Fintastic Sea
Fintastic Sea Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Aim of the Game
In Fintastic Sea, you play a marine biologist. You utilize each fish's Ocean Ability and Food Chain hierarchy. Activate your Reserves and make use of the Ocean currents to catch as many fish as you can and release them into new Ecosystems.
Your goal is to earn Environmental Points (EP) by creating diverse Ecosystems matching the scoring conditions of both Public (Special Fish) and Personal objectives (Secret Fish).
At the end of the game, the Player with the most points wins!
Components
- 108 Fish cards
- 2 Coral cards
- 1st Player card
- 6 Special Fish cards
- Wave card
- 2 Rulebooks (EN, DE)
- 24 Secret Fish cards
- 4 Player cards
- 3 Player aids (double sided: EN/DE)
Card Anatomy
Each fish card shows: Special Fish icon, Secret Fish icon, Fish type, Value, Fish size, Ocean Ability, Reserve ability, and Scoring condition.
Game Setup
- Form the Ocean area by placing Coral cards in the center:
- 2-Player game: Arrange 8 cards into a 3×3 grid with 1 Coral in the middle to form the Ocean.
- 3-4 Player game: Arrange 10 cards into a 4×3 grid with 2 corals in the middle of the Ocean.
- Shuffle the Special Fish deck and place 2 cards face-up next to the Ocean grid. Return the rest of the cards back to the box.
- Shuffle the Secret Fish deck and give each Player 1 card.
- Deal 3 Fish Cards to each Player. These cards should be kept hidden from others. The remaining cards form the Fish Deck (draw pile).
- Place a Player card in front of each player, indicating: Reserve Area is on their left-hand side, and their Ecosystem area is on their right-hand side.
- Place the wave card with round 1 arrow facing the grid.
- Randomly choose the first Player, give them the First Player card.
Game Overview
At the beginning of each game, 2 Public Objectives will be revealed, indicating the ideal-conditions for new "Ecosystems".
Players take turns playing one card from their hand in the Ocean, activating each fish's special ability and possibly catching other fish in the process.
Release the fish either into your active "Ecosystem" to score EP according to the current objectives at the game end.
Or
Add the fish instead to their personal "Fish Reserve" for later use, triggering each fish unique Reserve ability at any time during your turn.
The game is played over 8 rounds for 2 Players and 6 rounds for 3-4 Players. The Player with the most EP at the end of the game wins.
Each round is split into 2 phases:
A. VOYAGE PHASE (action phase)
This is when you sail aboard the 'Fintastic Sea' to gather new fish for your Ecosystems and Reserves.
B. WAVE PHASE (upkeep phase)
The tides are shifting! The wave current will move around all fish in its direction, revealing new ones for the next voyage!
A. Voyage Phase
On your turn, you must either:
- PASS if you have no Fish cards left in hand, ending your turn.
or
- PLAY A CARD from your hand into the Ocean. Then you may perform any of the following actions in the following order:
- Ocean Ability (free action) or Activate Reserve
- Food Chain Ability or Enhance Ecosystem
Playing a Fish in the Ocean
The fish must be placed orthogonally adjacent to at least one other card (including Coral cards) in the Ocean.
Place the fish up to 3 steps away (orthogonal or diagonal) from any Coral card.
Fish cards must be placed on empty spaces. You can not cover an existing card.
After playing a card into the Ocean, you may perform any of the following actions in the following order:
1. Ocean Ability
Each fish has a unique Ocean Ability that may be triggered once placed in the Ocean. Please refer to the Reference Sheets or the Fish Reference below for an overview of all abilities.
2. Food Chain Ability
You may Catch an orthogonally adjacent smaller fish (have a smaller number than the one you played).
If you Catch a fish, you must place the caught fish either in your Active Ecosystem or in your Fish Reserve.
In this example, Player A plays a Lionfish (7) into the Ocean.
First: Trigger its Ocean Ability to catch a fish next to Coral: Then take it and add it to your Active Ecosystem.
Second, trigger its Food Chain Ability. The Player decides to catch a fish and place it in their Fish Reserve.
