Swamped Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• What Is Swamped?
  • Overview
  • Game Contents
• Setup
• Goal
• Game Play
  • Coordinate Cards
  • Let's Move Cards
  • Moving The Boat
  • Discarding a Card
  • Moving the Croc
  • Distracted Croc
  • Collecting Treasure
  • Kingsfoil
• Round End
  • Starting a New Round
  • Ending the Game
  • Swamp Exit
  • The Croc Catches the Boat
  • Not Enough Cards
• Expansion Rules
  • The Waterfall
  • Swamp Tiger
• Lonely Jungle (1-Player Rules)

What Is Swamped?

Ages: 13+, Players 1-4, Play Time: 15-30min

Overview

In Swamped, players are adventurers seeking natural Treasures in a deadly swamp. Players share control of the Boat they will be using to navigate the swamp and the common goal of collecting Kingsfoil, but each player also has secret objectives that can cause disagreement about which direction the Boat should take.

On the table, players will create up to four piles of Coordinate cards. Each Coordinate card has numbers on the corners indicating how far each player may move the Boat whenever a Let's Move card is played. Every game of Swamped is played over a series of rounds with each round ending when a third Let's Move card is played and resolved or whenever players run out of cards.

Game Contents

44 Big (80x80mm) square cards (16 Coordinate cards, 6 Let's Move cards, 2 Starting Map cards, 7 Adventurer cards, 1 Blank Adventurer card, 4 Treasure cards, 1 Croc card, 1 Pilot card, 1 Kickstarter Edition Pilot card, 4 Pounce cards, 1 Waterfall card), 1 Croc token, and 1 Boat token

Setup

Unless you are playing the Waterfall or Swamp Tiger expansions, leave the Waterfall card and 4 Swamp Tiger Pounce cards in the game box. You also will only need one of the starting Map cards and one Pilot card. The Blank Adventurer card should also be left in the box unless you choose to create a new Adventurer to include with the game. Furthermore, the Swamp Tiger symbols on each Map card are for expansion play only and have no effect unless the Swamp Tiger Pounce cards are being used.

1. The player who most recently went on a journey is the starting player. Give this player one of the Pilot cards (leave the other in the game box) – they become the first Pilot of the Boat.
2. Shuffle the Coordinate cards and the Let's Move cards (See Example 1a) together to form the Deck. Deal 3 cards to every player from the Deck, map-side up. Deal the Pilot 2 extra cards. Place the Deck map-side up on the table so all players can reach it.
3. Place one of the starting Map cards (the double-sided Map cards) on the table to start the Swamp (See Example 1b). Use whichever side you like. The Pilot then takes any two cards from their hand and adds them to the Swamp in the same orientation so the Swamp has three cards (See Example 1c).
4. Next, place the Croc and four Treasure cards (Kingsfoil, Heartroot, Mooncap and Bluefisher) near the map as shown in Example 1d. Rotate the Croc card so the side or corner with the difficulty level you choose is pointing toward the Swamp. We suggest starting with "easy" on your first try. Rotate the Treasure cards so the 0's are pointing toward the Swamp. Each Treasure card relates to the Treasure of the same symbol in the Swamp. Whichever number is pointing toward the Swamp is the amount of that type of Treasure your team has collected.
5. Place the Croc token on the Croc symbol on the second card as shown in Example 1e and the Boat token on the space labeled "Start" as shown in Example 1f.
6. Lastly, shuffle all the Adventurer cards and deal 1 to each player, face-down. Any unused Adventurer cards should be placed back in the box without looking at them. Each Adventurer card has two objectives. Your score at the end of the game is whichever of your two objectives earns you the most points. Keep your objectives secret until the end!

(Example 1 is a set of diagrams showing the layout of the starting cards, Croc, Treasure cards and tokens. The diagrams are not reproduced here.)

Goal

Maneuver the Boat through the Swamp to collect Treasures without getting caught by the Croc or running out of time. To win the game, you must accumulate more points than any other player, while at the same time helping the team collect at least three samples of Kingsfoil. Once you've reached both the main goal and your secret goals, you must steer the Boat out of the Swamp and back to safety.

