No risk is too high, no treasure is too big! The Explorers will peek into every locked chamber and lost temple searching for gold, fame and wahoo powers! - AEG
This faction doesn’t belong in a museum! They belong on bases! The Explorers use their fearless sense of adventure to move
quicklyearly onto new bases and establishyourtheir power there quickly. Byhelping you controlcontrolling the flow of bases, they can nearly guarantee winning fortune and glory... or at least victory points.
- - What Were We Thinking? rulebook (updated in The Bigger Geekier Box rulebook)
The Explorers are one of the 4 factions from the What Were We Thinking? set.
The Explorer focus on controlling which will be the next base to appear, mobility and being the first to play a minion on a new base.
Other factions from the same set: Grannies, Rock Stars, Teddy Bears.
Cards[]
The Explorers have the usual 10 minions and 10 actions. The total minion base power (not counting any abilities) is the usual 30 or an average of 3 per minion. They are also one of the rare factions to have received a titan from the TITANS Event Kit.
Among their actions, there are:
- 0 play-on-minion actions,
- 1 play-on-base action: Forgotten Horrors,
- 9 standard actions (7 that affect one or more minions, in bold): Dr Livingstone, I Presume?, Fortune and Glory (2x), I Said No Camels!, It Belongs in a Museum, Lost City (2x), X Never Marks the Spot, You Call This Archaeology?,
- 1 action that directly increases a minion's power: I Said No Camels!.
Minions[]
1x Idaho Smith - power 5 - You may play the top base of the base deck, and move this minion and any number of your other minions from here to there. FAQ
2x Guide - power 4 - Ongoing: After the first time each of your minions moves in a turn it gains +1 power until the end of the turn. FAQ
3x Crypt Looter - power 3 - Special: After a new base comes into play, you may play this minion on it as an extra minion. FAQ
4x Glory Hound - power 2 - Look at the top two cards of the base deck. Place one on the bottom of the deck and the other on the top. FAQ
Actions[]
1x Dr Livingstone, I Presume? - Choose a minion. If it is the only minion on its base, shuffle it into its owner’s deck. FAQ
1x Forgotten Horrors - Play on a base. Ongoing: After you play a minion here or play a card that moves your minions to here, draw a card and transfer this action to another base. FAQ
2x Fortune and Glory - Choose a base. You may move up to two minions from there to another base. FAQ
1x I Said No Camels! - Choose a base. Place a +1 power counter on each of your minions there OR draw a card for each of your minions there. FAQ
1x It Belongs in a Museum - Choose two minions on different bases. Move each one to the other’s base. FAQ
2x Lost City - Special: After a base scores, reveal the top two cards of the base deck. Choose one to replace the scored base and discard the other. Play a minion on the new base as an extra minion. FAQ
1x X Never Marks the Spot - Move each of your minions. FAQ
1x You Call This Archaeology? - Move one of your minions. Special: You may play this before or after a base scores. FAQ
Titan[]
- (available in each Smash Up TITANS pack released with the TITANS Event Kit)
1x Very Large Boulder - Special: Instead of your regular minion play, you may play this titan on a base that has no player's minions. Ongoing: Once per turn, after a minion moves from here, you may move this titan to the same base. Then destroy a minion at that base with less power than the number of +1 power counters on this titan. Ongoing: At the end of your turn, if this titan didn't move, place a +1 power counter on it. FAQ
Bases[]
Clarifications[]
Here are the official clarifications as they appear in the What Were We Thinking? rulebook:
Crypt Looter: This triggers even when a base with minions on it changes (e.g. by Terraforming).
Forgotten Horror: Actions that move multiple minions (e.g. Ticket to Ride (sic: No card is named Ticket to Ride, the correct card seems to be "X Never Marks the Spot"), Full Sail) and minions that move other minions to their base (e.g. Twister) only get one card draw from this. Talents that move minions (e.g. Zeppelin) can trigger this only in the turn they are played, and only if used. (errata'd by The Bigger Geekier Box)
Idaho Smith: The new base is replaced after it scores, so this permanently increases the number of bases in play.
