Dive
Dive Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
The game plays simultaneously for all divers. They must secretly program their dives. By observing the stacked Ocean cards, they try to perceive at which depths they will find sea turtles and manta rays ready to help them, as well as sharks that they do not want to disturb. They each have Air tokens that they will use to program their actions. The diver who retrieves the sacred stone wins.
Dive explores the notion of perception, the ability of the divers to observe the ocean through a deck of transparent cards, and to benefit from it ("I need to avoid this shark, but is it on the third or fourth card?").
Contents
- 36 transparent Ocean cards
- 1 cardboard frame to assemble
- 4 Diver boards
- 4 Seashell tokens (1 per color)
- 4 screens
- 1 Descent board
- 4 Diver pawns (1 per color)
- 20 numbered wooden Air tokens (4 copies of values 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
- 8 Companion tiles (variant, see page 9)
- 1 black Diver pawn for the village chief (variant, see page 10)
- 48 Village Chief cards (variant, see page 10)
- 2 Bubble tokens (variant, see page 10)
- 1 rulebook
Before Your First Game
Assembling the Cardboard Frame
You only need to do this once, before your first game. Thereafter, you can store the frame, still assembled, in the box.
Follow these two steps to assemble the cardboard frame:
- Slot together parts A and B (do this four times).
- Slide each corner of part C over an assembled part AB.
Before Every Game
Setup
Take the stack of Ocean cards (some have holes in them by design) and shuffle them. As you shuffle, also turn the cards 90°, 180°, and 270°, and flip some of them over.
Then place the frame in the middle of the table and slide the stack of Ocean cards into it (trying not to notice where the sea turtles, manta rays, and sharks are).
All of the divers (players) need to be able to easily view the stack of Ocean cards from above.
Place the Descent board beside the play area.
Each diver receives the following:
- 1 Diver board
- 5 Air tokens (numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
- 1 screen (optional if you prefer to hide your board with your hand)
- 1 Diver pawn — place it on space 0 of the Descent board (it doesn't matter in what order the pawns get stacked)
- 1 matching Seashell token — permanently place it in front of your Diver board to remember your Diver color
Return all unused components to the box.
Playing the Game
The game lasts several rounds, until someone reaches or passes space 23 of the Descent board, and retrieves the sacred stone of the village.
Playing a Round
A round comprises three phases: Phase 1: Program, Phase 2: Dive, Phase 3: Rest.
Phase 1 — Program
IMPORTANT: During this phase, no one is allowed to touch or move the Ocean cards or the cardboard frame!
At the beginning of this phase, each diver has their five Air tokens.
Everyone looks at the stack of Ocean cards and programs their dive simultaneously and secretly (hiding it with a screen or their hand) by placing their Air tokens on their Diver board.
Your program always starts with depth level 1 (topmost) and continues uninterrupted to a maximum depth of level 5 (bottommost).
The five levels of depth correspond to the top five cards of the stack of Ocean cards. The first Ocean card revealed in the round corresponds to level 1 of the Diver boards; the second, to level 2; etc.
The Air tokens are numbered 1 – 5, values which represent the speed of the dive. In addition, each of these pawns has a side without a shark and a side with a shark.
During this phase, your objective is to descend as deep as possible without making any mistakes in anticipating the following for each level:
- the presence or absence of a shark, which you will indicate by having the correct side of the Air token(s) programmed at this level facing up.
- the presence of a sea turtle or manta ray ready to help you, which would require you to speed up (by programming a high value) to grab it before the other divers can.
To do this, you can program Air tokens not only in the order of your choice, but even stacked to combine their values. There is no limit to the stacking.
NOTE: If you stack Air tokens, you will not be able to descend to level 5, because you only have five Air tokens!
You are required to use at least one Air token per round. Unplayed Air tokens earn you nothing (very rarely is there any reason not to program all five Air tokens).
When all of the divers are ready, the Dive phase commences.
Example: By placing his Air tokens on the first four depth levels, Romain is committing to trying to dive to the fourth Ocean card. He saw neither a shark, sea turtle, nor manta ray on the first card. He is thus content to have a value-1 Air token for this first level, keeping his higher values for deeper levels. On the second level, Romain makes out a shark and thinks he might see a sea turtle. So, he chooses to use his value-3 Air token here, shark side up. On closer inspection, the sea turtle looks more like it is on the third level, and there certainly is no shark on the third level. Therefore, he stacks his 4 and 5 here for a total of 9, sharkless side up. Feeling sure of himself, he also programs a fourth level anticipating no shark.
