Is the initial Explore considered part of Setup *(for, e.g., France Level 1)*?
Is the initial Explore considered part of Setup (for, e.g., France Level 1)?
Yes, the initial Explore is the very last part of setup (unless otherwise modified).
France Level 6 (Persistent Explorers) applies, as does anything else that keys off of resolving "an Explore Card".
(It is not 'the Explore Step', which is a structural part of the Invader Phase.)
