Nautilion
Nautilion Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Overview and Objective
Nautilion can be played as a solo game or as a cooperative game for two players.
Captain of the Nautilion (oneiric submarine) – you must infiltrate the Abyss, the lair of the Darkhouse, before the Phantom Submarine reaches the Happy Isles, the last refuge of marine and submarine life of the Oniverse. But beware! To defeat the Darkhouse, not only must you be faster than the Phantom Submarine; you must also assemble a heroic crew for the Nautilion along the way.
To win the game, you must guide the Nautilion, armed with a full crew (9 Crew tokens on the Nautilion board), to the Abyss (last space of the path) before the Phantom Submarine arrives at the Happy Isles.
The following pages contain the rules to the base game and five expansions. Each expansion is independent from the others, but they may be freely combined.
Components
82 tokens
- 36 Crew tokens
- 18 Reef tokens
- 8 Reserve tokens
- 9 Mage tokens
- 1 Abyss token, 1 Happy Isles token
- 9 Mercenary tokens
5 boards
- 6 Nautilions, their figures and stands
- 1 Phantom, its figure and stand
- 1 Mage's cabin
28 cards
-
1 Darkhouse
-
1 Grimoire
-
2 Admirals (for 2-player game)
-
12 Darkhouse Action
-
12 Heroic Action
-
3 Dice
-
1 Darkhouse figure
Note: to facilitate the reading of these rules, we use the following shorthand: "Phantom" for the Phantom Submarine; "Nautilion" for your Nautilion submarine.
Base Game: Setup
- Shuffle the 36 Crew tokens face down. Place them in a path (in a spiral, like in the example, or however you like) on the table and flip them face up. (To save space on the page, only a portion of the actual components are pictured in the example. Note that your path does not need to be spiral.)
- Place the Abyss token at one end of the path and the Happy Isles token at the other end. Each of these 38 tokens represents a leg of the journey.
- Make room for a discard pile.
- Take the board and corresponding Nautilion submarine of your choice (for your first game, we recommend board A). Place the board in front of you, and the figure on the Happy Isles space.
- Place the Grimoire card in front of you.
- Place 4 Reserve tokens in front of you, next to your Nautilion board.
- Place the Phantom Submarine figure on the Abyss space. Place the Darkhouse figure on the Darkhouse card, off to the side.
- Finally, take the 3 dice.
Game Sequence
A game consists of a series of turns, each of which comprises 5 phases.
- The Currents – Roll 3 dice and, if you wish, use the Grimoire.
- The Plan – Give 1 die each to the Darkhouse, the Phantom, and the Nautilion.
- The Darkhouse – Resolve the Darkhouse's die.
- The Phantom – Resolve the Phantom's die.
- The Nautilion – Resolve the Nautilion's die.
1. The Currents
Begin by rolling the 3 dice.
After rolling the dice, you may cast 1 or more spells from the Grimoire to influence the dice or modify the path. You may even cast the same spell multiple times in the same turn. The cost of each spell is paid by discarding tokens from your reserve equal to its cost.
The 3 spells are:
- Repetitive Whirlwind: Pay 1 token to re-roll the 3 dice.
- Artifical Tide: Pay 2 tokens to change 1 die to the face of your choice.
- Aquatic Translation: Pay 2 tokens to swap 2 tokens on the path. These tokens may be situated anywhere on the path, and do not need to be adjacent.
Note: You may use any token from your reserve to pay for a spell, regardless of whether it was acquired at the beginning of the game (green back) or during the game (blue back). The two token colors may be freely combined.
You may not use tokens placed on the Nautilion to pay for spells.
2. The Plan
Give one, and only one, die each to the Darkhouse, the Phantom, and the Nautilion.
3. The Darkhouse
If the die given to the Darkhouse is a 3 or 4, you must discard one of your tokens. This token may be discarded from either your Nautilion or your reserve.
If have no tokens on either your Nautilion or in your reserve, you do not need to discard.
