Pocket Sub Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Introductory Setup
• Ocean Tiles
• Aim of the Game
• How to Play
• Move
• Encountering Friendly Pieces
• Encountering Enemy Pieces
• Hero Sub
• Lay a Mine
• Examples
• End of the Game
• Standard Setup
  • Ocean Tiles
  • Deploying Command Centres and Subs
• Captain's Mini Expansion Pack
  • Setup
  • How to Play
  • Whirlpool Tokens
  • Intelligence Report, Map and Strong Current Tokens

Components

• 8 Ocean tiles
• 12 Subs (3 in each of 4 player colours)
• 4 Command Centres (1 in each of 4 player colours)
• 48 Mines (12 in each of 4 player colours)

Introductory Setup

Depending on the number of players, lay out Ocean tiles as shown in the printed rulebook's 2-player and 3-player setup diagrams. Each player chooses one of the player colours in play and takes the 12 Mines of that colour. Put any unused Ocean tiles, Subs, Command Centres and Mines back in the box.

In later games, use the "Standard setup" instructions at the end of the rules.

In a 4-player game, play in two teams of 2 players. In the introductory setup, the Red and Blue players are on one team, and the Black and White players are on the other team. Sit around the game table in clockwise order: Red, White, Blue, Black. Each player controls 2 Subs.

Ocean Tiles

Each Ocean tile is made up of 7 regions. The large central region of a tile is either shallow or deep. The small regions around the edge of each tile are either shallow or rocky.

Each large central region is directly adjacent to each of the 6 regions that surround it. Each small region is directly adjacent to 3 regions on its own tile, and is also adjacent to the small region on the neighbouring tile that is edge-to-edge adjacent with it, if there is one.

(Diagram in the printed rulebook: the left tile has a shallow central region and the right tile has a deep central region. Regions adjacent to the subs are shown with arrows.)

Aim of the Game

At any time, if only one player has Subs remaining in play, that player immediately wins the game!

How to Play

The player who last saw the sea goes first. Players then take turns clockwise.

On your turn, you must MOVE one of your Subs and then LAY A MINE somewhere on its path.

Beware! If you cannot complete these actions with the Sub you chose, the Sub is destroyed!

Move

When you move a Sub, you have 3 "movement points" to use.

• Moving into an adjacent shallow or deep region uses 1 movement point.
• Moving into an adjacent rocky region uses 2 movement points.
• You can also use 2 movement points to "run deep" from one deep region to a deep region on any other Ocean tile.
• You cannot move into the same region twice in one turn, and cannot return to the region that the Sub was in at the start of your turn.

You must use all 3 movement points every turn. If you cannot, your Sub is destroyed!

Also, if your Sub ends its movement in a region with any Mine or Sub, including your own, both pieces are destroyed!

Encountering Friendly Pieces

You may move through a region with one of your own Mines or Subs. You may move through or end your movement in the region with your own Command Centre. While one of your Subs is in the region with your own Command Centre, the Sub cannot be destroyed.

In a 4-player team game, consider the Mines, Subs and Command Centre of your teammate that you encounter as if they were your own. However, on your turn you can only move one of your own Subs.

Encountering Enemy Pieces

If you enter a region with an enemy Mine or Sub, both pieces are destroyed and removed from the game.

If you enter a region with an enemy Command Centre, your Sub is destroyed and removed from the game. The Command Centre and any Sub in the region friendly to the Command Centre remain on the board.

Hero Sub

When you have only one remaining Sub in play, it becomes your "Hero Sub". If your Hero Sub enters a region with an enemy Sub, including another player's Hero Sub, the enemy Sub is destroyed but your Hero Sub survives.

However, your Hero Sub is still destroyed if it enters a region with an enemy Mine or Command Centre, and you must still use all its movement points and lay a Mine as normal.

Lay a Mine

After you move your Sub, you must lay exactly one Mine in an empty shallow or rocky region somewhere on its path. If you cannot, your Sub is destroyed!

• Mines cannot be laid in deep regions.
• Mines cannot be laid in a region with another Mine, Submarine or Command Centre belonging to any player, including you. This includes the region in which your Submarine ended its movement.
• If your Submarine was destroyed while it was moving but had the opportunity to lay a Mine, you must still lay a Mine.

