PNW: Card Games Inspired by the Pacific Northwest
PNW: Card Games Inspired by the Pacific Northwest Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Salmon Run
Players: 2 — Complexity: 4 — A deck-building game
Find your way as a salmon traversing the waters of the Pacific Northwest. Brave the waters to return to where you were born, stay adaptable to reach your destination, and enrich the land along the way.
Components
- One 52-card deck, with Jokers (see "Variants" for a first playthrough)
Goal: Earn the most points in three rounds!
Earn points from cards played toward each round's objective. Score bonus points along the way by adding specific cards to your deck (see "Scoring").
Setup
- Set aside the Aces and 3s.
- Construct four starting decks by grouping 2s, 4s, and 7s of different suits together (e.g. 2 of hearts-4 of diamonds-7 of spades and 2 of spades-4 of diamonds-7 of clubs).
- One player chooses their starting deck first, the other player will take the first turn. Once the starting decks have been chosen, shuffle the other two starting decks into the remaining random cards.
- Set up the acclimation row. Place the Aces and 3s in their own fanned-out stacks to one side. Place the shuffled pile — the acclimation deck — between the two players. Then reveal the top five cards of the acclimation deck and place them in a row between the players. (The acclimation discard pile sits beside the acclimation deck.)
Gameplay
To start the game, each player draws their entire starting deck and the first player begins. On your turn, play all cards in your hand, then draw three cards.
Play your entire hand. Use each card to add to your run or acclimate. Discard all cards not added to your run. Draw three cards.
Personal decks
In Salmon Run, your personal deck starts as a three-card deck of 2-4-7. You will draw cards from your evolving personal deck and discard to your personal discard pile. Whenever you run out of cards to draw, flip your personal discard pile over and shuffle it — it is now your deck. Cards may go unused on a turn but are still discarded.
You may play your cards as follows:
- Play as many cards as you'd like to add new cards to your deck from the center acclimation row (see "Acclimating").
- Play exactly two cards in your run toward the round objective.
If you play two cards of the same suit on a turn, you may activate a suit bonus (see "Suit Bonuses").
At the end of each turn discard played cards, draw three cards, then keep things current. Move the acclimation card furthest from the deck to the discard pile face up. Refill the acclimation row to five cards. If the deck is empty, shuffle the discard pile and flip it over.
The Run
Each round has a unique objective: the run. When a player plays all needed cards in their run, that player finishes their turn and the round ends (see "Scoring").
The objectives for the three rounds are as follows:
- The Sea: four cards of the same suit (e.g. 4 of hearts, 2 of hearts, J of hearts, A of hearts)
- The River: three pairs (e.g. 8-8, 6-6, K-K)
- The Stream: eight cards in a row (e.g. 4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J; Ace can be high or low, but not both)
When playing cards in your run, you must place exactly two cards. They will remain in front of you for the rest of the round. You may not use those cards to acclimate (see "Acclimating"). They may be used for suit bonuses in the round they are played, but not in subsequent rounds. Cards played in your run must make sense in a complete run for that round.
For example:
- In the Sea, you may not play cards of different suit in your run.
- In the River, if you have 8-7 in your run, you may not add 4-5 since you may only have three pairs. In that scenario, you may play 4-8, giving you 4-7-8-8 in your run, and locking you into pairs of 4s, 7s, and 8s for the round.
- In the Stream, you may not play cards outside of an eight-card range or any duplicate numbers. For example, a 2 and a 10 are incompatible, as are two 7s. You may play cards out of sequence within the range.
Use your resources to acclimate to your new environment, altering your physiology to ensure a successful run.
Acclimating
Acclimate to your environment by adding cards from the central acclimation row to your personal deck. You may spend the acclimate value of played cards to put one or more cards from the acclimation row into your discard pile for later use in your deck.
The card you acquire must have an equal or lesser value to the number on the card you played (e.g. a 7 may be played to put a 5 into your discard pile). Excess value may not be used for further acclimation.
You may add the value of multiple played cards. For example, you may play a 7 and 4 to put a 10 into your discard pile.
Face cards cost fifteen and have an acclimate value of zero. Aces cost fifteen and have an acclimate value of one.
Replenish the acclimation row to five cards at the end of each turn by revealing cards from the acclimation deck.
Aces and 3s are not replaced.
