Deep Regrets
Deep Regrets Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 1 Omen Die
- 1 First Player Marker (anchor)
- 1 Life Preserver
- 1 Fishcoin
- 5 Madness Cubes
- 1 Day Tracker
- 5 Fishbuck Trackers
- 5 Boat Meeples
- 15 Player Dice
- 24 Tackle Dice
- 60 Regret Cards
- 1 Dice Bag
- 13 Dink Cards
- 10 Rod Cards
- 117 Fish Cards
- 10 Reel Cards
- 10 Starting Provision Cards
- 20 Supply Cards
- 10 Reference Cards
- 1 Port Board
- 1 Sea Board
- 5 Two-Sided Angler Boards
- 1 Ocean Survey Pad
- 1 Two-Sided Madness Tracker / Ocean Survey Board
An Overview
In Deep Regrets, you spend a week at Sea, competing against other anglers to reel in the most valuable haul of Fish while repressing your Regrets and managing your Madness.
On each of six Days, players roll dice to determine their energy for the Day, and then decide whether to stay at Sea and Fish, or Make Port to sell and resupply. Each Day proceeds with players taking turns, in clockwise order, until all players have passed. At the end of the week, players calculate their scores and the highest wins.
But There's a Catch
Regrets. They can creep up on you. There are bigger rewards to be won by acquiring more and more Regrets, but push your luck too much and you could stand to lose a great deal. At the end of the game, the player with the heaviest burden of Regrets has been wracked with guilt, overcome by Madness, and must suffer grave consequences, discarding one of the trophy Fish they've mounted during the game.
Can you still win with the most Regrets? Maybe. But it's a difficult albatross to bear.
Edmund Halley (1656 - 174?)
English Astrophysicist and Mathematician known most prominently for predicting the appearance of the comet that shares his name. He also turned his attention downwards, creating a diving bell in which he spent four hours underwater, giving himself barotrauma. His legacy was later overshadowed by the publication of his widely disputed theory that Earth was hollow. He disappeared in 1740 on a sea voyage north to find out the truth.
Setup
Player Setup
- Each player takes an Angler Board and places it in front of them, either side up. They are all functionally identical.
- Give each player:
- 1 Fishbuck tracker in their color (place it on the 0 space)
- 3 Player Dice in their color
- 2 Reference cards
- 1 Can of Worms card
- 1 Lifeboat card
- The first Day is always spent at Sea, so place each player's Boat at Depth I.
- Give the first player marker to the person who had the most regrettable day.
Port Setup
- Place the Port board at the end of the table.
- For a normal game (30 min/player), place the Day tracker on Monday. For a shorter game (20 min/player), place the Day tracker on Tuesday.
- Place all Tackle Dice into the dice bag, randomly draw 4, and place them in the Market. Place the bag nearby.
- Shuffle all the Regret cards, then take 10 cards per player and place them in a single pile next to the Port board, creating the Regrets deck. Return the rest to the box.
- Shuffle the Rods, Reels, and Supplies decks and place them below the Port board in the Market, face-up. Leave space beneath them for a second row of items to be revealed.
- Place the Life Preserver, Fishcoin and Omen Die nearby.
- Place the Madness tracker nearby, and place each player's Madness cube on the top row.
Sea Setup (also used in Solo/Co-op mode)
- Place the Sea board beside the Port board.
- Shuffle the Dinks deck and place it in the designated space at the top of the board.
- Shuffle all Depth I Fish and deal them out in piles of 13 to form a row of three Shoals at Depth I.
- Do the same for Depths II and III.
- Leave space for Graveyards to the right of each Depth row.
How to Play: The Four Day Phases
Each Day is played in four phases: Start, Refresh, Declaration, and Action.
Phase I: Start
NOTE: Skip this phase on the first Day
- Red Sky at Morning: Move the Day tracker up, pass the first player token clockwise, and discard all revealed Fish at Sea. Trigger any Day effects shown on the Day tracker:
- Wed/Fri: All players flip their Can of Worms face-up.
