England, 1856. Charles Darwin wrote “On the Origin of Species” during a period of great intellectual and personal intensity. The book was based on years of research and observation that began during his voyage on the HMS Beagle. Your goal is to help him finish his book by accumulating evidence from your observations in botany, geology, and zoology.
With Correspondence, extend your journey around the world aboard the Beagle to help Charles Darwin! In this brand-new expansion, you’ll have to write Advanced Publications, correspond with illustrious historical Figures and Classify the species you encounter. The new England board lets you interact with Charles Darwin and earn bonuses. And the icing on the Beagle’s cake, the expansion’s own Appendix will help you learn more about the new animals you’ll encounter!
New characters and animals
In Correspondence, you’ll find 21 new tiles, including 5 characters and 16 animals (4 of each species-ecosystem pairing). These tiles feature new icons, such as Envelopes used to interact with the England board, and Classifications. These Classification tokens are drawn randomly from the cloth bag, and allow you to earn extra points by observing a specific species on your naturalist’s notebook.
The England board
England, the homeland of Charles Darwin, is at the very heart of Correspondence. This new board is placed right next to the main board, and features several areas that support the expansion’s mechanics:
- Request a Character’s support
- Retrieve Zoological Documentation
- Move Charles Darwin
- Write Advanced Publications
Correspondence et Zoological Documentation
Characters are now separated from the tile pool and placed in two piles on the England board. At any time during your turn, you can take one of the two available Characters for 2 Envelopes. To add further flexibility to your strategy, 6 Animal tiles are placed on the England board at the start of the game: you’ll have the opportunity to obtain one of these tiles for 3 Envelopes, breaking the basic game limit of a 12-tile maximum per player!
Move Charles Darwin
The basic game’s Emblematic bonus (activated when you collect a crown icon) is replaced by the movement of Darwin in England. Darwin moves to the next space and immediately grants you the bonuses indicated. Two types of bonus are possible: Envelope and/or Classification. As some spaces are more advantageous than others, you’ll naturally be vigilant to your opponents’ actions.
Write Advanced Publications
In Correspondence, being the first to observe an entire ecosystem or class (complete column or line in your notebook) grants you an Advanced Publication. These new publications reward the fastest players with better bonuses: 6 points and a guide, 5 points and a Classification token, and so on. But as we know you can’t be the fastest everywhere, you still earn classic Publications tokens (5 points) if you’re not the first!
These Advanced Publications reinforce the racing aspect between players.
Appendix & educationnal content
Just as in the base game In the Footsteps of Darwin, Correspondence contains a rulebook AND an Appendix booklet. The latter presents the 16 animals in the expansion, from grizzly bear and African fish eagle to coconut crab. A final double-page feature explains Charles Darwin’s life after the publication of The Origin of Species, and the scientific community’s perception of it. The new characters (Emma Darwin, Thomas Henry Huxley, Joseph Dalton Hooker, Alexandrina Victoria, Alfred Wallace) are introduced in the rulebook.
The Correspondence expansion for In the Footsteps of Darwin will be released in Spring 2025.
You can now add it to your BGG wishlist to make sure you don’t miss its release in your country!
