Kelp: Offshore Offspring Expansion Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Components
• Setup
• Gameplay
• Octopus
  • Octopus Juveniles
  • Camouflage
  • Camouflage Colors and Abilities
  • Food and Escape Route
• Trap Effects
• Shark
  • Shark Juveniles
  • Hunger Track Tokens
• Wounds
• Wound Abilities
• Eating Octopuses
• Shark Cards and Growth Tiles
• Confrontation and End of Game
• Player Aid (Octopus)
• Compatibility with Other Kelp Expansions

Overview

Offshore Offspring introduces the next generation of predator and prey to the kelp forest. Both the Shark and Octopus must now consider not only their own survival, but the fate of their young.

Both roles gain Juveniles. The Octopus has a new block system and camouflage colors with special abilities. Young Octopuses may grow into adults by eating a food block, but are eaten immediately if struck by the Shark. New traps may immediately remove Juvenile Sharks from the game and wound the Mother Shark, unlocking powerful abilities for her. A new Growth Tile allows the Sharks to swim over each other and hunt as a pack. Eating an Octopus does not fill the Hunger track, and adult Octopuses still defend themselves in a Confrontation. The Shark wins by eliminating all Octopuses on the board. The Octopus wins by having at least one Octopus survive until the end of the game, or by eating all the food blocks and escaping through the new Escape Route.

Components

Octopus

• 1 Octopus Action Reminder Token
• 9 Magnetic Blocks
• 28 Faces for the Blocks
• 1 Offspring Arriving Card
• 1 Juvenile Card
• 3 alternative Octopus Confrontation Cards
• 1 Escape to Safety Card
• 1 Player Aid
• 3 Camouflage Tracks
• 3 Ability Tokens
• 1 "6" Token
• 3 Escape Route Tokens

Shark

• 2 Juvenile Shark Miniatures
• 6 Shark Cards
• 3 alternative Shark Confrontation Cards
• 1 Mother Shark Board
• 3 Wound Tokens
• 2 Peek Tokens
• 3 Wound Boards
• 4 Hunger Track Tokens
• 2 Growth Tiles

Setup

Start by setting up the game according to the base game rules, except:

1. Return the base game Confrontation cards to the box and replace them with the alternative ones from this expansion.

Octopus Setup

2. Leave all the base game blocks in the box and instead take the 9 magnetic blocks and attach the following magnetic faces to them: 1 red Adult Octopus, the Deal Wound trap, and 7 shells. Distribute them randomly as usual on the board.
3. Put the Offspring Arriving card face down at the bottom of your draw pile. Leave the Juvenile card nearby.
4. Shuffle the four Eat cards from the base game and turn the pile face-down. Place the Escape to safety card at the bottom of the pile, face-down. Flip the top card of the pile face-up.
5. Randomly select 2 of the 3 Camouflage tracks and return the third to the box. Place the selected tracks face-up in front of you.
6. Place the ability tokens on the corresponding spaces on your Camouflage tracks with the greyed-out side face-up.
7. Place the "6" token and Escape Route token nearby.
8. Place the remaining magnetic faces face-up nearby on your side of the table.
9. Keep your player aid cards nearby for reference.

Shark Setup

10. Replace Growth tiles 1 & 2 with the Growth tiles from this expansion. Return the replaced ones to the box.
11. Place the Hunger track tokens on the first four spaces of the Hunger track, starting at the bottom of the track with token 1.
12. Shuffle the 6 Shark cards from this expansion into the Shark deck and deal 4 cards face-up to the designated row, and place the rest of the deck face-down in the space to the left.
13. Place the Mother Shark board in front of you. Randomly select 2 of the 3 Wound boards and return the third to the box. Place the selected Wound boards above the Shark board as shown.
14. Place the Wound tokens with their water sides up, in the corresponding spaces on the boards. When using Focused Hunter, place the Peek tokens into the corresponding slots with the eye sides face up.
15. Place the 2 juvenile Sharks nearby on your side of the table.

Gameplay

When playing Kelp with Offshore Offspring, all base game rules remain in effect, except where this rulebook says otherwise.

Octopus

Octopus Juveniles

Juveniles enter play through 2 Event cards: Offspring Arriving and Juvenile. When you draw an Event card, immediately resolve it from top to bottom. Playing an Event card is not an action. Event cards may never be trashed. If you don't have any shells on the board when you must put a Juvenile in play, replace a trap instead.

