Ice Flow Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Aim of the Game
• Contents
• Preparation & Setup
  • Each Player Receives:
• Initial Setup Phase
  • a. Choose a Starting Player
  • b. Place Explorers (3 each)
  • c. Place Initial Ice Floes (x12)
• Player Turn
  • A. Ice Floe Action
    • Ai. Chart an Ice Floe Movement
    • Aii. Measure Ice Floe Rotation
    • Aiii. Discover a New Ice Floe
    • Ice Floe Questions:
  • B. Explorer Action
    • Bi. Move Explorer and Collect an Item
    • Bii. Go Fishing (the same as Rii on page 3) (discard this rope to supply)
    • Explorer Questions:
• Using Items for Movement
  • Uses for Rope
    • Ri. Cross 1 Pack Ice Ridge (leave this rope on the ice floe)
    • Rii. Go Fishing (the same as Bii on page 2) (discard this rope to supply)
  • Uses for Fish
    • Fi. Swim 1 Sea Space (discard this fish to supply)
    • Fii. Distract 1 Polar Bear (discard this fish to supply)
    • Object Questions:
    • Polar Bear Questions:
• Game End
  • Alternative Game End
• Player Turn Summary
• Using Items for Movement Summary
• Hints
• Credits

Aim of the Game

The first player to get all 3 explorers to Siberia is the winner!

Contents

• Rules (English, German, French)
• 1 Game Board
• 24 Blue Acrylic Ice Floe Tiles
• 1 Cloth Bag
• 12 Explorer Figures (3 x 4 colours)
• 15 Red Rope
• 15 Brown Fish
• 5 White Polar bears
• 2 Diomede Islands cards
• 14 Ice Floe Cards
• 4 Player Guide Cards
• 4 Rucksack Cards

Preparation & Setup

• Place the game board in the centre of the table.
• Place the 24 Ice Floe Tiles in the cloth bag and shake gently.
• Shuffle the 14 Ice Floe Cards together with the Diomede Islands cards and place these face-down on the card deck space in Alaska.
• Place the 15 rope, 15 fish and 5 polar bears in their supply areas in Siberia.

Each Player Receives:

• 3 Explorers of one colour
• 1 Player Guide Card in the same colour
• 1 Rucksack Card in the same colour
• 1 Rope from the supply
• 1 Fish from the supply

Initial Setup Phase

a. Choose a Starting Player

The player who proves best able - by general consent - to do a polar bear impression becomes the Starting Player. If no agreement can be reached, use your group's favoured method.

b. Place Explorers (3 each)

Starting with the player to the right of the Starting Player and going anti-clockwise, take turns to place one explorer on one of the 6 stations on the Alaskan coast. No station may hold more than two explorers; however, the 2 explorers on a station may be of the same colour.

Continue anti-clockwise around the table until each player has placed 3 explorers (the Starting Player will be the last to place an explorer).

[In the example to the right, the red explorer may not be placed where there are already 2 explorers; she may, however, be placed with the other red explorer]

c. Place Initial Ice Floes (x12)

Each player takes ice floe tiles from the cloth bag (4 players = 3 tiles each; 3 players = 4 tiles each; 2 players = 6 tiles each).

• Beginning with the Starting Player, take turns to turn over one face-down ice floe card. Any items (rope/fish/polar bears) which appear on this card are placed on an ice floe tile: the ice floe tile is then placed with its objects (if any) on a sea space in the Bering Strait. NB: the orientation of this ice floe is important to the game.

The card is placed on the discard pile next to the deck in Alaska.

• Continue anti-clockwise around the table until all 12 initial ice floe tiles have been placed.

The following rules apply only to this initial placement phase:

• Ice floe tiles may NOT be placed on any of the 8 entry points, which are marked at the start of each sea current in the Strait.
• Ice Floes may NOT be placed next to each other.

ICE FLOW is now set up. Play proper begins with the Starting Player...

Player Turn

Your turn is divided into TWO possible actions: A. ICE FLOE ACTION and B. EXPLORER ACTION:

A. Ice Floe Action

During your turn, you MUST complete one Ice Floe Action (Ai or Aii or Aiii). This may be taken before or after your Explorer Action.

Ai. Chart an Ice Floe Movement

Select an ice floe tile already in the Bering Strait; this may include one carrying rope, fish, polar bears or your own explorer(s). However, you may NOT choose an ice floe which is carrying another player's explorer - unless it also contains your own explorer.

