Noctiluca
Noctiluca Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 Double-Sided Game Board
- 12 Pawns
- 104 Noctiluca Dice (4 Colors, 26 of each)
- 1 Black Die
- 30 Jar Cards (3 Colors, 10 of each)
- 30 Point Tokens (3 Colors, 10 of each)
- 4 Favorite Cards
- 1 First Player Marker
Setup
This section explains setup for the multiplayer game. To play solo, see "Solo Rules" on page 4.
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Place the game board in the middle of the table, with the numbered board side facedown (the numbered side is used for the solo game).
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Return the black die to the game box. Seed the noctiluca in the pool by mixing the noctiluca dice and randomly placing them on spaces on the board. Place four dice on each of the inner spaces and five dice on each of the outer spaces.
Note: The game relies on the random distribution of colors and die faces across the board. After placing the dice, do not move or adjust them.
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Distribute the 12 pawns evenly among the players. For example, in a four-player game, each player takes three pawns.
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Separate the point tokens by color. For each color, stack the tokens in numerical order with the colored side faceup, placing the "8" token on the bottom of the stack and the "2" token on the top. Place the stacks near the board.
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Shuffle the favorite cards and deal one to each player with the noctiluca art facedown. Return any undealt favorite cards to the box without looking at them. Each player secretly looks at their card without showing it to any other player. Each favorite card depicts one color of noctiluca. At the end of the game, you will score points for collecting that color of noctiluca.
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Shuffle the jar cards and deal three cards facedown to each player. Then, each player chooses two of the three cards to keep. Place the two chosen cards facedown in front of you, and set the other card aside. After everyone has chosen two cards, flip your cards faceup and shuffle the set-aside cards into the remaining cards.
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Deal the jar cards as evenly as possible into four faceup piles. Only the top card of each pile should be visible.
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The youngest player is the first player and takes the first player marker with the "1" side up.
Playing the Game
In Noctiluca, players take turns diving to collect noctiluca dice from the board and keep them safely in jars. The game is played over two rounds, after which players add up their points and compare scores to determine a winner. Players take turns in the direction indicated by the first player marker.
Collecting Noctiluca
During your turn, place one of your pawns on any unoccupied shore on the edges of the pool. The center space is not a shore.
After placing your pawn, choose one of the two straight paths adjacent to that shore, then announce a number between one and six.
Collect all dice showing the announced number in the spaces along the chosen path, regardless of color.
Example of Collecting: Bridget needs two more blue dice to fill a jar. On her turn, she places a pawn on an empty shore. She chooses a straight path from that shore and announces "1", collecting two blue dice and one green die which she places into her jars.
Keeping Noctiluca
After collecting noctiluca dice, place the dice into your jars on spaces with matching colors. After dice have been placed into a jar, they cannot be moved to a different jar. For dice on jar cards, keep in mind that only the color of the dice matters, not the number.
If there are not enough spaces in your jars for all of the dice you collected this turn, you must pass the remaining dice to the next player in the turn order.
When you are passed dice, you can place one of them into one of your jars as if you had collected it. Any remaining dice are passed to the next player in the turn order, who can also place one die. Continue until all dice that can be placed in a jar have been placed. Any dice that cannot be placed are returned to the box lid.
Completing Jars
After you store and pass noctiluca dice, you deliver your full jars (jars with no empty spaces), take point tokens, and draw new jars.
When you deliver a jar, return all dice from that jar to the box lid. Take the topmost point token from the stack matching the color of the jar and place it in front of you with the color side faceup. Flip the jar card facedown and keep it in front of you.
Then, take the topmost jar from one of the jar piles. If a pile runs out during the game, it does not replenish. If you have multiple full jars, deliver them one at a time in the order of your choice.
Exchanging Jars During Other Players' Turns
If another player passes noctiluca dice to you and you fill a jar on that player's turn, deliver that jar and take a new one as if it were your turn. If multiple players would deliver jars during the same turn, they do so in turn order, starting with the current player.
