Designed by: Ignacy Trzewiczek
Robinson Crusoe: Adventure on the Cursed Island is a co-operative game where 1-4 players are stranded on an inhospitable desert island, trying to find food, build a shelter, see off predators and other dangers – all whilst trying to find enough wood to build a signal fire to alert a passing ship.
The game takes place over 12 rounds – each round representing a day in the life of the castaways – and there are several phases to go through each day. There will be an Event (a card flipped from the event deck) which is usually a hazard to be negotiated. There will then be ongoing dangers to negotiate if they weren’t taken care of in a previous round. There is then the option to hunt for food, the option to build (for instance, a shovel) to scavenge (for wood, perhaps) and explore the island to try and find more goodies. As in Daniel Defoe’s book, you may encounter Friday who can help you. Finally there is a die roll to establish the weather – which is usually rain. Better hurry up and build that shelter!
On one level the game is a straightforward attempt to find stuff and use it to help you. But – as is thematically appropriate for a game about harsh survival against the odds – on another, whilst the players work together the game itself will be trying to defeat you at every turn. Knocking up a shovel sounds quite simple, but with no tools to construct it with, it’s quite possible you could hurt yourself making it. In fact all the actions – hunting, building, scavenging, exploring – carry an inherent risk. As the game continues you may find yourself taking a series of knocks and injuries, and if you don’t have enough food to feed yourselves at the end of a round, you take another hit.
All this bludgeoning means you are less likely to succeed at anything as time passes, and your health can deteriorate to the point where your character bites the bullet before the ship even arrives. If it does arrive, you still need enough wood to build a big fire and attract its attention… all in all, the harsh treatment at the hands of the game means you’ll be grateful that you’re in it together!
None. At least, not from the other players.
Everyone is involved at all times, and deciding what your character is going to do on a given turn can be a group discussion - just as it would be on the Island itself.
Although Robinson Crusoe is quite complex and the mechanics of it take some getting used to, the choices - whilst board in scope - are not too taxing. You tend to have to play quite reactively to what the game throws at you.
Enormously variable because of how the Island tiles are revealed as well as the various decks of cards, Robinson Crusoe also contains several other game scenarios that take place on the Island. Instead of enacting the titular character's story from the book, you could instead try your hand at the Cursed Island (needs exorcising) Volcano Island (survive the eruption) Cannibal Island (don't get eaten) and so on, all of which come with their own tailored game-boards.
1-4
Players
12+
Years
120+
Mins
Sam says
It's thematically very strong, as the game tells a story - albeit a harsh and unforgiving one. There's a sense of everything unravelling around you as time, food, and a sense of sanity run out!