Der unendliche Fluss
Der unendliche Fluss Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Fasten the wizards in the little boats that match the colour of their hats. Place the river in the middle of the table and moor each of the three wizards on its starting field (1).
Shuffle the 36 cards and place them face down at the edge of the table (2).
Deal each player one card, so that no one sees the picture showing the target. Each player keeps their card secret and shows it to no one.
* The die is needed only for the shortened variant of the game and stays in the box for now.
The youngest player starts. Play proceeds clockwise.
Course of the Game
When it is your turn, look at your card once more. It shows a wizard in a coloured hat (yellow, red or blue) and a frightening creature (1). You must help this wizard sail in his boat to a shore spot of the same colour as the creature.
To move the boat, take the river with both hands at its sides and carefully push it in the direction in which your wizard must move (2).
However, be on guard: other wizards also drift along the river! Sail your wizard to the frightening creature shown on your card.
As soon as your little boat is exactly in the middle between the marker of your destination (3), you have done it! Stop the river, show everyone your card, and place it face up in front of you. Now you may secretly draw one more card from the deck, and the turn passes to the next player clockwise.
Be attentive! Even if it is not your turn, follow the river! As soon as the wizard shown on your card sails to a place of the same colour as the card, shout urgently: "Stop!" The player who is currently moving the river must stop immediately!
Show your picture to the other players and place it in front of you face up. Now you must again secretly draw a new card from the deck. The turn passes to the next player clockwise.
Back to the Start!
If you draw a card that shows hats of all three colours (yellow, red and blue) (4), all three wizards must be moved back to their starting fields. The game continues from there.
End of the Game
The game is won by the player who first lays out, face up in front of them and without hiding them, 6 cards with a completed task.
Notes
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In The Endless River you do not move the game pieces directly; you move the playing field itself! The wizards move directly with the movement of the river. Practise moving the river a couple of times before your first game to get a feel for it.
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During the game you may, for example if you cannot reach the river with your hands or the table is too small, lift the river, move it to another convenient place, and then continue moving it (5).
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You have no wizard of your own in the game. Each time you draw a new card, you may find yourself helping some other wizard.
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When you draw a card showing a wizard who is already on the place depicted on it, you must show this card to all players and place it at the bottom of the deck, and take the next card from the deck for yourself.
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It may happen that two players have drawn the same card, so both players completed the task at the same time. If this happens when such a card becomes the 6th card, play continues until one of the players has laid 7 cards in front of them.
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If a wizard falls off, or is thrown off the board by a movement that is too sudden, during the river's movement, you lose your turn. Put the wizard back in the place from which it fell and pass the turn to the next player.
Variant for Especially Quick Wizards
If you are an especially quick wizard, add the die to the game. The rules of the game remain the same, but when it is your turn to move the river, the player to your left rolls the die until they roll "1". Then they must roll "2" and finally "3", and each time they loudly call out the number rolled.
You must move the river and finish your turn before they call out "3". If you did not manage it, pass the turn to the next player.
The player rolling the die must also keep an eye on the board, in case their wizard reaches its goal while they are rolling.
Game information (from the box panel): 2–4 players; ages 6 and up; 15–20 minutes.