End of the Round
After all pawns have been placed, the round ends. After the first round ends, prepare for the second round by removing all pawns from the board and distributing them evenly among the players, as during setup.
Then, remove all noctiluca dice from the board and follow Step 2 of setup to refill the board with the dice in the box lid. In the rare case that there are not enough dice to entirely refill the board, refill as much as possible, randomly distributing the dice as evenly as possible.
Flip the first player marker to the "2" side and pass it to the player who placed the last pawn in the first round. That player is the first player for the second round, with play proceeding counter-clockwise.
End of the Game
After the second round, the game ends, and players resolve final scoring. The back of each favorite card has a reference for final scoring.
Majorities: For each of the three colors of point tokens, see which player has the most tokens of that color (the number of tokens, not the total value). The player who has the majority flips the remaining tokens of that color over to the side show one point and takes those tokens.
If there is a tie for majority, split the remaining tokens evenly among the tied players, placing them facedown and discarding any remainder tokens.
Example of Majority: Bridget and Char both have three red tokens, and Adam has one. Bridget and Char each take one red token facedown, and the remaining red token is discarded.
Point Tokens: Add up the points on point tokens (faceup and facedown) and score that many points.
Jar Bonuses: Score points for delivered jars that show points in the top-right corner of the card.
Favorite: Reveal your favorite and score one point for each matching noctiluca space on your delivered jars.
Leftovers: Score one point for every two noctiluca dice on jars you were unable to deliver.
Players compare scores, and the player with the most points wins!
If there is a tie, the tied player who delivered the most jars wins. If there is still a tie, those tied players share the victory.
Solo Rules
Noctiluca can also be played as a solo game, where the tranquility of the pool has been disrupted, and you must rescue as many noctiluca as you can before they are scattered by the troubled waters. The solo game follows all the rules for the multiplayer game, with the following changes:
Setup
Use the numbered board side. Place the black die near the board. Take only six pawns; set the other six pawns aside. Instead of separating the jar cards into multiple piles, shuffle them together and place them near the board as a single facedown deck. Place the first player marker on the center space, with the arrow pointing toward the purple section of the board.
Playing the Game
You take the first turn. Take your turn as normal. If you would pass noctiluca dice because you cannot place them, instead place them next to the black die, in the tempest. You will lose points for each noctiluca die you "passed". Whenever you would take a new jar, instead draw the top two cards from the deck, choose one to keep, and place the other facedown on the bottom of the deck.
The Tempest
After each of your turns, the tempest descends upon the pool, startling the noctiluca and sending them scattering into the depths.
- Discard the top card of the jar deck. Place the topmost point token from the stack matching the card color (gold, brown, or red) next to the black die in the tempest.
- Check which section of the board the arrow is pointing to, then roll the black die. Remove all noctiluca dice from the space corresponding to the number rolled, returning them to the box lid.
- Rotate the first player marker in the direction indicated by the direction of play to point toward the next section in that direction.
End of the Round
At the end of the first round, do not remove pawns from the board. Take the six set-aside pawns; you will use these pawns during the second round, while the pawns you placed during the first round will block you from using those shores. Flip the first player marker; the arrow rotates in the opposite direction during the second round.
End of the Game
Add up your score, resolving majorities as in the multiplayer game based on the point tokens you have and the point tokens in the tempest. If the majority of point tokens of a color are in the tempest, place the facedown point tokens of that color in the tempest.
Then, you lose points equal to the value of the point tokens in the tempest. You also lose one point for each noctiluca die in the tempest. If you have a final score of one or higher, you win! Otherwise, you lose.
Credits
Game Design: Shem Phillips
Producer: Michael Sanfilippo
Managing Game Designer: Justin Kemppainen
Cover & Interior Art: Bree Lindsoe
Graphic Design: Bree Lindsoe
Managing Art Director: Samuel R. Shimota
Publisher: Steven Kimball
Playtesters: Emily Handy, Mike Kowalski, Deborah Miller, Alexandar Ortloff, and Sarah Swindle