Lost City: Even if a different ability chooses the next base, Lost Cities can still let you play a minion on it.
It Belongs in a Museum: If there’s only one eligible minion in play, you cannot move it with this card. (added by The Bigger Geekier Box)
Very Large Boulder: If you do not move this titan you may not destroy a minion at its base. (added by The Bigger Geekier Box)
Mechanics[]
Explorers focus on movements, base deck manipulation and playing extra minions on newly revealed bases.
The Explorers have the unique mechanic of knowing and influencing which will be the next bases drawn from the base deck, allowing you to look at the top cards of the base deck and selecting which base remains on top.
They also allow you to play an extra minion on a base when it's newly revealed, giving you a head start over the other players.
Finally, the Explorers are a movement-heavy faction, able to move their minions and other players' minions.
Synergy[]
- Polynesian Voyagers: Idaho Smith provides another extra base. Guide powers up Wayfinder and any of your other Polynesian Voyagers that move around.
- Ultimates: Utimates like any faction that provides more movement.
External Strategy Guides[]
- Explorers: The Best Smash Ups in Smash Up
- Action Awareness #17: Dr Livingstone
- Calling All Titans: Very Large Boulder
- Smash Up KOTH #37: Idaho Smith
FAQ[]
Questions on Idaho Smith[]
Q: If I use Idaho Smith's ability and bring a new base into play, do I replace the next base that scores as usual or do I ignore replacing it like what Weird New Worlds does?
A: It is replaced normally, so using Idaho Smith's ability increases the number of bases for the rest of the game.
Q: If I keep playing and replaying Idaho Smith, that means I can add lots of bases, right? That's so broken.
A: Remember that Idaho Smith's ability is optional, so you don't have to use it when you play it. Though, if you do, that would be exactly what would happen. Though honestly, it's not that easy to perform and there's no strategic advantage to do that.
Q: If I choose to play a new base, do I have to move Idaho Smith there? It says "you may" after all.
A: Yes, you have to. It doesn't say "You may play the top base of the base deck, and you may move this minion and you may move any number of your other minions from here to there." So, if you choose to do the "you may", you then have to do all of it, i.e. you have to play a new base and you have to move Idaho Smith there. Moving your other minions is a special case, you definitely have to do it, but since it says "any number", you can legally choose to move zero of your other minions.
Rule: "You may do X and Y" means you either do both X and Y, or neither X nor Y.
Q: It allows me to move any of "my other minions". Can I move minions I own that I don't control? I don't control them but I "own" them, so they are "my" minions, right?
A: No. "Your minions" are minions you control, whether or not you own them. A minion you own but don't control isn't yours.
Questions on Guide[]
Q: It gives +1 power to "each of my minions" that move. Does it also give +1 power to moving minions that I own but don't control? I don't control them but I "own" them, so they are "my" minions, right?
A: No. "Your minions" are minions you control, whether or not you own them. A minion you own but don't control isn't yours.
Q: I have a Guide in play. If a card is used to move one of my minions and my minion doesn't move, e.g. if it cannot be moved or more generally affected by the card, if it has to move to a specific base but it's already there, etc. Does my minion still get +1 power from Guide's ability?
A: No, your minion didn't actually move so it doesn't trigger Guide.
Q: With a Guide in play, if one of my power-2 minions is moved to a base with an opponent's power-3 Cub Scout, my minion isn't destroyed, right? It becomes power 3 after all.
A: It depends. Both Guide's and Cub Scout's abilities are mandatory and activated after the minion is moved. According to the rules, it's the current player who decides the order in which these two cards are activated. If Guide is activated before Cub Scout, the minion gains +1 power and it becomes invulnerable to Cub Scout. However, if Cub Scout is activated before Guide, the minion is destroyed because it has a lower power than Cub Scout.
Rule: The current player decides the order of events that are supposed to happen simultaneously.
Questions on Crypt Looter[]
Q: At the start of the game, when the bases are dealt, can I play a Crypt Looter on any of the starting bases?