Move the chosen ice floe according to the sea current that it is floating in. Each sea current shows distance and direction of flow using arrows; the floe is moved at least one sea hex space, and as far as possible according to these arrows (eg: 1 arrow facing northwards = move 1 hex northwards; 3 arrows facing southwards = move 3 hexes southwards, etc.).

• An ice floe may not move through, over or round another ice flow.
• Ice floes which drift off the Bering Strait are returned to the cloth bag; any items (rope, fish, polar bears) returned to supply.
• Ice floes containing explorers may NOT be moved off the Bering Strait; instead they move as far as possible, stopping at the edge.

Aii. Measure Ice Floe Rotation

Select an ice floe tile already in the Bering Strait; this may include one carrying rope, fish, polar bears or your own explorer(s). However, you may NOT choose an ice floe which is carrying another player's explorer - unless it also contains your own explorer.

Rotate the chosen ice floe through 60° (1 edge), either clockwise or anti-clockwise. [NB: Care should be taken to leave this ice floe aligned with the hex grid on the map.]

Aiii. Discover a New Ice Floe

Take an ice floe tile at random from the cloth bag. Turn an unused ice floe card to see if any items (rope/fish/polar bears) appear on the discovered ice floe. Now place the ice floe tile, with its items (if available), on any clear entry point at the start of a sea current in the Bering Strait. Place the used card in the discard pile.

• If you turn a Diomede Islands Card, place the items shown on the islands instead, then place an the empty ice floe tile on one of the entry points.
• If the cloth bag is empty, you may immediately move an existing ice floe off the Bering Strait, following the 'Chart an Ice Floe Movement' rules (Ai) above. This new ice floe can now be used for your 'Discover a New Ice Floe Action' in this turn. This rule applies ONLY if the bag is empty. If it is not possible legally to move any ice floes off the Strait to use for discovery, then you may NOT chose this Ice Floe Action (Aiii).

Ice Floe Questions:

What if I can't complete an Ice Floe Action? If a particular Ice Floe Action can't be completed (eg: no ice floe tile can be moved, or there are no clear entry points available in the Bering Strait), you must chose a different Ice Floe Action. It is always possible to complete at least one of the 3 actions.

What if my chosen ice floe tile cannot move the full distance indicated by the arrow? Then move the tile as far as possible up to the indicated distance. If there is a choice of direction, you may make that choice, even if the movement in one direction is shorter. However, if one route is blocked before the move, the floe must take the other route.

Can I shift an ice floe into a different current in the Bering Strait? No, never.

What if the Ice Floe Card deck runs out? Re-shuffle and re-use.

B. Explorer Action

During your turn, you MAY complete one Explorer Action (Bi or Bii). This may be taken before or after your Ice Floe Action.

Bi. Move Explorer and Collect an Item

You may move 1 of your own explorers as far as she will reach across the Bering Straits. Movement between ice floes using the flat, un-broken edges is FREE; however, for movement across broken edges (pack ice), across the sea or past polar bears, you will need to use rope or fish from your rucksack (see 'Using Items for Movement' below).

• At the end of this movement, you may collect ONE item from the space where your explorer stops (which may include Diomede Islands in the middle of the strait). This item is placed on a free space in your rucksack for later turns; it may NOT be used for further movement in this turn. You may hold up to 3 objects in your rucksack.
• If you choose not to move an explorer at all, you may collect 1 item from an ice floe already carrying one of your explorers.
• No space (except the Siberian stations) may hold more than two explorers. Explorers may pass through a space with 2 other explorers, but may NOT stop.
• Explorers may move between stations in Alaska as part of normal continuous movement, but not across open land (ie. they are restricted to the 3 nothern stations or the 3 southern stations in Alaska). However, they must pay 1 rope to cross between 2 Alaskan stations. Explorers may NOT walk between stations in Siberia.

Bii. Go Fishing (the same as Rii on page 3) (discard this rope to supply)

Instead of moving and/or collecting an item (Bi), an explorer may hang a rope over the edge of the ice floe and 'go fishing'. You exchange 1 rope from your backpack for 2 fish from the supply. This completes your Explorer Action.

Explorer Questions:

Can I move one explorer and collect with another? No. Sorry.

Can I move another player's explorer during my Explorer Action? No. The only time you may move another player's explorer is during Ice Floe Actions Ai (move) & Aii (rotate), and then only if you have an explorer on the same ice floe as the other player's explorer.

