Trek 12

Game overview

Bruno Cathala, Corentin Lebrat

Jonathan Aucomte, Olivier Derouetteau

Lumberjacks Studio

≃ $ 28

15 - 30 min

1 - 50 players - 8+

Download Trekker's manual

Download Alpinist manual

Download soloist Trek manual

Download the offered extensions of Trek 12 on the Lumberjacks website

The game in video

Heads up!

My review does not contain any spoiler.

I’m not going to talk about the content of the envelopes, to leave you the surprise when the time comes 🙂

With Trek 12, you will put on your hiking boots and set off on an expedition to Nepal in order to reach the Himalayan peaks.

You will have to display stamina, map the land, and who knows, you might become a legendary alpinist!

Trek 12 is a roll & write of evolving difficulty (i.e. the game will gradually change according to your various achievements) offering you 3 game modes :

An “express ascent” mode : to initiate new players or for people wishing to achieve a single ascent.
An “expedition” mode : it’s a mini campaign, where you will make 3 ascents of increasing difficulty – Dunai, Kagkot, and Dhaulagiri.
A “free solo” mode where you will compete with Max, the alpinist of the year, who will give you a hard time.

What's in the box?

Notebooks of 50 ascents

Dice

Lead climber card

Assist cards

Trekker's manual

Alpinist manual

Soloist trek manual

Challenge envelopes which include game content to be discovered

And what about the rules?

When opening the box, we find 3 small manuals, each one corresponding to a game mode:

A trekker’s manual of 7 pages which will explain to you to the last detail the rules of the game which are very simple, and which also include the express mode.

A 7-page alpinist manual that should be opened after discovering the Express Ascent mode. This booklet will allow you to realize the Expedition mode.

A 4-page soloist Trek manual for the players who wish to play alone while competing with Max.

Each manual explains as precisely as possible the rules which are richly illustrated for a better understanding. The result is very homogeneous, the paragraphs are very well laid out.

These 3 game modes complement each other and create an alchemy that makes the reputation of Trek 12, a roll & write that invites to travel and adventure.

All right, and how does it play?

: The 3 ascents available at the opening of the box

: 2 dice (a yellow dice from 0 to 5 and a red dice from 1 to 6)

: You choose between: the lowest number, the highest number, the difference between the 2 dice, adding the 2 dice, multiplying the 2 dice. Then you check the corresponding box

: This is what your sheet will look like at the end of an ascent

: On this type of circle, it is forbidden to enter a number over 6.

: For each circle that is not part of a zone or a fixed line, we draw a small smiley face synonymous of a -3 points malus at the end of the game.

: A mapped zone is a group of at least 2 adjacent numbers of the same value. They will be distinguished by different patterns, to facilitate the counting of the points at the end of the game.

: To create a fixed line, it will be necessary to write numbers that follow each other (ascending or descending) It will be symbolized by a small line between the 2 numbers.

: Once all the circles have been filled in, we count the fixed line + the mapped zone

What is the purpose of the game ?

To be the best alpinist of all time!

To achieve this, you’ll have to be able to map the zones and create some nice fixed lines..

The game ends when the players have filled all of the 19 circles from the playing surface.
The person with the highest score wins the game.

The set up

First of all, choose your game mode among the 3 offered:

Express ascent mode (to make a single ascent).

Expedition mode (to climb 3 summits of increasing difficulty in a row).

Mode solo (To compete with Max, a seasoned alpinist. I will get back to this in the section dedicated to this mode.).

Once you have chosen the mode, you will need :

the 2 dice,
a pen,
an Ascent card (if it’s your first game or to realize an expedition you will have to choose Dunai).

That’s it! We are ready to start the game!

Playing the game

Regardless of the chosen mode, the basic rules are the same.

One player throws the two dice.
Each player simultaneously chooses his result among the following operations (see picture), ticks a free square in the corresponding line and marks the result in one of the circles while following these 3 golden rules:

– You can place your first result anywhere you want.

– All other results must be adjacent to an already filled circle.

– You can’t write a number over 12.

Be careful!

If you have ticked all the boxes of the same type (on one line), you will no longer be able to make this choice!