4. The Phantom
Move the Phantom toward the Happy Isles a number of spaces (tokens on the path) equal to the value of its given die. Then, discard the token on which it ended its movement.
If the Phantom reaches or passes the Happy Isles, you lose the game immediately.
Note: the Phantom skips the space occupied by the Nautilion (that space is not counted when moving the Phantom).
5. The Nautilion
Move the Nautilion toward the Abyss a number of spaces (tokens on the path) equal to the value of its given die. Then take the token on which the Nautilion ended its movement. You now have 2 options:
- Place the token face up on the empty corresponding space of the Nautilion, following the air duct placement rules (see the next page).
- Place the token face down in the reserve.
Note: once a token is placed on the Nautilion or in the reserve, that token may not be later moved from one location to the other.
Note: the Nautilion skips the space occupied by the Phantom (that space is not counted when moving the Nautilion).
If the Nautilion reaches the Abyss with a full crew (i.e., all 9 different Crew tokens are on the Nautilion), you win!
However, if the Nautilion reaches the Abyss without a full crew, you lose.
Air ducts: placing tokens on the Nautilion
When placing a token on the Nautilion, that token must have a visible connection (orange pipe) with a token already present on the board. This rule does not apply to the first token placed on the Nautilion.
Example: If the only token present on the Nautilion is token 4, the only tokens you may place are those numbered 3, 5, or 9.
Important: during the game, you may not discard a token from the Nautilion that would divide the remaining tokens into two or more groups (not connected by the air ducts).
Game End
Victory
To win the game, the Nautilion must reach or pass the Abyss and have a full crew (i.e., all 9 different Crew tokens are present).
Defeat
You lose the game if the Phantom reaches or passes the Happy Isles.
You also lose if the Nautilion reaches or passes the Abyss and does not have a full crew.
Adjusting the Difficulty
For an easier game, begin the game with 5 or 6 reserve tokens.
For a more difficult game, begin the game with 3, 2, or even 1 reserve token(s).
The different Nautilions also serve to increase the difficulty of the game. The A Class is the great for your first few games, whereas the C Class is the most challenging.
Rules for Two Players
The rules for playing with two players are identical to the normal rules, with the following exceptions:
- Before beginning the game, give each player an Admiral card at random and take 2 more reserve tokens than you normally would (the 2-player game is more difficult).
- The reserve is shared between the two players.
- On the first turn, after rolling the dice during phase 1, choose a starting player. That player will play the entire first turn (from the Currents phase to the Nautilion phase, inclusively). Then the other player plays the entire second turn. The players alternate turns in this manner until the end of the game.
- During phase 5, a player may only place Crew tokens on the Nautilion that are indicated on their Admiral card. If the token the Nautilion moves to is not indicated on that player's Admiral card, it must be placed in the reserve.
Example: if the player with this Admiral card moves the Nautilion to a 2 token, she must place it face down in the reserve, as their is no '2' on her Admiral card.
Expansion 1: The Mages
The Darkhouse has gathered an assembly of evil algaemancers! If you wish to defeat him, you will have to recruit the powerful mages of the depths, in addition to your regular crew.
It is said that a partnership between a mage and a mecanic can produce surprising effects, such as the manipilation of underwater currents. This sort of sorcery could prove quite valuable even before the final battle...
Contents: 1 Mage's cabin, 9 Mage tokens
Setup
Place the mage's cabin next to the Nautilion.
Shuffle the 9 Mage tokens together with the 36 Crew tokens and setup the path. Along with the Abyss and Happy Isles, the path now consists of 47 spaces (56 tokens if combined with expansion 2 – the Mercenaries).
Additional Victory Condition
To win, you must reach the Abyss with 3 Mage tokens (one each of A, B, and C) on the mage's cabin in addition to having a full crew of 9 on the Nautilion. It is not necessary for the Crew token spaces of the mage's cabin to be filled to claim victory.