A: No, during setup, the first bases are drawn before players even draw their starting hands, so you can't have any Crypt Looters in hand to play.
Rule: Check the order of operations for the setup.
Q: If a base is Terraformed into another one or if Unicrave transforms into another base, does it count as a new base coming into play for Crypt Looter's Special ability?
A: Yes.
Q: So the rulebook says Copycat can copy any type of abilities, including Special. So after a new base comes into play, if another player plays a Crypt Looter as a Special, I can copy the Crypt Looter's ability and play Copycat, right? Same question about Wil Wheaton, Snuggly Bear, Argonaut, Fan, Deputy, etc.
A: No, Copycat's ability is an on-play ability, which means you only resolve it if you play Copycat first. In your scenario, you invoke Copycat's ability while it's out of play and then use it to play Copycat, which isn't possible because you can only copy an ability by first playing Copycat. A Copycat's ability cannot be used to play the Copycat itself because playing it is required to invoke its copy ability in the first place.
Q: Can I play it from stasis after a base comes into play?
A: No, while in stasis, the only abilities that can do anything are the ones that explicitly state that they do something there.
Rule: Abilities of cards in stasis do not work unless they refer to stasis.
Questions on Glory Hound[]
Q:
A:
Rule:
Questions on Dr Livingstone, I Presume?[]
Q: Which minion can I shuffle back with Dr Livingstone, I Presume??
A: You can target any minion in play, but it will only get shuffled if it is the only minion on its base:
- If it's a minion you own, it's shuffled into your deck.
- If it's a minion owned by another player, it's shuffled into that player's deck.
- If it's a minion that no one owns (e.g. a treasure, a monster), it remains in play.
Rule: Cards that refer to a card’s owner do not apply to monsters or treasures.
Q: Can I target a minion that cannot be affected? (e.g. Elder Thing)
A: Yes, but nothing will happen as shuffling a minion in play into a deck is considered as affecting it since Big in Japan.
Rule: Definition of "affect".
Q: I shuffle a minion into its owner's deck with Dr Livingstone, I Presume?. What happens to actions that were played on the shuffled minion? Are they also shuffled to their owners' deck? into the minion's owner's deck?
A: They are discarded in the appropriate discard piles.
Q: I suppose I can shuffle a minion card from the discard pile into a deck with Dr Livingstone, I Presume?. But why does it say "on its base"? Am I missing something here?
A: You can only target a minion in play! Cards that allow you to target something in the discard pile, like the cards from the Zombie faction, will explicitly say so. By default, "a minion" refers to a minion that's in play.
Q: Can I use Dr Livingstone, I Presume? on a minion that cannot be returned to the deck? E.g. because of Superiority
A: Yes. The card says "shuffle", not "return". So Dr Livingstone, I Presume? can be used on a card that cannot be "returned". Also, there currently are no abilities that "return" a card in play to the deck.
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
Q: Can I choose a minion in stasis?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be chosen by cards that do not explicitly state cards in stasis can be chosen.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: While being a standard action and one that affects a minion, Dr Livingstone, I Presume? won't interact with the Disco Dancers, nor with Funky Town, because Dr Livingstone, I Presume? only affects a minion that's alone on its base and so there are no other minion on which to copy the effect.
Questions on Forgotten Horrors[]
Q: An opponent plays this card on a base, so if I play a minion there or play a card that moves at least one of my minions there, I draw a card and transfer Forgotten Horrors to another base, right?
A: No. Your opponent played the action, so they control it, and therefore the action only addresses them and the ability must be interpreted from their point of view. So its ability should be interpreted as "After they play a minion here or play a card that moves their minions to here, they draw a card and transfer this action to another base."
Rule: A play-on-base action doesn't give an ability to the base that any player can use.
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Q: I draw a card after I play a card that moves "my minions" there. Do I also draw a card if the card only moves minions I own that I don't control? I don't control them but I "own" them, so they are "my" minions, right?
A: No. "Your minions" are minions you control, whether or not you own them. A minion you own but don't control isn't yours.
