Deckchairs on the Titanic Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Setup
• Winning the Game
• Playing the Game
• Ice Block Movement
• Ending the Round - Ship Movement
• Ice Block Movement Examples
• End of Round Example

Game Setup

Contents:

• 3 x double-sided First-Class Promenade boards
• 1 x double-sided Score and Action Count board
• 9 x Ship Movement cards (1 card for each of the eight directions plus 1 No Movement card; together these are the Ship Movement deck)
• 23 x deckchair pieces (6 x red/blue; 4 x yellow; 3 x green)
• 12 x meeples (3 per colour)
• 1 x ice block piece

Each player has 6 deckchairs in the two-player game; 4 deckchairs in the three-player game; and 3 deckchairs in the four-player game. Each player also has 3 meeples (one for marking scores, one for counting actions, and one as a deckchair attendant).

Take the two Promenade Boards corresponding to the number of players you have, and choose one of them to become the play board. The squares on the play board indicate the positions that will score your deckchairs points at the end of each round.

Use the remaining promenade board as the setup board, i.e. the pattern of squares on your setup board indicates the starting positions of the deckchairs on your play board. The ice block should be placed on the central square with the deckchair icon.

Place the Score and Action Count board next to your play board, choosing the correct side for the numbers of players. There are four actions per turn in the two-player game; and three actions per turn in the three- and four-player games. Place one of each player's 3 meeples alongside the scoring track; and one onto the "actions left" track (used to keep track of how many actions are left to play each round). Choose a start player - the initial start player should be the last player to have set sail from Southampton, otherwise choose randomly.

Remove the No Movement card, shuffle the Ship Movement deck, and place the following number of cards face down to create the Ship Movement deck:

• Short game: 3 cards for 2 or 4 players, 5 cards for 3 players (10-20 minutes).
• Long game: 7 cards for 2 or 4 players, all cards for 3 players (20-30 minutes).

Place the No Movement card face up on the table and draw 1 card from the Ship Movement deck, placing it face up next to the No Movement card. Place the draw pile next in line. These cards show the directions the ship will tilt at the end of each round, shifting the deckchairs one square along in that direction. The first round always has no movement.

Game After Setup: Promenade boards, Scoreboard, Scoring squares, Action counter, Ship movement draw deck, Ice block, Ship movement cards (with orientation line at bottom), Deckchairs, Deckchair attendants.

Winning the Game

First-class passengers are very particular about the spaces they like on the promenade – some like sunny spots; others prefer the shade; some like to have a nice view of the icebergs, while others are thinking of safety. Everybody likes to be the centre of attention, so passengers will tip you the most if you nab them the central spot. If they're in a space they prefer you'll get good tips; and if you're in a space someone else wants you'll score a token tip for one-upmanship (this is first class after all).

Hence, following the ship's movement at the end of each round, all players score two points for each deckchair occupying one of their own colour squares; one point for each deckchair on an opponent's square; and four points if they occupy the central square.

When the Ship Movement deck runs out, the person with the most points wins.

Playing the Game

During each round, each player takes a set number of actions – 4 actions in a two-player game, and 3 actions in a three- or four-player game. These actions can be used to:

• Move one of your deckchairs one space up, down, left or right, but not diagonally. You cannot move another player's deckchairs.
• Push the ice block - see ice block movement rules below.
• Place your deckchair attendant either into a square with a deckchair of your colour or into an empty square. If placed in a square with a deckchair then this chair can no longer be moved by the players, the ice block, or the ship's movement. If placed into an empty square then opponents' deckchairs cannot be moved into that square, but your own deckchairs can be (whether by yourself, the ship's movement, or the ice block).

The ice block cannot move a deckchair attendant or the chair beside them; and a deckchair attendant also prevents a deckchair from shifting with the ship's movement at the end of the round. Once placed, the deckchair attendant cannot be moved again in a round. You cannot place a deckchair attendant on the central square with the deckchair icon.

Each player takes one action at a time, with play passing to the left. Players must take all their actions, whether they wish to or not. After taking an action, move your action counter down one to keep track of the number of actions you have left in the round.

Ice Block Movement

The ice block has been knocked off an iceberg onto the promenade and it's in your way. It's too heavy to be moved by the tilting of the ship, but you can shove it and it'll slide along the deck.

The ice block can be pushed up, down, left, right, or diagonally. Once pushed, it will travel in the direction pushed as many squares as it can until it hits either a deckchair or the edge of the board.

You may hit your own deckchair(s) with the ice block, or your opponents'. If the ice block hits a deckchair, it stops in the square the deckchair was in, pushing the deckchair along in the same direction the same number of squares the ice block has moved; or until the deckchair hits the edge of the board (or a row of deckchairs already pushed to the edge).

When hit by the ice block, if a deckchair hits another deckchair then the second deckchair also moves the same number of squares as the ice block did (momentum is conserved).

The ice block can move multiple deckchairs in a row, but it cannot move a deckchair with a deckchair attendant on it, nor can it land in an empty square that has a deckchair attendant in it (if pushed towards one it will stop in the square before the deckchair attendant). The ice block is not affected by the ship's movement at the end of the round, and it must move when pushed (i.e. you cannot use an action to push it towards an edge it is already next to).

Ending the Round - Ship Movement

After all player actions are taken, move all the deckchair pieces that can move one square in the direction shown on the first direction card and then discard the card, moving the next two cards along into the first and second positions and drawing a new card for the third position.