Suit Bonuses
When you play two cards of the same suit, you may use that suit's bonus at any point this turn.
If your deck is empty and you need to draw or look at cards, shuffle your discard pile and flip it over.
- Hearts — Draw and play a card. This can trigger a second bonus on a turn.
- Spades — Look at the top card of your deck. You may move any card from your discard pile to the top of your deck. Played cards do not enter your discard pile until your turn is over.
- Diamonds — Increase one card's acclimation value by two. This does not change the value of a card in your run.
- Clubs — Look at the top three cards of your deck. You may remove one from the game and put the others back on top in any order.
Jokers
Jokers may be used to add flexibility to your deck, at a cost.
- Jokers are wild in a run, meaning they may be any number or suit.
- Jokers in a run may change value or suit within the run mid-round.
- Jokers cost zero and have no value for acclimation.
- Jokers are wild for suit and may be used for one suit bonus when played.
- Jokers subtract ten points from your score at the end of each round for each Joker in your deck, discard pile, or run (see "Scoring").
Example Turn
- Salmon plays each card in her hand (K of hearts, 8 of hearts, 2 of spades).
- She receives the suit bonus for hearts since she played two hearts and may draw a card. Her personal deck is empty, so she shuffles her discard pile, places it face down, draws a card (7 of hearts), and plays it.
- Salmon uses the 8 and 7 to acclimate and takes a K of spades (which costs 15) from the acclimation row. The K of spades goes to her discard pile immediately.
- Since it is round 2 (the River), she needs three pairs to navigate the river. Salmon plays the K of hearts and the 2 of spades in her run, locking her into pairs of Kings and 2s for the round.
- The cards used to acclimate (8 of hearts, 7 of hearts) are discarded, the cards played in the run (K of hearts, 2 of spades) remain in front of her.
- Salmon keeps things current then draws three cards from her deck.
End of Round
When one player finishes their run, the round ends at the end of their turn. Then:
- Keep things current.
- Tally scores for the round.
- Shuffle your deck, discard pile, and run.
- Draw three cards.
- The player with the lower score starts the next round.
Note: Cards removed from the game via clubs bonus do not score after they are removed.
Scoring
Scoring occurs after each round. Your score for a round is:
- Ten points for each card played in your run.
- Two points for each diamond in your deck, discard pile, and run.
- Subtract ten points for each Joker in your deck, discard pile, and run.
After scoring the final round, total your scores and add ten points for each face card and ace in your deck, discard pile, and run.
Variants
School's in session
To simplify the game for teaching others or for a first playthrough, play only the first two rounds, removing Jokers and suit bonuses. Do not score points for each diamond.
Dogged determination
You may use your entire turn to play one card in your run, discarding all other cards and ignoring suit bonuses.
You will need to use dogged determination an even number of times to complete a run. You may not play two cards in your run if it would put you over the needed number of cards in the run for the round.
Salmon Run Summary
Each turn
- Acclimate (add to your deck)
- Add exactly two cards to your run (earn points)
Then draw three cards from your personal deck and keep things current (one card to center discard pile, refill acclimation row).
Suit bonuses
- Hearts: Draw and play a card.
- Spades: Look at the top card of your deck, then you may move any card from your discard pile to the top of your deck.
- Diamonds: Increase one card's acclimation value by two. This does not change the value of a card in your run.
- Clubs: Look at the top three cards of your deck. You may remove one from the game and put the others back on top in any order.
The run
- The Sea: four cards of the same suit (e.g. four hearts)
- The River: three pairs (e.g. 8-8, 6-6, K-K)
- The Stream: eight cards in a row (e.g. 4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J)
Scoring
- Ten points for each card played in your run.
- Two points for each diamond in your deck, discard pile, and run.
- Subtract ten points for each Joker.
After scoring the third round, tally your scores and add ten points for each face card in your run, discard pile, or deck.
Trail
Players: 3-4 — Complexity: 2 — A drafting game
Take a hike up zig-zagging switchbacks to an alpine lake, through the mossy floor of an old-growth forest, or along the sand of a driftwood beach. In any case, you should plan ahead with the right gear and plenty of water.
Components
- One 52-card deck, without Jokers
- One unique token per player
- One first-player token
Goal: Earn the most points to win!