- Thur/Sat: All players take one blue/orange die from the bag (or Market). If there are not enough available, all players take one green die instead.
- Market Fluctuations: Discard the bottom Market row to the bottom of their decks, then move the top card of the deck down a row. There should always be two items of each type visible (Rods, Reels and Supplies).
Phase II: Refresh
- Muster Your Courage: Each player takes all dice from their Spent Pool and as many dice as they wish from their Fresh Pool and rolls them. Then they can place any dice into the Fresh Pool, up to the number allowed by their current Max Dice on their Madness tracker. Any excess dice are placed into the Spent Pool.
- Throw the Life Preserver: The player who rolled the highest (and, in case of ties, is earliest in turn order) takes the Life Preserver and gives it to another player of their choice.
The Life Preserver may be discarded at Sea to reduce the Difficulty of a single Fish by 2, or at Port to reduce the cost of a single item by 2.
Phase III: Declaration
NOTE: Skip this phase on the first Day
- Declare Intent: Starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise, each player declares whether they will be at Sea or Make Port by placing their Boat in the appropriate location.
- Equip Rod & Reel: If players own Rods or Reels, they decide which they will equip, and place them in the slots below their Angler Board. These remain equipped until the next Declaration phase and cannot be changed.
Phase IV: Action
- Take Turns: Starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise, each player takes one action per turn.
- Pass Your Turn: If a player cannot take any more actions (or chooses not to), they may pass. Once they have passed, they are skipped in the turn order. They cannot take any actions, eat any Fish, or use any items until the next Day.
- Last to Pass: Once all players but one have passed, if the remaining player is at Sea, they get only TWO final turns and then must pass. If they are at Port, they get FOUR final turns instead. Play then proceeds to the next day.
Roccabarraigh
A small fishing village off the north coast of Scotland. There is no record of Roccabarraigh prior to the year 1743. As mysteriously as it appeared in history, it vanished again in 1909 without trace—along with every man, woman and child on its mud-caked streets.
"Nuair a thig Rocabarra ris, is dual gun tèid an Saoghal a sgrios."
Sea Actions
At Sea, there are two actions you may take: Fish and Abandon Ship.
You may also do any of the following on your turn, they don't count as actions:
Eat Fish: If a Fish has an eat ability, it may be used at any stage of the fishing process by discarding the Fish to its respective Graveyard.
Use the Life Preserver: If you have the Life Preserver, you may discard it to reduce a single Fish's Difficulty by 2.
Use Dinks & Items: Some Dinks and Supply items can be used at Sea for various benefits. When used, discard them to the bottom of their respective decks.
Use Your Can of Worms: Before revealing, you can flip your worms to peek at a Fish and decide to put it back on either the top or bottom of the Shoal.
Overfishing: If you ever catch the last Fish in a Shoal, immediately draw one Regret card. Players can no longer Fish from this Shoal.
How to Abandon Ship
If your lifeboat is face-up, you may flip it over to immediately Make Port. Move your Boat to the Port Board, and follow the procedure for Making Port (p.17). You can now only take Port actions for the rest of the Day.
NOTE: If all other players have passed when a player uses their lifeboat, they may still take FOUR actions at Port.
It's a drastic act, but sometimes necessary. Once the lifeboat is face-down, it can never be flipped back over. At the end of the game, a flipped lifeboat increases your Regret Value by 10. A flipped lifeboat does not count as a Regret card when calculating Madness. You cannot abandon ship once you have passed.
How to Fish
Ah, the heart of the matter. Fishing is done in five steps and if you fail to catch a Fish (or don't want to) you must spend a die and draw a Dink as a concession. Follow this process:
You need dice to fish: You must have at least one fresh die in order to fish, regardless of your items and equipment.
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Reveal: Select a Shoal at any Depth and flip over the top card so all players can see it. If any Fish are already revealed, you may choose to catch one of them instead.
