Finding an Old Friend in Expedition: Northwest Passage
Journey into the uncharted waters of the Arctic to map a path before sailing home in Expedition: Northwest Passage.
Although it’s easy to skip over my favorites when it comes to bringing a solo game to my table, I always return to Expedition: Northwest Passage pretty regularly. One might claim I succeeded in beating it with a complete map a few times… Yet it’s really all about the experience! No other title offers such a sense of exploration, and I gladly set out!
Game Overview
Game Name: Expedition: Northwest Passage
Publication Year: 2010
Designer: Yves Tourigny
Artist: Stéphane Poinsot and Yves Tourigny
Publisher: Matagot
Solo Mode: Official Solo Variant
The goal is to travel to the Northwest Passage and make it back to Greenland before time runs out. Seasons come and go as the water freezes and thaws, all while ship and sled teams make progress. It’s a most interesting challenge that results in a new sort of map with every play!
First Play
January 26, 2018
Complexity
3
Latest Play
April 21, 2024
Expansions
0
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
58
Play Time
25 Minutes
High Score
17
Game Area
26" x 24"
Low Score
-38
Not Quite There Yet…
In my first play, I knew I wanted to get everyone home safely. With the way I tend to play, it’s all about plotting out the area. I still love it when I can complete the map!
Alas, this journey wasn’t to be. The crucial area was never discovered, although I was pretty pleased with this map!
My biggest mistake was locking the ship in with a solid mass of snow along the bottom. The sled team did quite well, though, and I left plenty of openings to sail through.
It still amazes me how the same set of tiles tells all sorts of different stories and continues to be a fun challenge!
Northern Friends
Out on the snow and ice, it can get pretty lonely. It was time to upgrade the sled team… Along came an absolutely adorable family of reindeer, zooming right on by!
Someone was perilously close to falling off the back of this sled. It absolutely flew! That was akin to a lot of my own decisions with the sled team… They saw a lot of scenery!
I’m only disappointed I didn’t properly introduce these reindeer at a more seasonal time. I know they’ll be back!
With a little luck from the presence of these adorable Calico Critters, it looked like everyone would sail home.
Feeling Accomplished
No matter what the map looked like, I honed in on the final turn. With carefully planned moves, the ship made it into the space bound for Greenland. Everyone lived!
The meeples are more for tracking actions and might not feel personal, yet I named all of mine ages ago. I also picked out ones with manufacturing defects. I know them!
When it’s clear I can’t complete the map, it turns into a fun exercise of filling in what I can and sailing back home.
Managing movement through the seasons continues to be tricky as I try all sorts of ship and sled team combinations.
You Missed a Spot…
During my next play, things definitely went better! I sent most of the crew on board the sled, only moving the ship at a languid pace along the southernmost region.
Luck was on my side as I traced a return route home, but clearly missed out on mapping the middle section. Ha!
Still, the sled team found the Northwest Passage. Look closely at this end game state, and you’ll spot the ship sailing back to Greenland. Another successful mission!
I haven’t paid much attention to scoring well or collecting tokens in ages… Maybe that’s the next challenge I’ll face!
Appreciating Older, Original Game Editions
As tempted as I was to back the upcoming edition, I decided that I’m far too attached to my copy to replace it. It has its small issues, but these are the visuals I associate with my favorite experiences. That full year it took me to get my first complete map is a community memory I’ll always remember and tie into this edition. I can’t part with it.
There is also the fun story of me hunting down one of the last copies, which was priced very low. Sometimes, I think we have other memories and emotions tied to board games that don’t necessarily show up in ratings, nor should they. But being able to understand that tangled, messy web of subjective feelings can be quite helpful to enjoy the hobby more!
Color-Coordinated
Where there is a reindeer sled team, there are young reindeer getting ready for their first foray into sledding!
I came across this pair. By complete coincidence in a very delightful moment, I discovered that their outfits matched the colors of the solar disc. Absolutely perfectly paired!
That might be one of my favorite components. It seems so simple and basic, but it’s the piece that sets the areas that are frozen or thawed. Ignore it, and no one survives.
Someone will just need to have a talk with these reindeer about riding the right sled. That one looks overloaded. Ha!
Geographic Tales
All of the tiles might look like random assortments of snow and water. Just how different can they be? I’ve seen everything for ages and know all about what’s in the bag.
Yet I still find myself enjoying the flow of the waterways. I could almost picture the sled team waiting for the water to ice over between these islands to keep on going.
What might happen over many seasons? Would new paths be cut through the snow, or areas permanently freeze?
This is a solo game I continue to love. It makes me think mechanically, but also in a creative sense. Very neat!
Session Overview
Play Number: 57 & 58
Solo Mode: Official Solo Variant
Outcome: 5, 6 (1 Win & 1 Loss)
My scores weren’t anything amazing, but the crew survived both times! The only small issue I had was when I ran out of specific small tiles. This is the only major problem, and mostly because I like trying to fill in the entire map. Reindeer visitors made this session even more fun, and I’ll have to think up some challenges to take on the next time I play! Even after many years, this one hasn’t gotten boring and feels like visiting an old friend.
%
50 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
10
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- Creating the map is an ongoing process that combines a long-term goal with challenging, turn-based choices.
- Despite the tiles only consisting of snow and water, there is a lot of visual variety and tons of possible islands.
- Splitting up the crew between the ship and sled leads to very different experiences and ways the map evolves.
- The rules are easy to understand and return to, often requiring no rulebook referencing after a couple of plays.
- It’s simple to adjust the goals or create a custom way to play in order to get more out of the experience.
- Gameplay moves quickly and despite the perilous sort of journey, the overall feeling is generally very relaxing.
– Cons (Negatives)
- There aren’t always enough small tiles to fill in specific spaces, which is minor, but can be a little annoying.
- Keeping the tiles neatly aligned on the board can be tricky at times, and an accidental swipe can be catastrophic.
- Some areas are a little too narrow for the ship and sled, sometimes making it hard to see what areas are connected.
- It can take some luck to get the right tiles, although gameplay is about making the most with what’s available.
Victory Conditions
Find the Passage and Return
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Complete the map in at least 1 game.
Use only the ship to explore and win in at least 1 game.
Continue the Conversation
What is your favorite aspect of Expedition: Northwest Passage? Do you have a unique way you play? I can’t seem to get out of my mode of filling in the map, although that’s always a fun experience for me! There are a lot of other ideas I have in mind to keep enjoying the game, and it’s sticking around for many, many more rotations of the solar disc!
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