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Forbidden Desert

2-5 players 45-45 min 7.1 Board Game Geek Rating

Players work together as desert adventurers searching for parts of a buried flying machine in shifting ruins. This cooperative game features an ever-changing board and individual resource management as teams battle sandstorms and heat. Success requires finding all machine components and escaping before the harsh desert conditions overwhelm the expedition.

Published 2013

Forbidden Desert

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Position the storm meter
Place the storm strength meter where all players can see it to track how many storm cards must be drawn each turn
2
Arrange desert tiles
Set up the desert grid with the eye of the storm (empty space) in the center
3
Distribute sand markers
Place initial sand markers on tiles as indicated by setup rules
4
Assign adventurer roles
Each player receives an adventurer card with unique special abilities
5
Set water levels
Adjust each player's water slider to their starting water amount based on difficulty
6
Prepare storm deck
Shuffle the storm cards and place them face down
7
Place adventurer pawns
Put all adventurers on the starting crash site tile

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Take up to four actions
Perform between zero and four actions in any order, with repetition allowed
2
Move to adjacent tile
Move your adventurer to an unblocked tile (North, East, South, or West) or travel between unblocked tunnels
3
Shift sand
Remove one sand marker from your current tile or an adjacent tile
4
Excavate a tile
If there's no sand on your tile and it's unexcavated desert, flip it to reveal what's beneath
5
Pick up machine parts
Collect a flying machine part if you're on its revealed location and the tile is unblocked
6
Share water freely
At any time, gift water to adventurers on the same tile, reducing your supply and increasing theirs
7
Pass equipment cards
Transfer equipment to other adventurers on your tile at any time during the game
8
Draw storm cards
After completing actions, draw cards equal to the storm meter level one at a time
9
Resolve wind cards
Move tiles toward the eye of the storm and add a sand marker to each moved tile
10
Handle storm intensifies
Move the storm meter up one notch when this card appears
11
Suffer sun beats down
Lose one water if not sheltered in a tunnel or protected by a Solar Shield
12
Manage blocked tiles
Tiles with two or more sand markers are blocked and impassable except by the Climber

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Collect all four parts
Locate and pick up all four pieces of the flying machine from excavated, unblocked tiles
2
Assemble at launch pad
All adventurers must gather on the unblocked launch pad tile together
3
Escape the desert
Once assembled with all parts, build the flying machine and escape to win
4
Avoid dehydration loss
The game is lost immediately if any adventurer's water reaches the skull and crossbones
5
Prevent storm overwhelm
The game is lost if the storm meter reaches the maximum skull and crossbones level
6
Don't run out of sand
The game is lost if a sand marker is needed but none remain available

watch & Learn

Let the pros teach you with these top videos.

BGlog: December #2023 #線下聚

BGlog: December #2023 #線下聚

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FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

PDF RULEBOOK

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