Activate Reserve
You may discard 2 identical fish from your Reserve to activate their Reserve Ability. This is a free action.
You may repeat the Active Reserve action as many times as possible at your turn.
There is no limit to the number of cards you can have in your Reserve. You can have multiples of the same fish.
Please refer to the Reference Sheets or the Fish Reference below for an overview of all abilities.
In this example, Player A continues their turn by activating their Reserve Abilities by discarding a pair of shrimps, allowing them to catch any fish from the Ocean.
Player A decides to catch a swordfish, placing it in their Reserve instead of their Active Ecosystem. Player A immediately activates the Reserve Ability once more by discarding a pair of swordfish to gain a Secret Fish to their hand.
Finally, Player A decides to add the new gained Secret Fish to their Active Ecosystem, ending their turn.
Enhance Ecosystem
You may add any number of unique Secret Fish to your Active Ecosystem.
Ecosystems are the main way to score EP. Each Ecosystem will score EP for every fulfilled Special Fish Objectives and any added Secret Fish at the end of the game.
Players can have multiples of the same fish in the same Ecosystem.
Players are only allowed to have 1 open Ecosystem at a time. Each open Ecosystem can hold a maximum of 9 fishes and an unlimited number of unique Secret Fish.
If an Ecosystem already has 9 fish, you must close it before placing any more. Sort Ecosystem (Fish cards + any added Secret Fish) into a face-down deck and set it aside. Do not mix closed Ecosystems as they will be scored separately later. Then draw 2 Secret Fish, keep one, and place the other at the bottom of the Secret Fish deck. Begin a new Ecosystem.
You are allowed to check your closed Ecosystem at any time.
Special Fish
Two Special Fish cards are revealed during the setup. These will be active for the entire game. Special Fish cards set the condition for scoring all Ecosystems. Please refer to the Fish Reference below for each Special Fish explanation.
Secret Fish
As a free action, you may add any number of Secret Fish to the Ecosystem until you close it. You cannot have duplicate Secret Fish in the same Ecosystem. Secret Fish do not count toward the 9-fish limit.
B. Wave Phase
Play until all Players pass. This triggers the wave phase.
Player's turns may take longer, if they acquire new cards, further extending their turn.
1. Move fish with the current
Move all cards 1 step in the direction of the wave. Coral reefs remain in place and block the movement. Fish cannot move past them, which blocks the movement of the entire row or column.
The Angler-fish (8) does not move because it is blocked by the Coral.
2. Discard fish
Remove all fish which are more than 2 steps away from the Corals.
3. Populate the reef
Draw and place new Fish cards to refill any empty spaces around the Coral(s).
The Fire Goby will be discarded because it is more than 2 spaces away from the Coral. Refill the 4 cards around the coral with new Fish cards.
4. Move the wave card
Move the Wave card 1 step clockwise indicating the number of the new round.
Then move the Wave Card one step clockwise.
5. Draw new cards
Draw 3 new cards to each Player and pass the First Player Marker clockwise. The next round begins.
Game End & Scoring
The game ends after 8 rounds for 2 Players or 6 rounds for 3-4 Players. Score each Ecosystem separately earning EP for each achieved Special Fish + any added Secret Fish.
Cards left in Reserve DO NOT score any Environmental Points!
The Player with the most Environmental Points (EP) wins. In case of a tie, the Player with the most fishes in their Reserve wins.
In this example:
In the 1st Ecosystem: The Jellyfish scores 3 points for each set of small, medium and big fish. There are 2 sets, earning 6 EP. The Octopus scores a minimum of 3 of the same fish. Each scores 1 point, totaling 6 EP. Then, score the Secret Fish, the Manta. In this Ecosystem, each big fish is worth 2 EP, totaling 8 EP. 6 + 6 + 8 = 20
In the 2nd Ecosystem: The Jellyfish scores 9 EP, Octopus scores 6 EP. For the Secret Fish: The Sea Turtle scores for each odd-numbered fish 1 EP, totaling 9 EP. The Salmon scores for each unique fish 1 EP, totaling 5 EP. So, in total: 6 + 6 + 9 + 5 = 29
In the 3rd Ecosystem: The Jellyfish scores 3 EP. The Octopus scores 0 EP. The Hermit crab scores 1 EP. So this Ecosystem scores: 4
In the end, Player A scores: 20 + 29 + 4 = 53
Useful Notes
Fish cards are limited: the more Ecosystems are closed, the fewer of each type remain in the Ocean. It can be helpful to keep track of which fish other Players are adding to their Ecosystems.
