Scuba Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Preparation
• Goal of the Game
• Introduction
• This Is How Scuba Is Played
  • 1 - Remove All Your Dust Markers
  • 2 - Draw a Current Card and Perform the Action
  • 3 - Dive, Discover Fish and Treasures and Leave Dust
  • 4 - Use Air
• Event Cards
• Special Rules
  • Combinations of Animals
  • Reaching the Surface and Snorkeling
• The End of the Game
• The Points
• Variation: Decompression
  • Decompression
  • Variation: Divers Cannot Die
• Attachment: Overview Combinations

Components

• 1 Game Board
• 56 Points and Deco chips
• 88 Tiles
• 40 Current Cards
• 40 Event Cards
• 72 Animal Cards
• 4 Wooden Scuba Divers
• 16 Wooden Cubes
• 48 Wooden Discs
• 4 Dials
• 4 Player Aids

NOTE: If you see this anywhere in the rules, it tells you something about real scuba diving and how that affects a certain game rule.

Game Preparation

• Sort the tiles first on depth, by looking at the icons on the back. A red fish means 0-10m, yellow is 10-20m, green is 20-30m, blue is 30-40m. Place them randomly on the board with the icon side up. You will have 4 tiles left per icon. Place them back in the box without looking at their fronts. Then exchange one tile with another of a neighboring depth. So exchange a red tile with a yellow tile, a yellow with a green and a green with a blue tile.

The game board after setup. The switched tiles are marked in red.

• Exception: for a game with 2 players you do not use the 2 outside columns. Follow the same instructions as above and put the extra remaining 4 tiles back in the box as well.
• Shuffle the event cards per depth and place them in 4 piles next to the board, face down.
• Shuffle the current cards and place them face down in a pile next to the board.
• There is no need to shuffle the animal cards. Sort them on color and place them next to the board in four piles, face down.
• Give every player a diver and the cubes and discs in a color. The divers start on the diving boat.
• Give every player one dial and a player aid. Put the dials at 20 air.
• Put the point chips next to the board.
• Choose a starting player. Our suggestion: the player that scuba dived most recently or would like to learn to scuba dive the most.

Goal of the Game

To collect as many points as possible AND to surface safely with at least 10 bar / 150 psi (1 unit of air) left in your tank.

Introduction

You and your friends are on a diving boat and it is time to go for a nice dive. You have all got a full tank of air, which means you've got 200 bar / 3000 psi in your tank. One unit of air is symbolized in the game by this icon: [air tank icon].

You keep track of your air with the dial. If you are not familiar with scuba diving, you can refer to the air simply as units of air. You lose air at the end of your turns and because of some event and current cards. Always make sure you plan well and don't end up without air while under water because you will then lose the game, no matter how many points you have collected.

The goal of the game is to gain as many victory points as possible. In this game they are represented by a small sea star with a number in front of it.

This image shows -2 victory points: [sea star icon with -2]

The player that gets back on the boat with the most victory points wins the game. Victory points represent happiness points. The goal of scuba diving is to relax, explore and spot all kinds of sea creatures. The more animals you see, the better your dive and therefore the more points you'll score.

If divers get too close to the sea floor, they will create dust which will reduce visibility. In this game dust will be indicated by leaving a trail of wooden cubes behind on the squares on which you dive. The sea floor descends gradually, so you will make dust on every depth. Players can't spot any fish on squares with dust markers.

The now following rules will discuss the base game. We recommend these for a first game. Advanced gamers can also add the decompression rules directly. After the base rules we will discuss these alternative rules:

• The rules for decompression
• A variant that makes the game a bit more child friendly, where divers can't die.

This Is How Scuba Is Played

The start player begins the game and executes these four steps in order. After this, the game continues clockwise to the next player. Note: Step 1 is skipped in the first two rounds and step 2 is skipped in the first round. A round is defined as one turn for each player. Also, no dust is made in the first round.

1 - Remove All Your Dust Markers

In the first round these aren't there yet, so this step will be skipped. Dust markers will be explained further on and are the little cubes that are on the spaces (never on the animal tiles). At this step you remove the dust cubes of your color off the board.

2 - Draw a Current Card and Perform the Action

In the first round there is no current yet. During the rest of the game: draw a current card and perform the effects of it. If it mentions 'calm seas' there is no current. Otherwise a card looks like this: [current card example, showing air icons and fish/diver/shark symbols with values].