Earn points by trekking as far as you can up the trail, visiting landmarks, and having cards left in your pack when you turn back (see "Scoring").
Setup
- Remove the Aces and set them aside for later.
- Remove every J, Q, and K from the deck and shuffle them together. Then shuffle the remaining numeric cards (2-10) into a separate pile.
- According to the example map below, use each shuffled pile to place numeric cards vertically and face cards horizontally, revealing where indicated. Place the extra face card aside, face down (no peeking!).
- Deal seven cards from the numeric pile to each player.
- The player who last went on a hike receives the first player token (or determine randomly), then begin the pack phase (see "Pack").
Example map
The map is five columns wide and five rows deep (top to bottom), with face cards placed horizontally and numeric cards vertically:
- Row 1: one face-down face card, in the middle column.
- Row 2: five face cards. Revealed: Q of clubs (first column), K of clubs (middle column), J of spades (fifth column). Face down: second and fourth columns.
- Row 3: face-down numeric cards in the first, middle and fifth columns; face-down face cards in the second and fourth columns.
- Row 4: three revealed face cards: K of spades (first column), Q of diamonds (middle column), J of clubs (fifth column). The second and fourth columns are empty.
- Row 5 (bottom): five face-down numeric cards.
Gameplay
Trail consists of two phases:
- The pack phase (see "Pack").
- The trek phase (see "Trek").
In the pack phase, players will select cards to add to their hand. In the trek phase, players will use those cards to progress along the trail.
Pack
At the same time as other players, select one card and set it aside, face down. This is the first card in your pack. Then pass the remaining cards to your left, face down. Repeat until all cards have been put into a pack. You may look at the cards in your pack at any time.
Drafting Aces
When there are no more cards to pass, the first player takes one of the four Aces and passes the remaining to their left. In a three-player game, the leftover ace is removed from the game.
Trek
Once you finish packing, begin the trek! The first player takes their turn and play continues clockwise.
On your first turn, place your token on any of the five bottom trail cards to indicate the starting position of your trek. Each turn, use supplies from your pack to trek past one card on the map.
Using supplies
To trek past a trail card, discard cards from your pack in one of the following ways:
- Discard one or two cards to meet or exceed the value of the trail card, adding the values if using two cards. One card must match the suit of the trail card (e.g. discard 4 of hearts and 8 of diamonds to trek past a 10 of diamonds).
- Discard a pair, matching the suit of the trail card with at least one card in the pair (e.g. discard 3 of hearts and 3 of spades to move past a K of hearts).
- Discard three cards of any suit.
Aces
Aces can be any number! When playing an Ace to move past a card, declare its value.
- An Ace may be any value 2-10.
- You may use an Ace's value to complete a pair.
- Each Ace maintains its suit.
Orienteering
To start your turn, place your token on the next trail card of your trek. You may only move your token to directly adjacent or diagonal trail cards. If you successfully trek past a trail card, advance your token between rows on the map.
Trailblazing
If a player is the first player to attempt to trek past a card that is face down, flip it over and reveal it.
Landmarks
Various landmarks are represented by face cards, oriented horizontally in the setup map. These trail cards have values of J=15, Q=17, and K=18 to trek past. Landmarks are worth bonus points if they are part of your trek (see "Scoring").
End of round
After all players take a turn, the round ends. Players who trailblazed recover supplies in turn order by putting any discarded card from the round into their pack. Set aside other discarded cards and pass the first-player token clockwise.
Turning back
If you do not have the supplies to trek past a card, you must turn back (see "Scoring").
- You may decide to turn back before attempting to trek past any trail card.
- If you trailblaze an unrevealed trail card, you must flip it over and use supplies before turning back. If you cannot trek past the trail card by using supplies, discard all remaining cards from your pack.
Scoring
Your score is calculated when you turn back, as follows:
- Five points for each card you trekked past on the trail.
- One point for each card remaining in your pack when you turn back.
- Points for each landmark you trekked past: each J = one point, each Q = two points, each K = three points.
Trail Summary
Using Supplies
- Discard one or two cards to meet or exceed the value of the trail card, adding the values if using two cards. One card must match the suit of the trail card (e.g. discard 4 of hearts and 8 of diamonds to trek past a 10 of diamonds).
