Ice Team Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Setup
• Objective of the Game
• How to Play?
• 1 — Moving a Bear
• 2 — Applying the Effect of the Landing Tile
  • No Effect
  • Bear Paws
  • Igloo Tile
  • Penguin Tiles
  • Shifting Tiles
• Finish Board
• End of the Game
• Fishy Question

Contents

• 1 Start Board
• 1 Finish Board (the Village)
• 4 Course Boards
• 24 Sea Ice Tiles
• 8 Igloo Tiles (place the 8 provided stickers on the matching Igloo spaces)
• 8 Bear miniatures (4 with a green scarf, 4 with a red scarf)
• 30 double-sided Fish tokens, with "Fresh Fish" on one side and "Frozen Fish" on the other (20x 1 Fish, 12x 2 Fish and 8x 3 Fish)
• 2 Dice

Before your first game, place the double-sided stickers on the matching spaces of the 4 Course Boards.

Setup

1. Place the 4 Course Boards as you wish (with one restriction: place the boards so that each Bear goes through at least one space of each board to complete the course, from Start to Finish).

2. Place the Start and Finish Board on each end of the course (make sure that the Start Board is not directly connected to an Igloo space).

3. Shuffle the 24 Sea Ice Tiles and place them randomly, on each Sea space, except on non-illustrated spaces. This is a non-illustrated space; do not place any Sea Ice Tile on it during setup.

4. Place a 1 Fish token, face "Fresh Fish" up, on each Igloo space. Put all the remaining Fish tokens on the side of the board to form the Main Supply.

5. They'll be used later in the game.

   Important Note: During the game, keep the Fish tokens that you collect in your personal supply. When needed (for instance if your opponent steals fish, or if you freeze Fish), you can get change from the Main Supply.

6. Each player chooses their color and places their 4 Bears on the Start Board.

7. Place both dice next to the game board.

Objective of the Game

You are taking part in the great annual polar bear race. Your goal is to collect as many fish as possible along the way. Each bear that finishes the race will be generously rewarded.

Being the first player to pass the Finish line with 4 bears will give you an advantage, but taking some time to search the igloos along the way is also a good way to collect extra fish. It's your call – find the best compromise between the shortest way to the Finish line, and the small detours that may pay off... Let the race begin!

How to Play?

On each turn, each player plays 2 Actions (except on the first turn where the first player only takes 1 Action). Once a player completed their 2 Actions, their opponent takes their turn, and so on. The 2 Actions may involve the same Bear, or two different Bears.

Taking an Action means:

1. Move one of your Bears THEN
2. Apply the effect of the landing tile.

1 — Moving a Bear

There are three ways of moving:

1. WALKING: Move one of your Bears on any free adjacent Sea Ice / Igloo Tile.
2. "LEAPBEARING": A Bear may leap over another Bear (regardless of its color) to land on a free Sea Ice / Igloo Tile. During the same Action, a Bear may make several leaps (this is not mandatory, though). Ignore any tile effect until your Bear ends its move. Once your Bear ends its move, apply the effect of the tile where it now stands.
3. SWIMMING: A Bear may swim in a straight line, crossing one or several Sea spaces until it reaches a free Sea Ice / Igloo Tile.

Important Note: There can never be more than one Bear on any Sea Ice / Igloo Tile. However, the Start and Finish Boards are considered each a single Sea Ice space with no limit of Bears. It is considered adjacent to all Sea Ice / Igloo Tiles that are connected to it.

THIN ICE! Some Sea Ice Tiles are cracked. It means that on these Tiles, you're walking on thin ice that may break any time. If the starting tile of your Bear is a cracked Tile, remove it from the game once your Bear completed its move. (If your Bear pass through other cracked tiles when moving, these tiles stay).

2 — Applying the Effect of the Landing Tile

The tile where your Bear ends its move is very important as it will allow you to collect some Fish or get some small advantages to take the upper hand. Choose it wisely!

Reminder: When leapbearing, ignore any tile effect until your Bear ends its move. Only the final landing tile counts.

No Effect

If your Bear ends its move on such tiles, nothing happens.

Bear Paws

If your Bear ends its move on such a tile, you may immediately take an extra Action (Move + Tile Effect) with the same Bear.

Important Note: All Bear Paws Tiles are cracked. As a consequence, don't forget to remove these tiles when your Bear leaves them to take its extra Action.

If a Bear ends its extra Action Move on a Bear Paws Tile, then it immediately gains another extra Action, and so on.

Igloo Tile

Unsearched Igloo: If your Bear ends its Move on an Igloo Tile where there is still a Fish (unsearched Tile), collect the Fish and place it in front of you on its "Fresh Fish" side.

Then, roll the die and apply its effect:

• You find extra Fish: Take as many Fish as the die result from the Main Supply and place them in front of you on the "Fresh Fish" side.
• Steal up to 2 Fresh Fish from your opponent. If they only have 1 Fresh Fish, you just steal that Fish. If they don't have any Fish, nothing happens.

Searched Igloo: If your Bear ends its Move on an Igloo Tile where there is no Fish left (searched Tile), then nothing happens (you don't collect Fish, nor do you roll the die).

Note: You may also collect Fish in the Village on the Finish Board.

Penguin Tiles

Penguins are your friends! If your Bear ends its move on a Penguin Tile, then the penguins help you freezing some of your Fresh Fish to prevent your opponent from stealing them.

Each Penguin on that Tile allows you to flip 1 Fish on its "Frozen Fish" side.

Your Frozen Fish cannot be stolen!

Shifting Tiles

If your Bear ends its move on a Shifting Tile, that Tile must shift (if possible). Tiles may shift two ways:

1. SIMPLE SHIFTING: Move the Shifting Tile on any empty Sea space connected to your starting space by an uninterrupted chain of empty Sea spaces. Shifting Tiles allows you to move fast!
2. BLOCK SHIFTING: Move the Shifting Tile in a straight line, pushing any Sea Ice Tile(s) before you. The pushing direction must match the bear's moving direction. A block of Sea Ice Tiles may be pushed along several spaces, as long as no Tile is pushed out of the board!

Note: When your Bear ends its move on a Shifting Tile, you must apply the tile effect if possible, and move that tile at least one space further. If the Shifting Tile cannot move, then simply ignore the tile effect.

Finish Board

The Village on the Finish Board allows you to collect extra Fish. Each time one of your Bears ends its move on the Finish Board, roll both dice, choose one of them, and apply its effect.

End of the Game

The game ends when a player brings their 4th Bear on the Finish Board. That Bear completes its Action (rolling both dice and choosing one of them).

The game is now over.

• Each player counts their total number of Fish (Fresh and Frozen).
• The player with the most Fish wins.
• If there is a tie, the player that brought their four Bears on the Finish Board wins.

Fishy Question

What happens if I cannot move a Bear on my turn? (ie: none of my Bears can walk, nor leapbear, nor swim)

This is an extremely rare situation, but it can happen. In that case, the game is immediately over, and the blocked player loses the game. To avoid such situations, make sure to plan accordingly!