Phase 2 — Dive
Everyone removes their screen (or hand) to reveal their program.
A diver (anyone) removes the first Ocean card from the stack (without moving the other Ocean cards) and announces what is there:
- a shark
- a sea turtle
- a manta ray
- a shark and a sea turtle or manta ray
- none of the above
NOTES:
- Only sharks, sea turtles, and manta rays are relevant; everything else (algae, fish, whales...) is purely decorative.
- The three shark illustrations are the only ones that represent sharks; however, their size and orientation may vary.
For each depth level, all divers simultaneously evaluate their program at that level.
There are 3 steps to evaluating a depth level:
- Step 1: Is my program correct?
- Step 2: Does the Ocean card have a sea turtle or manta ray?
- Step 3: Do we need to go deeper?
Step 1 — Is my program correct?
Your program is correct if:
- there is not a shark on the Ocean card, and you programmed the sharkless side.
- there is a shark on the Ocean card, and you programmed the shark side.
No, my program is wrong! If you have an incorrect program for this level:
- Remove the Air tokens you programmed at this level and all levels deeper from your Diver board.
- Leave the Air tokens you programmed at previous levels (already verified) where they are.
- Do nothing further in the Dive phase; wait for the Rest phase.
Yes, my program is correct! Leave your Air tokens for this level where they are, and proceed to Step 2.
Step 2 — Does the Ocean card have a sea turtle or manta ray?
No, there are neither sea turtles nor manta rays on the Ocean card! No one is helped by a sea turtle or manta ray. Proceed to Step 3.
Yes, there is a sea turtle or manta ray on the Ocean card! The diver who has not only correctly programmed this depth level, but who also has programmed the single greatest total value (of the stacked Air tokens), and only this one diver, advances their Diver pawn on the Descent board, thanks to help from the sea turtle / manta ray (diving bonus):
- Green sea turtle: Advance 1 space.
- Red sea turtle: Advance 2 spaces.
- Manta ray: Advance to the next space occupied by at least one Diver pawn, without passing space 15 (you must stop there; see The Descent Board).
NOTES:
- It doesn't matter how many spaces you advance this way; it could be just one space, ten, or more!
- The diver in the lead on the Descent board has no Diver pawns to catch up to, so the manta ray can't help that diver at all; however, it could be interesting to deprive another diver of the opportunity!
In the event of a tie for the highest value, no one is helped by the sea turtle / manta ray. Proceed to Step 3.
TIP: To keep track of which depth level is currently being evaluated, we suggest that you slide the stack of Air tokens for each successfully programmed level to the right on your Diver board.
Example: Level 3 has not yet been completely evaluated.
Example: During the same round (but at different depths), Anthony and Romain each receive help from a manta ray. Anthony gets helped first, on the first Ocean card, and advances only 1 space, because Romain's pawn is just in front of his. On the second Ocean card, Romain gets helped by a manta ray, and catches up to Michaël's pawn, which is on space 13.
Step 3 — Do we need to go deeper?
If at least one diver still has a program for the next depth level, evaluate it the same way, beginning with Step 1.
Otherwise, proceed to the next phase (Phase 3: Rest).
Phase 3 — Rest
Each diver progresses on the Descent board as many spaces as the deepest level reached on their Diver board (i.e. the number of levels on which you still have at least one Air token after the Dive phase). Neither the quantity of the Air tokens there nor their values matter.
Example: At the end of a round, Anthony still has Air tokens on two depth levels (i.e. Level 1 and Level 2). Thus, he advances his Diver pawn 2 spaces on the Descent board.
Once each diver with at least one Air token on their Diver board has advanced on the Descent board, the round is complete.
At this point, if no one has triggered the end of the game, prepare for a new round:
- Remove the evaluated Ocean cards from the game, where no one can look at them.
- Each diver retrieves their five Air tokens for the next round.
- Begin again from Phase 1: Program.