Deckchairs with a deckchair attendant, at the edge of the board, or next to the ice block do not move. If the deckchairs are piled into a row reaching the edge of the board or ice block, none of the row moves. If a diagonal movement is indicated on the card, deckchairs only move if they can move fully diagonally, i.e. they do not move horizontally or vertically in the direction of the diagonal if the deckchair can only move horizontally or vertically and not fully diagonally. Diagonal moves are not blocked by deckchairs or the ice block placed on orthogonal squares; nor does the diagonal move displace these.

After moving the deckchairs affected by the ship movement, you may proceed to score points. You earn two points for each deckchair on one of your own squares; one point for each deckchair on an opponent's square; and four points if you occupy the central square. Next, take back your deckchair attendant (if played) and return the action counters back to the 3 actions left space (3/4 player) / 4 actions left (2 player) for the next round, rotating the start player to the left as you do.

Ice Block Movement Examples

Becca (Green), Dan (Red), Miles (Yellow) and Tom (Blue) are playing a four-player game. We'll use examples of their actions to show how the ice block moves.

• Tom pushes the ice block down, moving Dan's deckchair off his desired place (worth 2 points to Dan) and onto one of Miles' passenger's most desired spaces (worth one point to Dan).
• A few turns later, Dan is able to get his revenge by pushing the ice block diagonally, shifting Tom's blue deckchair two spaces into the corner.
• Note that the diagonal movements of the ice block and the deckchair do not displace the deckchairs to the horizontal/vertical sides of the squares they have moved through.
• In this game, Miles (playing yellow) gets the chance to hit two of Tom's blue deckchairs - a potentially devastating move for Tom. The ice block moves two squares to hit Tom's first deckchair, which in turn is moved two squares and hits the second deckchair, which also moves two squares, pushing both away from scoring positions.
• Next round, Tom has the opportunity to retaliate. The ship movement is down (from our perspective) so he uses the ice block to push one of Dan's and one of Miles' chairs down, opening up the centre square for his passenger, whilst taking his opponents' deckchairs off their customer's preferred spaces before they can be protected by a deckchair attendant.
• In the next round, the ship movement is up (from our perspective). It's Dan's last action and there's nothing he can do to improve his position, but other players still have a turn, so he pushes the ice block away so that it no longer threatens his piece. The ice block hits a row of deckchairs reaching the edge of the board, so it stops in the empty square in front of the deckchairs.
• Dan (red) has placed a deckchair attendant in a square with one of his chairs, which means this deckchair cannot be moved during this round either by the ice block or by the ship's movement, so he knows his passenger will be happy. Becca (green) takes advantage of this to move the ice block into a place that threatens Miles (yellow) and Tom's (blue) deckchairs.
• In this round, Tom has placed his deckchair attendant onto one of his passenger's preferred spaces to prevent Miles moving one of his deckchairs there. With his next action, he uses the ice block to push Becca's and his own deckchair up one square.
• The deckchair attendant stops the ice block. Here Tom has played his deckchair attendant to prevent Becca's deckchair moving up and right with the ship's movement at the end of the round. Miles pushes the ice block onto the centre square, but Becca's deckchair is not pushed into the square with Tom's deckchair attendant.

Tactical Hint: Although you cannot place your deckchair attendant on the centre square, you can use your deckchair attendant to stop one of your deckchairs moving off the centre square during the ship movement phase.

• In this round, the ship is tilting down and left. Dan has placed a deckchair attendant on a square with one of his deckchairs. Now the ship's movement will not move his piece off the centre square; however another player can still use the ice block to move Dan's deckchair off the centre square to deny him his tips.

End of Round Example

At the end of the round, all deckchairs move in the direction of the arrow on the ship movement card; in this case down and left (from our perspective). Deckchair attendants and the ice block do not move.

• Becca and Dan's deckchairs move down and left onto scoring places.
• Becca and Miles' deckchairs do not move because they are on the edge and cannot move diagonally.
• The ice block does not move, so Miles' deckchair cannot move. Miles and Tom's deckchairs move down and left, putting Tom in a scoring position.
• Tom's deckchair beside the centre square does not move because Dan's deckchairs do not move.
• Dan's deckchair attendant prevents both deckchairs from moving because there can only be one chair in a square at a time. Tom's deckchair attendant does not stop his deckchair moving into his passenger's preferred space.

After the ship's movement, players score points. In this round:

• Becca scores 2 (she has one deckchair in her passenger's preferred space).
• Miles scores 1 (one of his deckchairs is in Dan's passenger's preferred space).
• Dan scores 6 (his deckchair on the central square scores 4 points, and he has another deckchair in his passenger's preferred space).
• Tom scores 4 (he has two deckchairs on his customer's preferred spaces, scoring 2 points each).

Dan and Tom take back their deckchair attendants, all players return their action counters back to the 3 actions left space (3/4 player) / 4 actions left (2 player) for the next round, rotating the start player to the left as they do, and begin the next round.

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Transcription notes: the example captions above were reordered from the printed layout into reading order. Minor print typos were corrected silently in the text ("mevement" → "movement", "a the deckchair attendant" → "a deckchair attendant", "Tom's ... customer's" kept as printed). Designer, artist, playtester and publisher credits are omitted.