Crazy Fishing Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Objective
• Setup
• The Cards
  • Fish Cards
    • Special Fish Cards
  • Rod Cards
  • Bait Cards
• Fishing! Cast, Catch and Collect
  • 1. Cast
  • 2. Catch
    • Did They Bite?
  • 3. Collect
• End of the Game
• Special Cards
  • Rod Cards
    • The Super-Fast Reel
    • Infallible Fish Finder
    • The Rodiest Rod
  • Bait Cards
    • The Most Tempting Bait
    • The Bait Bucket
    • The Turbulent Bait
  • Special Fish Cards
    • Boot Cards
    • Pearl Cards
    • Monster Fish Cards
• Out of Series (Advanced Rules)
  • Out-of-Series Rod Cards
  • Out-of-Series Fish Cards
  • Out-of-Series Fish Card Effects

Components

• 27 fish cards (round)
• 10 out-of-series fish cards (round)
• 36 rod cards
• 36 bait cards
• 2 out-of-series rod cards

Objective

Try to catch more and bigger fish than the other players, so that you are the player with the most points when the sea has run out of fish. The value of each fish is equal to its size (as shown on the front of the corresponding card), a number that also indicates how hard it is to catch.

Setup

Note: if you are playing a two-player game, first separate all the cards that show the 3+ symbol and return them to the box.

In your first games, leave the out-of-series cards (fish and rods) in the box. It is recommended to use them only once you are familiar with the game (see "Out of series" on page 6).

Shuffle all the fish cards, face down, and pile them untidily in the centre of the table. This pile of cards is called the sea. Separate the rod cards from the bait cards and shuffle each deck separately. Place both decks beside the sea.

Deal three rod cards and three bait cards to each player. These cards form each player's starting hand, and players must keep them hidden from their opponents until it is time to play them.

The Cards

Before starting, here are the different types of cards that make up the game:

Fish Cards

This is what it is all about: catching fish! On the front of each fish card is shown a fish you can catch, along with its size (which is also its value in victory points if you manage to catch it). At the start of the game there are 27 fish cards in the sea.

You never know for certain which fish is on the front of each card. Luckily, you have the ProPez 2020, a very cutting-edge marine technology device that gives you a rough idea of the size of the fish approaching you. So, on the back of each fish card there is a clue about the fish on the front. Normally the back shows a range of numbers (e.g. "2-4") and the size of the fish on the front lies within that range.

However, there are times when not even the most advanced technology can help us. In those cases the size of the fish is a complete mystery, and the back of the card shows a question mark ("?").

Special Fish Cards

The bottom of the sea always holds surprises you might hook by mistake: old, dirty boots, very valuable pearls and, even, some other monster! (See "Special fish cards" on page 6.)

Rod Cards

Fishing skill is not measured only by your rod, but the truth is you will catch very little if you do not have one. There are 36 rod cards in the game; in each round you will play one of these cards (at least) to try to catch a good fish (see "Cast" on page 3). Each rod shows a speed value, and the player who, in each round, plays the fastest rod will be the one who chooses first.

Some rod cards show a + symbol. These are "last generation" rods that can be combined with other rods to increase their speed.

Bait Cards

Fish will not bite on just any old rusty hook; you need to attract them with some bait. There are 36 bait cards in the game; in each round you will play one of these cards (at least) to try to catch a good fish. Each bait card shows a value, which determines the maximum size of the fish you can catch with it (see "Catch" on page 4). Like rod cards, some bait cards are "last generation" and can be combined with other bait cards to achieve a higher value.

Fishing! Cast, Catch and Collect

A game of Crazy Fishing is played over several rounds, each of which is divided into three phases: 1. Cast, 2. Catch and 3. Collect. You will keep playing round after round until there are fewer than six fish cards left in the sea (see "End of the game" on page 5).

1. Cast

In this phase there are no turns of any kind; all players play at the same time.

First, you must decide what you are going to try to catch this round. Choose one rod card and one bait card from your hand and place them face down in front of you. If you play any "last generation" rod or bait card, you may play more than one of that type, but keep them all together, neatly stacked, so that your opponents cannot tell how many cards you are playing. All players should play their cards simultaneously.

In general, you may only play one rod card and one bait card. But if you play one "last generation" rod, you may play any number of additional rod cards and thus add up their speeds. In the same way, if you play a "last generation" bait card, you may play any number of additional bait cards and thus add up their values.

Tip: unfortunately, you cannot play without a pile of cards you are not interested in, just to get rid of them. Sometimes a "last generation" card is a good opportunity to get rid of a few low-value cards that you do not want to keep in your hand.