Examples

1. The Red player uses 2 movement points to move into the rocky region, and then uses 1 movement point to move into the shallow region on the adjacent Ocean tile. The player lays a mine in the rocky region.

2. The Red player uses 1 movement point to move into the deep region, and then uses 2 movement points to move into the rocky region. The player lays a mine in the shallow region that they started in.

3. The Red player uses 2 movement points to "run deep" from one deep region to another deep region, then uses 1 movement point to move to the shallow region. The player cannot lay a mine, because a mine must be laid in an empty region on the Submarine's path, but cannot be laid in deep regions. Because the player cannot lay a mine, the Submarine is destroyed!

4. The Red player has only one Sub remaining so this has become the player's Hero Sub. The Blue player still has two Subs in play. The Red player uses 1 movement point to move to a shallow region, then uses 1 movement point to move into the deep region with the Blue player's Submarine, destroying it. The Red player then completes their turn by using 1 movement point to move into a shallow region, and lays a mine in the shallow region they first moved into.

End of the Game

At any time, if only one player has Subs remaining in play, that player immediately wins the game.

If the winner is the current player, their turn ends immediately, and they win the game even if they have unused movement points and have not laid a Mine.

Standard Setup

Once you are familiar with the game, use these setup instructions.

Ocean Tiles

Depending on the number of players, use the following mix of Ocean tiles:

• 2 players: Use 5 tiles, 3 with deep regions (recommended tiles: 1, 2, 5, 6, 8)
• 3 players: Use 6 tiles, 4 with deep regions (recommended tiles: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8)
• 4 players: Use 7 tiles, 5 with deep regions (recommended tiles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Shuffle and lay them face up to build a random board that matches the pattern of tiles used in the introductory setup. When flipping and placing tiles, do not choose or alter their orientation after you place them. This will ensure that the rocky regions are randomly arranged in each game.

Deploying Command Centres and Subs

• 2 or 3 players: Each player takes the Command Centre, 12 Mines and 3 Subs of one colour.
• 4 players: Each player takes the Command Centre, 12 Mines and 2 Subs of one colour. Split into two teams of 2 players, and sit around the game table alternating the members of each team.

During setup, the player who last saw the sea goes first. Players then take setup turns clockwise.

On your first setup turn, place your Command Centre on any empty deep region. On later setup turns, place one of your Subs on an empty shallow or rocky region, or in the region with your (or your teammate's) Command Centre. Once everyone has placed all of their Subs, begin the game as normal.

Captain's Mini Expansion Pack

When you are familiar with the game, you may want to play with the Captain's mini expansion pack.

This contains:

• 2 Whirlpool tokens (one indicates clockwise rotation, while the other indicates anti-clockwise rotation)
• 4 Intelligence report tokens
• 4 Map tokens
• 4 Strong current tokens
• 1 captain's hat first player token.

Setup

Give players 1 each of the Intelligence report, Map and Strong current tokens. Give the captain's hat to the player that most recently saw the sea. This player is the first player. If backed via Kickstarter, you may replace the chipboard Command Centre tokens with the wooden Command Centre meeples.

The second player (or team) chooses and places one of the Whirlpool tokens into the central region of any hex, not already containing a Command Centre. However, it may already contain a Sub. The first player then takes the last Whirlpool token and does the same, but may not place it in a region containing the previously placed Whirlpool token.

How to Play

The game is played as normal except with the following exceptions:

Whirlpool Tokens

When each player has had their turn a round ends (indicated by the first player's captain's hat token). The first player then rotates the tiles in the direction the Whirlpool tokens indicate, with all the tokens placed on top of it as well. For example, the clockwise direction Whirlpool token will rotate the tile it is placed on clockwise one region to the right, ensuring that adjacent spaces are still touching.

Intelligence Report, Map and Strong Current Tokens

These may be played once per game, per player at the beginning of their turn, and if compelled more than one token type played at the same time. Once they are played, they must be put back in the box.

• The Intelligence report token allows the player's Submarine to not be destroyed when moving through any number of regions containing enemy Subs or Mines. However, normal rules still apply for the final region.
• A Map token allows players to move through regions containing enemy Command Centres without being destroyed. This also applies if you are running deep. However, normal rules still apply for the final region.
• For the Strong current token, the player may move their selected Submarine by an extra movement point (but not necessarily an extra region).