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Trigger: Check to see if the revealed Fish has any reveal abilities. If so, resolve them now before proceeding. Ignore reveal abilities on previously revealed Fish.
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Drop Sinkers: Your Boat must be at the same Depth or lower than the revealed Fish in order to catch it. You may move your boat down one Depth by spending a die of any Value. Your boat remains at this Depth until you return to Port.
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Pay: Check the Fish's Difficulty in the upper right-hand corner of the card. To catch the Fish, you must spend dice at least equal to the Fish's Difficulty. Spent Player Dice are moved into the Spent Pool, spent Tackle Dice are put back into the dice bag. You cannot spend half-dice, so if a Fish costs less than the dice you're paying, any additional points are lost.
NOTE: If a Fish has no printed Value or has a Value of 0, you don't need to spend any dice unless it has an ability that states it must be caught with exactly a certain number of dice.
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Catch: Once you've paid the correct amount of dice, check if the Fish has any catch abilities and resolve them now, then take the card into your hand, and keep it hidden from other players. This ends the fishing action and the turn rotates to the next player.
Catching Dinks: If at any step of fishing you cannot afford to catch a fish, or you decide not to, you must spend one die of any Value and draw the top card of the Dink deck instead. Any uncaught Fish remain revealed until the end of the Day, when they are discarded.
Fish Anatomy
We're using the term "Fish" very loosely here. Some of these things are very clearly not Fish. Some of them completely defy description. Nevertheless, they mostly all have a few things in common.
Value: This is the Value of the Fish, both for selling at Port and for scoring at the end of the game. Note: Value is modified by your current Madness.
Name: If you need to get the Fish's attention, this is the name to use.
Difficulty: This is how hard the Fish is to catch. When fishing, you must spend dice equal to or greater than the Fish's Difficulty in order to catch it.
Sell Effect: All Foul Fish cause you to draw one Regret card when sold. You don't feel great about introducing this horror into society.
Size & Type: This states how big the Fish is, and whether it's a Fair Fish or a Foul Fish.
Abilities: Any static, reveal, catch, or eat abilities are listed here.
Lore: A fact or observation about the Fish. Has no bearing on gameplay.
Depth: A reminder of the Depth from whence the Fish came.
Dinks are small catches used for bait, discounts and more. They do not count as Fish, they are unaffected by Madness level, and they do not count for scoring.
How to Identify Fish Difficulty
Using some deduction, you can speculate about how hard a Fish will be to catch. There are three sizes of Fish—small, middling and large—each with consistent ranges of Difficulty at each Depth. You can see from the shadows on the back of each card what size a Fish will be, then refer to the chart here or on the player reference cards to see the potential range of Difficulty.
Small Shadows are almost completely covered by the numeral.
Middling Shadows nearly touch the borders on the card.
Large Shadows exceed the edges of the card.
Difficulty Range by Size & Depth
| Depth | Small | Mid | Large |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | 0-2 | 1-3 | 2-4 |
| II | 1-3 | 2-4 | 3-5 |
| III | 2-4 | 3-5 | 4-? |
Every player has a reference card with this chart. Always do your research before wildly revealing Fish!
Pro Tip: The Bigger the Better — Larger Fish generally have higher Value to Difficulty ratio. Will you take a chance at revealing something larger and more valuable at the risk of it being too difficult to catch? Or will you play it safe?
Pro Tip: The Deeper the More Difficult — Fish of the same size are more difficult to catch at deeper Depths. Make sure you check the correct Difficulty range and are adequately prepared before committing to reveal a Fish.
How to Identify Fish Type
There are two types of Fish: Fair and Foul. You can tell a Fish's type by the color of the text and borders on the card, but it is also clearly stated just under the Fish's name, next to its size.
Foul Fish are more likely at lower Depths. The ratio of Foul to Fair Fish can be found below or on the player reference cards.