When everyone is ready, turn the cards over so that everyone can see them. The player with the highest speed on their rod cards will be the first in the next phase ("Catch"), followed by the player with the second-highest speed, and so on. If there is a tie on speed, compare the value of the bait you have played: the one with the highest value will go first. If there is still a tie, each tied player reveals a rod card from the deck, and whoever gets the highest speed goes first.

Example: Ernesto, Tomás and Elena are about to make their first catches. Ernesto chooses two rod cards and one bait card. Tomás plays one of each, and Elena plays one rod card and two bait cards. When the rod cards are turned over, Ernesto shows a "2+" and a "3", Tomás has a "4", and Elena has played a "5". As Ernesto and Elena both have a total speed of 5, they compare their baits: Ernesto's "4" against Elena's "3+" and "3"; so it is Elena who has the more valuable bait and breaks the tie in her favour. In the catch phase Elena will play first, followed by Ernesto and then Tomás.

2. Catch

In this phase, each player, in turn and following the order determined in the previous phase ("Cast"), tries to catch the best fish.

On your turn, you must choose which fish card you are going to try to catch. You may only choose cards that are not covered by other cards, as shown in the image beside the text.

Note: it is possible, though unlikely, that at some point there is no fish card that can be caught (because all of them have some other card overlapping them). In that case, shuffle the sea again, with your eyes closed, before choosing the fish to catch.

Did They Bite?

Once you have chosen the fish card, turn it over so that everyone can see it. Then compare the value of the bait card or cards you played in the previous phase with the size of the fish:

• If the value of your bait is equal to or greater than the fish's size, you have caught the fish! Leave the fish card in front of you. When you catch more fish, add them to this pile, so that the other players can only see the top card of your pile (you may look at all your catches at any time).
• If the value of your bait is lower, the fish gets away. You must turn the fish card face down again and leave it in the same area of the sea where it was.

Example: on Tomás's turn, he turns over an attractive fish of size 4. His bait card is also a "4", so he catches the fish and places it in front of him. If his bait had been a "3", he would have had to return the fish to the sea.

Tip: don't forget your ProPez 2020! The back of the fish cards gives you a clue about what you might find on the front. There is no point trying to go for a "3-6" card if your bait is only worth 2, for example.

After completing your turn (whether you caught a fish or returned it to the sea), you must discard all the rod and bait cards you played in this round, placing them on their respective discard piles beside the decks. Then it is the turn of the next fastest player. Each player will have a turn to try to catch a fish.

3. Collect

When all players have completed their respective turns, it is time to collect the line... that is, to refill the hands of cards. Each player draws cards from the rod deck and/or the bait deck until they have a total of six cards in their hand again. You may draw cards from only one deck or from both, in any combination, in whichever way best suits the strategy you want to follow. But be careful: it is essential to have at least one rod card and one bait card in your hand. If you do not, and you only have six rod cards or six bait cards, you will not be able to catch any fish in the next round. Your call...

If either deck runs out of cards, shuffle its corresponding discard pile to form a new deck. When all players have refilled their hands, the current round ends and the next one begins.

End of the Game

If at the end of a round there are five or fewer fish cards left in the sea, the game ends immediately. It is time to calculate your scores and determine who is the greatest angler of all time.

• Add up the size of all the fish cards you have caught during the game.
• Add the possible extra points given by the boots and pearls (see below).

The player with the highest score wins the game.

Example: during the game, Elena has caught ten fish cards, so she adds the value of all of them (4+5+2+3+2+2+1+6 = 25) and, since she has caught two boots, she gets 1 extra point, for a total of 26 points. Not bad at all!

Special Cards

The rod, bait and fish decks each contain three special cards of each type. These special cards can help you catch fish and score points in somewhat different ways.

Rod Cards

The Super-Fast Reel

If you use this card, you can make two catches in this round. To do so, when casting, you must add another rod card and at least two bait cards to your hand. You will use at least one bait card for the first catch and at least one other bait card for the second.

Example: Ernesto plays a "1+" super-fast reel together with a "3" rod card, so his speed for this round is 4. He has also played a "3+" last-generation bait card and two ordinary bait cards, "3" and "4". When it is his turn, he turns over two fish cards: one of size 2 and the other of size 5. To catch the first, he uses the ordinary "3" bait; for the bigger fish, he uses the other two bait cards.

Infallible Fish Finder

If you use this card, you may look at the front of one of the fish cards in the sea (without showing it to your opponents), before you decide which fish card you want to try to catch on your turn. Each "Infallible Fish Finder" card can be used to look at a single fish card.

