Kingdoms of the Deep Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
• Objective
• Components
• Game Setup
• Player Setup
• Gameplay
  • Action Selection
  • Action Resolution
  • End of Round
  • Game End
• Scoring
  • Goal Cards
  • Scoring Rounds
  • Scoring Round Cleanup
  • End of Game Scoring
• Appendix: Player Actions
  • Bolster
  • Deploy
  • Move
  • Upgrade
  • Shark
  • Reset

Game Overview

In Kingdoms of the Deep, you play as the leader of a faction of sea creatures, competing with your rivals for control of the undersea kingdom. Over the course of three ages, each composed of a number of rounds of play, you will choose one of six possible actions to take. Players' actions are revealed simultaneously, and you'll earn a bonus to your action if you are the only player to choose it. Can you outthink your opponents to seize the Kingdom?

Objective

By using your six available actions, you will spread your units across the undersea kingdom, positioning yourself to hold majorities in certain key Tiles and satisfying other scoring conditions. Beginning with a modest foothold on one section of the kingdom, you will grow your armies, improve your actions, form alliances, and betray them.

Scoring is checked at multiple points of the game, so you will always want to keep these goals in mind as you position your units across the board.

Components

• 36 Action Cards (6 sets of 6 Cards for each player faction)
• 6 Player Boards
• 120 Unit Markers (20 per player: "Supply")
• 6 Bait Trackers (1 per player)
• 66 Player Board Discs (11 per player)
• 18 Terrain Tiles (2 Terrain Tiles each of 6 terrain types with no capital border, and 1 Tile of each Terrain Type with a capital border)
• 1 Atlantis Castle (1 slotted hex top and 1 bottom, 6 wall pieces)
• 1 Score Board
• 3 Shark Tokens
• 1 Round Marker
• 1 First Player Token
• 2 End Game Scoring Cards
• 14 Goal Cards

Game Setup

1. Build the board by first placing the Atlantis Castle in the center, and surround it with the six tiles with the trident icon on the back. Then randomize the remaining Tiles and place them in a ring around outside these 6 Tiles. Place the Atlantis Castle in the center.

   Note: Capital Tiles have a golden frame around them.

2. Place the Score Board next to the Tiles.

   • Place the Round Marker on the first space of the round tracker.
   • Place the end game scoring Card with appropriate number of players (1-2, 3-4, 5-6 players) on the end game scoring section.
   • Randomly select 3 Goal Cards to be used for the first, second, and third ages. Place the First Age Goal Card on the indicated location, and place the Second and Third Age Cards next to the Score Board.

3. Place 1 Shark Token on top of the Atlantis castle, and the other 2 Shark Tokens by the Score Board.

4. Randomly select the First Player and give them the First Player Token.

Player Setup

5. Give each player all components in their player color.

   • 1 Player Board
   • 20 Unit Markers (Supply)
   • 6 Action Cards
   • 1 Bait Tracker Cube
   • 11 Player Board Discs

6. Beginning with the First Player, each player in turn places one Player Board Disc on a terrain of their choice on the Terrain Focus area of the Player Board. They place one unit marker on each Tile of that type. Each player must choose a different Terrain Focus at the beginning of the game. Note: This focus can change during the game.

7. Players set up their Player Boards.

   • Place 1 Player Board Disc on each of the 4 upgrade tracks with a disc symbol (Deploy, Bolster, Shark, Move).
   • Place 1 Player Board Disc on a Reset Action of the player's choice (explained on Page 11). Note: Players may choose where to place a disc in the Reset area initially.
   • Place 1 Bait Tracker Cube on the starting space of the Bait Pile.
   • Place the four remaining discs near the Player Board. Three could be used to further upgrade the Reset Action, and the fourth is used when a player upgrades their Bolster action for the second time. (explained on Page 9).

Gameplay

Each round of Kingdoms of the Deep is made up of three steps:

1. Action Selection
2. Action Resolution
3. End of Round

Action Selection

Choose one of your six Action Cards and place it face-down in front of you. Once everyone has done this, all players reveal their Cards.

Action Resolution

Players perform their chosen action in turn order, beginning with the First Player and moving clockwise around the table.

If you were the only player to select your action, you can also perform the solo ability of that action.

Once complete, place your Action Card in your face-up discard pile, with all Action Cards visible. You won't get to choose that action again until you play your Reset Card.

How to perform the actions is found beginning on Page 9.

End of Round

If any player(s) played their Reset Action Card, move the round tracker one space to the right. Depending on the symbol that the round tracker moved onto, do the following:

• Upgrade: Each player may perform an upgrade action.
• Shell: This round is a scoring round. Complete scoring as detailed on page 8.
• Shark: Add another shark to the Atlantis castle.

If you played your Reset Card, take it back to your hand, along with all of your other discarded Action Cards. Pass the First Player Token to the left.

Game End

The game ends after the third scoring round is complete. After completing the end of game scoring (see next page), whoever has the most points wins!

If you are tied, whoever has the most units in the Atlantis castle wins.

