Kayak Chaos Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Quick Rules
• Object of the Game
• What's in the Box
• Game Setup
• Playing the Game
  • Turns
• The River
  • Double Spaces
  • Rocks
• Action Cards
  • Paddle Cards
  • Double Paddle Cards
  • Swerve Cards
  • Double Swerve Cards
  • Weather Shift Cards
  • Tip the Kayak Cards
  • Whirlpool Cards
  • Life Ring Cards
• Pushing Kayaks
• Game End
• Advanced Rules

Quick Rules

1. Place the Start tile on the table and place the others into a pile, with the Finish tile on the bottom. Shuffle the Action cards. Place the Kayak pawns on the Start space and deal five Action cards to each player.
2. The oldest player begins the game.
3. On each turn, players may take up to 3 actions. Actions include playing and discarding cards. a. By playing cards, a player may move their Kayak or affect the river in various ways. b. By discarding cards, a player gains a chance to obtain more useful cards.
4. At the end of a player's turn, he or she refills their hand to five cards.
5. When any player moves beyond the end of the last tile, he or she draws a new tile and places it, even if it is not their turn. The tile may be flipped or rotated before being placed.
6. The first player to reach the Finish space is the winner!

Object of the Game

Let's go kayaking! Brave the wild as you run the rapids toward victory. Play your cards wisely to change the current, avoid a rock, or slow down the competition and stay ahead. Reach the finish line first and you're the winner!

What's in the Box

• 54 Action Cards
• 8 River Tiles
• 4 Kayak Pawns

Game Setup

1. Remove the tiles from the box. Choose either side of the Start tile and place it in the middle of the table, making sure to leave room beyond the tile for the river to grow. Take the Finish tile and place it aside. Shuffle the remaining tiles and stack them on top of the Finish tile.
2. Allow each player to select a Kayak pawn and place the pawns on the Start space.
3. Take the Action cards from the box, shuffle them, and deal five cards to each player.
4. Finally, place the remaining Action cards beside the stack of tiles as the draw pile. Now you're ready to play!

Playing the Game

The oldest player starts the game. After a player's turn is completed, game play moves to the left. As players take turns, they try to move their kayaks down the river while trying to slow the progress of their opponents.

Turns

On each turn, a player may perform up to three actions. An action is performed by either:

• Playing a card
• or
• Discarding a card

A player may perform any combination of these actions, but cannot exceed three actions on their turn. Once a player has completed all three actions, their turn is complete.

Alternatively, if a player is unhappy with their current hand of cards, they may discard all five of them for one free movement action. A player may move one space in any direction from his or her current location, but their turn immediately ends afterwards, and they replenish their hand with five new cards.

The River

At the beginning of the game, the river is very short, containing only the Start tile. When a player uses an action that moves their kayak off a tile, a new tile is drawn from the tile stack. This tile can be flipped or rotated as the player chooses, but it must be aligned with the previous tile. Alternately, if a player uses an action that pushes an opposing player off a tile, the opposing player gets to select and place the new river tile. Strategic tile placement can open new possibilities and new obstacles.

Double Spaces

Double Spaces are areas of fast-flowing water. When a player moves his or her kayak into a double space, they immediately ride the rapids downstream (to the end of the double space) before taking any other action.

• Two players may occupy one Double Space only if the second player enters from the upstream side, behind the first player. If the first player leaves the space, the second player's kayak is immediately moved to the downstream portion of the space, no matter whose turn it is.
• When moving out of a Double Space, a kayak can only move to spaces adjacent to its current position. Diagonal movement is never allowed.

Rocks

Rocks are hazards that you'll want to avoid. Under no circumstances may a player to move his or her kayak onto or over a rock. The only way a player can move beyond a rock is to swerve around it (see Swerve cards below).

Action Cards

There are eight different card types in Kayak Chaos.

Paddle Cards

Paddle Cards are green and allow a player to move their pawn one space upstream or downstream.

