The Lost Expedition
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FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
Someone counts the remaining rations. Someone tries to treat a wound. Someone else looks at the card you just flipped and just says: 'No, not this one.' And you realize this time, there's no way out.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
You were looking for Percy Fawcett. Now you're just trying not to die.
Peer Sylvester takes the true legend of the explorer who disappeared in the Amazon in 1925 and turns it into a survival game where every card can mean life or death. Garen Ewing's 1930s adventure comic-style illustrations thrust you into the hostile jungle where Fawcett vanished forever.
Manage the expedition's resources — food, ammunition, health — as you trek through the forest. Each turn you play cards from your hand to face dangers: ferocious animals, diseases, encounters with natives, swollen rivers. But the cards must be played in a shared order and every wrong choice consumes resources. When one runs out, the expedition is lost. For good.
What they say abroad
This edition includes the base game and the "Fountain of Youth" expansion. Materials for hundreds of expeditions, all different, all deadly.
— FroGames
The most punishing cooperative game you'll ever play. And the fairest.
— FroGames
The Lost Expedition
Designed for solo play from the start. You play exactly as in multiplayer but you control all the cards and the play order. The experience is complete: resource management tension, emergent narrative, punishing difficulty. In fact, in solo, concentration is even higher.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial review · based on rules, international reviews, and play sessionsWhat you'll face
The cards that decide if you make it home
Jungle Dangers
Poisonous snakes, hungry jaguars, giant spiders. Each animal card costs you ammunition to overcome. Or health, if you're out of ammo.
Diseases and Wounds
Tropical fever, infections, infected bites. Some cards give you a choice: lose health now or risk worse later. You almost always choose wrong.
Natural Obstacles
Rivers to cross, cliffs to climb, swamps to wade through. They cost food to tackle with energy. Or health, if food runs out.
Encounters and Events
Native villages, ancient ruins, signs of Fawcett. Some cards offer help. Others are traps. And you never know which is which until you play them.
Recommended Sleeves 112 cards in 1 size ▼
If you play often, we recommend protecting your cards with clear sleeves to make them last longer.
| Size | Quantity |
|---|---|
| 80 × 120 mm | 112 |
| Total cards | 112 |
In half an hour, you'll know if your expedition returned. Or if it became a legend like Fawcett's.
A game in five acts
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Beginner's Optimism
Prepare the expedition deck, arrange the resource tokens halfway. Someone says: 'Come on, how hard can it be?' You look at the first cards in hand. They seem manageable. You choose who starts. You are confident, organized, ready. It won't last.
The First Loss
Fifth card: a jaguar. Someone suggests using ammunition. Someone else says to save it and lose health. You vote, you play, you still lose more resources than expected. You watch the tokens drop. The conversation at the table changes tone.
Impossible Choices
Halfway through the deck. Two resources are almost at zero. Someone proposes a plan: 'If we play this first and then this, maybe...' You do it. It doesn't work as you hoped. One resource reaches zero. Heated discussion about who made a mistake. Then silence. Because you have to continue and the remaining cards are worse.
El Dorado or Death
Five cards left. One resource is at zero, two are at one. You flip a card: it's a double choice. You can save one resource by sacrificing another. Everyone looks at the situation. There's only one possible order to survive. If you mess up now, it's over. Someone says: 'Okay, let's try.' You do it.
The Lost Expedition
Last card. If you're here with at least one resource above zero, you've won. Otherwise, you've died in the jungle like Fawcett. If you lose, someone immediately suggests: 'Another game?' If you win, you stay silent for a few seconds. Then someone says: 'I can't believe we did it.' And you shuffle it anyway.
How to play
The flow of each round
A round lasts a few minutes. And it can cost you everything.
Each player chooses a card from their hand and places it face down in front of them. In initiative order (which rotates), everyone reveals their card and places it in a row from left to right. The order is crucial.
Resolve the cards in the row from left to right. Each card shows a number (priority), an icon (type of danger), and a resource cost. Pay the cost or suffer the consequences.