Fair:Foul Ratio by Depth
| Depth | Fair | Foul | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | 3 | TO | 1 |
| II | 1 | TO | 1 |
| III | 1 | TO | 3 |
Every player has a reference card with this chart. Be scientific, be curious, always check the guide.
Pro Tip: Madness Affects Value — Fish Values are affected by Madness according to type. Where your Madness lies at the end of the game can have a major impact on your score! Refer to Madness (p.20) for details.
Fair Fish have blue borders and are things that exist in the normal order of nature.
Foul Fish have green borders and are abominations that have no place in a sane world.
How to Identify Fish Abilities
There are four potential types of Fish abilities: persistent, reveal, catch, and eat. No Fish has all four types, but some have two or, in rare cases, three.
Persistent: These abilities are always in effect as long as the Fish is revealed.
Reveal: These abilities resolve immediately when a Fish is revealed.
Catch: These abilities resolve immediately when a Fish is caught.
Eat: These abilities resolve immediately when a Fish is eaten and discarded.
The Fishcoin: If a Fish has an ability that requires the Fishcoin action, flip the Fishcoin and resolve either the heads or tails effect accordingly.
The Omen Die: If you're lucky enough to catch the Amulet of Agarta, you get to add the Omen Die to your player dice.
Port Actions
At Port, there are three actions you may take: Sell, Buy, and Mount.
How to Sell Fish
Choose one of the Fish in your hand and sell it for its Value, modified by your current Madness. Take the correct amount of money and discard the Fish to its respective graveyard. If the Fish you sold was Foul, you must draw one Regret card. (NOTE: Foul Fish always sell for their current Value, before you draw the Regret card for selling them.)
Example: Foul Fish with a Value of 3, current Foul Value of -2 on the Madness tracker → Fish sells for 1. Example: Fair Fish with a Value of 3, current Fair Value of +2 on the Madness tracker → Fish sells for 5.
How to Mount Fish
Permanently place one of your Fish under any empty slot at the top of your Angler Board. At the end of the game, this Fish's Value will be modified by the multiplier on the slot. (NOTE: You can never unmount Fish. The player with the most Regrets at the end of the game must discard their most valuable mounted Fish.)
How to Buy Items
Purchase one Rod, Reel, or Supply from the Market by paying the cost in the upper right corner. Immediately refill the Market.
How to Buy Tackle Dice
Purchase one of the available Tackle Dice ($1 for green dice, $2 for blue dice, $3 for orange dice), then refill the Market with a new die from the bag. Immediately roll any purchased dice and place them into your Fresh Pool. If you would exceed your Max Dice, place the excess in your Spent Pool instead. (NOTE: Tackle Dice are returned to the bag when they are spent instead of moving to the Spent Pool.)
The different colors of dice have different costs and pip Values, as shown below (example faces pictured): blue die faces 0, 0, 1, 2; green die faces 1, 1, 2, 3; orange die faces 2, 3, 2, 3.
You may also do any of the following on your turn, they don't count as actions:
Use the Life Preserver: If you have the Life Preserver, you may discard it to reduce a single item or Tackle Die's cost by 2.
Use Dinks: Some Dinks can be used at Port to reduce the cost of items. When used, place them on the bottom of the Dink deck.
Cycle the Market: You may pay 1 to place all revealed items of one type (Rod, Reel, or Supply) on the bottom of their deck and reveal two new cards OR you may pay 1 to place all dice in the Market back in the bag and draw out four new dice.
Make Port
Returning to Port is an important time to rest, recuperate and collect yourself for another harrowing Day at Sea. Choosing to return to Port gives you an opportunity to buy equipment that can dramatically increase your chances of catching impressive Fish. It also gives you multiple chances to roll stronger results on your dice — once when returning to Port and once at the start of the next Day.
Immediately upon arriving at Port, whether during the Declaration phase OR when using your lifeboat:
- Muster Your Courage, Again (See Refresh phase, p.8)
- Flip Your Can of Worms Face-Up (If they are not already face-up)
- Discard One Regret Card (This is optional, you can always just sulk)
Regrets
We all have them. Some more than others.