Can I move my explorer after collecting an item? No. Collecting 1 item is the final part of Explorer Action. You must wait until next turn before moving again.

Can I have two of my own explorers on the same space? Yes, except in Siberia.

Can I use the 'Go Fishing' rule to use a fish to catch a rope? Errr, no.

I have no space left in my rucksack, can I still 'go fishing'? Yes, but you may only keep 1 fish (to replace the rope spent fishing).

Using Items for Movement

Your explorers move FREELY across the flat, un-broken edges from ice floe to ice floe, and must avoid polar bears. However, to help your explorers cross the Strait faster, you may use any rope and fish in your backpack at the start of your turn.

Uses for Rope

Ri. Cross 1 Pack Ice Ridge (leave this rope on the ice floe)

Each ice floe contains Pack Ice Ridges - indicated by 2 or 3 broken edges. To cross 1 pack ice ridge with an explorer, you must use 1 red rope from your rucksack. Take the rope from your rucksack and anchor it on the starting ice floe; then move your explorer across the pack ice ridge onto an adjacent ice floe. Leave the rope used for this action on the starting ice floe - available now for following explorers to pick up.

• You may continue to move the same explorer after crossing, or you may stop on the new ice floe.
• To cross 2 adjacent pack ice ridges, you must use 2 rope from your rucksack. Place these on the starting ice floe.

Rii. Go Fishing (the same as Bii on page 2) (discard this rope to supply)

Instead of moving and collecting an item (Bi), an explorer may hang a rope over the edge of the ice floe and 'go fishing'. You exchange 1 rope from your backpack for 2 fish from the supply. This completes your Explorer Action.

Uses for Fish

Fi. Swim 1 Sea Space (discard this fish to supply)

As part of her trek, an explorer may eat fish to gain energy enough to swim across the open water of the Bering Strait. This action is part of continuous movement. Pay 1 fish from your backpack to the supply and move 1 explorer across 1 sea hex space from ice floe to ice floe.

• An explorer may NOT swim more than one consecutive sea hex; however, she may swim to an ice floe, walk across this ice floe and then swim again - you pay 1 fish for each swim.
• Your explorer may NOT end this movement in the sea!
• If entering or leaving the sea involves crossing pack ice, you must also use rope, following the rules in (Ri) above. If rope is used to enter the sea, it is left on the ice floe; if rope is used to leave the sea, it is lost and returned to the supply.

Fii. Distract 1 Polar Bear (discard this fish to supply)

Your explorers may NOT step onto an ice floe containing polar bear(s) - unless they use 1 fish to distract each bear (up to 2). The explorer reaching the occupied ice floe pays 1 or 2 fish back to the supply. She may then either:

i. Continue movement to another ice floe - leaving the polar bear(s) alone

OR

ii. Stop on this ice floe - sending the polar bear off the ice floe:

When you move a polar bear, it swims any number of sea spaces, in the direction you choose, until it either reaches another ice floe or leaves the Strait:

• The polar bear may NOT make landfall in Alaska or Siberia; therefore, you may not send it in this direction.
• Up to 2 Polar bears may share an ice floe.
• Bears which swim out of the Bering Strait are returned to the supply.
• If you move a polar bear to an ice floe (or Diomede Islands containing 1 or more explorers, these explorers MUST be moved immediately to an adjacent ice floe (or across a maximum of 1 sea hex to the next safe point).
• Players affected by the polar bear's arrival immediately take turns, in clockwise order starting with the active player, to move their explorer(s) out of danger. Rope and fish must be used to pay for this escape according to the rules (Ri and Fi) above.
• 'Bouncing' the polar bear: Endangered explorers may use fish to move (or 'bounce') the polar bear on to another ice floe. All (Fii) rules apply, except that the polar bear may NOT be sent to an ice floe already visited during the current movement.
• Nobody dies in ICE FLOW! If escape from the polar bear is not possible, your endangered explorer is immediately emergency air-lifted back to any start station in Alaska.
• Once all explorers are out of danger, play returns to the active player.

Object Questions:

Can I discard an object that I don't need or want without using it? Yes. You may discard items from your backpack at any time, to make room for preferred items (eg: just before collecting a required item or before going fishing). Leave your discarded items on the current ice floe - available for others to collect.

What if there are no objects left in the supply? This happens rarely, but if it does, no object can be taken - or added to a newly discovered ice floe.