Juveniles are vulnerable and are immediately eaten and taken out of the game if a Shark strikes with a red die. They don't defend themselves with a Confrontation. To grow into an adult, a Juvenile must eat 1 food. When you reveal the juvenile Octopus to eat, replace the Juvenile Face with a color-matching adult Face.

Offspring Arriving card (played immediately when drawn):

1. Finish drawing cards.
2. Reveal the Mother Octopus and replace with a Juvenile, then you may shuffle it with a hidden block.
3. Replace a shell (revealed if possible) with another Juvenile, then you may shuffle it with a hidden block.
4. Add the Juvenile card to your discard pile.
5. Trash this card.

Juvenile card (played immediately when drawn):

1. Finish drawing cards.
2. Replace a shell (revealed if possible) with a Juvenile, then you may shuffle it with a hidden block.
3. Trash this card.

Illustration caption: This expansion introduces new Kelp Blocks with interchangeable magnetic Faces. When learning or shuffling blocks, exchange only the faces and leave the blocks in their zone.

Camouflage

As the Octopus, you may camouflage yourself in different colors during the game, both as an adult and as a Juvenile. Each Camouflage Track is tied to one color and its ability. Whenever you remove a shell from the board, for example during a Learn action or when a Juvenile enters play, you must place it on a Camouflage Track of your choice, from left to right, to unlock that color and its ability. The 2nd shell unlocks the color's ability, represented by 1 adult and 1 Juvenile Face. The 4th shell unlocks an additional token with its own effect. Once an ability or token has been unlocked, it stays available for the rest of the game.

If you need to return a shell to the board (for instance to replace an eaten food or Juvenile), take one of the right-most shells from a Track of your choice. To use an unlocked ability, an Octopus camouflaged in the corresponding color must be in play, meaning on the board.

You may camouflage an already revealed Juvenile or adult Octopus to any unlocked color, at any point during your turn. This does not count as one of your 2 actions. To camouflage into a new color, replace the current Face of the revealed block with the matching Juvenile or adult Face in the new color. The block remains revealed. It is possible to have a Juvenile and an adult Octopus with the same color at the same time. You may freely switch between any unlocked color and the original red.

Illustration captions: "The second shell unlocks the camouflage color." If you want to camouflage but your Octopus is still hidden, you may reveal it as part of paying a card's cost, then camouflage it. The Octopus stays revealed until you hide it during another action.

Camouflage Colors and Abilities

Deimatic Display:

On your turn, you may reveal the purple Octopus to push adjacent Sharks one space away to an empty Current space, orienting them in any direction. You may not push a Shark over a Current or another Shark. The Octopus remains revealed. Deimatic Display is free, and does not count as one of your 2 actions. You may do it before, after, or between your 2 actions, but not during an action.

Track text: Free action: Reveal yourself next to Sharks to push them away.

Illustration caption: Boo! Revealing the Octopus scares the Sharks and pushes them away.

Cave:

When unlocked, place the Cave in a zone of your choice. After using Deimatic Display, you may swap the purple Octopus with the block in the Cave's zone.

Illustration caption: Time to move to the Cave.

Fierce Fighter:

When a white Octopus is revealed by a Search die during Search/Strike, the Shark takes a Wound (see the Wounds section). This does not apply if it is revealed otherwise, for example with card effects, a Strike die, or by the Octopus.

Rock:

When unlocked, place the Rock in a zone of your choice. The block in that zone can no longer be revealed with a Search die during Search/Strike. It can still be revealed otherwise, for example with card effects, a Strike die, or by the Octopus.

Note printed beside the Cave and Rock tokens: The Cave and the Rock must be placed in different zones. Once placed, you may not move them to another zone or remove them from the game.

Shadow Sneak:

While a black Octopus is in play, when swapping, you may swap any 2 blocks between any 2 Kelp zones, ignoring adjacency. Kelp zones are those with a value of 4+ (or 3+ and 4+ on the Night board).

Ink Decoy:

When unlocked, flip the Ink Decoy to the active side. During any Search/Strike step, after a block is targeted for search but before it is revealed, you may trash the Ink Decoy to prevent the Shark from searching that block. If a die was placed, return it to the Shark's bag.

Illustration captions: "Now I'm here, now I'm not." "Nothing to see here."