Secret Fish will earn extra EP for your Ecosystem. Earn them by discarding two swordfish from your Reserve.
A SET of fish means duplicates of the same fish. You cannot use the same set to fulfill multiple Special Fish objectives.
A RUN of fish means cards in an ascending order. For example here are two different runs: (2,3,4,5) and (7,8,9).
Fish Reference
Special Fish
Special Fish score points across every Ecosystem in the game (public objectives).
| Special Fish | Scoring condition |
|---|---|
| Octopus | Set of same fish — 1 EP per Fish (min. 3) |
| Eel | Run of fish — 1 EP per Fish (min. 3) |
| Jellyfish | Combination of Small/Medium/Large fish — 3 EP |
| Flyingfish | Sets of 3 fish — 3 EP each |
| Seahorse | Set of 2 fish — 2 EP each |
| Coral | Set of 4 fish — 5 EP each |
Secret Fish
Secret Fish are personal objectives, added to your own Ecosystem.
| Secret Fish | Scoring condition |
|---|---|
| Manta | Big fish — 2 EP each |
| Turtle | Odd numbered fishes — 1 EP each |
| Flatfish | Medium fish — 1 EP each |
| Starfish | Even numbered fishes — 1 EP each |
| Hermit crab | Small fish — 1 EP each |
| Salmon | Unique fishes — 1 EP each |
Fish Abilities
Each fish's Ocean Ability triggers when it is played into the Ocean; its Reserve Ability triggers when a pair of that fish is discarded from your Reserve (see Activate Reserve).
Small Fish
| Fish | Value | Ocean Ability | Reserve Ability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shrimp | 1 | Gain one any adjacent fish next to shrimp back to your hand. Can not Gain shrimp. | Catch one any fish from the Ocean, place in Reserve or Ecosystem. |
| Sardines | 2 | Sardine School combines its strength to catch other fish or to make itself harder to catch. | Adds temporarily +4 to the strength value of the fish you just played. |
| Fire goby | 3 | Draw a new fish card back to your hand. | Draw a new fish card back to your hand. |
Medium Fish
| Fish | Value | Ocean Ability | Reserve Ability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butterflyfish | 4 | Catch one any fish adjacent to a Coral, place in Reserve. | Catch one any fish adjacent to a Coral, place in Reserve or Ecosystem. |
| Blowfish | 5 | Move all adjacent fish 1 step away from the Blowfish. If a fish hits the Coral, catch it. | Apply the Blowfish ability to any fish of your choice in the Ocean. |
| Blue tang | 6 | Draw the top card from the Discard pile, place it in Reserve. If not available, draw from Fish Deck. | Draw the top two cards from the Discard pile, place them in Reserve. If not available, draw from Fish Deck. |
Big Fish
| Fish | Value | Ocean Ability | Reserve Ability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lionfish | 7 | Catch a smaller fish adjacent to a Coral, place in Reserve or Ecosystem. | Catch any two fishes adjacent to a Coral, place in Reserve or Ecosystem. |
| Anglerfish | 8 | Catch one any fish from the Ocean, place in Reserve. | Catch one any two fishes from the Ocean, place in Reserve. |
| Swordfish | 9 | "Biggest in the food chain!" No active Ocean Ability. | Draw 2 Secret Fish cards. Keep one and place the other at the bottom of the deck. You may either add the kept card to your open Ecosystem or save it for later. |
Credits
Game Design: Xue Cui Game Develop: Mahmoud Abdelwahab / Julian Asleh Graphic Design: Xue Cui / Mahmoud Abdelwahab Art & Illustration: Xue Cui