Meltwater Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective
• Components
• Setup
  • Summer Setup
  • Winter Setup
• Overview
• Turn Sequence
• Starvation Phase
  • Support
  • Modifiers
  • Starvation Resolution
  • Hex Check
• Action Phase
  • March
  • Threaten
  • Press Gang
  • Militarize (only action if taken)
  • Attack
  • Pass
• Doomsday Phase
  • Radiation Spreads
  • Advance Doomsday Cards
• End Game
• FAQs
• Credits
• Errata and Clarifications
  • Errata for 1st Printing — Rulebook
  • Errata for 1st Printing — Doomsday Cards
  • Errata for 1st Printing — Main Board
  • Clarifications on All Rules

Objective

Annihilate the enemy. You win if your opponent has no surviving units on the map.

Components

• 1 Game board
• 28 Doomsday cards
• 8 Soldiers (4 blue, 4 red)
• 60 Civilians (20 blue, 20 red, 20 neutral Refugees)
• 56 Radiation/Dead Markers
• 4 Stockpiles
• 1 Boat (arriving Refugees)
• 2 Cloud Tokens (radiation spreads)
• 2 Player Aid Cards

The Player Aid cards are reminders only, not full rules explanations. One side summarizes the Sequence of Play and phases; the other side lists the available actions (March, Threaten, Press Gang, Militarize, Attack, Pass) and the Support values a hex provides (snow hex Support 2, ice hex Support 3, a hex with or adjacent to a Stockpile +1, a Dirty/radiation hex -1, a Dead hex with a flipped marker Support 0).

Setup

Choose to play as the US (Blue) or USSR (Red). Neither player controls the Neutral pieces. Then, choose whether the missiles launch in the Summer or in the Winter. Place units on the board according to the matching diagram.

Note 1: Radiation tokens may be placed on the map on the spaces which have pre-printed radiation, in order to better see these spots during the game.

Note 2: The red/blue/white dots printed on the board are not important and may be disregarded for gameplay — they are an artifact from an earlier version of the game.

Summer Setup

Summer is more forgiving. Most Antarctic research stations operate seasonally. Few stations keep a skeleton crew aboard through the harsh, isolating winter.

• Stockpiles (4): F4, G6, H1, K4
• Neutral Civilians (10): E2, F1, F6, G1, I1, J3, J4×2, J7, K5
• Blue Civilians (10): A2, B3, E1, F3, F4, F5, F7×2, G6, G7
• Red Civilians (12): H1, H2, H5, I3, I4, I5×2, I6, J2, J6, K4×2
• Blue Soldiers (2): F4, G6
• Red Soldiers (2): H1, J5

Winter Setup

• Stockpiles (2): G6, H1
• Neutral Civilians (9): A2, E2, F1, F6, G1, I1, J3, J7, K5
• Blue Civilians: B3, E1, F4, G6
• Red Civilians: H1, I5, J2, J4, K4

There are no soldiers in the Winter setup. Militarize is your only option if you want to use your whole turn to create a soldier.

Next, shuffle the Doomsday deck. Place it above the game board. Deal one card faceup next to the deck; this is the Current card. Place the remaining pieces in a supply near the board.

The US (Blue) player takes the first turn.

Overview

The game is played over a variable number of rounds, divided into alternating player turns. Each player's turn involves a Starvation Phase, an Action Phase, and a Doomsday Phase. The following player then takes a turn. The game ends when only one player has units left on the map, or one of the players concedes the win to the other.

The board is a map of Antarctica, broken into 56 hexes. Most hexes are white snow hexes, representing the open tundra. A few are blue-tinted ice shelves that hold uncontaminated freshwater.

Units are your human resources in Antarctica. There are two types of units: Civilians and Soldiers. Most units are Civilians, plus a small number of Soldiers. All units are at risk of starving.

Units come in two colors representing their allegiance: US (Blue) and USSR (Red). Neutral (White) units have no faction. Units of the same faction, or neutral units, are friendly, while units of Red and Blue are enemies. Neutral White units can become units of either side, or be doomed to their fate. Units of opposing factions (Red and Blue) cannot share a hex — each hex can only hold units of a single faction.

Stockpiles are stashes of food, medicine, and materials. They are not units — only units check for Starvation. A Stockpile you control benefits every surrounding hex for your units.

As time passes, Radiation spreads across the board, making hexes uninhabitable and shrinking the play area. Hexes adjacent to Dead hexes are Dirty, with a -1 penalty. Place a radiation token, radiation symbol up, into every Dirty hex. Civilian units cannot intentionally move into a Dead hex; Soldiers may move into a Dead hex. Radiation tokens can enter a hex that already has units in it.

All units and tokens are limited to what is in the supply. A radiation token flips to its Dead side when a second radiation token would be placed in the same hex.

