Oceans: Legends of the Deep
Oceans: Legends of the Deep Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Deal four Legend cards to each player for an initial hidden draft.
- Players choose one card to keep, and pass the remaining three cards to the player on their left.
- Players choose one card to keep, and pass the remaining two cards to the player on their left.
- Players choose one card to keep, and pass the last card to the player on their left.
Players now have the four secret Legend cards to use during the game.
Playing Legend Cards
During your Play Cards phase, you may play one Legend card in addition to your normal card play. Pay the cost on the Legend card from your score pile to the Reef or to any Ocean zone (just like a Deep card) and put it in play. This can be done as soon as you have enough population to pay the cost.
Changing Legend Cards
You may only have one Legend card in play at a time. When changing a Legend, compare the cost between the current and new selection. If the new Legend card is more expensive, you must pay the difference to play it. If the new Legend card is less expensive, you may play the new card for free, but do not receive compensation for the difference. The old Legend card is returned to your hand and may be played again on a future turn.
Legendary Powers
Most Legend cards have powers that affect all of your species, but some give the player a special power or affect their opponents. If the Legend card has a red diamond, green circle, blue triangle, or gold circle icon on the side of the text-box, that power is applied to every one of your species.
Legend cards are not considered traits. Text that specifies "traits" does not apply to Legend cards.
Legend Cards
Many of these cultural stories have been passed down by oral tradition for generations, sometimes leading to contradictory versions of the myth. In Legend of the Deep, we chose the stories that could be most effectively translated into fun and powerful game effects.
Ahuizotl
According to Aztec culture, the Ahuizotl mimic a baby’s cry to lure their victims to the water’s edge, then use the hand at the end of their tail to drown them.
Card Ability
After your species attacks, each of the attacked player’s species lose 2 population to the Reef.
Clarifications
After each attack, each of the attacked player’s species lose 2 population to the Reef. There is no penalty for species that have fewer than 2 population.
Bakunawa
Long ago in the Philippines, seven moons lit up the night sky until the serpent Bakunawa swallowed six of them. Every lunar eclipse, Bakunawa attempts to eat the last moon.
Card Ability
Once per turn, you may activate or deactivate a Scenario card for the remainder of the turn.
Clarifications
You cannot activate an event Scenario card unless there is population in the corresponding Ocean zone.
Coral Drakes
Coral Drakes engage in surplus killing even more than orca, dolphins, and humans. The remaining detritus settles on the reef’s floor and creates a feast for bottom feeders.
Card Ability
You may attack to feed from the Reef. This triggers every Bottom Feeder.
Clarifications
Your species may use their red diamond (attack) to feed in the Reef. Anytime you do this, every Bottom Feeder trait in play will activate.
Coral Nymphs
Coral Nymphs are called the caretakers of the sea. They flourish when living near an abundance of sea life.
Card Ability
Your species gain 1 when another player creates a species.
Clarifications
Your species do not gain 1 when you create a species; only when another player creates a species.
Flying Whales
No one knows why they came or where they came from, but everyone can remember the day the flying whales arrived. Most people were filled with wonder. They leaned into loved ones, bumping shoulders or gently holding hands while they watched. Others were worried about what the future would bring.
Card Ability
Your species cannot be attacked by a species with a Deep trait.
Your species may store 9 extra population.
Clarifications
Use another Species board to keep track of the extra 9 population slots. You may not use the population slot with the fish bones for the additional species board.
Grandmother Seolmundae
Seolmundaehalmang is the youngest daughter of the Korean Earth God. As the creator and guardian of Jeju Island, Grandmother Seolmundae protects the women divers (haenyeo) who bring valuable shellfish to their Korean families.
Card Ability
Your species gain 1 after a species with 3 (green circle) or more forages.
Iku-Turso
In Finnish mythology, there is a malevolent monster called Iku-Turso who lives at the bottom of the sea. He is the father of old age and disease. Iku-Turso can inflict sailors with a disease that will spread from a port city across the entire country.