Q: After using this card's ability, I (somehow) have more than 10 cards in hand, do I immediately discard down to 10?
A: You don't discard any card until your next Draw 2 Cards phase (so not any Draw 2 Cards phase!). At that point, you will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if you have more than 10. That's the only moment where you must discard down to 10. At any other time, you keep your hand of cards.
Q: If I play a card that allows me to move several minions to various bases (e.g. Full Sail, X Never Marks the Spot), can I move one to the base with Forgotten Horrors, draw a card and transfer Forgotten Horrors to another base, then move another minion to that new base and draw another card?
A: No. Firstly, when you play a card that allows you to move several minions, all the minion movements are done "simultaneously", as in they count as happening all at once, even though you cannot physically move several minions at the same time with only your own two hands. So, you must finish moving all the minions you want before triggering card reactions. Secondly, Forgotten Horrors specifically says that it triggers "after you play a card that moves your minions to here", so it is only activated after you are done resolving the card you played, and it only triggers once from playing that single card.
Rule: When a single effect makes one player affect multiple cards, they are all affected at the same time.
Q: If I play Zeppelin on Forgotten Horrors's base and use its talent to move one of my minions to there, does Forgotten Horrors trigger?
A: Surprisingly, yes. If you play a card with talent, and use the talent on the same turn that the card was played to move of your minions to Forgotten Horrors's base, then that counts as having played a card that moves your minions to there. Also, it doesn't matter if you use the talent right after the card played, or if you play or do something else between playing the card and using the talent.
A: UPDATE. The Bigger Geekier Box rulebook admits that this was an error, so no, Forgotten Horrors doesn't trigger.
Rule: When you play a card, an ability that starts with "Talent:" is never resolved immediately.
Q: If I play an Argonaut instead of an action on Forgotten Horrors's base, do I still draw a card?
A: Yes. Playing an Argonaut, whether as a minion or instead of an action, still counts as playing a minion. It IS a minion after all.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it says "Play on a base", which means that it is not a standard action.
Questions on Fortune and Glory[]
Q: Can I also move another player's minion?
A: Yes.
Q: Do the minions have to be moved to the same base or can I choose a different base for each minion to move to?
A: You must move the minions you chose to the same other base.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - If Diva copies it, Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base. Note that Dancing King only triggers once and allows you to move only one additional minion, not one per affected minion.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base.
- With Funky Town, you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action and if it moves one of your minions away from Funky Town, but if Funky Town does copy it, the minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base. Note that Funky Town only triggers once and allows you to move only one additional minion, not one per affected minion.
Questions on I Said No Camels![]
Q: I play I Said No Camels! and choose to give my minions +1 power counters. If I later play a minion there on the turn, does it gain a counter?
A: No. When you play I Said No Camels!, you only resolve its ability with the minions that are currently in play.
Q: I either draw a card or place a +1 power counter on "each of my minions". Do I also draw a card or place a +1 power counter on minions there that I own but don't control? I don't control them but I "own" them, so they are "my" minions, right?
A: No. "Your minions" are minions you control, whether or not you own them. A minion you own but don't control isn't yours.
Q: After playing this card and choosing to draw cards, I end up with more than 10 cards in hand, do I immediately discard down to 10?
A: You don't discard any card until your next Draw 2 Cards phase (so not any Draw 2 Cards phase!). At that point, you will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if you have more than 10. That's the only moment where you must discard down to 10. At any other time, you keep your hand of cards.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - Diva can't copy it because it would already be directly affected by it.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and gets a +1 power counter.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and gets a +1 power counter.
- Funky Town can't copy it because you need to be the one who played the action and so all your minions are already directly affected by it.
Questions on It Belongs in a Museum[]
Q: Can I choose one of my minions and another player's minion? Two of another player's minions? Another player's minion and a different other player's minion?
A: You can target any two minions in play, no matter who controls them. You can even move uncontrolled monsters!
Q: If I move another player's minion, do I take control of it?
A: No. Moving is just relocating a minion, it doesn't mean that you take control of it.