Game Sequence
Phase 5 – The Nautilion
If the Nautilion ends its movement on a Mage token or a Crew token number 1, 4, or 7, you may choose to either place the token face up on the corresponding space of the mage's cabin (Crew tokens may still be placed on the Nautilion, as in the base game) or face down in the reserve.
Note that the mage's cabin is not affected by the Nautilion's air duct rules: Mage and Crew tokens may be placed on empty spaces of the mage's cabin, regardless of which other spaces are occupied.
Remember: once a token has been placed on a board or in the reserve, it cannot be moved.
Phase 1 – The Currents
After rolling the dice, you may re-roll 1 die for each Mage/Crew token partnership present on the mage's cabin (i.e., A and 1, B and 4, C and 7).
Note: each Mage/Crew token partnership allows you to re-roll 1 die. With all three possible partnerships, you are able to re-roll up to 3 times. You may decide, with each partnership, whether to re-roll a different die or the same die you just re-rolled.
Phase 3 – The Darkhouse
If you must discard a token, you may choose to discard any token in the mage's cabin (or the Nautilion or reserve, as normal).
Phase 4 – The Phantom
If the Phantom ends its movement on a Mage token, this token is discarded.
Rules for Two Players
Both players may place Mage tokens on the mage's cabin. A player may only place a Crew token in the mage's cabin if its number is depicted on his or her Admiral card.
Expansion 2: The Mercenaries
The Phantom submarine is now equipped for underwater combat. Even worse, it is determined to enslave the crew members to make them fight against you! With these warriors and a new arsenal in tow, the Phantom will certainly destroy you if you aren't prepared for battle. The waters are also infested with mercenaries who are prepared to fight for either side.
Contents: 1 Phantom board, 9 Mercenary tokens
Setup
Place the Phantom board (2-harpoon side up) next to the Darkhouse figure.
Shuffle the 9 Mercenary tokens together with the 36 Crew tokens and setup the path. Along with the Abyss and Happy Isles, the path now consists of 47 tokens (56 tokens if combined with expansion 1 – The Mages).
Game Sequence
The game is divided into two parts, separated by the collision, which occurs when the Nautlion and the Phantom meet.
1) Before the Collision
Phase 4 – The Phantom
If the Phantom ends its movement on a Mercenary token or a Crew token numbered 2, 5, or 8, place the token face up on the Phantom board (instead of discarding it). There are no placement rules for the Phantom board.
The Phantom may host up to 6 mercenary and/or Crew tokens (numbered 2, 5, or 8). If the Phantom board is full, additional tokens it would acquire are simply discarded.
Phase 5 – The Nautilion
If the Nautilion ends its movement on a Mercenary token, you may choose to place the token face down in the reserve or face up on the Nautilion. A Mercenary token may be played on any empty space of the Nautilion (following the air duct placement rules). Like other tokens, Mercenary tokens may not be moved once they are placed. They remain in place until the collision, or until you discard one as required by the game.
2) The Collision
When the Nautilion's movement would cause it to move past the Phantom (or vice versa), the moving figure ends its movement directly in front of the non-moving figure (but after the token instead of on it, as usual), and the turn ends immediately: all remaining movement is lost and the collision begins.
Note: The two figures should now be face to face.
Compare the number of harpoons on each crew member numbered 2, 5, or 8 (1 harpoon each) and mercenary (2 harpoons each) on the Nautilion to those on the Phantom (remember to add the harpoons on the Phantom itself: 2 or 3).
Example: the Phantom would normally move 4 spaces (4 value die). However, doing so would pass the Nautilion, so it stops instead after the token before the Nautilion to begin the collision.
One of three results will occur:
- The Phantom has more harpoons than the Nautilion: you lose the game immediately.
- The Phantom and the Nautilion have an equal number of harpoons: discard all tokens on the Phantom board and remove the Phantom board from the game. Discard all Mercenary tokens on the Nautilion. Take one token from the discard pile and place it face down in the reserve.