- Discard a pair, matching the suit of the trail card with at least one card in the pair (e.g. discard 3 of hearts and 3 of spades to move past a K of hearts).
- Discard three cards of any suit.
Aces
- An Ace may be any value 2-10.
- You may use an Ace's value to complete a pair.
- Each Ace maintains its suit.
Recovering supplies
At the end of the round, trailblazers recover supplies in turn order by putting a discarded card from the round into their pack.
Landmarks
Face cards have values of J=15, Q=17, and K=18 to move past.
Scoring
Tally your score as you trek, or track your path as you go.
- Five points for each card you trekked past on the trail.
- One point for each card remaining in your pack.
- Points for each landmark you trekked past: J=1, Q=2, and K=3.
Signal Fire
Players: 4 — Complexity: 5 — A team trick-taking game
For thousands of years, humans have used fire and smoke signals to communicate across great distances. Communicate successfully with your teammate by sending signals across the ridge and the valley. Be careful though — light too many fires and you'll cause a blaze.
Components
- One 52-card deck, without Jokers
- One unique token per player
- Ridge and valley markers per team (optional)
Goal: Earn the most points as a team over multiple rounds!
Setup
- Decide who will be on a team. Sit across from your partner, with your opponents to your immediate left and right.
- Shuffle the deck and set the map by placing cards face up or face down according to the pattern below. Cards are placed randomly.
- Assign each team's corner, comprised of a ridge and a valley.
- Deal ten cards to each player. Set the extras aside, face down.
The map is a 3x3 grid of cards. Team one's ridge is along the top edge (the three columns) and team two's ridge along the bottom edge. Team one's valley is along the left edge (the three rows) and team two's valley along the right edge. Example pattern (top row to bottom row, left to right):
- Top row: face-down card, 3 of diamonds, 8 of spades.
- Middle row: 4 of spades, face-down card, 6 of clubs.
- Bottom row: 10 of diamonds, Ace of clubs, face-down card.
Trick-taking terms
In a trick, each player reveals a card in turn order.
The winner — usually the player with the highest-value card — collects the played cards then leads the next trick.
The led suit is the suit of the first card played.
The trump suit is the highest-ranked suit.
Gameplay
In this trick-taking game, each player may have a different trump suit; your trump suit is the suit of the card under your token.
Begin by bidding a card to determine your starting position (see "Bidding"). Then each turn:
- Play a trick — take turns playing one card each. The player with the highest-ranked card wins the trick of four cards (see "Winning a trick"). That player leads the next trick.
- The winning player lights a fire at a location alongside the map, marking their team's win at this position (see "Lighting a fire").
- Players move their tokens (see "Movement").
Continue through all nine tricks until players are out of cards, then proceed to "Scoring."
Bidding
Bid to determine initial token placement. To bid, play one card from your hand face down. Once all players have played a card, reveal the cards. In order of each player's card value, highest to lowest, take turns placing player tokens on an unoccupied corner of the map. Ace is the highest value. The player with the highest-value bid card will lead the first trick.
Ties
In case of a tie for bidding, tied players may select the same corner. If the tie is for the highest-bid card, the player who most recently lit a fire leads the first trick (or break the tie randomly).
Card play
In a trick, the leading player starts and play continues clockwise. On your turn, play a card face up to vie for the trick or play a card face down to increase your movement flexibility.
Any card may be played face down. The leading and following rules apply when you play a card face up.
Leading
Starting in the second round, the winner of the previous trick leads. When leading, you may not play your trump suit unless the card is played face down.
Following
If playing face up, you must play a card in the led suit if able. If you do not have any cards in the led suit, you may play any card.
If the leading player plays face down, the first card played face up sets the led suit.
Face-down notes
- Reveal any face-down cards after trick placement.
- If all players play face down, reveal all cards and treat them as though they had been played face up, including movement. Led suit and trump suits apply (trump suit may be led in this scenario).
Winning a trick
The player with the highest-ranked card wins the trick. Suit determines card rank, as follows:
- The suit is your trump suit (it matches the card under your token). If your token is on a face down card, you do not have a trump suit.
- The suit is the led suit.
- The suit is neither the led suit nor your trump suit.
- The card is played face down.
Ties
Within the suit rankings above, the value of the card breaks ties:
- Ace is highest and 2 is lowest.
- Face-down cards have no value.