Q: Do I have to choose exactly two minions? Or can I choose 0, 1 or 2?
A: You must choose exactly two minions.
Q: What if there's only one eligible minion? Does it mean I can move it to any base?
A: No, if there's only one minion, it means there are no other minion's base to go to.
Q: If one of the moved minion is a Cub Scout, does it destroy the other moved minion? I suppose I can choose the order in which they are moved and make it so the other minion is destroyed before moving Cub Scout.
A: No. The two minions are moved at the same time, so when the other minion is moved, Cub Scout is no longer on the base to destroy it.
Rule: When a single effect makes one player affect multiple cards, they are all affected at the same time.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - If Diva copies it, Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base as the minion that was directly affected by the action.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base as the minion that was directly affected by the action.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base as the minion that was directly affected by the action.
- With Funky Town, you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action and if it moves one of your minions away from Funky Town, but if Funky Town does copy it, the minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base as the minion that was directly affected by the action.
Questions on Lost City[]
Q: How do you resolve conflicts with other cards that influence which is the replacement base? (e.g. Time is Fleeting, School of Wizardry, The Nexus)
A: The current player chooses which method will be used to decide on the replacement base. All other methods will be ignored.
Q: If I play Lost City, but another card takes precedence and chooses the next base, can I still play the extra minion on the new base?
A: Yes. Choosing the next base and playing the extra minion are independent, so even if you don't get to choose the next base, you can still play an extra minion on it.
Q: After a base scores, if I play Lost City and You Call This Archaeology?, can I move the minion to the new base? If so, do I move it before playing the extra minion or after?
A: Actually, while Lost City and You Call This Archaeology? can be played during the after-scoring step of the Score Bases phase, they have very different timing of resolution. You Call This Archaeology? is resolved immediately, so must immediately move one of your minions when you play this card. On the other hand, Lost City only resolves during the step where the base is replaced, even though you played the card a few steps before that. So, no, you cannot move your minion to Lost City's new base with You Call This Archaeology? because the new base hasn't been chosen yet.
Rule: Check phase 3.
Q: I'm the winner on Evans City Cemetery. I want to play Lost City. Can I play the extra minion before discarding my hand and drawing a new one? Or do I discard and draw my hand, and then play an extra minion?
A: Neither. Evans City Cemetery is a card with a mandatory ability, so you must resolve it and any other after-scoring mandatory ability of cards in play before you're able to play any Specials from your hand and invoke optional abilities of cards in play. So in this situation, you must resolve Evans City Cemetery before you're even able to play Lost City. If you still have one in hand after drawing a new hand of cards, of course.
Q: Can I play it from stasis before a base scores?
A: No, while in stasis, the only abilities that can do anything are the ones that explicitly state that they do something there.
Rule: Abilities of cards in stasis do not work unless they refer to stasis.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it doesn't affect any minions in play and so its effect can't be copied.
Questions on X Never Marks the Spot[]
Q: Do I have to move all my minions?
A: Yes. It doesn't say "you may", nor "any number of", so each of your minions must be moved.
Q: It tells me to move "each of my minions". Do I also move minions I own that I don't control? I don't control them but I "own" them, so they are "my" minions, right?
A: No. "Your minions" are minions you control, whether or not you own them. A minion you own but don't control isn't yours.
Q: Can you move a minion in stasis?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be affected by cards that do not explicitly state they work on cards in stasis.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - Diva can't copy it because it would already be directly affected by it.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base. If several minions were moved away from Dancing King's base, choose one of them to follow. Note that if several minions were moved from the same base, Dancing King only triggers once and allows you to move only one additional minion, not one per affected minion. Also, note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion not controlled by that player.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base. If several minions were moved away from the minion's base, choose one of them to follow. Note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion not controlled by that player.
- Funky Town can't copy it because you need to be the one who played the action and so all your minions are already directly affected by it.
Questions on You Call This Archaeology?[]
Q: It tells me to move "one of my minions". Can I move a minion I own that I don't control? I don't control it but I "own" it, so it is "my" minion, right?