Polar Bear Questions:

If the polar bear is 'bounced' away from my ice floe by another player, do I still have to move? No. You are lucky: your explorer is now out of danger.

Do I have to escape from the polar bear, or can I choose to be air-lifted back to Alaska? Air-lifting is expensive and the wait could be dangerous. You MUST escape from the polar bear immediately, if you can.

If I am carrying a fish, can I stop on an ice floe containing a polar bear? You may NEVER finish your turn on an ice floe with a polar bear. You must move off, or move the polar bear.

Game End

ICE FLOW ends as soon as one player gets each of their 3 explorers to a different station in Siberia: this player is the WINNER!

• The Siberian stations are the only spaces on the map which will hold more than 2 explorers; however, they may NOT contain more than 1 explorer of any given colour.

Alternative Game End

For a quicker game, players may prefer to get 2 explorers back to different stations in Siberia.

Player Turn Summary

Your turn is divided into TWO possible actions:

A. Ice Floe Action (you MUST choose 1 of these) — Actions A & B may be taken in either order

• Ai. Chart an Ice Floe Movement
• Aii. Measure an Ice Floe Rotation
• Aiii. Discover a New Ice Floe

B. Explorer Action (you MAY choose 1 of these)

• Bi. Move and Collect (or stay and collect)
• Bii. Go Fishing

At the end of a turn, play moves clockwise to the next Player.

Using Items for Movement Summary

Each item has two potential uses:

Uses for Rope

• Rii. Go Fishing (discard this rope to supply)
• Ri. Cross 1 Pack Ice Ridge (leave this rope on the ice flow)

Uses for Fish

• Fi. Swim 1 open sea space (discard this fish to supply)
• Fii. Distract 1 Polar Bear (discard this fish to supply)

You may hold up to 3 objects; place these in the spaces on your rucksack card.

Hints

• After the initial setup phase, new items only appear on new ice floes. If you choose not to discover new ice floes, fish and rope will inevitably become scarce.
• Plan ahead. It is often more efficient to hold back, get items and ice floes in place, and then make longer single movements to safer or more powerful positions.
• The last explorer is the hardest to get home, mainly because it becomes harder to collect fish and rope. Try not to leave this explorer the toughest Siberian stations, ie: those not on the headlands.
• Be prepared. If you approach Siberia with your last explorer carrying no rope or fish, expect to get caught by the other players.
• Please remember: polar bears are not pets, they are very dangerous wild animals. As with all arctic expeditions: walk softly and carry a big fish.

Credits

Design: Dean Conrad & John Streets, from an original concept by John Streets.

Development: Dean Conrad, Jim Hawkins, John Streets.

Graphic Design: Rich Aidley (Unicorn' image courtesy and © John W. Harris).

Ice Floe Tiles: designed by Jim Hartman, Litko Aerosystems Inc., USA.

Rules: Dean Conrad; Rules Translations: Frank Dohse (Deutsch); Janine Kopp (Français).

Thanks & Acknowledgements: Jonathan Abbas, Josh Abbas, Paul Allwood, Alex Barnes, Claire Barnes, Karen Bennett, David Blowers, Travis Bonczkowski, André Bronswijk, Si Cullimore, Koert Debyser, Gillie Edwards, Jay Edwards, Heiko Eller, John W. Harris, Mike Hibbert, James Humphrey, Richard Humphrey, Timothy Hunt, Todd Jensen, Dominik Krister, Christopher Langham, Matthew Langham, John Langley, Siân Llewellyn, Mark Lockett, James Marriot, W. Eric Martin, Chris McGowan, Aaron Meadows, Tony Parks, Chris Snell, Louise Snell, Marilyn Sturges, Nareen Sturges, Scott Tepper, Dominic Townsend, Nick Treacher, Alexander Walmsley, Catherine Walmsley, Elizabeth Walmsley, Jennifer Walmsley, William Walmsley, Trudy Watson, Katy Wickham, Ashleigh Winter.

Special Thanks To: Roy Kemp, Nick and Sue Fisk at Shire Games in Stoke-on-Trent, UK.

Ludorum Games is an imprint of Scene Cinema Ltd. (PO Box 290, Hessle, East Yorkshire HU13 0WG, England)

For further details and downloads, visit us online at www.ludorum.co.uk

©2008 Scene Cinema Ltd. All rights reserved.