Turn Sequence

On your turn, as the active player, you must do the following:

1. Starvation Phase: Resettle starving units.
2. Action Phase: Take up to four actions.
3. Doomsday Phase: Resolve the Current Doomsday card.

Then, pass the turn to your enemy.

Starvation Phase

During this phase, each hex on the board can only Support a limited number of pieces — the remainder starve. Starving units escape or die.

Important!

• No one is starving when the game begins.
• Skip this phase on the first turn of each player.

First, each Stockpile in a Dead hex is destroyed and returned to the box. Then, check to see if any hex contains more units than it can Support. Units may leave a Dead hex during the Starvation Phase, following normal rules.

Support

• A snow hex can Support two units.
• An ice hex can Support three units.
• Each hex with a Stockpile, or adjacent to one, can Support one extra unit of the controlling faction. Stockpiles only benefit your own units, and only if a unit is present in the same hex as the Stockpile.
• A Dirty (radiation) hex, adjacent to a Dead hex, Supports one fewer unit.
• A Dead hex with a flipped (skull) token can't Support any units, regardless of other modifiers.

If a hex contains more units than it can Support, those units are starving and the excess units must leave. The current player determines which units leave.

Modifiers

Each type of modifier only applies once to a particular hex. Different modifiers do stack together — for example, a Dirty (-1) ice (+1) hex adjacent to a Stockpile (+1) can Support three units total. But a hex adjacent to two friendly Stockpiles can still only Support one extra unit, and a Dirty hex adjacent to a Dead hex (flipped radiation) still only suffers a -1 penalty.

Always flip a radiation marker to its Dead side instead of adding a second radiation token to the same hex. Printed radiation counts against this limit of radiation tokens.

Starvation Resolution

Choose a starving unit of any color, if any remain. The chosen unit must first attempt to Flee. If it can't, the unit must Defect, if possible. If it can't Defect, the unit will Die.

Flee Move the starving unit to an adjacent hex with one or more friendly units, but fewer than the hex can Support. In particular, you cannot cascade from one starving hex to another. A unit may transport a single Stockpile when fleeing, but not when defecting.

Defect Move the starving unit to an adjacent hex with enemy units, but fewer than the hex can Support. Return the defecting unit to the supply, then replace it with a civilian of the appropriate color.

Die The unit dies. Return it to the supply.

A starving unit cannot move to an empty hex for any reason.

Hex Check

After moving or removing a unit, if a hex can now Support all remaining units, those units are no longer starving. Repeat checking hexes until there are no starving units left on the board, then proceed to the Action Phase.

Action Phase

Take up to four actions from those listed below. You may choose different actions, or the same action multiple times. You may also pass and forfeit your unused actions.

During this phase, each hex can hold any number of pieces — Support limits do not apply until your next Starvation Phase.

It might be tempting to threaten and intimidate your enemy or neutral civilians, but you can't do so while under the threat of fire. This is why you cannot be adjacent to enemy soldiers when taking the Threaten, Press Gang, or Militarize actions.

March

Choose a hex with your units. Move any number of units and/or Stockpiles there to an adjacent hex. You may leave some units and/or Stockpiles behind.

Your units and Stockpiles cannot march into a hex with enemy units. Only Soldiers can march into Dead hexes. Stockpiles may only move together with a unit.

Threaten

Choose a hex with your units that is not adjacent to an enemy soldier. Target an adjacent hex with fewer units. If you threaten using a Soldier, you may target any adjacent hex, regardless of the number of units in it.

Move one civilian, of any color, from the target hex to an adjacent hex. The threatened piece cannot move into a hex with any radiation (pieces or symbols) or into a hex with units of another color.

If a threatened unit cannot move to a valid hex, it dies. Return it to the supply.

Press Gang

Choose a hex with your Soldier that is not adjacent to an enemy Soldier. Remove a neutral civilian from an adjacent hex, or from the same hex as your Soldier. Place a civilian of your color in the same hex as your Soldier.

Militarize (only action if taken)

This must be your first and only action of the turn — you cannot take any more actions this turn.

Choose a hex with your civilian that is not adjacent to any enemy units. Return the civilian to the supply, and replace it with a Soldier of your color.

If this action is taken in the Summer, you may replace a second civilian in the same hex with another Soldier. Then, end your Action Phase.

Attack

Choose a hex with your Soldier that is adjacent to an enemy Soldier. Both Soldiers die — return them to the supply.

Then, if the attacking Soldier's hex is Dirty, or if a hex adjacent to either Soldier is Dirty, flip a token to its Dead side in one of those Dirty hexes. If no hex in or around the two Soldiers involved has a radiation token (is Dirty), then no token is flipped and no new radiation token is added.

Pass

You may pass to forfeit the rest of your actions without taking four. Let your enemy know that you have passed.