And you start again until you have filled all the circles on your sheet, which will trigger the end of the game.

How to create fixed lines?

To create a fixed line, you will need to complete a sequence of numbers. When you write a number, if it creates or continues a sequence of numbers (increasing or decreasing) you will symbolize it by drawing a small line that connects the two numbers.

How to map a zone?

If you have a group of at least two numbers of the same value adjacent to each other, you have mapped a zone. Symbolize it with a pattern of your choice, which will help you identify the different zones.

End of the game

At the end of the game, you will count :

Each fixed line: they will give you as many points as their highest number + 1 point per other circle of the line (see picture).

Each mapped zone will give you as many points as the number of the zone + 1 point per other circle of the zone (see picture).

Bonus : Your longest fixed line and your largest zone will earn you a certain number of points according to the scoring system on the sheet (see photo).

Malus : For each circle that does not belong to a zone or a fixed line you will get a malus of – 3 points.

What about the game's mechanics ?

To my knowledge, Trek 12 is the only roll & write game with an upgradable game mode.

It is precisely thanks to its 6 envelopes which will add content, enhance the game and give you new challenges.

When to open an envelope?

To open an envelope, you have to earn it!

Please note!

Envelope opening is only allowed during the expedition mode.

The game offers you 6 challenges that correspond to the 6 envelopes. You will be able to open them in a certain order and by respecting these conditions only:

To have successfully completed a challenge.
Wait until the end of the ascent to open it.
Open only one envelope per ascent (even if you have successfully completed several challenges).

To help you in this task, the expedition mode allows you to use assist cards that will allow you to climb the summits more easily.

At the beginning of each expedition, a number of cards will be placed in the center of the table. As soon as you create a zone with a number 0, 1 or 2 you will choose a card (within the limit of 3 cards in hand per player). These cards can be used during or at the end of the ascent. Each card not used at the end of the game will give you 3 points.

As I mentioned above, the expedition mode is a kind of “mini-campaign”, you will accumulate your stars and keep them between each ascent. The person who accumulates the most stars at the end of the 3 ascents wins.

: The 6 envelopes that will enrich your gaming experience

: Once all the circles have been filled in, we count the fixed line + the mapped zone

: In expedition mode, you score a star if you reach the summit with the minimum number of points to achieve, another if you have the highest score and another if you have reached the highest score ever achieved.

: If you have surpassed the highest score ever achieved, mark it in the Hall of fame chart!

How does the solo mode work?

You can also play solo against yourself by trying to beat your own score, but that’s not very exciting.

The game offers you to measure yourself against Max, a great coffee drinker and an outstanding mountaineer.

The set up is identical to an express ascent or an expedition.

Take 2 ascent cards (one for you and one for Max).

You play as usual, but when it’s Max’s turn, he will always choose the same circle as you and fill it with the maximum value.

Of course, malus have no effect on him, on the contrary he laughs about it because each circle with a malus will give him + 3 points!

Of course you can also play with Max during an expedition.

What I liked... or not

Quality of the material

Here we have a very small, heavy and well-filled box. The dice are made of wood, the playing cards have a good finish, the box is nice and solid. It looks and feels like a quality product!

The envelopes

6 envelopes to open that will enrich your game. That's great!

Simplicity of the rules

It's amazing what you can do with 2 dice! Once again Bruno Cathala shows us his genius by surprising players with simple mechanics.

Many free extensions offered

"Trek 12 at home week 1 and 2", "Philitrek", "Trek Valentine's Day", "Trek 12 Christmas".... They are all offered by the authors of the game and the publisher. You just have to download and print them. A big thank you to them!

No double-sided sheets

This is becoming a habit in roll & write games. Why not print both sides of the sheets? We end up with 3 blocks of 50 sheets. It's good, but we could have made sure to have the double.

The frustration of not opening an envelope

When you open the box, you want to know what's inside them. Oh joy and frustration! :p

Conclusion

Score

8.5

While the roll & write market has been saturated for a few years, Trek 12 stands out from other games by its evolutive nature, while remaining simple.

The game is sublimated by a magnificent editorial line. The game will keep you in suspense for a while to unlock the entire content of the 6 envelopes.