This card says: move all red animal tiles (recognizable by the red number and border on the tile) two spaces to the left. The green fish don't move, the yellow move one space to the left, the blue move one to the left, and all divers also move one space to the left. So not only the player whose turn it is, but all players. It's possible that multiple (unlimited) animals and divers end up on one space. Divers can only explore in their own turn, so if you move because of currents in someone else's turn, you can't score any points until it's your turn again. Tiles that are still faced down don't move. Dust markers won't be moved along, since they're supposed to be placed next to the tiles. Discs will move with the animals; they're supposed to be on top of the tiles as explained in step 3. If divers or fish on a side of the board risk to fall off, these rules will apply:

• TOP SIDE: if fish or divers are at 0-15 feet (0-5 meters) and according to a current have to move up a space, they will remain in their spot at 0-15 feet (0-5 meters).
• SIDES: if fish left or right are being pushed by currents, they are off the board and will be discarded from the game. Most fish swim faster than divers and often can't be kept up with. If divers are being pushed off the sides by currents they will remain where they were on the edge of the board.
• BOTTOM SIDE: if fish at 105-120 feet (35-40m) are being pushed down by currents, they will go to the 120-135 feet row (40-45m). Fish on this row can't be discovered by divers (divers are too busy with their own problems if they reach this depth). If fish at 120-135 feet (40-45m) are being pushed down further by currents, they fall off the board and will be placed on a discard pile. If divers are at 105-120 feet (35-40m) and are being pushed down by currents, they end up at 120-135 feet (40-45m) and have to take a deco token immediately if playing with decompression rules. More about this in the separate decompression rules. Divers can't go deeper than 120-135 feet (35-40m), not even due to currents.

If you applied the current, put this card face up beside the board, because your movement is dependent on it (see below). Then place the card over the previous current card.

3 - Dive, Discover Fish and Treasures and Leave Dust

Now it's finally time to dive! You're allowed to move several spaces according to this diagram: [movement diagram: 2 up, 4-S left, 4-S right, 0-4 centre, 4 down].

NOTE: The maximum safe ascent speed is 10 meters (30 feet) per minute. So in this game, you can only ascend up to 2 squares per turn. If you wish to ascend up to 20 meters per minute you can do so in the decompression variant, but that is not without risk.

This means that you're allowed to move between 0 and 4 spaces total. Of these, a maximum of 2 are allowed to go up and a maximum of 4 to go down. If you play with decompression rules, you can rise more than 30 feet/10 meters (2 spaces) per turn; for this see the rules of decompression. To see how far you're allowed to move horizontally, you look at the current card of step 2. If a current here is to the left for divers, you will have to subtract this current from the number 4 to decide how far you can move to the right, and vice versa. So for example: you subtract the card that has been used in step 2 as an example:

[Current card example]

You're allowed to move a maximum of 4 spaces and of that: a maximum of 2 spaces up, 4 spaces down, 4 spaces to the left and 4-1=3 spaces to the right.

On your first turn, you can only dive to the three spaces at 0-15 feet (0-5m) under the boat. After that you can go left, right or down. You can't move diagonally in this game, only orthogonally (left, right, up, down).

[Example image] In this example, Yellow has already seen all three animals in the close-up since he has a yellow disc on them all. Blue still wants to see the turtle and the right hand shark, he will have to wait for the dust Yellow made to clear first in order to be able to see the animals.

After every step you take (so up to 4 steps in a turn), you will take the following actions:

There are three possibilities: either you're standing on an empty space, or on a space with one or multiple animals, or you're standing on an undiscovered space – so with a depth on the back.

If you're standing on an undiscovered space, you're allowed to turn this tile over.

• If you find an empty sea, then you've found nothing and you discard the tile. Put a dust marker on the space.
• If you find an event, you will take the top card of the event card pile of the same depth and execute it. You will discard the tile after that. Then put a dust marker on the space.
• If you find an animal, then you'll look first if you already have a disc of your own on this tile. If yes, then you've seen this animal already and nothing happens. Place a cube on the space (but next to the tile) to create dust. If you don't have a disc on this tile, you'll look if you own a card of this animal yet. If yes, you'll look at the amount of victory points that this animal is worth and take point chips of that value. You can only have 1 card per animal. If no, then you'll look at what color this animal has, which is indicated by the color of the animal tiles' number and border; (red).

Then you'll take the pile of animal cards of this color and remove the card for the animal you spotted. You can place this face down in front of you to keep your victory points secret from other players. After that, whether you took a card or point chips, you put a disc of your color on the animal tile to indicate that you've seen this one now and put a cube on the space, next to the animal tile, to create dust. Creating dust is something you always do, except in the first round. Other players can see this animal too when the dust has disappeared and the fish has not streamed off the board yet.

When all players have placed a disc on an animal, this one has been seen by everyone and can be taken off the board to keep the game orderly.

ATTENTION: You cannot discover an animal if there's a dust marker on that space.

