you right in the path of the boulder that will kill you.

There is a race feel to this game as you try to balance having enough treasure with getting out of the temple alive. There is a memory element and a bit of a press your luck mechanic to the game that add to the tension.

The artwork and components of this game are very good. The rules are easy to read and follow too.

I really like the way you use your cards to mark your load level and then to show your number of actions. It is innovative and clever.

Although The Adventurers is a fairly light game it is still a fun one. With a little simplification I have played this with my four year old. Due to the wide variety of ages The Adventurers caters to it should be a welcome addition to most anyone’s game collection.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 3 out of 6
Luck 4 out of 6
Player Interaction 3 out of 6
Replay Value 3 out of 6
Complexity 2 out of 6
Fun 5 out of 6
Overall 5 out of 6