- The Nautilion has more harpoons than the Phantom: exactly the same as a tie, except you may choose to place the token you take from the discard pile face up on the Nautilion instead.
In cases 2 and 3, the game continues.
Important note regarding air ducts: once all effects of the collision are complete, you must check the air ducts. Only one group of Crew tokens may remain on the Nautilion. If there are two or more separate groups, you must choose which you wish to keep; all Crew tokens not belonging to that group must be discarded.
Important case: if the Crew token you recover (upon victory over the Phantom) is able to replace a lost Mercenary token, thus repairing a broken air duct, you will have prevented tokens from becoming isolated. It is possible that you can continue without losing any Crew tokens.
3) After the Collision
Phase 4 – The Phantom
If the Phantom ends its movement on a Mercenary token, this token is dicarded. In addition, you must discard a token (from the Nautilion, the reserve, or the mage's cabin if using expansion 1).
Phase 5 – The Nautilion
If the Nautilion ends its movement on a Mercenary token, add it to your reserve, face down.
Rules for Two Players
If the Nautilion wins against the Phantom, the active player may only add a Crew token to the Nautilion if it is depicted on his or her Admiral card. It must otherwise be placed in the reserve.
Adjusting the Difficulty
For a more difficult game, use the side of the Phantom board with 3 harpoons.
Expansion 3: The Reefs
The road to the Darkhouse has grown ever more treacherous: sharp coral reefs, explosive jellyfish, and predatory fish await you at every turn, threatening to rob you of precious time! Fortunately, their are virtuosic navigators amongst your crew that can help guide you safely through these reefs...
Contents: 18 Reef tokens
Setup
After you have created the path, shuffle the Reef tokens and place them as follows: place one Reef token next to every third token on the path, beginning with the first token after the Happy Isles.
Then reveal the Reef tokens.
Once you are finished, place any remaining Reef tokens back in the box (you will only need all of them when playing with expansions 1 and 2).
Game Sequence
Phase 4 – The Phantom
If the Phantom ends its movement next to a Reef token, discard the token on which it ended its movement and the Reef token next to it.
Phase 5 – The Nautilion
If the Nautilion ends its movement next to a Reef token, take the token, as usual. Leave the Reef token in place next to the Nautilion figure. The following turn will be modified as follows:
Before Phase 1 – If the Nautilion is next to a Reef token
If the Nautilion begins a turn next to a Reef token, roll 1 die. Add 1 to the rolled value if the number on the Reef token matches the number of a Crew token on the Nautilion (for example: you are next to a '3' Reef token and you have a '3' crew member on your Nautilion. Likewise for '6' & '9' Reef/Crew tokens).
- If the die result (after the possible +1 modification) is 3 or more, add the Reef token to the reserve, and begin the following turn, as normal.
- If the die result (after the possible +1 modification) is 2 or less, the following turn proceeds as follows:
Phase 1 – The Current
Roll 2 dice instead of 3.
Phase 2 – The Plan
Give 1 die each to the Darkhouse and the Phantom. The Nautilion does not receive a die.
Phases 3 and 4 – The Darkhouse and the Phantom
Identical to the base game.
Phase 5 – The Nautilion
The Nautilion does not move this turn. Add the Reef token to the reserve.
Note: once you have taken a Reef token (and placed it in the reserve), it may be spent like any other token in the reserve.
Rules for Two Players
No additional rules.
Expansion 4: The Darkhouse
Your nemesis, the Darkhouse, has started meddling with the underwater streams: the hectic energy that now envelops it has given it the strength to cast spells that hinder your progress and wreak havoc upons the sacred laws that govern the aquatic world...
Contents: 12 Darkhouse Action cards
Setup
Put away the Darkhouse card used in the base game.
Choose a level of difficulty and randomly select the corresponding Darkhouse Action cards.
- Intro: 3 red Darkhouse Action cards and 2 blue Darkhouse Action cards.
- Normal: 4 red Darkhouse Action cards and 1 blue Darkhouse Action cards.