If you're standing on an empty space you do nothing. However, you do place a wooden cube as a dust marker on this space to indicate you created dust. Again; in the first round no dust will be created.

If you're standing on a space with one or multiple animals and there is no dust marker on that space, you're allowed to discover this, as explained above.

If you don't want to or can't move you'll move on to step 4. Also see the rules for reaching the surface and decompression further on.

4 - Use Air

You will look at the depth of where you are at this moment and pay the air for that depth with your dial. The following grid can also be found on the board in the left column.

Depth		Using Air
Surface		0 units (0 psi / 0 bar)
0-30 feet	0-10 meters	1 unit (150 psi / 10 bar)
30-60 feet	10-20 meters	2 units (300 psi / 20 bar)
60-90 feet	20-30 meters	3 units (450 psi / 30 bar)
90-120 feet	30-40 meters	4 units (600 psi / 40 bar)
120-135 feet		5 units (750 psi / 50 bar) + 1 deco token*

* only with decompression rules

Once you've paid your air and the requirements to end the game haven't been met yet (see the headline 'the end of the game'), it's the turn of the next player.

Note: You must always surface with at least 1 unit of air, if at the end of your turn you use your last unit of air you'll die, according to the rules of the basic game.

Event Cards

Icons used on event cards:

• VP (victory points) -> The number of victory points you gain or lose

• Air -> The amount of additional air you lose

• Arrow (direction) -> The direction in which something moves

• Or / -> Choose one or the other

• Nothing (red cross) -> Nothing happens

• No eye (crossed-out eye) -> You can't discover anything during the execution of this card

• No dust -> You don't create dust while executing this card and this movement counts as 1 movement point

• Deco token -> You have to take a deco token if you play with deco rules

• Surface -> You ascend to the surface

• Surface boat -> You ascend to the surface and swim to the boat

• Pick a tile -> Pick a tile

• Remove from game -> Remove this tile from the game (without looking at it)

• End turn -> Your turn ends immediately

• You -> Your diver

• Any diver -> A diver of your choice (yours or one of another player)

• Eye -> You can discover while executing this card

If an event card shows (a) choice(s), it's always the current players who can make all choices, even if it involves moving fish or other divers.

Free flow – Your regulator suddenly free flows! If you are at 0-5 meters (0-15 feet) and you have 0 or 1 deco token, surface or lose one air. If you have more than 1 deco token or are at 5-10 meters (15-30 feet), lose one air.

Sudden Current, Strong Current & Sudden Current – If this event card causes you to move more than 4 spaces, then do so. Only place dust cubes on the last 4 spaces.

Unpredictable Current and Selective Current – Divers only make dust in their own turns. If you move another diver in your turn, they will not create dust. If you move yourself, make dust as normal. If this causes you to move more than 4 spaces this turn, then do so and only place dust cubes on the last 4 spaces.

Special Rules

Combinations of Animals

It is fun to see a certain animal, but even more fun if you see multiple animals that are linked to each other! In this game you can see if a card makes a combination with another card in the bottom left corner on the animal cards:

The Nurse shark makes a combination with the lemon shark, as indicated on the icon at the bottom left.

If you're not sure what animal is meant by an icon, check the attachment of these rules for a complete overview of the combinations or on the player aids.

If you make a combination of 3 animals, for example the three types of coral, this will grant you 6 bonus points.

If you have 2 cards of a combination of 3 they will still grant you 2 bonus points.

If you have a complete combination of 2 animals you gain 3 bonus points.

Reaching the Surface and Snorkeling

If you're at 0-15 feet (0-5 m) (at the end of your dive) you can move one space up to reach the surface. Place your diver at the water line or, if you were right under the boat, on the boat.

You will then have two options for the rest of the game; you can swim to the boat/stay on the boat or you can go snorkeling.

Horizontal currents also work for snorkeling players, vertical currents don't. If you are snorkeling, you draw a current card in your turn. If you're on the boat, you do not. You do not create dust while snorkeling.

If you snorkel you can see everything that is at 0-15 feet (0-5 meters), so the top row of tiles on the board. All rules still apply, except you can only move horizontally. You cannot go diving again. You can turn tiles, events can happen unless they require a vertical movement or cost air, and you can discover fish consistent with the normal rules.

If at the end of the game you're snorkeling on a space with negative points, or if you reach the surface on a space like that and the game ends immediately, you will get the negative points that are on that space. Take a chip with those negative points on it (the skipper has to sail towards you and you will receive negative points for that).

The End of the Game

The end of the game will be triggered if:

• All divers except one are dead – a diver is declared dead if he runs out of air under water.
• All divers except for one have surfaced and are either snorkeling or on the boat.