If teammates tie to win the trick, they decide which of them lights a fire. If opponents tie, both light a fire. Whichever winner played in the led suit begins the movement phase (see "Movement") and leads the next trick.
Lighting a fire
After winning a trick, place your card in the ridge column or the valley row corresponding to your token's position on the map — e.g. if your token is on the centermost map card, you may place your card above the map's center column or left of the map's center row. A position may have multiple tricks.
Movement
After lighting a fire, the winning player moves their token according to the card's value.
- If you play an even-numbered card, you must move to an adjacent card along the valley.
- If you play an odd-numbered card or an Ace, you must move to an adjacent card along the ridge.
- If you play a face card (J, Q, K), do not move.
- If you play a face-down card, you may move along the ridge, move along the valley, or choose not to move.
You may not move diagonally. Choose the direction of movement when you have multiple options.
In clockwise order from the winner, move according to your card's value. Then place your card on a fire lit this round.
After all players have moved, flip the prior trick face down. Players may only view the most recently placed trick.
Example trick
- Player 1 leads and plays 6 of diamonds.
- Player 2 has no diamonds, plays 9 of spades.
- Player 3 plays J of diamonds.
- Player 4 plays a face-down 3 of hearts.
Player 3 wins the trick with J of diamonds (their trump suit) and lights a fire on their team's ridge at their token's position.
The map and player positions before movement: Player 4 is on the top-left face-down card, Player 3 on the 3 of diamonds, Player 2 on the 8 of spades, and Player 1 on the Ace of clubs.
Each player then moves their token in clockwise order from Player 3, then places their card on the lit fire.
- Player 3 (J of diamonds) remains on the 3 of diamonds.
- Player 4 reveals their face-down 3 of hearts and chooses to move along the valley to the 4 of spades.
- Player 1 (6 of diamonds) moves along the valley onto a face-down card.
- Player 2 (9 of spades) moves along the ridge onto the 3 of diamonds, sharing the same space as Player 3.
Player 3 then leads the next trick.
Scoring
After the last trick is played, tally each team's score for the round:
- One point per fire lit.
- Two extra points if your team lit fires along each ridge column.
- Two extra points if your team lit fires along each valley row.
- Two extra points if your team lit fires along both the ridge and the valley (at least six tricks, one trick placed in each row and column).
If your team lit fires every round, you cause a blaze. Your team does not score for any fires lit, and instead scores negative ten points for the round. Your team's score can be less than zero.
Session play
Shuffle all cards, reset the map, and continue playing multiple rounds until one team reaches fifty points. You may instead decide to play to fewer points, or play a set number of rounds.
Table talk
In this game, you may not say what cards you have or give information that will imply specifics of your hand. Some aficionados of trick-taking games ban table talk altogether; you can settle on what you prefer or use these examples:
- You may say "I will head that direction," but you may not say "I will move to this space next turn."
- You may say "I think I can win the next trick," but you may not say "I have an Ace."
- You may say "I would prefer if you lit a fire on the ridge instead of the valley."
Variant
Quickflint
Instead of moving after the trick's winner is determined, move your token immediately when you play your card. Trump suits and card rankings are determined after movement. Leading restrictions still apply — e.g. you may not lead with a suit that would become your trump suit after movement.
Signal Fire Summary
Card play
- You must play the led suit if able unless playing face down.
- You may not lead your trump suit.
Card rankings
- The suit is your trump suit. If your token is on a face down card, you do not have a trump suit.
- The suit is the led suit.
- The suit is neither the led suit nor your trump suit.
- The card is played face down.
Movement
- Even-numbered card: move along the valley.
- Odd-numbered card or Ace: move along the ridge.
- Face card (J, Q, K): do not move.
- Face-down card: move along the ridge, move along the valley, or choose not to move.
Scoring
- Each fire lit = one point
- All ridge columns lit = two extra points
- All valley rows lit = two extra points
- Ridge and valley both lit = two extra points
- Blaze = minus ten points for the round
E.g. a team that fully lit the ridge and valley with 6 tricks scores: 6 (fires lit) + 2 (ridge) + 2 (valley) + 2 (ridge and valley) = 12 points.