End of the Game
At the end of the Rest phase, if a diver has reached or passed space 23 of the Descent board, the game is over. This diver emerges from the water triumphant, brandishing the sacred stone. The entire village celebrates the new hero!
If several divers have reached space 23, whoever went furthest wins. If tied, you will just need to play again!
NOTE: In rare cases, it is possible for there to be no more Ocean cards in the frame. If this happens, the game ends at the end of the current round; any Air tokens programmed for depths that cannot be resolved — for lack of Ocean cards — are simply discarded. At the end of this round, the diver who descended the furthest on the Descent board wins.
The Descent Board
The Descent board is divided into two zones: Tranquil Waters (light spaces) and Deep Waters (dark spaces). Deep Waters begin at space 16.
In the Tranquil Waters zone, follow the basic rules.
On the other hand, in the Deep Waters zone, when you make a programming mistake, you remove all of the programmed Air tokens from your Diver board, including those from shallower levels that were already validated! However, you keep any diving bonuses that you acquired.
IMPORTANT: Manta rays no longer have any effect in the Deep Waters zone; however, sea turtles will still grant diving bonuses.
Example: Roman has attempted to dive five depth levels. He has correctly programmed the first three levels (whose Air tokens have been slid to the right, showing that evaluation of the fourth level is in progress). Unfortunately, Romain goofed on the fourth level. Therefore, he must remove his Air tokens for level 4 and deeper (marked with red Xes in the illustration) — where he made the mistake, and beyond — from his board. This is the "basic rule". But Romain's Diver pawn has already progressed to the Deep Waters zone of the Descent board. So he must also remove all of the Air tokens from the successful levels (marked with purple Xes in the illustration). As a result, Romain will not advance during the Rest phase!
REMEMBER: The diving bonus from a manta ray never carries you into the Deep Waters zone!
Example: In this new example, Romain gets a little help from a manta ray, and can thus catch up to Michaël's pawn. But Michaël is already in the Deep Waters zone. So, Romain advances his pawn to the final space of the Tranquil Waters zone, space 15. The manta ray cannot carry him into the Deep Waters zone.
Example of a Complete Round
Anthony, Michaël, and Romain are nearing the end of the game. Their programs will end up differing quite a bit....
Phase 1 — Program. All three have secretly programmed their five Air tokens.
Phase 2 — Dive. They reveal their Diver boards...
a) First depth level. The Ocean card has a shark and a red sea turtle.
Anthony, Michaël, and Romain all three have programmed a shark for this level; so their programs are considered correct.
Now they must compare speeds (total value of each stack) to see who gets help from the red sea turtle. With 9, Anthony clearly gets to the turtle first: He immediately progresses 2 spaces on the Descent board.
Anthony, Michaël, and Romain all three succeeded at this level, so they continue their descent to the next Ocean card.
b) Second depth level. The Ocean card has a manta ray, but no shark.
Anthony and Romain have programmed correctly by leaving the sharkless side visible; however, Michaël has messed up. He removes all of his Air tokens from his board, including the one from level 1, because his Diver pawn is in the Deep Waters zone.
This time, Romain has programmed the greater speed (10) at this level, so he gets the manta ray's help: His Diver pawn gets to join the stack of Diver pawns ahead of him; however, those pawns are in the Deep Waters zone, so Romain's pawn must stop on space 15, the final space of the Tranquil Waters zone.
c) Third depth level. The Ocean card has a red sea turtle, but no shark.
Romain was mistaken, so he removes the Air token he programmed for level 3, but leaves the ones for levels 1 and 2 where they are, because his Diver pawn is still in the Tranquil Waters zone. Anthony is the only one still going.
He grabs hold of the red turtle and immediately progresses 2 spaces.
Because Anthony is the last player still diving, but has no Air tokens programmed at level 4, it's time for the Rest phase.
Phase 3 — Rest. Now each diver progresses as many spaces as levels still occupied by at least one Air token; that means that Anthony moves 3, Michaël moves 0, and Romain moves 2. Anthony lands right on space 23, triggering the end of the game, and wins!
Variants
Flashlight
Use one or more flashlights (a smartphone is ideal!) to illuminate the stack of Ocean cards from above, from below, or from the sides. Each diver should have the opportunity to observe the stack however they wish, with or without a flashlight. Always keep the following three guidelines in mind:
- Play fair: Do not obstruct the other players.
