How to Play

Aquatica

1-4 players 30-60 min 7.4 Board Game Geek Rating

In Aquatica, players are underwater rulers building oceanic kingdoms through engine-building mechanics. Play cards from your hand to chain multiple actions together, potentially executing ten consecutive moves per turn. Victory comes from capturing locations, recruiting sea creatures, and completing objectives for points. The game features a unique three-layered board with card-rising mechanics.

Published 2019

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Place the game board

Put the board in the center and place Purple Manta Rays "effect side/belly side up" in a general supply

Prepare the card decks

Separately shuffle the Ocean Character cards and Location cards, then place each deck on their indicated spaces on the board

Reveal cards for display

Flip the top 6 cards face-up from each deck into the 6 spaces provided on the board

Set up Goals (Beginner Mode)

Use the 4 pre-printed Goals on the board without Goal tokens

Set up Goals (Advanced Mode)

Randomly choose 4 Goal tokens to place over the 4 pre-printed Goals at the top of the board

Choose player colors

Each player selects a color and takes the 6 "Starting" Character cards and 4 Mantas (effect side up) in that color

Distribute player boards

Each player takes a player board and choose a 1st player

Distribute King cards (Beginner Mode)

Give the 1st player King card #1, 2nd player King card #2, and so on

Draft King cards (Advanced Mode)

Shuffle all King cards, lay out 1 more than the number of players face-up, and select 1 in reverse turn order

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Play a Character card (Main Action)

You must play 1 card from your hand face-up to your discard pile and carry out the shown ability to the fullest possible (except Scouting which is optional)

Track virtual resources

Coins and Power are virtual resources that do not carry over between turns

Flip Mantas (Additional Action)

Before and/or after your Main Action, flip any "effect side up" Manta to its tired side to collect the virtual resource or perform the ability shown

Exploit Location Depths (Additional Action)

Before and/or after your Main Action, slide a Location card up 1 Depth Circle to gain the effect/resource in that circle

Recruit new Character cards

Pay the coin cost shown below a face-up Character card at the bottom of the board and place it in your hand

Buy Location cards

Pay the coin cost shown at the top of a Location card, then slide it into an empty slot on your player board until the top Depth Circle shows in the notch

Conquer Location cards

Pay the Power (Trident) cost shown at the top of a Location card to take it

Raise Locations

Use a Raise ability (arrow pointing up) to move a Location card up any Depth Circle, even empty ones, without gaining the ability

Score Fully Raised Locations

Use the Treasure Chest ability to remove a Fully Raised Location from your player board and flip it face-down in your Scoring Pile

Scout for new Locations (Optional)

Discard all Location cards from the top row, move middle row cards up (discard down to 4 if needed), and refill the middle row with 6 new cards

Claim a Goal

When you fulfill a Goal's requirements, place one of your 4 starting color Mantas on the leftmost empty space of that Goal