Over the course of the game, you're going to collect a lot of Regret cards—they represent things you've done in life of which you're particularly ashamed. Viewed as a whole, they paint a picture of a life poorly lived.
You must keep your Regret cards face-down in front of you in such a way they can be counted, and you must disclose your number of Regrets cards honestly if asked.
Regret Cards vs. Regret Value
A key distinction to note is the difference between your number of Regret cards (which affect Madness level) and your Regret Value (which only affects end-of-game scoring).
Number of Regret Cards: This is public knowledge. It's the physical number of cards you have, regardless of what Value they state on the front. Use this number to determine where you fall on the Madness tracker. A flipped lifeboat does not count as a Regret card.
Regret Value: This is kept hidden from other players. It's the Value on the back of the Regret card, between 0 and 3. At the end of the game, your total Regret Value is the Value of all your Regret cards combined, plus 10 if your Lifeboat is flipped.
Example: 3 Regret Cards vs. 8 Regret Value (Deep Regret, Deep Regret, Heavy Regret).
Drawing Regrets: When an effect or ability requires you to draw a Regret, take one from the top of the Regrets draw pile at Port, look at it in secret, and put it face-down in front of you. If the draw pile is empty, you must draw from the discard pile. If the discard pile is empty, you must choose another player and take a random Regret from them. If you somehow miraculously have all of the Regret cards, well done: you are the most miserable angler of all time.
Discarding Regrets: When an effect or ability requires you to discard a Regret, place it on top of the discard pile, face-down.
When Multiple Players Draw or Discard Regrets: If an effect or ability causes multiple players to draw or discard Regrets simultaneously, resolve this by starting with the first player and proceeding in turn order.
A Lamentable Narrative: Each Regret card has a unique Regret on it. At the end of the game, feel free to craft a narrative that ties all of your Regrets together and force the other players to listen to your miserable tale of woe.
Regrets at the End of the Game: When the game is over, all players tally up the total Value of their Regrets, adding 10 points if they flipped their Lifeboat. The player with the highest total Regret Value must discard one of their mounted Fish. (see The End, p.22)
Hollow Earth
Based on magnetic readings taken from a compass he developed, Halley posited that Earth was actually hollow, and that there may be another entire world within this one, possibly teeming with life and even civilization.
Madness
As your sanity slips away, it becomes harder to ignore your Regrets.
And as your Regrets mount, your sanity slips away. It's a vicious cycle. The further you drift down into Madness, the more reckless you become. You're have fewer compunctions, are willing to work longer hours, and manipulate and mislead others. In your desperation you might resort to thievery. Or cannibalism.
There is freedom in this Madness. A freedom that can greatly benefit you, and perhaps help you best the other anglers. But it could also cost you dearly.
Tracking Madness
Madness is tracked in real time by the number of Regret cards you have. As you draw and discard Regrets, adjust your position on the Madness tracker appropriately.
Example: 6 Regret Cards → place cube at 4-6 Tier on Madness tracker → Effects: +1 Fair Value / = Foul Value / 5 Max Dice.
Ocean Madness Tracker
| Cards | Fair Value | Foul Value | Max Dice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | +2 | -2 | 4 |
| 1-3 | +1 | -1 | 4 |
| 4-6 | +1 | = | 5 |
| 7-9 | = | +1 | 6 |
| 10-12 | -1 | +1 | 7 |
| 13+ | -2 | +2 | 8 |
Port Discount at 13+: -$1
Diagnosing the Effects of Madness
Fair & Foul Values: Your Madness level affects the Value of all Fish, Fair and Foul, both for selling and scoring. Whenever you sell a Fish, modify its Value according to the Madness tracker. As your sanity slips away, Fair Fish become less desirable and Foul Fish more covetous to you. At the end of the game, modify all your Fair Fish Values according to the Madness tracker.