Once you have performed all your actions, proceed to the Doomsday Phase. This is the end of the Action Phase.

Doomsday Phase

The active player resolves this phase. First, resolve the Doomsday card in the Current slot.

There is no Doomsday phase on the first turn of the U.S. player — skip straight to the Action Phase of the U.S.S.R. player. Although the face-up Current card is skipped on that first turn, it still provides both players information about what will happen soon, which is why it is called the Current card until it is actually resolved. The active player always resolves this phase completely, for the whole board.

The Current card shows three hexes on the map. Place a radiation token in each of the first two hexes, marked by a radiation symbol. Check for Dirty hexes after placement. A Dirty hex becomes a Dead hex during this phase if: 1) the card places a new radiation token into that space, or 2) radiation spreads and there are no empty hexes. Place a single radiation token into any newly Dirty hex.

Place a refugee from the supply in the third hex, marked by the refugee silhouette. If any units are already present in the hex, place a civilian of the same color instead. Otherwise, place a Neutral civilian. If the hex already has units of one of the players in it, automatically convert the new refugee to a blue or red unit to match.

Radiation Spreads

Then, if there are two radiation tokens in a single hex, flip one to its Dead side and move the second token. Move it to the closest hex without a radiation token, if possible, keeping this second token on its radiation side. Radiation tokens include Dirty hexes printed on the board — in this case, place a token on the Dead side in the space indicated on the card, then move a second radiation token to an open hex as described above.

Radiation spreading may create newly Dead hexes if there is no available empty hex. Dirty hexes will always have radiation.

When placing a new radiation or Dead token, several scenarios can occur:

• If the target spot already has a wooden token on the radiation side: flip that token to its Dead side, then check every hex around the newly Dead hex — these should all have a radiation piece placed in them. You will still place a new piece in the closest empty hex after confirming that every hex surrounding the Dead hex has a radiation token and is Dirty. Dead hexes will, at a minimum, be surrounded by radiation hexes, but they can also be surrounded by other Dead hexes.
• If the target spot already has a Dead-side token: the active player looks for the closest hex without any radiation or Dead marker. If there are several equally close options, the active player chooses one and places a token, radiation side up, in that empty hex. If there are no options — in particular, no empty hexes — the active player chooses the closest hex with a radiation token and flips it to its Dead side; again, if there are several options, the active player chooses which hex to make Dead.

In this way, radiation or a new Dead hex will occur every turn.

Advance Doomsday Cards

Last, slide the Next card into the Current slot. Flip a new card face up on the deck to show the new Next card.

To plan for your next round, you can use the two Cloud tokens and the refugee Boat. Place the Cloud tokens in the corresponding spots shown with radiation on the new Next card; place the Boat in the spot shown by the civilian marker. In this way, you can see where radiation and refugees will be arriving in the future.

Your turn is over, and your enemy takes a turn, starting with the Starvation Phase.

End Game

If your enemy has no units left on the board, you win immediately, even if your own units would die later in the same turn.

There may come a point late in the game where your opponent is strongly favored or guaranteed to win. If this happens, you might choose to resign with dignity: your civilians surrender their identity and become subjects of the victor, while this last scrap of humanity fortifies the coasts with whatever they have left, and holds out against the long winter to come.

FAQs

Q1. Does Starvation check every hex on the board? And who decides where the units flee to, following the rules? A1. The current player checks and resolves starvation for the entire board.

Q2. Where do I put radiation when it enters a Dead hex during Doomsday? A2. The current player picks a hex closest, by counting hexes, to the place where radiation would have otherwise entered the map. In this way, radiation will spread or a Dead hex will occur every turn.

Q3. What happens to refugees and stockpiles in dead hexes? A3. Refugees will move to the nearest radiated hex in hope that a kind soul will rescue them. Stockpiles are removed.

Credits

By Erin Escobedo.

Special thanks to Amabel Holland, for taking a risk on an unknown, and to Magdalena Escobedo, for everything.

Play Testers: Robb Clark, Aaron Moore, Donald Rule, Tim Coles, Alice Connor, Josh Fulton, George Breden, Greg Janson.

Development & Editing: Christopher Paul High. Cover & Map: Amelia Sales. Iconography, Layout, Cards, & Graphic Design: Katherine Boils.

Licensed to Capstone Games; artwork & related works © 2025, Capstone Games, 2 Techview Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45215, capstone-games.com.

Errata and Clarifications

This section reproduces the errata and clarification notes issued for the 1st printing and later reprints of Meltwater.