A: No. "Your minions" are minions you control, whether or not you own them. A minion you own but don't control isn't yours.
Q: When played as a Special, do I have to choose one of my minions on the scoring base? Or if it's not on the scoring base, do I have to move it to the scoring base?
A: No. You can choose any of yours minions on any base to any other base.
Q: Does moving a minion to or from a base before it scores change anything at all? Don't we only get VPs based on the power we had at the start of scoring?
A: Actually, the amount of VPs each player gets is determined by the power each player currently has when you are handing out VPs, so any before-scoring abilities (including this one) that affect how much power you have on the base will affect the amount of VPs you'll eventually get.
Rule: VPs are awarded according to the current power totals.
Q: Before a base scores, I play this card and move one of my minions from that base, reducing the total power below the breakpoint. This ends the scoring, right?
A: You're mistaken here. Once a base has been chosen to score, you keep scoring it even if the total power on it drops below its breakpoint because of before-scoring abilities. (Only a couple of things can really prevent a base from scoring, but this isn't one of them.)
Q: Can you move a minion in stasis?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be affected by cards that do not explicitly state they work on cards in stasis.
Q: Can I play it from stasis before or after a base scores?
A: No, while in stasis, the only abilities that can do anything are the ones that explicitly state that they do something there.
Rule: Abilities of cards in stasis do not work unless they refer to stasis.
Q: Is this still a standard action if I play it through its Special ability for the Disco Dancers and Funky Town?
A: Yes. A standard action is an action that doesn't remain in play after being played. You Call This Archaeology? doesn't remain in play when played, whether it's played normally or as a Special, so it IS a standard action no matter what.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - If Diva copies it, Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base as the minion that was directly affected by the action.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base as the minion that was directly affected by the action. Note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion not controlled by that player.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base as the minion that was directly affected by the action. Note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion not controlled by that player.
- With Funky Town, you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action and if it moves one of your minions away from Funky Town, but if Funky Town does copy it, the minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base as the minion that was directly affected by the action
Questions on Very Large Boulder[]
- Main article: Titans
Q: The card says "Special" so I can use it outside of my turn, but why does the card also say "instead of your regular minion play"?
A: "Special" does not mean the card can be played out of turn. "Special" simply means that it's an ability that can be used when its condition is met. Whether it can be used out of turn, activated straight from your hand/discard pile, or if it can only be used when it's already in play (essentially being a synonym of Ongoing), it entirely depends on the wording. In the case of Very Large Boulder, the condition is "instead of your regular minion play", this means that you can only activate it when you have a regular minion play available, which is only on your turn and more specifically on your Play Cards phase. It cannot be played out of turn, because, outside of your own Play Cards phase, you don't have any regular minion plays to give up.
Q: Regarding its second Ongoing ability, if Very Large Boulder is moved at any point in the game, it basically screws this ability for all future turns, right?
A: No, at the end of each of your turns, you check whether this titan has been moved on that turn only. It doesn't matter if it moved on a previous turn.
Rule: N/A
Q: Regarding its first Ongoing ability, after a minion is moved from Very Large Boulder's base, I don't have to move the titan. If I don't move it, may I still destroy a minion? If so, on which base?
A: No, the titan must be moved through its ability to destroy a minion.
Q: On my turn I use They Say He’s Got to Go to move Very Large Boulder. So it triggers its first Ongoing ability, right? And so I must destroy a minion on the destination base.
A: No, the trigger of its first Ongoing ability is "after a minion moves from here". If you use They Say He’s Got to Go, you're moving a titan, not a minion, so its first Ongoing ability is triggered.
Q: On my turn I use They Say He’s Got to Go to move Very Large Boulder. Since it didn't move through its first Ongoing ability, it gains a +1 power counter at the end of my turn, right?
A: No, if you strictly follow the wording, at the end of each of your turns, you check whether this titan has been moved. It doesn't matter if it moved through its own ability or another card.
Q: After a base scores where there is a First Mate, if the First Mate moves, the Very Large Boulder can follow it, right?