- Difficult: 5 red Darkhouse Action cards.
Shuffle the the 5 selected Darkhouse Action cards and place them in a row, face up. Place the Darkhouse figure on the first (leftmost) card.
Game Sequence
From now on, each turn begins with phase 0 – Machinations, which is then followed by phase 1 – The Currents.
Phase 0 – Machinations
Move the Darkhouse figure to the next card and resolve that card's effect.
Notes:
- On the first turn, do not move the Darkhouse. Simply resolve the first card.
- If the Darkhouse is on the 5th card at the beginning of a turn, it moves back to the 1st card.
Clarifications of Darkhouse Action Cards
Please consult this section if you have a question regarding these cards. The numbers below match the numbers on the bottom right of each card.
Red cards
1 — "Play phases 2 through 5 twice with the same dice. (The dice may be given to different figures the second time around.)"
You may use Repetitive Whirlwind and/or Artificial Tide spells only during Phase 1; in other words, once the results of the dice have been determined, you may not change them during the rest of the turn.
With two players, the same player plays both times through phases 2-5.
Expansion 3 – The Reefs: the Nautilion only loses its phase (phase 5) once when the roll to escape the reef is less than 3.
2 — "Roll the dice one at a time. Each die must be given to a figure before rolling the next die."
When using Repetitive Whirlwind, you may only re-roll the one die you just rolled.
3 — "Recover a token from the discard and place it in the reserve."
The token may not be placed between the Nautilion and the Happy Isles.
4 — "Die value = 3 or 4: discard two tokens instead of one."
The two tokens you discard may be taken from the reserve and/or the Nautilion board (and/or the mage's cabin, if using expansion 1).
5 — "Die value = 4: discard a token."
The token you discard may be taken from the reserve or the Nautilion board (or the mage's cabin, if using Expansion 1). If the die you give to the Darkhouse is a 2, you must re-roll it. If the result is 3 or 4, you must discard a token (a result of 1 or 2 has no effect).
6 — "Take the token on which the Phantom ends its movement. The Phantom receives the token on which the Nautilion ends its movement."
Expansion 3 – The Reefs: the Reef tokens are not affected by the «exchange», and remain in place. Furthermore, ignore this card if the Nautilion does not move.
7 — "The Nautilion moves backwards this turn."
If this is the first Darkhouse card, ignore it on the first turn of the game.
If the Nautilion would move past the Happy Isles, it stops its movement on the Happy Isles.
Expansion 3 – The Reefs: ignore this card if the Nautilion does not move.
8 — "Choose 1 figure. Roll a die and give it to that figure. Then, roll 2 dice and give them to the 2 remaining figures."
You can use Repetitive Whirlwind after your first roll, but it will only affect that one die. If you use Repetitive Whirlwind after your second roll, it can only affect both of those dice. As usual, you may use Repetitive Whirlwind multiple times (for the first die and/or the following two).
Expansion 3 - The Reefs: ignore this card if the Nautilion will not move this turn: simpy roll 2 dice and give them to the Darkhouse and Phantom, as normal.
9 — "Do not roll the dice. Turn them to values 2, 3, and 4. (You may neither cast Repetitive Whirlwind nor Artificial Tide this turn.)"
Instead of rolling the dice during phase 1, turn them to values 2, 3, and 4, then assign them normally.
Expansion 3 – The Reefs: if the Nautilion will not move this turn, simply give 2 of the 3 dice (values 2, 3, and 4) to the Phantom and Darkhouse.
Blue cards
10 — "Die value = 4: discard a token."
In other words, you are only required to discard a token if the die given to the Darkhouse is a 4.
12 — "Discard 2 tokens from the reserve. Then, take 1 token from the discard and place it on your board."
You must follow all normal placement rules when placing the recovered token. You may only perform this action once during the turn.
When playing with two players, a player can only recover a Crew token of a value depicted on his or her admiral card.
Expansion 1 – The Mages: the recovered token can be placed on the mage's cabin, if applicable.
