Trailblazers 12x12 Review - 3 Multiplayer Modes, 5 Solo Modes & A Whole Lot Of Cards

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Trailblazers are the gutsy folks who pave and brave the trails of the great outdoors. Whether by hiking boots, cycling wheels, or river paddle, these tenacious travelers seek to feed their insatiable appetite for adventure. With a scenic wilderness ever ahead and a freshly charted path upon the heels, one mustn’t forget to eventually find their way back to camp. For there are always new environments to explore, further expeditions to undertake, and more trails to blaze.

In Trailblazers, players compete to earn the most points by building biking, hiking, and kayaking loops from their campsites of the matching trail type. Each round, players are dealt eight trail cards where they’ll draft two cards, arrange those cards in their personal area, and pass their hand to the next player three times. Cards must either be placed adjacent to or overlapping other cards. While players can push their luck by aiming to construct long and elaborate trails, only closed loops that start and end at a matching campsite will score points. Players also compete to fulfill “First To” and “End Game” goal cards. After four rounds, the game ends and the player with the most points from closed loops and goal cards wins.

The standard edition of Trailblazers features a second deck of trail & player cards so you can play with up to 8 players. The box also contains two expansions (the Animals expansion and Adventurers expansion) that add another challenging layer of strategy and objectives to the experience. Finally, there are three unique solo modes that utilize the goal cards, Animals expansion, or Adventurers expansion.

TimeStamps:
0:00:00 - Introduction
0:01:30 - Base Game
0:08:12 - Base Game Review
0:09:50 - Animal Expansion
0:10:10 - Animal Expansion Review
0:10:55 - Adventures Expansion
0:17:40 - Adventures Review
0:18:25 - Basic Solo Modes
0:22:20 - Basic Solo Modes Review
0:23:15 - Adventurer Solo Mode
0:24:15 - Adventurer Solo Mode Review
0:25:47 - Epic Solo Mode
0:26:45 - Epic Solo Mode Review
0:29:10 - Final Thoughts
0:31:57 - Recommendations

5.0 - My absolutely favorite games. You can pry them out of my cold dead hands.
4.5 - Love this game! At the same time missing something that would make it a 5. Could be hard to table, lacking variability, a little light, etc.
4.0 - Really great game, almost always keeping, although has meaningful complaints as to what takes away from the experience.
3.5 - Really enjoyed, don't love it, may lose out to better games but the idea of never playing again is a bit sad.
3.0 - A good game, would play and suggest with the right people, if I never played it again wouldn't lose any sleep.
2.5 - A game I'd play again , but will never suggest it myself
2.0 - A game I don't want to play again
1.5 - A game I can't find any reason to recommend
1.0 - A game that is just bad.

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[BitewingGames]

Very thorough review! I know these videos take a while both in learning/playing the games and planning/filming/editing. We appreciate you taking the time to cover the game and share your enthusiasm for it. I'm happy to hear you've enjoyed it so far. And we always appreciate feedback as we continue to work on upcoming games as well as expansions for Trailblazers.

[JonathanNation]

We have really enjoyed Trailblazers. I did end up ordering a second of the travel pack because we could carry everything in the two little packs and was good. Played it camping this past weekend, while it was raining and we were under a tarp. Best game when you are not concerned the game would be damaged from the rain.

[ryancourtney]

Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for the review!

[MJ-kiwj]

I have absolutely loved this game. I have played it solo about 15 times already.

[thetenorguy]

Great job! Purchased after watching your review.

[ryancourtney]

150+ is the target we shoot for when playing Epic Solo mode

[stacie_everdell]

Not too long, imo. I was super interested in this one when it was crowdfunded. I'm sure not after hearing your review, I'll be hunting down a copy. Thanks for such an in depth review!

[FrogOnBoards]

I'm wondering how the solo mode compares to sprawlopolis. It seems to offer similar gaming experience which one do you prefer?

[sapien]

So, the travel edition is half the price of the standard edition and comes with a nifty carrying case. The only downside is that it doesn’t include the adventurer expansion. Can I simply download the rulebook and supply my own meeples, or does the adventurer expansion come with other critical components that I would have a hard time replicating?

[stormburns]

getting the deluxe version to europe is going to cost me 105$ with taxes and shipping. Ouch!

[srebme]

Wow! This 12x12 came out of nowhere. I feel like you have barely talked about this game.

[SenseiJae]

I hated trailblazers. It felt completely random and building the trails didn’t feel satisfying. I regret playing the game and wish I could reclaim that time. I’d rather play sprawlopolis which feels similar, but is actually fun.