Orca Isles
Players: 3-6 — Complexity: 2 — A worker-placement game
You are a group of impressive predators that live, eat, and socialize in pods of up to thirty, coordinating hunts and sharing food. As your pod of orcas, gather prey and hunt in the wooded isles of the PNW, competing for the tastiest morsels.
Components
- One 52-card deck, with Jokers
- A set of two tokens per player (e.g. two shells, two dice, etc.)
- One first-player token
Goal: Earn the most points over five rounds!
Earn points by competing for resources and completing different patterns (see "Scoring" and "End of Game").
Setup
An example setup for four players: the deck in the middle; on one side three isle cards (Ace of hearts, 6 of clubs, Joker); on the other side four gather cards (3 of diamonds, 8 of diamonds, J of spades, 7 of clubs), rotated.
- Shuffle the deck and reveal cards equal to the number of players minus one. Place the cards on one side of the deck. These are the isle cards.
- Reveal cards equal to the number of players. Rotate the cards and place them on the other side of the deck. These are gather cards.
- Deal four cards to each player.
- Assign the first player token to the player who most recently visited an island (or determine randomly).
Gameplay
In Orca Isles, a round consists of each player taking two turns. Start each round at the first-player token and proceed clockwise through the player order twice.
Each turn, place one of your two orca tokens to gather (gain resources) or hunt (compete and score points). After all players have taken both turns, reveal cards and score.
Gather
Place your token near one of the gather cards and immediately put the card into your hand.
OR
Place your token near the deck and draw from the top of the pile.
There is no limit on your hand size.
Hunt
Select one or two cards from your hand. Put the cards face down next to one of the isle cards then place your token on top of them. Your pod is hunting for resources here.
Resources are limited; a maximum of two tokens may be placed next to any isle card. You may place both of your orcas on the same isle to prevent other pods from hunting there.
You will score points at the end of the round if the cards you played complete a set with the isle card, and an additional two points if your pod wins at that isle (see "Scoring").
Card play
You may play any one or two cards when hunting. For example, you may play a pair with a third card to break ties (e.g. play an 8 and K with an 8 isle card) or one or two unrelated cards to scare folks off of a particular isle.
Scoring
When all players have played both tokens, reveal the cards around each isle, one isle at a time.
Each player at an isle scores according to the set they create with their played card(s) and the isle card. Each set will be two or three cards.
Sets
- Pair — 1 point (e.g. J of hearts, J of spades)
- Flush — 3 points (e.g. 4 of diamonds, 2 of diamonds, K of diamonds)
- Straight — 4 points (e.g. 4 of clubs, 5 of hearts, 6 of hearts)
- 3 of a kind — 5 points (e.g. 8 of hearts, 8 of clubs, 8 of spades)
- Straight flush — 8 points (e.g. 10 of spades, J of spades, Q of spades)
Winning
The winning set on each isle is worth an additional two points for the round. The sets above are in increasing value — a straight flush beats 3 of a kind, and so on. An uncontested isle with only one orca is won by that orca's player regardless of played cards.
The player who won also takes the isle card and puts it into their hand.
Jokers
Jokers may be any value or suit, but not both at once; you cannot make a straight flush with a joker.
Ties
If both players play the same set, the set with the highest value cards wins. If the sets are identical, the value of any other played cards determines the winner — e.g. K-K beats 2-2-A but 8-8-3 beats 8-8-2 or 8-8. If it is still a tie, the isle card goes to the discard pile and both players split the two-point bonus.
End of Round
Mark down each player's score for the round. In turn order, draw until you have four cards in your hand. Discard all cards played to hunt, refill isle and gather cards, and pass the first-player token clockwise. Any isle or gather cards not taken remain on the table.
If this was the fifth round, proceed to "End of Game."
If you run out of cards in the deck, shuffle the discard pile and flip it over; it is now the deck.
End of Game
After the fifth round of the game, you may play any number of sets from your hand to score points according to the set values (see "Scoring"). A card may not be used in multiple sets.
Then tally up the scores from each round along with the end-of-game scoring. The player with the most points wins!
Variant
Good instincts
When hunting, you may play the top two cards of the deck face up instead of playing cards from your hand.
Orca Isles Summary
Each turn, place one of your two orcas to hunt or gather. After all players have placed both of their orca tokens, reveal all cards played next to isle cards and score.
