Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Overview
- 2 players
- 10 minutes
- Ages 8+
Game Contents
- 2 Sanctuary cards (double-sided)
- 16 Aquatic Animal cards
Objective
Score the most Ranking Points in your sanctuary.
Icon Meanings
- Size
- Danger
- Grace
- Ranking Point
- Opponent — marks a scoring condition that compares your sanctuary to your opponent's
- Card with visible scoring condition
- Card with visible icons
1. Setup
- Each player randomly takes a Sanctuary card. They place it in front of them, choosing which side is face up.
- Shuffle the Aquatic Animal deck and place it in the middle of the play area. Take 2 cards from the top of the deck and put them back in the box (without looking at them).
- Each player draws 3 cards from the deck.
- The player who most recently visited an ocean is the First Player.
2. Gameplay
The game is played over 6 turns, starting with the First Player.
On your turn, select 2 Aquatic Animal cards from your hand. Place 1 card face up and the other card face down in front of you. The other player chooses 1 of those cards to add to their sanctuary. The remaining card is added to your own sanctuary. Last, draw 2 cards from the deck if possible. The other player will now start their turn.
3. Card Descriptions
Aquatic Animal cards have:
- An illustration of the aquatic animal.
- Size, Danger, and/or Grace icons.
- A scoring condition for getting Ranking Points at the game end.
Sanctuary cards are double-sided. Each side shows:
- An illustration of the aquatic animal.
- Size, Danger, and/or Grace icons.
Each player starts with one of these cards.
4. Adding Cards to Your Sanctuary
Your sanctuary contains your starting Sanctuary card and any other card you add to it. Putting a card in your sanctuary adds icons or a scoring condition, depending on how you place it underneath your Sanctuary card.
To add icons (Option A), expose just the top of the card, showing the icons. To add a scoring condition (Option B), expose just the bottom of the card, showing the condition. Once a card has been placed, it cannot be moved. The cards will create a stack that shows only necessary information.
5. Game End
The game ends after the 6th turn, when each player has 7 cards in their sanctuary (6 Aquatic Animal cards and 1 Sanctuary card). There should be no cards left in the Aquatic Animal deck and only 1 card left in each player's hand.
6. Determining the Winner
The Ranking Points your sanctuary earns is the sum of all the points you gain by satisfying scoring conditions in your sanctuary. Any unsatisfied condition counts as 0 points. The same card can be counted for each of your scoring conditions.
The player who has scored the most Ranking Points wins, and their sanctuary is named the Pacific Ocean's Best Marine Sanctuary. If both players have the same total Ranking Points, the player with the most icons in their sanctuary wins. If this number is the same, a tie is declared. You can play another game to determine the winner. See the scoring example below.
Scoring Conditions
- Mako Shark, Hammerhead Shark, and Tiger Shark — Gain 1 Ranking Point for each specified icon in your sanctuary.
- Great White Shark, Whale Shark, Stingray — Gain 2 Ranking Points for each specified icon pair in your sanctuary.
- Humpback Whale, Killer Whale, Blue Whale — Gain 3 Ranking Points for each specified icon pair in your sanctuary. Lose 2 Ranking Points for each specified icon in your sanctuary.
- Beluga Whale, Sperm Whale, Narwhal — Gain 4 Ranking Points if your sanctuary has more specified icons than your opponent's sanctuary.
- Sea Star — Gain 3 Ranking Points for each Size/Danger/Grace combination in your sanctuary.
- Sea Turtle — Gain 1 Ranking Point and 1 additional Ranking Point for each card with a visible scoring condition in your sanctuary.
- Octopus — Gain 1 Ranking Point for each card with visible icons in your sanctuary.
- Jellyfish — Copy the scoring condition of any card in your opponent's sanctuary.
Scoring Example
-
Emma gains 5 Ranking Points for the Mako Shark (5 Grace icons). She gains 4 more Ranking Points for the Narwhal because she has more Size than Liam. Emma gains 3 more Ranking Points for the Octopus (3 cards with visible icons). She gains 2 more Ranking Points for the Stingray (1 Size/Danger icon pair).