Some cards have special effects: discard other cards, swap order, recover resources, lose double. Effects are resolved in the order they appear. Every choice has immediate consequences.
Each player draws a new card from the expedition deck. If a resource reaches zero during the turn, the expedition is lost. Otherwise, continue until the deck runs out.
Why it's different from the others
Six mechanics that make a difference
Shared order
You don't take turns. You collaboratively build a row of cards that you then resolve in sequence. Each card has a priority number, but you decide where to place it. The wrong order kills you even if you have the right cards.
Limited information
You can talk freely but you cannot show the cards in your hand. You have to describe what you have ('I have a high danger that costs ammo') and trust. Sometimes the description is optimistic. Sometimes it's too late.
Three interconnected resources
Food, ammo, health. Each danger requires a specific one. If you don't have it, you pay with another at double the cost. Or you lose health. Health is the last resource: when it runs out, it's game over.
No bluffing, just brutal math
There's no luck in rolls. There are no random events in the game. The expedition deck is fixed (only the order changes). You only lose if you make a mistake. And you'll know it.
Integrated expansion
This edition includes The Fountain of Youth: new cards, optional modules (immortal conquistadors, magnetic mountain, curses), and a solo campaign. Add them when the base game becomes too easy. Spoiler: it never becomes too easy.
Pure solo
In solo, you control all cards and decide the order. No automa, no bots. Just you against the jungle. It's the best way to play for many: maximum concentration, zero compromises, pure tension.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
Two conditions. Only one truly matters.
Victory
- Resolve all cards in the expedition deck
- At least one of the three resources is still above zero
- You find El Dorado (or at least return alive)
Defeat
- Health reaches zero at any point in the game
- Food and ammo are both at zero when you resolve a card that requires one
- You remain in the jungle forever like Percy Fawcett
The Lost Expedition is not the most innovative cooperative game on the market. But it's the one that truly makes you feel in danger. Every game. Every turn. Every card.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about The Lost Expedition
Is it really that difficult, or is it advertising exaggeration?
It really is that difficult. You'll almost certainly lose the first 3-5 games. Then you'll start to understand which cards to keep, which to play first, when to sacrifice one resource to save another. The learning curve is steep, but every victory feels truly earned.
Does it work well for all player counts?
Yes, but in different ways. In solo, you have total control but zero discussion. With 2-3 players, communication is easier but you have fewer cards to choose from. With 4-5 players, you have more options but the discussion becomes chaotic. The sweet spot is 2-3 players.
What does the expansion included in this edition add?
The Fountain of Youth adds four modules: immortal conquistadors (pursuing adversaries), the magnetic mountain (which draws planes to crash), the Curse (progressive penalties), and new expedition cards. They are all optional and modular: you add them when you want to increase difficulty or vary the experience.
How long does a real game last, from setup to finish?
Setup takes 3 minutes, game 30-50 minutes depending on the number of players and how much you discuss each move. The first games are longer because you try to plan everything. Once you've lost enough times, you'll play faster and more instinctively. And maybe you'll win.
Is this edition available in Italian?
Yes, this is the Italian edition from Studio Supernova. It includes both the base game and The Fountain of Youth expansion fully translated, plus all currently released promo cards. Rulebook, cards, and components are all in Italian.
The Lost Expedition is a cooperative survival game for 1-5 players, ages 14+, lasting 30-50 minutes. Designed by Peer Sylvester and illustrated by Garen Ewing, published in Italy by Studio Supernova. Manage food, ammunition, and health as you traverse the hostile Amazon in search of explorer Percy Fawcett, who disappeared in 1925. Cooperative hand management mechanic where card order is everything: a wrong sequence can cost you the game. Includes the Fountain of Youth expansion with additional modules, new threats, and a solo campaign. Works perfectly as a solo game: no automa, just you against the jungle. Available on FroGames.it.
The Lost Expedition
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
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