Game Play

Swamped is played over a series of rounds. Each round consists of players taking actions that will help them move the Boat the direction they prefer, while also keeping out of reach of the Croc. A round ends when a third Let's Move card is played and movement is resolved or when all players run out of cards to play.

The Pilot takes the first turn. When it is your turn, you must either play a card from your hand OR discard a card from your hand, and then take any associated actions. Lastly, draw a card from the Deck (if there are any cards left) and end your turn.

There are two types of cards you can play from your hand, a Coordinate card or a Let's Move card. Coordinate cards determine how many spaces each player will be able to move the Boat when a Let's Move card is played. A Let's Move card is played when a player feels it's time to move the Boat.

Coordinate Cards

When playing a Coordinate card, you must play it so that a different corner of the card points toward each player. The corner pointing towards you is "your" corner. Every corner has a number between 1 and 4. In a two-player game, sit at the table so that your corner is always the one opposite your opponent's corner.

There are two ways you may play a Coordinate card: (1) Either to start a new pile, or (2) on an existing pile. If you are starting a new pile, place the card on the table with any number pointing towards you. You may only start a new pile if you're playing a color for a pile not already on the table.

If you are playing on an existing pile, you must play the Coordinate card on a pile of cards of the same color, and there cannot be a Let's Move card already in play on that pile. If you play on an existing pile, the number in your corner must be higher than the number already pointing toward you (See Example 2).

(Example 2: Since you are increasing the number in your corner, you can play the Coordinate card on top. Diagram not reproduced.)

After playing a Coordinate card, draw a card from the Deck (if one is available) and end your turn.

(Note: Each Coordinate card is labeled with an ordinal direction (East, West, etc.). This label is simply to help you distinguish Coordinate cards of the same color and you are not required to move the ordinal direction indicated.)

Let's Move Cards

If you choose to play a Let's Move card, a few things will happen. First, the Pilot immediately passes the Pilot card to the next player in clockwise order causing that player to become the new Pilot. Then each player may move the Boat. Lastly, the Croc will move!

Players can only play a Let's Move card on an existing pile that does not already have a Let's Move card on it. Place it on a pile so that all of the players can clearly see the corners and which numbers are pointing towards them (See Example 3).

(Example 3 is a diagram of a Let's Move card on a pile showing the numbers 1, 1, 2 and 1 pointing toward the players. Diagram not reproduced.)

Moving The Boat

Now it's time to Move the Boat! Look at the pile on which the Let's Move card has just been played. Starting with the player that the white corner points towards (or the closest player clockwise from the white corner if no player has the white corner) each player in clockwise order may move the Boat token. They may move the Boat up to the number of spaces indicated by the number in their corner.

When moving the Boat, the following rules apply.

1. The Boat may only move left, right, up or down (orthogonally) and never diagonally.
2. The Boat cannot move through the walls of mangrove trees.
3. If the Boat moves from one Map card to another, it may not move back to the card it just left.
4. If the Boat moves to the last Map card, the top card from the deck (if available) is placed at the end of the Swamp in the same orientation as the rest of the cards in the Swamp.
5. The current Pilot may move the Boat one additional space anytime it is their turn to move.

After all players have had an opportunity to move, the Croc must immediately move, too (See Moving the Croc)! After the Croc moves, the player who played the Let's Move card draws a card from the Deck (if one is available) and ends their turn.

In Example 3 on Page 10, the player with the white corner pointing towards them would be able to move the boat 1 space, as would the next player. The player with the 2 pointing towards them would be able to move the boat 2 spaces, and the remaining player would be able to move the boat 1 space. If there are less than four players, movement continues clockwise from the white corner, until every player has had the opportunity to move, ignoring corners not pointing toward a player.

Discarding a Card

Instead of playing a card, you may discard a card from your hand, map-side down, onto the discard pile next to the Deck. After you discard, take one of the following actions:

1. Move the Boat 1 space. If you are the Pilot, you may move the Boat 2 spaces instead of 1.
2. Rotate any pile of Coordinate cards (even a pile with a Let's Move card already on it) so that any corner is pointing toward you.
3. Take the Pilot card and give it to any other player (including you).

Once you've taken your action, the Croc must immediately move (See Moving the Croc), then draw a card from the Deck (if one is available) and end your turn.