Example: Fair Fish with a Value of 4, current Fair Value of +2 on the Madness tracker → Current Fish Value = 6.
Port Discount: When you reach the bottom of the Madness tracker, your desperation has climaxed and you're willing to cheat, swindle, and outright steal. Every item purchase you make at Port costs $1 less. This discount does not apply to Tackle Dice.
Max Dice: This is the maximum number of dice you can move into your Fresh Pool at one time. The more unhinged you become, the less you look after yourself. You push yourself too far, work yourself too hard, and turn a blind eye to the repercussions.
If you have more total dice during the Refresh phase than your Max Dice allows, roll them all and decide which to move into your Fresh Pool.
If you acquire more dice than your Max Dice allows, the remaining dice are placed into your Spent Pool.
What if Your Madness Drops and You Have More Fresh Dice than Allowed? The only time you need to check your Max Dice is when acquiring new dice or refreshing existing ones.
You never need to move dice out of your Fresh Pool unless spending them. If your Madness drops and you have more dice in your Fresh Pool than your new Max Dice allows, you don't need to remove them.
The End
The game ends on the final Day, once all players have passed.
Dealing with Regrets
To start, all players must reveal and count the Value of all their Regret cards, adding 10 to the total if they flipped their Lifeboat. The player(s) with the highest total Regret Value must discard a Fish according to player count.
Highest Regret Penalty:
| Number of Players | Must Discard |
|---|---|
| 2 | Lowest Value mounted Fish |
| 3+ | Highest Value mounted Fish |
Calculate Value using the scoring system below when deciding which to discard.
Counting Up Scores
End of game scores include three things: Fish in hand, mounted Fish, and Fishbucks.
- Fish in Hand are scored by their printed Value modified by your current level on the Madness tracker.
- Mounted Fish are scored by their Value first modified by your current level on the Madness tracker and then multiplied by the mount modifier (either x2 or x3).
- Fishbucks score 1 point for every 2.
Once players have totalled their scores, the player with the highest score wins. In the case of a tie, the player with the lower total Regret Value wins. If they are still tied, the player with fewer Regret Cards wins. If they are still tied, they just tie. Stop being so competitive. Let it go.
Example Score: (Madness effects: -2 Fair Value, +2 Foul Value)
- Giant Octopus, Value of 6, -2 for Madness (4), x2 for Mounting = 8 points
- Abyssal Star, Value of 6, -2 for Madness (4), x3 for Mounting = 24 points
- Sea Monkey, Value of 5, +2 for Madness (7), x2 for Mounting = 14 points
- Lamprey, Value of 2, -2 for Madness = 0 points
- Bubo, Value of 3, +2 for Madness = 5 points
- 2 points from Fishbucks
- Total: 8 + 24 + 14 + 0 + 5 + 2 = Final Score of 53
Solo / Co-operative: Ocean Survey
A Quest for Knowledge
The Angler's Guide Research Institute is on an expedition to understand the ocean's residents. As a solo ichthyologist (or a team of scientists working together), embark on a campaign to catch and catalog every Fish in the Sea. Each game, you'll spend five Days reeling in as much as possible. At the end of the game, you'll discard a Value of Fish equal to the Regrets you've accumulated and then spend the rest on permanently unlocking equipment for future games. Your job is complete and the campaign ends once you've brought every Fish back to Port for observation and study.
Setup
- Place these Fish back in the box:
- I - Man O' War
- I - Tidal Trafficker
- II - Bathyphysa Conifera
- II - Deep Dealer
- II - Blue Whale
- III - Abyssal Colony
- III - Profound Peddler
- III - Whale of Rocabarraigh
- Dink - Odd Ring
- Any Fish from expansions
- Perform the Sea Setup as described in the multiplayer setup (see p.7).
- Place the Ocean Survey board nearby (on the back of the Madness Tracker).
- Place the Day tracker on Monday.
- Shuffle all Regrets cards and place the on the Ocean Survey Board.