Card Ability
Before your feeding phase, each of your species may leech 1 from another species.
Clarifications
This effect may not be used to leech from a species with a trait that protects against leeching (like Transparent).
Jörmungandr
In Norse mythology, Thor’s nemesis is the serpent Jörumungandr who grew so large that he surrounded all of Earth (Midgard).
Card Ability
Before your feeding phase, give one species an additional species board to store 9 extra population.
Clarifications
These species boards remain in play even if the Jörmungandr Legend card is swapped out.
A species can have more than one extra population board from this power.
Ka’ahupahau
At the entrance of Pearl Harbor (Pu’uloa) lives a guardian goddess, Ka’ahupahau, who patrols the Hawaiian coastline to ward away man-eating sharks.
Card Ability
After your species gets attacked, the attacking species discards all population to the Reef.
Clarifications
The attacking species will discard any population received from the attack as well as any population it had before the attack.
Kraken Colony
After a few too many tavern drinks, an old Norwegian fisherman often told the story of how his life was saved by whales. A hungry Kraken was chasing his ship all morning when they passed a pod of whales. Moments later, the Kraken surfaced with 3 whales in its tentacles!
Card Ability
Your species may attack 2 additional times.
Lamiak
Lamiak are known throughout the Basque country for their webbed-feet and beautiful hair. Farmers leave food for Lamiak, and in return, a Lamia might plow their field during the night. When you see a rainbow, it means the sun is shining off a Lamia’s hair.
Card Ability
Your species get +2 to each of their gains.
Your species cannot overpopulate.
Clarifications
Each gains icon is treated as if it is 2 greater than the number listed on the trait.
Lobsterfolk
Lobsterfolk do not age. Their large families are held together by the wisdom of their oldest member. For Lobsterfolk, birthdays have nothing to do with aging and everything to do with the wisdom you gain over time.
Card Ability
Instead of aging, your species gain the amount they would have aged.
Overpopulation is scored instead of lost.
Mishibizhiw
Across the Great Plains and throughout the Mississippi valley, Mishibizhiw is regarded by the Anishinaabe as the Horned Serpent. In the northeast, he’s referred to as the Underwater Panther. Mishibizhiw can bless people with powerful medicine and good fishing — but those who approach him foolishly can face brutal and unseemly deaths.
Card Ability
When any species goes extinct, you may add the discarded traits to any number of your species.
Clarifications
Your species may not exceed their trait limit, but you may remove another trait to make room for a new one.
Muldjewangk
Indigenous Australian stories about water creatures called Muldejwangk were designed to keep kids away from the water after dark. The Muldejwangk hide in large clumps of seaweed and grab children with their large hands if they get too close to the sides of a boat.
Card Ability
After attacking, leech 1 from both species adjacent to the target.
Clarifications
This effect does not leech from a species with a trait that protects against leeching (like Transparent).
NorthStar Explorers
The Northstar Explorers are storytellers and artists who have banded together for adventure. A common saying among these travelers is "There are worlds to explore!"
Card Ability
Your species may forage from any Ocean zone.
Olokun
When the ocean is choppy, Olokun is angry. In the West African religion of Yoruba, Olokun reigns over the ocean and rules over every water deity.
Card Ability
You may have multiple Legend cards in play. To add a new Legend, you must pay the full cost.
Clarifications
If you remove Olokun, you must remove all but 1 Legend card.
Sobek
The Nile River was created on a hot day from the sweat pouring down Sobek’s face. After the river’s creation, the Egyptian civilization prospered because its annual floods brought rich soil.
Card Ability
Once during your turn, you may migrate up to 5 population from any Ocean zone to the Reef.
The Dragon King
The Dragon King, Longwang, gets his orders directly from the Jade Emperor. Longwang controls the weather, provides bountiful harvests, and rules over the four cardinal seas.
Card Ability
When taking population, you may distribute them among any of your species.