At the end of the round each player draws until they have four cards, discard all cards played to hunt, gather cards and isle cards are refilled, and the first-player token is passed clockwise.
Hunt
Place an orca next to one of the isles. At the end of the round reveal hunt cards. You make a set with your card(s) and the isle card.
- Pair (e.g. J of hearts, J of spades or 8 of diamonds, 8 of hearts, K of spades): 1 point
- Flush (e.g. 4 of diamonds, 2 of diamonds, K of diamonds): 3 points
- Straight (e.g. 4 of clubs, 5 of hearts, 6 of hearts): 4 points
- 3 of a kind (e.g. 8 of hearts, 8 of clubs, 8 of spades): 5 points
- Straight flush (e.g. 10 of spades, J of spades, Q of spades): 8 points
The winning player on each isle earns 2 points and puts the isle card into their hand.
Gather
- Place your orca next to a gather card and immediately put it into your hand OR
- Place your orca next to the main deck, and immediately put the top card into your hand.
Forage
Players: 2-8 — Complexity: 1 — A set-collection game
Collect sets of mushrooms and flora while roaming the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Folks can be cagey about the good spots, so you might need to take a peek in their bag and trace their footsteps.
Components
- One, two, or three 52-card decks, with Jokers
- For two players: one deck, for three to five players: two decks, for six to eight players: three decks
- One unique token per player
- For two players: two tokens per player (see "Variants")
Goal: Earn four points to win!
Baskets are worth one point, troves are worth two (see "Play a set").
Setup
- Shuffle all cards together and place cards face down in the pattern below, laying face-down caches (piles of two or three) where indicated.
- Deal four cards to each player, dealing the first card for each player face up. Place the remaining cards on the stack in the center.
- Place all player tokens on the center stack, and get foraging! The player who last ate mushrooms goes first (or determine randomly), and play continues clockwise.
The pattern is a diamond-shaped map of face-down cards, five rows from top to bottom, with the center stack in the middle:
- Row 1: one cache (top).
- Row 2: three single cards.
- Row 3: a cache at each end, with two single cards on each side of the center stack.
- Row 4: three single cards.
- Row 5: one cache (bottom).
A turn
On your turn: move twice, swap and move, play a Joker, or play a set.
Players have two actions on their turn and can use them to: move, swap, play Jokers, or — for two actions — play a set.
Move
Move your token to an adjacent card, including diagonals.
Moving onto a face-down single card flips it over and reveals that card for all players. Moving onto a cache allows you to secretly view all of its cards; return them face down when finished viewing.
Swap
Swap a card from your hand with the card your piece is on. Place the card from your hand face down if it was hidden or face up if it was a revealed card.
If your token is on a cache, you may swap as many cards as you'd like with the cache, making sure to keep the same number of cards revealed in your hand. Then return the same number of cards to the cache, face down.
Play a Joker
Discard a Joker and take one revealed card from an opponent's hand. The opponent draws a card. You may not take from previously played sets.
Play a set
Use your entire turn to play a set.
- A basket, worth one point, is played with three of a kind (8-8-8) or four in a row (A-2-3-4).
- A trove, worth two points, may be played with four of a kind (J-J-J-J) or suited four in a row (2 of hearts, 3 of hearts, 4 of hearts, 5 of hearts).
If you play your fourth point, you win!
Otherwise, after playing a set draw from the central pile until you have four cards, revealing one more card in your hand than the number of points you have. Then return your token to the central draw pile.
For example, after playing a basket for your first set (worth one point) play with two of your four cards face up.
If the set you reveal is a trove, be sure to reveal two more cards when you draw to refill your hand.
The central draw pile
Moving onto the central draw pile allows you to secretly view the top card in the pile.
You may swap with this card after moving onto it, returning one card face down.
Reveal one more card in your hand for each point you have earned. A notorious forager is an observed forager.
Notes
- Aces are low or high, but not both (K-A-2-3 is not valid).
- A player with two or three earned points may win the game by playing a trove.
- Playing a set does not count as moving onto the center pile; you may not peek at or swap with the center pile after returning your token(s).
- When a player collects a set that would win them the game, they must wait use their full turn to play it.
Variants
Two Players
For a two-player game, play with one deck of cards and two tokens per player. Each action may be taken with either token, and both tokens return to the center pile when playing a set. You still have two actions on your turn and four cards in your hand.