(Note: There may be times when the only option you have is to discard, allowing the Croc to catch the Boat. If this frequently occurs with your game group, consider working more cooperatively to avoid getting swamped.)

Moving the Croc

There are two triggers that will cause the Croc to move: Either, (1) after a Let's Move card has been played and all players have had the opportunity to move the Boat, OR (2) after any player discards and takes the associated action.

When moving the Croc, the following rules apply:

1. The Pilot should be the player to move the Croc token.
2. The Croc moves the number of spaces on the side or corner of the Croc card currently pointing towards the Swamp.
3. The Croc must always move closer to the Boat.
4. The Croc may only move left, right, up or down (orthogonally) and never diagonally.
5. The Croc may move backwards or forwards between Map cards as needed.
6. The Croc may not move through walls of mangrove trees.

Distracted Croc

If at any time the Croc is required to make a move that will cause it to catch the Boat, the Pilot should first draw the top card from the Deck (if available). If a Let's Move card is drawn, the Croc is distracted by a nearby crop of Kingsfoil and doesn't move this time! Place the drawn card back on the bottom of the Deck and continue play. If any other card is drawn, the Croc moves as normal and catches the Boat, in which case the game is over and all players fail the mission!

Collecting Treasure

When the Boat moves through or lands on a space containing a Treasure, your team collects one of that Treasure type. To indicate this, rotate the corresponding Treasure card so the number pointing towards the Swamp becomes the total number your team has collected. For example, at the start of the game all Treasure cards should have the 0 pointing towards the Swamp. If a player moves the Boat to a space with Kingsfoil, rotate the Kingsfoil card so the 1 now points towards the Swamp. The next time the Boat travels to a new Kingsfoil space, rotate the Kingsfoil card so the 2 points towards the Swamp, etc.

Players may collect multiple Treasures per Map card, but each Treasure space only yields its Treasure once. The Boat does not have to stop on the space with a Treasure to collect that Treasure.

If you collect more than 3 of any Treasure type, flip that Treasure card over to continue collecting. If players collect more than 7 Treasures of any one type, add a small token on top of the card for each additional Treasure collected.

Kingsfoil

Kingsfoil is the reason your mission was organized! It's a special Treasure with some special properties. Every time a Kingsfoil Treasure is collected, the Croc card is also rotated to the next number. This means that each time the party collects more Kingsfoil, the Croc's ability to catch you will also increase!

Round End

The round ends when either a third Let's Move card is played and resolved OR when no players have any cards left in their hand. At the end of the round, the following actions occur in this order:

1. Each player adds up the numbers in their corners on the top Coordinate card of every pile (whether there is a Let's Move card played on it or not).
2. The player with the highest sum is the winner of that round and moves the Boat 2 bonus spaces (3 if the Pilot).
3. In case of a tie, the Pilot is the tie-breaker, and chooses which player gains the bonus.
4. Start a new round.

Starting a New Round

Recreate the Deck using the existing Deck, the Discard pile, the piles of Coordinate and Let's Move cards, and all the cards from players' hands. Shuffle these cards and deal 5 cards to the Pilot and 3 to the other players as at the beginning of the game. The Swamp, Treasure cards, Croc card, Boat and Croc should all remain in place.

Just as at the beginning of the game, the Pilot then chooses 2 of the 5 cards from their hand and adds them to the end of the Swamp, map-side up, so that all of the Map cards have the same orientation. The new round now begins, starting with the Pilot taking the first turn by playing or discarding the first card.

Ending the Game

The game ends immediately when one of the following conditions is met:

1. The Boat exits the Swamp
2. The Croc catches the Boat
3. There are not enough cards at the start of a round to deal out each player's hand

Swamp Exit

If at any time the Boat exits the Swamp (moves off any card) by way of the space with an arrow, the game is over! If the team has collected at least 3 Kingsfoil, the mission was a success! At that time, each player reveals their Adventurer card and calculates the points of each of their two objectives. A player's score is whichever of their two objectives is highest.

The player with the highest score wins the game! If there is a tie, the current Pilot chooses the winner of the tie (themselves included).

