Corps of Discovery - Expansion 1 – Insecta
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The forest is teeming. The Ranidae waits beneath the surface. And you only have a few turns to find what you need.
What it's about
New threat. Same relentless logic.
Corps of Discovery: Expansion 1 — Insecta takes the Corps further west, where the forest is overrun by giant insects threatening to overwhelm the entire expedition. The only solution is an aerial insecticide — but to create it, you need resources found on land.
The problem: all your scientific equipment is on the boat. And between the shore and the ship is the Ranidae — a monstrous amphibious creature waiting beneath the river's surface. Before you can transport the resources, you must confront it.
Insecta adds new maps, new objectives, and a double layer of challenge to the base game's cooperative deduction structure. Requires Corps of Discovery to play.
Two enemies, one plan: the Ranidae blocks the river, insects advance from the forest. Time does not wait.
Insecta's secret in one line
Every map is a new logic puzzle. You know where you are. You don't yet know what awaits beyond the token you're about to flip.
From the game experience
Corps of Discovery: Insecta
Logical deduction works well even alone — but discussing deductions with another player is where the game truly shines.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rulebook, international reviews, and play sessionsWhat it adds
New enemies, new scenarios
The giant insects
A new threat advancing from the forest. Insecticide is the only solution — but first, you need to find the ingredients.
The Ranidae
Amphibious creature hidden beneath the river's surface. Blocks the passage of resources — must be confronted before proceeding.
New Insecta maps
Scenarios designed around the double threat: insects and Ranidae. New logical rules to deduce, new objectives to complete.
Insecticide mechanics
Gather resources from land, transport them to the boat, synthesize the poison. Each step is a logistical puzzle under pressure.
The forest won't wait. Neither will the Ranidae. You've already figured out where that resource is hidden — but do you have enough turns to reach it?
🃏Recommended sleeves2 sizes · 19 cards total
A five-stage mission
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The forest is not safe
Place the map, cover the tokens. Read the logical rules on the reference sheet. The forest is teeming—and you've already figured out that patch of vegetation might hide what you need. Or not. The first deduction starts even before you flip the first token.
The Ranidae is everywhere and nowhere
You know it's beneath the river's surface. You don't know where. Every token you flip near the water could reveal it—and until you find it, the resources on the boat remain out of reach. The map reads differently when something is waiting.
The insects advance, turns are consumed
The challenge arrives. You have three turns to find two specific resources. The logical rules say one should be here—but that sector is not yet explored. You split up. One goes towards the river, one digs in the forest. Tension rises silently.
The deduction that saves everything
Someone looks at the reference sheet, looks at the map, and says, "Wait—if water is always adjacent to wood, and wood is here... then the Ranidae can't be over there." The group stops. Someone updates the question mark tokens. The plan changes.
The insecticide is ready. Or it's not.
You have the resources, you've neutralized the Ranidae, the path to the boat is open. Or the last challenge arrived with an ingredient still missing—and the Corps doesn't survive the winter. In either case, you put it back in the box already knowing where you went wrong.
How to play
The flow of the Insecta mission
Same structure as the base game—new enemies, new logic to deduce, new two-level objective.
Flip a token orthogonally adjacent to already explored areas. Collect the resource and add it to your mental map—the logical rules tell you where the rest should be.
At the end of the round, challenge cards arrive: spend specific resources within the timer. If you fail, you lose water—and water is survival. The insects don't wait.
Before transporting resources to the boat, you must find and defeat the river creature. It requires specific resources—and knowing where it is before approaching.
Collect all necessary ingredients from the mainland, transport them to the boat, complete the scenario objective. If the Corps survives until the end, you win.
Why it's worth it
Six reasons to add Insecta
Double threat — double management
It's not enough to avoid insects—the Ranidae blocks access to the boat. Two problems to solve in parallel with the same limited resources. Prioritization becomes everything.
Two-phase objective
Neutralize the Ranidae and then synthesize the insecticide—a mandatory sequence that introduces dependency between objectives. You can't ignore the first to rush to the second.
New maps, new logic
Each Insecta map has its own distribution rules. The deduction starts over—no memory of the base game helps you here.
Theme changes how you read the map
Knowing the Ranidae is in the water changes how you look at every token near the river. The theme is not decoration—it genuinely influences deductions.
Still great solo
Logic doesn't need a partner to work. Solo, the expansion maintains the same tension—and the satisfaction of a correct deduction is all yours.
Natural complement, not substitute
Insecta complements the base game without distorting it. If you've already mastered Fauna or Flora, this expansion is the natural next step—not a reinvention, but an escalation.
How it ends
A two-stage victory, an undeniable defeat
It's not enough to reach the insecticide—you must first clear the way. And the way goes through the Ranidae.
Victory
- Neutralize the Ranidae and open the passage to the boat
- Collect all necessary ingredients for the insecticide
- Complete the scenario objective before the Corps runs out of resources
Defeat
- The Corps runs out of water—the expedition does not survive
- You fail too many challenges and the situation becomes irreversible
- There's no comeback—but you already know what went wrong
Corps of Discovery: Insecta is the expansion for those who want to take cooperative deduction to the next level—without losing the clarity that makes the base game so precise.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Corps of Discovery: Insecta
Is it necessary to have completed the base game to play Insecta?
Yes. Insecta is an expansion that requires Corps of Discovery — A Game Set in the World of Manifest Destiny. The basic rules must be known: the expansion does not reintroduce them, it adds new layers on top.
Does it add complexity manageably or is it a difficult leap?
The leap is calibrated. The phase structure remains identical—what changes are the enemies and the two-stage objective. Those who have played a few base games will adapt in one session. It's not a reset, it's an escalation.
Does it work well solo?
Yes. Logical deduction is just as satisfying alone—in fact, some prefer solo to be able to reason without group pressure. The Ranidae adds a spatial variable that keeps the tension high even when playing solo.
How many maps does Insecta include?
Insecta adds new specific maps for this scenario. The variety of maps is the main driver of replayability—each map has its own distribution rules that make every game a different puzzle.
Is it compatible with other expansions?
Yes. The Corps of Discovery expansions—Insecta, Vameter, Maldonado, and Fog—are independent modules that are added to the base game. It is not necessary to have them all to use one.
Is it available in Italian?
This is the English edition. Like the base game, the text is limited—the logical rules are concise and visual. It is not necessary to have a good command of English, but texts and cards are in English.
Corps of Discovery: Expansion 1 — Insecta is an expansion for the cooperative deduction board game Corps of Discovery for 1–4 players (ages 14+, duration 45–75 min). Designed by Jay Cormier and Sen-Foong Lim, artwork by Matthew Roberts, published by Off the Page Games. It introduces a new scenario with giant insects and the river creature Ranidae, new maps, a two-phase objective (neutralize the Ranidae and synthesize the insecticide). Mechanics: cooperative deduction, resource management, multiple maps, scenario. English edition. Requires the base game. Available on FroGames.it.
Corps of Discovery - Expansion 1 – Insecta
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