In 1845, Sir John Franklin led an expedition on behalf of the British Royal Navy to find and explore the last part of the Northwest Passage, regardless of the cost. They left England in May and encountered whalers along the west coast of Greenland in August. There, they waited for more favorable weather conditions to cross Lancaster Sound. Once the weather improved, they sailed into unknown waters, and no one ever heard from them again... Their disappearance caused considerable public concern, and many British and American expeditions attempted to find their trace. As leaders of these expeditions in Expedition: Northwest Passage, players must venture into these dangerous Arctic waters to discover Franklin's fate and succeed where he failed: by finding the Northwest Passage. Players allocate their crew members to their ship or sled to perform various actions such as exploring, moving, or gathering clues about the location of Franklin's expedition. As the game progresses, the seasons will change, and parts of the sea will freeze, blocking the passage of ships. Players earn victory points by gathering clues, mapping the area, and – of course – discovering the Northwest Passage. But to win, they must return to Greenland in time!