We’ve talked about visitin’ locations in past previews, but how do you get to these excitin’ spots? Well, me matey, just like in every pirate story you have ever read, there’s a nifty map.

Gettin’ Started

When you first crack open yer copy o’ Forgotten Waters, you’ll behold the beautiful blue of an empty ocean map. Don’t fret! You’ll be fillin’ that map with all manner o’ nonsense in every game you play. Take a gander at the picture above. That’s the setup for one o’ the scenarios available with the base game. When you start a scenario, the app will show you which special location tokens need to be placed on the map. In this example, we see islands, impassable rocks, mysterious fog, and the rumored locations o’ fearsome sea beasts. The setup illustration also shows you where to place yer ship’s standee when the game begins.

You’ll notice all the tokens, except for the rocks, have numbers printed on them. Those special locations have unique story entries keyed to them, so if yer ship travels to one o’ those spots, yer sure to find all sorts o’ adventure. Or death. You’ll probably just die.

Explorin’ the Map

You ain’t pirates if yer not pokin’ yer noses where they don’t belong! To that end, whenever yer at sea, you’ll usually have the option to sail to new spaces on the map. Just how far you’ll sail is up to you. And of course yer free to travel all willy-nilly, anywheres you like, but a wise crew will do some scoutin’ and try to plot a smart course.

Actions such as Chart a Course, will let you scout, which means you’ll draw and place navigation tokens on the map, around yer ship. You don’t need ‘em - you can sail off and simply draw 1 at random, but havin’ these tokens on the board will give you some idea of what to expect out there on the water. None of them guarantee what yer gonna find, but they sure do give you a decent idea.  If a navigation token shows a storm, you could be in for some chop, or the great-grandmother of all storms. If yer token shows a ship, it could be a tasty merchant vessel just beggin’ top be plundered, but it might also be a pirate-killin’ frigate manned by the royal navy!

The Time is Nigh!

The pre-order period for Forgotten Waters ends on April 9th! Order now and save 20% off MSRP and get free shippin’ to boot. Check out our past preview articles and learn everythin’ you can! Want to know if all our boastin’ is just bluster? Check out the Dice Tower’s review and see what Tom Vasel thought!