The Croc Catches the Boat

If the Croc token and the Boat token ever occupy the same space in the Swamp, the Boat is swamped by the Croc and the mission fails! All players share defeat.

Not Enough Cards

If there are not enough cards to deal each player's hand at the start of a round (including the 2 extra cards to the Pilot), time runs out on the mission and all players share defeat. You will all have a long, dark and dangerous night in the swamp!

Expansion Rules

The Waterfall and Swamp Tiger expansions are separate add-ons to the base game and are intended for experienced adventurers only.

The Waterfall

It is rumored there is a beautiful and deadly waterfall somewhere in the swamp. You'd love to get close enough for a selfie, but fear the current may be too strong…

Setup

Set up the game as you normally would with the following addition. Place the Waterfall card in line next to the third Swamp card as shown in Example 4. Choose either side of the Waterfall card to be showing.

(Example 4 is a diagram of the Waterfall card placement. Diagram not reproduced.)

Gameplay

The game plays as normal with some additional rules when moving across the Waterfall card. Whenever the Boat is on the Waterfall card and it is your turn to move the Boat (i.e. as a result of a Let's Move card being played, discarding, or the "winning the round" bonus):

1. Examine the number in the leftmost column of the row where the Boat is located. This number represents the strength of the current in that row. (In Example 5, for instance, the strength of the current is 1 in the top two rows, 2 in the second two rows, and 3 in the bottom two rows.)
2. You must move the boat as directly as possible toward the Waterfall at the bottom of the card unless you are able to move the Boat a number of spaces greater than the strength of the current in the row. If you reach the edge of the card and still have additional movement to take, move the Boat off the card and over the falls! You're swamped! (In Example 5, for instance, if the Boat is at the location marked with the red "X" and a Let's Move card is played that gives you 3 movement, you must move the Boat those spaces toward the Waterfall since your movement amount is NOT greater than the strength of the current.)
3. If you are able to move the Boat a greater number of spaces than the strength of the current, you may move the Boat following normal movement rules.
4. The Croc follows the Boat regardless of the strength of the current.

(Example 5 is a diagram of the Waterfall card with the current strengths and a marked "X" location. Diagram not reproduced.)

Swamp Tiger

Tiger attacks are common in this jungle, but you've been told there isn't anything to worry about… unless the tigers are hungry. The swamp tiger can strike when you least expect, stealing away your treasures or, if you have nothing to feed it, swamping the boat!

Setup

Add the 4 Swamp Tiger Pounce cards to the Deck of Coordinate cards and Let's Move cards before dealing. Shuffle and deal as normal. You will also be referencing the Swamp Tiger symbols on each Map card in conjunction with the Pounce cards.

Gameplay

The game plays as normal with the following differences:

1. Swamp Tiger Pounce cards are played like "wild" Coordinate cards. They can be played on a pile of any color, any color Coordinate card can be played on a Pounce Card, and Pounce cards can start a new pile like any other Coordinate card. Thus, the color of a pile may be changed and there may be up to 5 piles instead of 4. (Note you must still increase the number in your corner when playing a Pounce card or Coordinate card and there may not be more than 1 pile with a Pounce card on top at any given time.)
2. Whenever you play a Pounce card, the Tiger attacks! If the Boat is on a space with a Tiger symbol or on one of the spaces adjacent to a Tiger as indicated by the Pounce card (See Example 6) you must reduce the total Treasures collected by 2 according to the following rules: a. If you played the Pounce card, you choose which Treasures are reduced. b. You may reduce one Treasure type by two or two Treasure types by one. c. If you must reduce any Treasure below 0, the Tiger swamps the Boat and carries off the adventurers as prize! In this case, the game is over and all players lose! d. If you reduce the number of Kingsfoil, the speed of the Croc does NOT reduce.

(Example 6 is a diagram showing the spaces a Pounce card's tiger attacks. Diagram not reproduced.)

Lonely Jungle (1-Player Rules)

The official solo rules, "Lonely Jungle," are published by Bellwether Games as a separate sheet (1-Player Rules) and are provided as a companion document: see the Lonely Jungle solo rules (swamped-solo). The base rulebook refers players to bellwethergames.com/swampedrulebook for them.