Emma's total is 14 Ranking Points. (5 + 4 + 3 + 2 = 14)
-
Liam gains 9 Ranking Points for the Sea Star (3 Size/Danger/Grace combinations). The Jellyfish can copy their opponent's Stingray condition and gain 8 Ranking Points (4 Size/Danger icon pairs).
Liam's total is 17 Ranking Points. (9 + 8 = 17)
Liam wins the game.
Aquatic Animal Card Reference
Each card lists the icons it shows when placed to add icons, and the scoring condition it shows when placed to add a scoring condition.
- Mako Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) — Icons: Danger, Grace. Scoring condition: gain 1 Ranking Point for each Size icon in your sanctuary. The Mako Shark can achieve a burst swimming speed of up to 75 km/h and leap clear of the water to heights of up to 6 meters.
- Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrnidae) — Icons: Size, Grace. Scoring condition: gain 1 Ranking Point for each Danger icon in your sanctuary. The Hammerhead Shark has around 700 teeth in up to 17 dental rows on each jaw.
- Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) — Icons: Size, Danger. Scoring condition: gain 1 Ranking Point for each Grace icon in your sanctuary. A Tiger Shark's sharp teeth can saw through a Sea Turtle's shell.
- Stingray (Manta) — Icons: Grace, Grace. Scoring condition: gain 2 Ranking Points for each Size/Danger icon pair in your sanctuary. The adult Stingray has up to 7 meters of wingspan.
- Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) — Icons: Size, Size. Scoring condition: gain 2 Ranking Points for each Danger/Grace icon pair in your sanctuary. The adult Whale Shark can grow up to 18 meters in length.
- Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) — Icons: Danger, Danger. Scoring condition: gain 2 Ranking Points for each Size/Grace icon pair in your sanctuary. The Great White Shark can grow up to 50,000 teeth in a lifetime. Some of them can reach up to 2.5 inches long.
- Sea Star (Asteroidea) — Icons: Danger, Grace. Scoring condition: gain 3 Ranking Points for each Size/Danger/Grace combination in your sanctuary. Sea Stars have the ability to regenerate limbs and, in some cases, entire bodies.
- Sea Turtle (Chelonioidea) — Icons: Size, Grace. Scoring condition: gain 1 Ranking Point, and 1 additional Ranking Point for each card with a visible scoring condition in your sanctuary. The Sea Turtle can weigh up to 500 kg.
- Jellyfish (Scyphozoa) — Icons: Size, Danger. Scoring condition: copy the scoring condition of any card in your opponent's sanctuary. The venom of the Sea Wasp Jellyfish can kill a human in just a few minutes.
- Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) — Icons: Grace, Grace. Scoring condition: gain 3 Ranking Points for each Size/Danger icon pair in your sanctuary; lose 2 Ranking Points for each Grace icon in your sanctuary. The Humpback Whale eats 2.5 tons of plankton per day.
- Blue Whale () — Icons: Size, Size. Scoring condition: gain 3 Ranking Points for each Danger/Grace icon pair in your sanctuary; lose 2 Ranking Points for each Size icon in your sanctuary.
Sanctuary Card Reference
Sanctuary cards are double-sided; each player chooses which side to play at setup.
- Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) — Icons: Size, Grace. The Dolphin can use 14,000 sound signals. This is close to the human's lexicon, which ranges from 10,000 to 20,000 words.
- Seahorse (Hippocampus) — Icons: Grace, Grace. The Seahorse can give birth to 1,000 babies at once.
- Nautilus (Nautilus pompilius) — Icons: Size, Danger, Grace. The Nautilus is one of the oldest inhabitants of the Earth. The species has existed for almost 400 million years.
- Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) — Icons: Danger, Danger. The Red Lionfish has 18 venomous spines on its fins.
Credits
- Designed by: Yuri Yamshchikov and Oleg Meleshin
- Illustrations: Lana Elanor, Ksenia Shmakova, and Tati Bordiu
- Graphic Design: OWL agency
- Editors: Brad Hiscock, Chris Doka, and Phil Ivanov
- Producer: Eugene Timashov