If you are still tied, whoever has the most units on the board wins.

If you are STILL TIED, whoever has the most units on their bait track wins.

The source ends this tie-break with a light-hearted request to post a selfie of confused faces tagged to the designer's social accounts. That line is not a rule and is omitted.

Scoring

Scoring can happen in three different ways. Anytime you score points, move your disc the appropriate number of spaces up the score track.

Goal Cards

The first goal is an Immediate Goal. Some Immediate Goals provide points, others provide additional bonuses to performing certain actions. These goals, indicated with a lightning bolt, are available to be scored during gameplay, and are not checked during scoring rounds. If you achieve one of these goals, you score the points listed on the Card. You may score the same Immediate Goal multiple times in a game, but only once per round.

The middle goal is a personal achievement; if a player meets the requirement, they score the indicated points.

The bottom goal compares the objective amongst all players. The numbers below indicate the points the first, second, and third place players receive, respectively. If 2 players tie for first place, they both score the highest value, and second place scoring is skipped. (Likewise for second place). If 3 or more players are tied, they all score the same level, and all lower places are skipped.

Scoring Rounds

A scoring round is triggered when the round marker moves onto a shell symbol. Following the steps below:

• Players score two points for each capital Tile where they have the most creature Markers. Ties are friendly, meaning that tied players each score 2 points for having the most creatures.
• If any player has control of EVERY capital (even sharing control), that player wins the game immediately.
• Score the two goals on the current age Card that do not have the lightning bolt (Immediate Goal).

Scoring Round Cleanup

After the first and second scoring rounds, complete the following:

• Return the Goal cards for the current Scoring Round to the box.
• Place out the Goal cards for the next Scoring Round.

End of Game Scoring

After the third scoring round is complete reference the End of Game Scoring Card and follow the steps below:

• Reveal the units in the Atlantis Castle and assign points per the End Game Scoring card.
• Finally, score your Bait Pile.

Ties are resolved similarly to Scoring Rounds; Tied players all score the same amount, and subsequent places (2nd, 3rd, etc.) are skipped.

Appendix: Player Actions

Each player has the same set of 6 Action Cards available to them. Each action (except Upgrade) has a location on your Player Board which indicates how many times you may perform that action whenever you play that specific Action Card. This number can be increased by using the upgrade action.

Bolster

Place a unit from your supply onto a hex that matches your Terrain Focus. When you upgrade this action to level 3, you gain a second Terrain Focus. Place one of your set aside Player Board discs on your chosen Terrain Focus.

Solo Ability: place 1 additional unit.

Note: if you do not have any units left in your supply, this action has no effect.

Deploy

Place a unit from your supply onto a Tile that has at least 1 of your units on them OR on a Tile adjacent to another Tile with one of your units.

Units are placed one at a time, and you may use newly placed units to determine where you can place the next unit.

If you place a unit onto the Atlantis space, drop that unit in the Atlantis castle and immediately score 1 point.

Solo Ability: place 1 additional unit.

Note: If you have no units on the board, OR if you have no units in your supply, this action has no effect.

Move

You may move a creature (which includes your units, units belonging to any player, and sharks) from one Tile to an adjacent Tile. Creatures are moved one at a time, so you may move the same creature multiple times. If you move any player's unit onto the Atlantis space, drop that unit in the Atlantis castle and immediately score 1 point (even if it is not your unit).

If you move a shark to the Atlantis Castle, it simply stays on top of the castle.

When you upgrade this action to level 3, you may immediately take a bonus Move action using the number below your player disc.

Solo Ability: move 1 additional creature.

Upgrade

You may upgrade one action on your Player Board. If you upgrade Deploy, Bolster, Shark, or Move, simply move your disc one space to the right. This will increase the limit for that action. If that action's disc is already on the rightmost spot, you can not upgrade that action any further.

• If you upgrade Reset, choose one of the uncovered options and place a disc from your supply on it. This will give you further bonuses when taking the Reset action. (detailed on the next page).
• If you upgrade Move to level 3, you may immediately take a bonus Move action.
• If you upgrade Bolster to level 3, you gain a second Terrain Focus. (detailed on page 9).

Solo Ability: Perform an additional upgrade action.

Shark

You may perform a number of the following actions:

• Move a shark to an adjacent Tile.
• Remove a unit from a Tile that has a shark on it, and give it back to its owner to be put in their supply. Move your Bait Pile cube up one space. If the cube moves onto a space with an action icon, perform a single instance of that action. (Deploy a single unit, bolster a single unit, upgrade once, etc.)

Solo Ability: perform 1 additional Shark action.

Reset

Take all Cards from your discard pile back into your hand, including the Reset Card.

Take the indicated bonus action for every disc in the Reset section of your Player Board as described below.

• Deploy ONE unit
• Bolster ONE unit
• Move ONE unit
• Move any one player's unit anywhere on the board to the Atlantis Castle, and score one point for doing so.

Finally, you may change your Terrain Focus (or focuses) to any other Terrain Focus.

Solo Ability: score 1 point (in a 5-6 player game, score 2 points).