- Choose a single Angler Board and take the corresponding Player Dice and Boat.
- Place your Boat at Depth I.
- Take a Can of Worms, a reference card, and any equipment you have unlocked in previous solo games as indicated on your Ocean Survey sheet.
- Ready your Ocean Survey sheet and a writing utensil of your choice.
How to Play
Phase I: Refresh
- Clock In: Move the Day tracker up and discard any revealed Fish at Sea (skip on the first Day).
- Coffee Up: Take all dice from the Spent Pool, roll them, and place them into the Fresh Pool.
- Kit Out: If you own any Rods or Reels, pick one of each to equip for the Day and place it in the appropriate spot under your Angler Board.
Phase II: Survey
- Catch: Perform the fishing action exactly as described on p.11.
- Catalog: Each time you successfully catch a Fish, record its details in the appropriate place on your Ocean Survey sheet. Do not check the box to the left until you successfully bring the Fish back to Port (see Scoring).
- Clock Out: Once you've run out of dice for fishing, the Day ends and you proceed to the next Day.
Ignore Some Abilities:
- Ignore eat abilities, you can't eat Fish. We're here to document, not devour.
- Ignore coin-flip effects.
- Ignore effects that only target other players.
- Ignore effects that give you Fishbucks.
Stay Down: Spending dice to move to lower Depths lasts until the end of the game.
Sharing Roles in Co-op: If multiple players are involved, either work as a team to make decisions or assign specific roles such as:
- Angler: Decides where to fish and which equipment to use.
- Scientist: Writes Fish on the survey sheet and decides which to discard at the end of the game.
Cataloging
Be Scientifically Rigorous: Every time you catch a Fish, check to see if you've caught it before. If not, record its details in the appropriate place on the Ocean Survey sheet.
Everything in Its Right Place: The two-sided Ocean Survey sheet has the exact number of slots to catalog every Fish with none to spare. Check the size and Depth of the Fish you've caught and write in its type, name, Value and Difficulty on the sheet.
The One That Got Away: If you reveal a Fish but fail to catch it, don't record its details on the sheet, you'll need to return another Day to attempt to catch it again. You can use the notes section on the back of the sheet to remind yourself of Fish to keep an eye out for in the future or warn yourself of hazards to avoid.
Still Gotta Haul It In: Leave the check box to the left of the Fish empty when you first catch it. You'll check it off once you successfully haul it back to Port but you may have to jettison some Fish before then (see p.26).
"I have seen for years that we are all hurrying on indecorously to the abyss in which we are all to plunge—together." — Edmund Halley
Single Use Items: Your Can of Worms and any Supplies you've unlocked can only be used once per game. Flip them over once used.
Spend Your Dinks: Dinks that reduce the cost of items can be used at the end of the game towards unlocking new equipment.
Week's End
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Count Regrets: Once you're done fishing on the final Day, count up your total Value in Regrets. The quantity of cards has no effect in solo mode, only the printed Values.
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Jettison Fish: You got tired. You got sloppy. Your hold got overwhelmed. There were casualties. You must discard any combination of Fish with a total Value equal to or greater than your total Value of Regrets.
Example: 8 Regret Value → must discard 8 Value worth of Fish (e.g. Hammerhead Shark).
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Bring to Port: Whatever's left you get to bring back to the Institute to observe and study. On your Ocean Survey sheet, check the box to the left of each Fish still in your possession.
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Unlock Equipment: Count up the total Value of all Fish you brought to Port. You may spend this amount towards unlocking equipment in any combination. Only the items listed on the Ocean Survey sheet are available to unlock, and you must pay the cost printed on the sheet, ignoring the cost printed on the card. Place a check mark next to each piece of equipment you purchase, it will be usable in all future games.
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Get Back Out There! Start a new game immediately or save your Ocean Survey sheet to play again later.
Appendix
Fish Clarification
The Plug: For the rest of the game, at the start of every player's turn, discard the top Fish from the top-left most Shoal in the Sea. As Shoals are depleted, work left to right across the row and then move down to the far left pile of the next Depth. If all Shoals are ever depleted, the game ends immediately.