The Rodiest Rod

The wet dream of every great angler! This mega-rod is super-fast, with a speed of 20. And if that still does not seem good enough to you, it is also a "last generation" rod, so you can combine it with other rod cards to increase its speed even further.

Bait Cards

The Most Tempting Bait

With this superb bait you can catch any fish, whatever its size! Its value is "infinite".

The Bait Bucket

If you use a bait bucket card, you may try to catch, if you wish, a fish card that has another card overlapping it on top (see "Catch" on page 4). If you do not succeed, you must place the fish card (face down) beside the sea, and any other player may try to catch it later.

The Turbulent Bait

The turbulent bait is designed to stir up the water and excite the fish. If you play this card, you may try to catch a fish either before applying the effect of the turbulent bait or after it. The turbulent bait allows you to shuffle the cards in the sea again, but you must keep your eyes closed while you do so!

Special Fish Cards

Boot Cards

Nobody likes catching an old, smelly boot, but... that is what you get, and you have to take it!

Boots have a size of 0, so they are very easy to catch. However, a single boot does not give you any points at the end of the game. But if you have caught more than one, you will still scrape together a few extra points at the end. So, if you have caught two boots, you get 1 extra point; if you have caught all three, you get 3 extra points.

Pearl Cards

The value of these gems from the depths depends on their quality.

Pearls can have a size of 1, 3 or 6. Pearls are caught and score points in the same way as normal fish cards. In addition, if you are lucky enough to catch all three pearl cards, their value doubles and you get a total of 20 extra points.

Monster Fish Cards

The biggest and most slippery fish are the hardest to catch, but they are also the ones that bring you the most prestige!

There are three monster fish cards in the sea. As with the other fish, to catch a monster fish you need to accumulate enough bait value to at least equal its size (8, 10 or 12).

Out of Series (Advanced Rules)

When you are good anglers and no fish in Crazy Fishing can resist you, you may add some "Out of series" cards to make your fishing trip a bit more complicated and exciting.

Out-of-Series Rod Cards

The game contains two out-of-series rod cards. When preparing the game, you may add them to the rod deck; if you do, you must remove two ordinary rod cards of the same value from the game (and return them to the box).

If you play one of these cards, you may play a fish card instead of a bait card. In this way, when you reveal your cards, you return the bait card you have played to your hand and replace it with any fish card from your catch pile. The bait value you obtain is double the size of the fish card you decide to play. For example, if you play a fish card of value 3, you can catch fish of size 6.

Out-of-Series Fish Cards

You may replace any fish cards you wish with out-of-series fish cards, as long as the value of the cards is the same. For example, you can replace an ordinary fish card of value 3 with a prawn card. Special fish cards (boot, pearl and monster fish) can NOT be replaced.

Tip: as each out-of-series fish card has its own special rules, we recommend using only two or three at a time; that way you will not have to learn lots of new rules all at once.

Each out-of-series fish card has its own special effect, shown below the card's image. The timing and duration of the effect are indicated by the icon on the card. Unless an effect specifies otherwise, out-of-series fish cards only affect the player who catches them.

The effects of out-of-series fish cards can be of three types:

• Instant: this card has an immediate effect, which occurs when you catch the fish.
• Limited duration: this effect begins as soon as you catch the fish and continues to affect you while the card remains on the top of your fish pile. When the card is covered by another fish card, the effect ends immediately.
• End of game: these cards only have an effect at the end of the game, slightly modifying the scoring system.

Out-of-Series Fish Card Effects

• Golden Fish (2, limited duration): while the effect of this card lasts, the total value of your bait cards increases by 2.
• A Pair of Fish (1, instant): you may try to catch another fish card immediately, using the same cards.
• Prawn (3, end of game): at the end of the game, each of your fish that would normally give you 1 point now gives you 2 points.
• Sustainable Fishing (2, instant): the player who has caught the biggest fish in this round must release it immediately, returning it to the sea. Then you must shuffle the cards in the sea, with your eyes closed.
• Smart Bream (5, instant): turn over all the fish cards in the sea that are eligible (those that can be caught because they are not covered by other cards); put them back in their same place in the sea.
• Useless Fish (6, limited duration): while the effect of this card lasts, the total value of your bait cards decreases by 2.
• Puffer Fish (4, instant): each player must discard the rod card of highest speed that they have in their hand.
• Crab (5, limited duration): while the effect of this card lasts, you may not play last-generation bait cards.
• Moray Eel (6, limited duration): while the effect of this card lasts, you may not play last-generation rod cards.