- You can move the flashlights.
- Do not, under any circumstances, touch the Ocean card or the frame.
Simplified Version for Children
In this version, young divers only need to identify whether there is a shark on each Ocean card.
- For each level correctly programmed, your diver progresses 1 space on the Descent board.
- Even if you make a mistake, you continue to evaluate the following levels.
- Sea turtles and manta rays do nothing!
- The concept of speed is thus irrelevant, so you ignore the numbers on the Air tokens, and cannot stack them; you always program all 5 levels: simply indicating shark or no shark at each level.
- Ignore the zones on the Descent board: It all behaves as if it were one big Tranquil Waters zone.
The endgame trigger is unchanged. In the event of a tie, the tied players share the victory.
Companions
After several games, divers will want to take their faithful companions with them to provide invaluable help.
NOTE: Companions are incompatible with the Simplified Version for Children.
Choose Your Companion
During setup, each diver chooses the companion they want by their side during the game, from the seven available. If several divers want the same companion, the youngest of them gets it.
Each diver places their Companion tile beside their Diver board.
Return the remaining Companion tiles to the box; they will not be used during the game.
Using Your Companion
You are free to use your companion during the Program phase of any round; however, you must announce it, place the Companion tile on the table, visible to all — exceptions: giant octopus, clownfish, and anglerfish (see below) — and you cannot take it back.
Each companion has its own power, and can only be used once; after you use it, remove the tile from the game at the end of the round.
A companion that you have not used by the end of the game is worthless.
1) Giant Octopus. Place this tile wherever you wish atop the stack of Ocean cards to partially obscure them. Too bad for anyone who hasn't yet seen what is hidden below it (including you)! Once you have placed it, you cannot move the tile. Discard it at the beginning of the Dive phase.
2) Orca. Once you have announced that you intend to use the orca, count aloud down from 10 to 0 (try to make it approximately 10 seconds). At 0, everyone (including you) must stop programming.
3) Anglerfish. Program a sixth depth level by placing this tile below your board, with whichever side up that you wish (sharkless or shark). You can only program this sixth level if all five of the preceding levels have Air tokens. If you get to evaluate this sixth level, and you have programmed it correctly, resolve it as usual (and you obviously count as being the fastest at this level). In addition, a sixth level allows you to advance a sixth space during the Rest phase, assuming all of your programming was correct.
4) Giant Green Turtle. For each green sea turtle that helps you during this round, immediately advance 1 additional space.
5) Clownfish. Place this tile beneath a programmed stack on your Diver board. Add 3 to your total speed at this depth level for this round.
6) Dolphins (2 tiles). When you announce that you are using the dolphins, immediately give the small tile to another diver of your choice, and keep the large one. At the end of the Dive phase, if the diver with the small dolphin has made no mistakes, you advance 1 space on the Descent track (the player with the small tile does not). Discard both Dolphin tiles at the end of the round.
7) Great White Shark. Each opponent who errs in programming this turn cannot advance at all on the Descent board during the Rest phase. However, if none of your opponents make any mistakes this round, you are the one who cannot advance in the Rest phase!
The Village Chief (Automated Diver)
These rules allow you:
- to play solitaire against an automated diver.
- to add an automated diver in order to increase the difficulty, regardless of the number of players sitting around the table!
NOTE: The Village Chief is incompatible with the Simplified Version for Children, as well as two of the companions: the dolphins and the great white shark.
Setup
Follow the usual setup rules, then add the following steps:
- Place the Village Chief Diver pawn on space 0 of the Descent board.
- Shuffle the deck of Village Chief cards and place it face down near the play area.
- Place the 2 Bubble tokens beside this deck.
Make no mistake: The venerable age of the village chief conceals diving skills without equal!
Village Chief Cards
The Village Chief cards represent the automated diver's programming. Reveal one at the beginning of each Dive phase to indicate:
- the village chief's speed at each depth level (the chief's values are always 2, 3, 4, and 6, but their order varies); however, remember that speed is only taken into account when there is a sea turtle or manta ray on the Ocean card being evaluated.
- the number of depth levels the village chief programs:
- Levels programmed in black always count as programmed.