Siren: The highest paying player spends their dice and catches Siren. No one else spends dice.
Parasitic Larvae/Colossal Squid/Gloom Orphan: These Fish can be sold or mounted by normal rules. Their abilities are removed once mounted or sold. They are also scored normally at the end of the game if face up in front of you.
Tidal Trafficker/Deep Dealer/Profound Peddler: Take ALL of the Supply items from the Market, including those already revealed. Once you've selected the item you want to take, shuffle the deck, place it back in the Market, and reveal two new items.
All Sharks: Only discard a small Fish if you have one, catch the shark regardless.
All Eels, All Octopuses and the Kraken: You must spend the required number of dice, even if items or abilities reduce the Fish's Difficulty to zero.
Whispering Skull: This can't be sold and has no Value. It only allows you to peek at a Fish and does not allow you to place it on the bottom of the Shoal like Can of Worms.
Amulet of Agarta (Omen Die): This can't be sold and has no Value. When you catch it, take the red Omen Die, roll it, and put it into your Fresh Pool if your Max Dice allows. If not, place it into your Spent Pool. Treat it exactly like a Player Die.
Sea Monkey: If you have fewer Regrets Cards than the number of players, you may choose who to give them to.
Item Clarification
Cloche: You may use this item at Port or Sea.
Rod of the Dead: Do not trigger any reveal abilities on Fish you reveal. If the Fish cannot be caught (for example, Blue Whale) discard the Fish immediately.
Bone Wheel: To track unspent points, rotate the die to a lower Value.
Reference
Difficulty: How many points' worth of dice you must spend to catch a Fish.
Dink: One of the small cards with the green back.
Discard: Unless otherwise noted, Fish are discarded into the Graveyard that matches their Depth and items and Dinks are discarded to the bottom of their decks.
Equip: Place a Rod or Reel in the matching slot on your Angler Board to utilize its effects.
Increment: Rotate one of your dice to its next highest Value, not exceeding its highest printed Value. When you increment more than once, you may choose one or more dice to increment.
Item: Any of the three types of cards bought at Port: Rod, Reel, and Supply.
Madness: Your current standing on the Madness tracker.
Mount: Place a Fish card in any empty slot at the top of your Angler Board for end-game scoring multipliers.
Peek: Look at the top card of a Shoal without revealing it or showing it to other players.
Player Dice: The two-tone starting dice.
Refresh (Single Action): Take one of your dice from the Spent OR Fresh Pool, roll it, and put it into your Fresh Pool (if your Max Dice allows).
Refresh (Phase): The second phase of the day where all players perform the Muster Your Courage action (p.8).
Regret Cards: The number of physical cards.
Regret Value: The number on the front of Regret cards.
Shoal: One of the nine piles of Fish cards on the Sea Board, three at each Depth.
Tackle Dice: The plain wooden dice you buy at Port.
Value: How much a Fish is worth for selling and scoring.
Icon Reference
- Anchor: Draw Regret Card
- Anchor with slash: Discard Regret Card
- Eye: Reveal ability
- Eye in circle: Catch ability
- Globe/net: Eat ability
- Triangle/arrow up: Increment one dice
- Circular arrow: Refresh one of your dice
- Question mark coin: Flip the Fishcoin
- Mountain/peak: Heads on the Fishcoin
- Figure: Tails on the Fishcoin
- Fish hook: Fish Difficulty
- Dollar sign: Money
- Dollar sign with arrows: Cycle the Market
- Flipped card: Flip this card over
- Card with slash: Discard this card
- Circle with dot: No cards left in Shoal
- Fish with depth marker: Fish at this Depth or above
- Boxed symbol: Bring to Port (solo mode)
Design, Development & Illustration: Judson Cowan tettixgames.com
Deep Regrets, ©2024, Tettix Games Ltd