You really shouldn't miss this expedition
An important part of ‘The Missing Expedition’ is a solo/co-op campaign that it adds to Arnak. We love co-op games, but there aren’t many that are blended with point salad-y euros, and those we have tried so far have kind of failed. Thus I was a bit wary of Arnak co-op. Turns out it’s actually brilliant! 😁
It’s important to note that you can either play this solo or 2p. It doesn’t scale above that. There is of course an automa ⚙️ opponent who will try to get in your way - with the automa rules from the base game. If you don’t know it, it’s relatively simple to operate: you set up a stack of 10 tiles and it will draw one each turn that determines what it does. To help decide between multiple options, you will use the arrows ⬅️ on the back of tiles.
The campaign plays through an overarching story as you search for Dr. Kutil who went missing 🕵️ - but you have a hunch that he might have found the fabled island of Arnak! 🏝️ As you play you will get multiple story snippets and also icons that you can cross off on a campaign sheet to unlock even more things. New cards will be added to their respective pools as you progress.
Each scenario has specific setup instructions and a primary goal to complete - and there are always 3 additional achievements. ✔️ I think this is what ultimately makes the campaign so much fun to play (well, other than the core of the game being excellent). 😊 You don’t just try to score high, instead you have to reach the specific objectives, which require focus and efficient play. And because the setup, goals and rules keep changing, the way you have to approach games keeps changing too. 👍 The encounter cards you can draw during each scenario add even more story flavor.
In 2p co-op you can sometimes decide who gets an effect or a card, and you have a pigeon 🕊️ token you can use to send a resource to your partner. Other than that you can mostly only co-ordinate about who goes where and who does what, but it still feels good, like you are struggling together as a team. 🧑🤝🧑The goals are pretty difficult, so you really have to brainstorm about possible ways to do well, and give it your very best every time. 💪