- Levels programmed in yellow are only considered programmed if the Village Chief pawn is in the Tranquil Waters zone.
When the Village Chief pawn enters the Deep Waters zone during the Dive phase or is in the Deep Waters zone at the beginning of the Dive phase, immediately cover each unevaluated yellow level with a Bubble token to hide the number. During the Rest phase, only the visible numbers on the Village Chief card will advance the village chief on the Descent board, at a rate of 1 space per number.
IMPORTANT: The chief's program is always correct! That is why there are no sharks on the Village Chief cards.
Example: The Village Chief Diver pawn is in the Tranquil Waters zone. While evaluating the second depth level, the chief grabs a sea turtle and enters the Deep Waters zone. You immediately place a Bubble token on each deeper level of the Village Chief card whose number is yellow (in this case, only level 4). This means that the village chief will not do anything on level 4, and during the Rest phase the Village Chief pawn will advance 3 spaces (because 3 numbers remain visible).
Playing the Game (Village Chief)
Phase 1 — Program. The Program phase proceeds as usual. The village chief does nothing.
Phase 2 — Dive. At the beginning of the Dive phase, reveal the top card of the Village Chief deck, then begin the usual evaluation.
When the current Ocean card has a sea turtle or manta ray, include the village chief when comparing speeds. If the village chief secures the aid of a sea turtle or manta ray, the chief gets the usual benefit. As usual, if there is a tie, no one gets any help.
Continue evaluating levels until all levels still programmed by divers (including the village chief) have been resolved. Even if every player at the table is done with their valid program, continue until the village chief is also done. This could, of course, still result in help for the village chief from sea turtles or manta rays.
Phase 3 — Rest. During the Rest phase, the village chief progresses 1 space on the Descent board for each number still visible on the Village Chief card (i.e. not covered by a Bubble token).
End of the Game (Village Chief)
The game ends in the usual fashion. However, if the village chief is tied for victory, the chief wins.
Example of a Complete Round (Village Chief)
Initial situation on the Descent board: Anthony's Diver board has, from top to bottom, Air tokens 2, 5 (shark side), 4, 1, 3 (shark side). The Village Chief card shows, from top to bottom, values 2, 3, 6 (yellow), 4 (yellow).
a) First depth level. The Ocean card has a green sea turtle, but no shark. Anthony and the village chief have both programmed correctly (the village chief never makes mistakes!) but their speed is tied at 2. Due to this, neither of them gets any help from the green sea turtle.
b) Second depth level. The Ocean card has a shark, but no sea turtle or manta ray. Anthony and the village chief have again both programmed correctly. Anthony's speed is higher, but it doesn't matter, because there are neither sea turtles nor manta rays at this depth.
c) Third depth level. The Ocean card has a red sea turtle, but no shark. Anthony and the village chief (whose Diver pawn is in the Tranquil Waters zone, so although the number is yellow, the village chief still participates in evaluating this level) have yet again both programmed correctly. The village chief is really fast (with a speed of 6) and quickly hitches a ride with the red sea turtle. The chief immediately advances 2 spaces into the Deep Waters zone. Anthony places a Bubble token on the fourth level of the Village Chief card.
d) Fourth depth level. The Ocean card has a shark, but no sea turtle or manta ray. The Village Chief card has no number visible at level 4 (because the Bubble token covers this level), so Anthony has no competition... but he botched his program. So, he discards his Air tokens from levels 4 and 5 (but not from the earlier levels, because his Diver pawn is still in the Tranquil Waters zone).
Phase 3 — Rest. Anthony and the village chief both made it down 3 depth levels, so each of them progresses 3 spaces on the Descent board.
Credits
Designers: Anthony Perone & Romain Caterdjian Illustrator: Alexandre Bonvalot Art Director: Marie Ooms Development Manager: Michaël Derobertmasure Project Manager: Didier Delhez English Translation: Nathan Morse
A Sit Down! game published by Megalopole. ©Megalopole (2021). All rights reserved. This material may only be used for private entertainment.
ATTENTION: Not suitable for children under three years of age. This game contains small parts that can be ingested or inhaled. Keep this information. Visuals are not contractual. The shapes and colors may change. Any reproduction of this game, in whole or in part, in any medium, physical or electronic, is strictly prohibited without written consent from Megalopole.