Errata for 1st Printing — Rulebook

1. Setup: Place one radiation marker, radiation symbol face up, into every hex on the board with a radiation symbol printed on it.
2. Setup: Ignore all red/blue/white dots.
3. Setup: Blue Civilian goes on A2 (instead of A3).
4. Setup: Remove the instruction "Flip the top card faceup; this is the next card" from the Doomsday card setup step.
5. Stockpiles: A Stockpile you control benefits every surrounding hex for your units.
6. Each hex can only hold units of a single faction (red or blue).
7. Civilian units cannot intentionally move into a Dead hex. Soldiers may move into a Dead hex.
8. Starvation Phase note: Skip this phase on the first turn of each player (clarifying language).
9. Stockpiles benefit every surrounding hex for your units.
10. March: Only Soldiers can march into Dead hexes.
11. Press Gang: Remove a neutral civilian/refugee from an adjacent hex or the same hex as one of your Soldiers. Place a civilian of your color into the hex with your Soldier.
12. Doomsday: The active player resolves this phase. There is no Doomsday on the first turn of the U.S. player — skip straight to the Action Phase of the U.S.S.R. player.

Errata for 1st Printing — Doomsday Cards

• Card 18: J7 is shown on the map for placement of a radiation token. This is the correct placement, but the card should say J7 instead of J6.

Errata for 1st Printing — Main Board

• Dots: Ignore all blue/red/white dots. These were from a previous iteration of the game and are unnecessary and irrelevant.

Clarifications on All Rules

Radiation & Dead Hexes

Radiation/Dead hexes have two sides — one indicates the area has been irradiated, the other shows the hex is completely dead.

1. Some coastal spaces have a pre-printed radiation symbol. Cover those symbols with a wooden piece at the beginning of the game, on the radiation side, to better see these areas during gameplay.
2. When placing a piece due to a Doomsday card:
   • If it is a spot where a wooden token already exists on the radiation side: flip this token to the Dead side, then check every spot around the Dead token — these hexes should all have a radiation piece placed in them. You will still place a new piece in the closest empty hex, after checking that every hex surrounding the Dead hex has a radiation token and is Dirty. Dead hexes, at a minimum, will be surrounded by radiation hexes, though they could also be surrounded by other Dead hexes.
   • If it is a hex with a Dead-side token: the active player looks for the closest hex without any radiation/Dead marker. If there are several options, the active player chooses one and places a token, radiation side up, in that empty hex. If there are no options, in particular no empty hexes, the active player chooses the closest hex with a radiation token and flips it to its Dead side; again, if there are several options, the active player chooses which hex to make Dead.

In this way, radiation or Dead hexes will occur every turn. This resolution differs from the original game text.

Press Gang

1. Neutral civilians/refugees become part of the active player's population.
2. Neutral civilians/refugees may be taken from the hex adjacent to the Soldier, or from the same hex.
3. The Soldier taking this action cannot do so if adjacent to an enemy Soldier.
4. The new red or blue civilian ends the action in the same hex as the Soldier who took the action.
5. There is no longer a "free" move for units affected by the Press Gang action.
6. Although rare, a neutral civilian/refugee could be in the same hex as an opposing unit. Players cannot Press Gang in this case.

Attacking

If no hex in or around the two Soldiers involved has a radiation token (is Dirty), no token is flipped and no new radiation token is added.

Doomsday

1. Current Card: although this face-up card is skipped on the first turn, it still provides both players information about what will be happening soon, which is why it is called the Current card until it is resolved. The active player always resolves this phase completely, for the whole board.
2. When placing new radiation/Dead tokens, it is a common occurrence that a Dead hex will already be surrounded by radiation hexes. When this is the case, the active player still spreads radiation on the board — even if there is only one hex without radiation, and that hex is on the other side of the board, the radiation token is placed there.
3. Dirty hexes will always have radiation.
4. When neutral civilians/refugees enter the board during this phase:
   • If the hex is already Dead, place them in the nearest radiation hex.
   • The active player always resolves this "nearest" question.
   • If the neutral civilians/refugees enter a hex that already has units of one of the players, automatically convert the unit to be a blue or red unit.

Threaten

1. You cannot threaten a unit and cause it to enter a Dirty/radiation hex.
2. Threatened units cannot move into radiation and may be killed by this action.
3. You cannot threaten units into a hex occupied by opposing units.

Stockpiles

1. Stockpiles only benefit your own units.
2. A Stockpile is automatically removed from the board if the hex it is in becomes Dead.
3. A Stockpile without a unit present in the same hex provides no benefit to either player.

Winter Setup

There are no Soldiers in this setup. Militarize is your only option if you want to use your whole turn to create a Soldier.

Player Aids

The Player Aid cards are reminders only.

1. The Stockpile adjacency rule shown is shorthand for your own units only.
2. The radiation and Dead hex rules about Starvation are shorthand for: radiation hexes will always be next to Dead hexes, even if you previously forgot to place them on the board, and they will Support one fewer unit; Dead hexes will never Support any unit.
3. The action side is intended to help you internalize what the actions are, not to serve as a rules explanation — i.e., it answers the question "What kind of things can I do on my turn?"