General note: with the exception of cards 4 and 10, you must always discard a token during phase 3 if you gave a 3 or 4 die to the Darkhouse, as in the base game.
Rules for Two Players
No additional rules.
Expansion 5: Heroic Actions
The end is near: you must rally those who inhabit the Abyss to finally conquer the Darkhouse once and for all. To disrupt its many conquests, your crew will have to suffer great sacrifices. To prevail, a price will have to be paid...
Contents: 12 Heroic Action cards
Setup
Shuffle the 12 Heroic Action cards and reveal 3. Place the remaining 9 Heroic Action cards face down in front of you.
Note: if you reveal a Heroic Action card that corresponds to an expansion you are not using, discard it and reveal another.
Game Sequence
Phase 1 – The Current
Immediately after rolling the dice, you may play one or more of the revealed Heroic Action cards.
For each card you wish to play, you must discard a Crew token from the Nautilion board. Apply the effect of the card to the current turn (unless it is Heroic Action card 1, in which case its effect is also applied on the following turn) and remove it from the game.
Note: you may play several Heroic Action cards in the same turn, as long as you discard a Crew token from the Nautilion for each card you wish to use.
Remember the air duct rules: you may not discard a token from the Nautilion that would split your crew into two or more groups.
Additional Victory Condition
To win, you must reach (or pass) the Abyss with a full crew and zero revealed action cards. Otherwise, you lose.
Clarifications of Heroic Action Cards
Please consult this section if you have a question regarding these cards. The numbers below match the numbers on the bottom right of each card.
4 — "The Phantom moves backwards this turn."
If the Phantom would move past the Abyss, it stops its movement on the Abyss.
5 — "Remove another revealed Heroic Action card from the game. Replace it with the top card from the Heroic Action deck."
Remove this card and another revealed Heroic Action card from the game, then reveal the top card of the remaining Heroic Action cards. This new card must be played before reaching the Abyss in order to win.
6 — "Recover a Crew token from the path and place it on the Nautilion board. (The token you discard to use this card must be different from the token you recover.)"
When playing this card, you may discard a Crew token that would split your crew into multiple groups if, and only if, the Crew token you recover from this action will reconnect them.
7 — "Recover a Crew token from the discard and place it on the Nautilion board. (The token you discard to use this card must be different from the token you recover.)"
When playing this card, you may discard a Crew token that would split your crew into multiple groups if, and only if, the Crew token you recover from this action will reconnect them.
9 — "Place the token on which the Nautilion ends its movement, as well as the tokens before and after it, in the reserve."
For example: if the Nautilion ends its movement on the 1 token, as illustrated on the right, you would place the 6, 1, and 8 tokens in your reserve.
Note: cards 10 to 12 are expansion specific. They should only be used when using the corresponding expansion. Furthermore, they require that you discard specific tokens to activate them, otherwise the cards are still discarded, but without effect.
10 — "If the token you discard is a 1, 4, or 7, recover two Crew tokens of different values (1, 4, or 7) and place them on the mage's cabin."
The recovered tokens must be different from the discarded token. (For example: if you discard a 4, you may only recover a 1 and a 7.)
Replace this card if you are not playing with expansion 1.
11 — "If the token you discard is a 2, 5, or 8, discard a Mercenary token from the Phantom board."
Replace this card if you are not playing with expansion 2.
12 — "If the token you discard is a 3, 6, or 9, remove from the game all Reef tokens of the same value as the discarded token."
For example: if you discard a 3, remove all 3 Reef tokens numbered 3.
Replace this card if you are not playing with expansion 3.
Rules for Two Players
No additional rules.
Credits
Designer: Shadi Torbey
Illustrations: Élise Plessis
Graphic Design: Philippe Guérin
Editing: Jean-François Gagné
Very special thanks to Adam Marostica for translating the rules in English.
© 2016 F2Z Entertainment Inc. 31 rue de la Coopérative Rigaud QC J0P 1P0 Canada