When the end of the game has been triggered, everyone can use one or two more turns to dive or snorkel. This depends on who triggered the end: the game continues until the starting player has their turn and then everyone can play one more full round. If the player who started is no longer alive you will look at the next one up that's alive.

Solo diving is dangerous. If after this someone's still underwater, the game will continue for a maximum of two rounds. All living players can have their turn if they are not on or right next to the boat. The diving player can have his turn as well, but this grants him 5 negative points per turn. If the solo diver has still not reached the surface after these two rounds, the boat will leave without him. The diver is still alive, but will get 25 negative points. He can still use as many turns by himself as needed to reach the surface, but that also grants 5 negative points per turn. If he rises to surface alive his points will still count and he can theoretically still win.

The Points

If everyone has risen to surface (or if the boat has left without someone) the points of the living players will be counted as follows:

• Players will get the points indicated at the top left on their animal cards.
• Players will get bonus points if they made certain combinations. There are combinations of 2 animals and of 3 animals, that will be discussed in detail further on.

These bonus points will be rewarded:

• A complete combination of 2 animals: +3 points
• 2 animals out a combination of 3 animals: +2 points
• A complete combination of 3 animals: +6 points

Because you can only have one card of a fish, you can also only get points one time per combination.

Players add bonus points of event cards and point chips to their score and subtract negative points of event cards and possible other punishments, like surfacing with a deco token (deco rules), being on a space with negative points at the end of the game, or diving solo for too long.

The living player with most points wins! When it's a draw the player with most animal cards wins. If it's still a draw after that, the player with the least amount of negative points wins. If it's still a draw after that, the player who goes diving first wins.

Variation: Decompression

Decompression in diving is a pretty complicated but important concept, but it still appeared to be simple to integrate it in this game. We advise to add these rules to the game after a first game:

Decompression

When you dive below 30 feet (10 meters) for the first time, take a deco token. Deco tokens are indicated in this prototype by chips with the letter 'D' on it. If you arrive at 120-135 feet (40-45 meters) due to a current card or event card, take a deco token. You will never go here voluntarily; if there are animals here you're not allowed to discover them anyway.

You can move 3 or 4 spaces (between 30 and 60 feet/ 10-20 meters) up per turn, but then you have to take a deco token and you're not allowed to discover fish or turn any tiles. Every time you end up in an unsafe situation this is not allowed, like in this case.

For every deco token that you have, you have to spend one turn between 0-30 feet (0-10 meters) before you can rise to the surface. Every time you spend a turn at 0-30 feet (0-10 meters) you can discard a deco token.

You can rise to surface with one deco token, but you will immediately get 5 negative points. Take a chip with '-5' on it.

You can't surface with more than one deco token. If you're out of air, you will die and lose the game (otherwise you would die above the water due to the consequences of all sorts of misery).

Variation: Divers Cannot Die

Diving is a very safe sport and if you dive by the rules no one will die. Dying can only happen due to bad planning in combination with bad luck or very bad planning. And that is the same way in this game. You can see for yourself how much air you will have to pay at the end of your turn and this in combination with the maximum rising speed will make sure you can only die due to very bad planning. Or due to bad planning in combination with bad luck; if you draw an event card that causes you to lose air.

However, if you don't want divers to die after all to make the game more child-friendly, follow this rule:

If a diver underwater ends up without air (the only way to die), place this one at the surface above the space he is right now. If there are negative points on that space he will take those right away.

This diver is not allowed to move for the rest of game, not even towards the boat. He's also no longer allowed to discover anything that is right under him at 0-15 feet (0-5m).

This diver gets extra negative points equal to the deepest number of the depth in meters he was at before he rised to surface, plus 5. So if he's between 10-15 meters he will get 15 + 5 = 20 negative points. At 35-40 feet this would mean 40 + 5 = 45 negative points.

The maximum rising speed rule would be ignored in this case; the negative points for this are already included in the penalty points above.

The rules for the endgame don't change. Only replace the concept of 'dead divers' to 'divers that have risen to surface through this way'.

Attachment: Overview Combinations

There are two combinations of 2 animals and two combinations of 3 animals. There are more animal tiles than used in one game, so not all combinations will always be possible in a game.

Combinations of 2:

• Clownfish (yellow deck) and sea anemone (red deck)
• Lemon shark and nurse shark (both in the green deck)

Combinations of 3:

• Blue spotted stingray (yellow), eagle ray (green) and reef manta ray (blue)
• Gorgonian sea fan and stove pipe sponge (red) and branching vase sponge (yellow)

NOTE: Colors disappear slowly under water. First there won't be any red anymore, then yellow and green dissapear, and then at depth there's only blue, until that disappears too and only black remains. That is why the shallowest fish cards have a red color, then yellow, green, and the deepest fish have a blue color.