Clarifications
Overpopulation (if it ever happens) would not take place until after all of the population has been distributed.
Tiamat
Known to make waves and cause chaos, the Babylonian goddess of the sea, Tiamat, symbolizes the chaos of primordial creation.
Card Ability
You may play an additional card after playing a Deep card.
Clarifications
If the additional card played is a Deep card, this will allow you to play an additional card.
Triton’s Merfolk
Triton’s Merfolk have an intricate social system that enables them to coordinate efforts towards a common goal, making them more powerful when they work together.
Card Ability
Your species get 2 forage (green circle), 2 attack (red diamond), and 2 gains (gold circle) for each species you have in play.
Clarifications
For instance, if you have 4 species in play, they each get 8 forage (green circle), 8 attack (red diamond), and 8 gains (gold circle).
Turtlefolk
Turtlefolk are fiercely protective of their family. Using the shell of an ancestor as a shield in battle honors the dead, allowing them to protect their loved ones from the grave. The Shell to My Side is a popular folk song about a small town hero who uses his father’s shell to protect his village from a Kraken.
Card Ability
Your species get 10 gains (gold circle).
Umibōzu
Umibōzu is a terrifying Japanese spirit (yōkai) who conjures massive waves to capsize ships. He is known as the sea monk because he has a round head similar to Buddhist monks.
Card Ability
After any species feeds, one of your species may take 1 population from the feeding species.
Clarifications
This effect may be used on your turn and on your opponent’s turns.
Yacumama
Lurking in the waters of the Amazon is the mother of all water creatures, Yacumama. She instantly sucks up any living creature that comes within 100 steps of her! Peruvians blow on a conch shell to lure her out before entering any Amazonian waters.
Card Ability
If one of your species has the highest attack (red diamond) in play, it ignores all defensive traits and all Legends when attacking.
Clarifications
This effect does not apply if your species is tied for the highest attack (red diamond) with another player’s species.
Zin Kibaru
Zin Kibaru is a blind Niger river spirit who can control fish by enchanting them with his magical guitar.
Card Ability
You may migrate population directly to one of your species.
Promo Legend Cards
The rulebook’s gallery is followed by a "Promo Cards" page advertising the promo set. The six Legend cards that follow it in the rulebook are transcribed below as the promo set. Each card’s text is transcribed as printed.
Atlanteans
Atlanteans are a technologically advanced race that migrated to Earth from a dying planet to build the utopian city of Atlantis.
Card Ability
You may play one additional trait card each turn.
Cthulhu
Cthulhu is the leader of the Old Ones. He ruled Earth up until the day he slipped under its crust. Like a volcano waiting to erupt, he will one day return to the surface to rule the world once again.
Card Ability
Opponent’s species get Aging +5.
Leviathan
The Leviathan is an enormous sea monster from the Hebrew Bible who symbolizes chaos and the power of God’s creation.
Card Ability
You may only have 1 species. It does not have a population or trait limit. Discard any other species and score their population.
Clarifications
If you have more than 1 species when you play this Legend card, discard all of the species except for one, discard the traits on those species, and score the population from those species.
Makara
The Makara are sea-creatures used as steeds by the sea god Varuna and the river goddess Ganga. They are sometimes spotted protecting ancient Hindu temples.
Card Ability
The adjacency arrows of your species are extended by 1. Choose the target for leeching effects.
Clarifications
Gains get triggered by both the adjacent species and the species next to it. Leeching must choose between the 2 targets.
Poseidon
Poseidon rules from an underwater palace in Aegai, offering calm seas, safe passage, and good fishing to those who honor him.
Card Ability
Before your feeding phase, each of your species takes 1 population from the Reef or any Ocean zone.
Sirens
The bewitching melodies of Sirens would lure ancient Greek sailors through the fog to smash their ships against the rocky shores.
Card Ability
After being attacked, discard the top card from the Surface deck. If the migrate number is 10 or higher, the attacking species loses all its population to your score pile.