• If the Paddle Card moves a player into a double space, the player must ride the rapids downstream.
• If the Paddle Card would move a player into a space occupied by a rock, this action cannot be taken and another action must be used.
• If the Paddle Card moves the player into a space occupied by another player, the other player is pushed ahead into the next space beyond, unless either that next space contains a rock or no space exists. In this case, the action cannot be taken and another action must be used.

Double Paddle Cards

Double Paddle Cards are blue. They work in the same manner as Paddle Cards, but when playing a Double Paddle Card, a player must move two spaces upstream or downstream.

• If the player cannot legally move the full two spaces when playing a Double Paddle Card, the action cannot be taken and another action must be used.

Swerve Cards

Swerve Cards are yellow and allow a player to steer right or left one space along the river, towards either riverbank.

• If the Swerve Card moves a player into a double space, the player must ride the rapids downstream.
• If the Swerve Card would move a player into a space occupied by a rock or out of the river, this action cannot be taken and another action must be used.
• If the Swerve Card moves the player into a space occupied by another player, the other player is pushed aside into the next space beyond, unless that next space has a rock within it, or if the player is beside the riverbank. In this case, the action cannot be taken, and another action must be used.

Double Swerve Cards

Double Swerve Cards are orange. They work in the same manner as Swerve Cards, but when playing a Double Swerve Card, a player must move two spaces right or left.

• If the player cannot legally move the full two spaces when playing a Double Swerve Card, the action cannot be taken and another action must be used.

Weather Shift Cards

Weather Shift Cards are turquoise. They allow a player to alter the course of the river. When playing the Weather Shift Card, a player selects a single river tile and shifts it by one space to either side.

• The Start and Finish tiles are exempt from this action and cannot be shifted.
• Any Kayaks present on the selected tile shift with it, keeping their relative positions.
• A clear path must be maintained. If using a Weather Shift Card would remove the route between any two tiles, the action cannot be taken and another action must be used.

Tip the Kayak Cards

Tip the Kayak Cards are indigo and allow players to rotate one river tile. When playing the card, a player selects a tile and rotates it 180°, keeping its position relative to other tiles.

• The Start and Finish tiles are exempt from this action and cannot be rotated.
• Any Kayaks present on the selected tile rotate with it, keeping their relative positions, unless they occupy a double space, in which case they move to the downstream side.
• Rotated tiles must maintain their position relative to other tiles. If the tile was Weather Shifted previous to being rotated, it maintains the shifted position after rotation.

Whirlpool Cards

Whirlpool Cards are violet. Using this card, a player may exchange two adjacent river tiles with one another, each tile taking over the positioning of the other.

• The Start and Finish tiles are exempt from this action and cannot be swapped.
• Kayaks present on either tile keep their relative positions, moving with the tile.
• Tiles must not be rotated when they are swapped.
• Swapped tiles must be positioned exactly as the tile that previously occupied the space was, including any Weather Shifts.

Life Ring Cards

Life Ring Cards are red. This card is unique in that it must be played on another player's turn. Using the Life Ring Card allows you to prevent one Weather Shift, Tip the Kayak, or Whirlpool action from taking place.

• This card cancels an opposing player's action. That player's attempted action card is still discarded and it still uses up one of the three actions of their turn as if it were played normally.
• After playing this card, the player is left with four cards remaining in his or her hand, until the end of their next turn, when they refill up to five as normal.

Pushing Kayaks

Pushing Kayaks is an action that occurs when you move into a single space occupied by another kayak. A collision occurs, sending the lead kayak into the next space. Any number of kayaks may be pushed, so long as there are legal spaces to push them to. Kayaks may not be pushed on to rocks or riverbank.

Game End

The first player to reach the finish space wins the game!

Advanced Rules

For a more strategic style of game play try this simple modification:

• On a player's turn, he or she may not use more than one of each type of action card.