A: No. While activated during the after-scoring step, a First Mate's ability is eventually resolved during the step where all the cards on the base are discarded. So if all the cards are discarded, Very Large Boulder is discarded at the same time the First Mate moves, and so it can't follow it. Note that it is different if you use You Call This Archaeology? to move a minion because the movement is immediate, while the First Mate's movement only happens instead of being discarded and therefore only happens during the step where all the cards are discarded.[1]
Q: If there's a restriction on where I can play a minion (e.g. Ice Castle, Overrun), does it also apply to Very Large Boulder if I play it instead of my regular minion play?
A: No, such a restriction only applies when you play a minion. If you convert your regular minion play into a titan play, you're playing a titan, not a minion, so the restriction doesn't apply.
Q: What happens to Very Large Boulder when the base that it's on scores?
A: It remains on that base until the step where you discard all the cards on the base. At which point it leaves play and is set aside. Any +1 power counter on it is removed.
Q: A base is chosen to score. I have no minions there, but I have Very Large Boulder there. It is similar to a minion, right? So I can still get VPs from the base if 0 is among the top three total power, right?
A: No and no. Very Large Boulder is a titan, not a minion. To be eligible to receive VPs, you must have at least one minion or at least 1 total power on the base. If you have no minions and your total power there is 0, then you can't receive any VPs from the base. Now, if Very Large Boulder had any +1 power counters on it or gave you any total power (e.g. on Kaiju Island), then you would have at least 1 total power and be eligible. Otherwise, no.
Q: An opponent is playing the Explorers with their titan. Their Very Large Boulder isn't in play. There is a base where no one has a minion and I haven't played my regular minion yet, I can then invoke Very Large Boulder through its Special ability and play it there, right?
A: No, only the player who has it next to their deck can play it.
Rule: Playable Special cards can only be played by their current possessor.
Q: If Very Large Boulder's ability is cancelled, are the +1 power counters placed on it by its own ability removed?
A: No. When you place a +1 power counter, it's a definitive effect, so the +1 power counters remain even if the card that placed them has its ability cancelled (like drawing cards, if you play Enchantress, you're not going to discard the card you drew if Enchantress's ability is cancelled).
Rule: Cancelling (or losing) an effect does not necessarily undo what it did.
Q: Can Very Large Boulder be played on a base with only monsters?
A: It depends. If all the monsters there are uncontrolled, then yes, there are no player's minions there, i.e. no minions there controlled by any player. If at least one monster is controlled there, then no.
Trivia[]
- The artist is Alberto Tavira, who also designed the art of many other factions.
- The artist for the titan (which was released after What Were We Thinking?) is Gong Studios, who also designed the art of many other factions.
- Their divider (updated in The Bigger Geekier Box) features Idaho Smith.
- The font used for the Explorer cards is AdventureNormal.
- Idaho Smith is a reference to Indiana Jones. Incidentally, most action cards are named after quotes from Indiana Jones movies:
- "I Said No Camels!", "It Belongs in a Museum", "X Never Marks the Spot", "You Call This Archaeology?" are from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
- "Fortune and Glory" is from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
- The Guide is a reference to Hadji from the Jonny Quest series, with some resemblance to Dora the Explorer.
- Crypt Looter is a reference to Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider franchise.
- "Dr Livingstone, I Presume?" is Henry Morton Stanley's greeting upon finding David Livingstone.
- A Giant Ant has been shot by the Glory Hound
- A Killer Plant is present on the Crypt Looter card.
- The skeleton of a King Rex is present on Lost City.
- City of Gold is a reference to The Mysterious Cities of Gold. Coincidentally, Ancient Incas will later become a faction and keep the reference to The Mysterious Cities of Gold.
- You Call This Archaeology? is the first action that can be played as a Special before or after a base scores.
In other languages[]
| Language | Name | Translation (if different) |
|---|---|---|
| French | Explorateurs | |
| German | Entdeckern | |
| Russian | Авантюристы | Adventurers |
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