Food and Escape Route

When learning food, you may learn only 1 Eat card, and its matching face, per turn. If you learn an Eat card during your turn, flip the new top card of the pile face up at the end of that turn. It becomes available to learn on your next turn. When learning food, exchange a revealed shell for the food Block if possible.

To win by eating, you must eat all four food faces, then play the "Escape to Safety" card to escape.

"Escape to Safety" is the last Food card you learn. When you learn it, place the Escape Route on a free den, covering the Current space. The Shark can't use it as a den or Current or swim over it. If no den is free, choose one with a Current die and return the die to the Shark's bag, then place the Escape Route there.

To play the "Escape to Safety" card, at least one of your Octopuses must be in the Corner Zone with the Escape Route. Play the card and reveal this Octopus. This wins the game immediately. If you have multiple Octopuses in play, it is enough for one of them to escape.

Escape to Safety card:

When Learned: cover one of the Shark dens with the Escape Route token. To win: All other food must be eaten. Play this card when an Octopus is in the zone next to the Escape Route. Reveal the Octopus. You win.

Illustration captions: Escape route learned. The Sea Snail effect may also be used to search for an Event card.

Trap Effects

Trap effects, when triggered by the Shark:

Deal Wound: The Shark that triggered this trap takes 1 Wound.

Deal Wound & Draw Card: The Shark that triggered this trap takes 1 Wound. The Octopus immediately draws a card from the draw pile, potentially exceeding the hand limit.

Swap 2 Blocks: The Octopus swaps 2 adjacent Blocks. This trap cannot be swapped as part of the effect.

Trash a Card: The Octopus chooses and trashes 1 of the 4 available Shark cards on the board. The Shark immediately refills the empty spot with a new card from the deck.

Trap reference: The final page of the preview build repeats these four trap effects as a player aid. They are not transcribed a second time.

Shark

Shark Juveniles

Juveniles enter play when you gain a corresponding Hunger Track token (see below). Juveniles function the same as the Mother Shark. They move and use Currents, Search and Strike dice, and Confrontation cards. However, they are vulnerable to Wounds (see the Wounds section).

On your turn, you must move all Sharks that are in play. You decide the order. When moving, Sharks cannot swim over each other until the second Growth tile is flipped and activated. The first time one of your Sharks swims over 1 or more Currents, immediately remove only the first one it swam over and place it in the next empty space on the Growth Track. All other Currents remain on the board for the rest of your turn.

Hunger Track Tokens

The first 4 times you place a die on the Hunger Track, you gain a token. You may use it immediately, or save it on your Shark board for a later turn. To use a token, trash it.

Increase a Die by 1: During Draw & Roll, increase a die in your pool by 1.

Gain a Juvenile: Add 1 Juvenile to a free den space of your choice. If no den space is free, remove a Current die blocking one and return it to the bag, then place the Juvenile there.

Gain a Strike Die: Immediately take a Strike die from the supply and add it to your bag. You may do this at any point on your turn, including before or after drawing a die.

Illustration caption: Keep for later use.

Wounds

Some traps, one Camouflage ability and one of the new Confrontation cards let the Octopus deal Wounds to Sharks. A Juvenile is immediately removed from the game when it takes a Wound.

When the Mother Shark takes a Wound, flip a Wound token to its red side, either on the Mother Shark board or on one of your 2 Wound boards. Flipping a token on a Wound board activates its ability. Abilities stay active while the Mother Shark remains in the game. You choose the order in which you activate them.

Illustration captions: "Time to fight back." "The Mother Shark flips a wound token on the Shark board. Shark Juveniles instantly get removed from the game."

Mother Shark board reminders: After 3 wounds, the Mother Shark dies. After eating an Octopus, return the Strike die to the supply instead of the Hunger Track.

Wound Abilities

Focused Hunter

Immediately flip the 2 Peek tokens and place the "6" Zone Value token in the Center Zone, covering the zone's current value. After you Search or Strike a Block in this zone with a die showing 6, remove the "6" Zone Value token from the board.

During Search/Strike, after placing all Search/Strike dice that you want to use this turn, you may trash a Peek token to look at a hidden block adjacent to a Shark, ignoring any traps, then return the block to the board hidden. You may not Search or Strike that block this turn.

Wound board text (Focused Hunter, as printed on the board): Immediately: flip the two Peek tokens. Place the 6-Zone value token in the centre zone. The 6 is removed from the board after a search/strike die has been placed there. During Search/Strike: trash a Peek to look at a hidden block next to a Shark, ignoring any traps, then return the block to the board hidden. You may not search or strike that block during this turn.

Reckless Abandon

During Search/Strike you may add 2 to a die when striking a hidden block. If you lose the Confrontation with the Mother Shark while using this ability, she also takes a Wound.

Adrenaline Rush

During Draw & Roll, you may reroll a Strike die in Stored Energy. If it shows 3-6, you may strike with it later this turn, or return it to Stored Energy. If it shows 1-2, place it on the Hunger Track. This does not count as a reroll for any other effects.

Wound board text (Adrenaline Rush, as printed on the board): 3-6: you may strike with it on this turn (or choose to return it to Stored Energy). 1-2: place it on the Hunger track.

Eating Octopuses

You eat an Octopus if:

• you strike a juvenile Octopus with a red die (no Confrontation happens), or
• you strike an adult Octopus with a red die and win the Confrontation (see Confrontation and End of Game).

If you eat an Octopus and other Octopuses remain in play, replace the eaten Octopus with a shell. Return the used Strike die to the supply instead of placing it on the Hunger Track.

Illustration caption: After eating an Octopus, return the Strike die to the supply instead of the Hunger Track.

Shark Cards and Growth Tiles

Cautious: During Search/Strike, after placing all Search/Strike dice that you want to use this turn, you may trash a Peek token to look at a hidden block (Peek) adjacent to a Shark, ignoring any traps, then return the block to the board hidden. You may not Search or Strike that block this turn.

Decisive: Before rolling, you may return all dice you drew this turn to the bag and draw the same number again.

Powerful: You may place one Shark in a free Current space next to another Shark, facing it in any direction, instead of its regular movement. Your other Sharks still move with the regular rules, before or after this.

Growth Tile 1: During Draw & Roll, you may reroll 1 die. You may always reroll doubles and triples, in addition to your regular rerolls. This also applies to doubles or triples created by any other effect.

Growth Tile 2: When moving, your Sharks may swim over each other, as if they were a wild Current with any value.

Confrontation and End of Game

When a Shark strikes an adult Octopus with a red die, it triggers a Confrontation. If the Shark wins and at least one Octopus is still in play, do not trash the used Confrontation cards. They can still be used in a future Confrontation. If the Octopus wins, trash the used Octopus Confrontation card and the matching Shark card.

Octopus victory

• By eating all the food and escaping. The game immediately ends when the Octopus plays "Escape to Safety" while an Octopus is in the same Corner Zone as the Escape Route token.
• By keeping at least 1 Octopus alive. The game immediately ends once the Shark's Hunger Track is full, or once all Sharks have been removed from the game from Wounds.

Shark victory

• By eating the last Octopus in play. This can happen by eating the adult Octopus before Juveniles arrive, or by eating the last Juvenile or adult Octopus afterward. The game immediately ends once no Octopus remains in play.

Transcription notes: the printed rules say "Corder Zone" and "Wounds.v"; they are read here as "Corner Zone" (as on the Food and Escape Route page) and "Wounds." Both are typographical errors in the preview build and may be corrected in the final print.

Player Aid (Octopus)

Printed text of the Octopus player aid: At any point on your turn you may change the color of a revealed Octopus to any unlocked camouflage color (using the tokens available). Only adult Octopuses may use Confrontation cards! The aid also shows an "Eat food" icon: a juvenile Octopus face with an arrow to an adult Octopus face.

A second player aid card in the component photo is not legible in the preview build and is not transcribed.

Compatibility with Other Kelp Expansions

Offshore Offspring is compatible with Amazing Adaptations and New Pursuits.

When playing with Brilliant Behaviours, the following modules require no modification:

• The Coconut
• The Jellyfish
• The Urchins
• The Zones

For The Dens module, use the following Growth tiles:

• "You may draw 4 dice each turn." (BB)
• "You may reroll once or twice each turn." (BB)
• "You may increase a die in Stored Energy by 1 each turn." (BB)
• "Sharks may swim over each other" (OO)

For The Reflexes module, place the tiles in the following order:

1. "You may reroll 1 die per turn. You may always reroll doubles and triples."
2. "Sharks may swim over each other."
3. "Immediately add the 3 Reflexes dice to your bag."
4. "You may reroll an additional time each turn."