Large Map
If you find the standard game setup too crowded or want more exploration, use the following setup which requires three decks and is recommended for six or more players.
Add a copy of the main map (see "Setup") next to one of the two-card caches, replacing that cache with one revealable card. Both maps will share this card. Split the main stack of cards between the two center piles. Divide the player tokens amongst the center piles.
You may move between the two maps via the revealable card in the center. When playing a set, return to the center stack closest to your token. If you are on the card that connects the two maps, choose which center stack to return to before drawing.
Teams
With an even number of players, split into teams of two. The first team to eight points wins.
Sit with opponents to your left and right. Take your turn at the same time as your teammate.
If your token is on the same card as your teammate, you may use an action to swap with as many cards as you would like from their hand. You may not see the unrevealed cards in their hand until you are standing on the same card as them.
Try this with six or more players on the large map variant above!
Forage Summary
Goal
Earn four points to win!
Sets
Baskets: worth one point
- Three of a kind (e.g. Q-Q-Q)
- Four in a row (e.g. 2-3-4-5)
Troves: worth two points
- Four of a kind (e.g. 3-3-3-3)
- Suited four in a row (e.g. 8 of hearts, 9 of hearts, 10 of hearts, J of hearts)
Aces may be low or high, not both — K-A-2-3 is not a valid set.
Actions
- Move your token to any adjacent card, including diagonally.
- Swap a card from your hand with the card your token is on, face down if it was hidden or face up if it was revealed.
- Play a Joker by discarding it to take one revealed card from an opponent's hand.
Play a set
Using your whole turn, place a set aside and draw new cards to refill your hand to four, revealing one more card than your point total. Then put your token back on the center pile.
Cabin by the Sea
Players: 1 — Complexity: 3 — A solitaire game
Build a cabin using the materials around you. The sea brings and the sea takes. Utilize your resources in the proper order to build your abode without losing too much to the depths. Finally, look around and take in the salty ocean air from your completed cabin by the sea.
Components
- One 52-card deck, without Jokers
Goal: Get the lowest number of points lost to sea!
Setup
Layout (left to right): the cabin stacks, then the Supply, the Beach, the Sea and the Tide.
- Separate Aces, face cards, and numeric cards. Shuffle the numeric cards.
- Create the Supply: shuffle together four Aces plus twelve random numeric cards and place the pile face down.
- Create the Beach: shuffle all twelve face cards and place the pile face up.
- Create the Sea: place all remaining numeric cards face down.
Gameplay
Each turn draw the top card from the sea pile. Then choose to:
- Use the sea card to build onto a new or existing cabin stack — one of eight stacks placed to the left of the supply pile.
OR
- Use the top card of the supply or the beach to build your cabin. You must use this card to build onto a new or existing cabin stack. The revealed sea card is taken by the tide, pulled to a stack to the right of the sea pile.
Each turn, play one card to build a cabin with the surrounding materials.
Midgame example
Six cabin stacks (tops: 8 of hearts, 7 of diamonds, 6 of spades, 6 of clubs, Q of diamonds, 3 of hearts), the supply, the beach (J of spades on top), an empty sea stack, a tide pile (2 of hearts on top), and one card lost to sea (a diamond, placed rotated).
Building
You may create a new cabin stack with any card until you have created eight stacks, then you must play on existing cabin stacks.
To build on an existing cabin stack place a card on top of the stack. The played card must be of the same suit as the stack and of higher value than its top-most card.
Aces
Aces may be played as both the highest value and the lowest value for stacking purposes.
For example, an Ace of hearts may be played on a Q of hearts cabin stack. Later, a 2 of hearts may be played on the Ace of hearts.
The changing tide
Once you run out of sea cards, each turn thereafter you must choose to play a card from the top of the supply, beach, or tide. You may look through the tide pile unless playing the "Murky depths" variant (see "Variants").
Lost to sea
If you don't have any available options to place a chosen card, it is lost to sea. Place the card above the tide pile, rotated horizontally. For example, if you choose to reveal a card from the supply pile, you must place it in the lost-to-sea pile if it is not valid on any existing cabin stack or as a new stack.
Note
You may view the contents of a face-up stack. You may not look at the contents of a face-down stack.
Scoring
At the end of a game, all cards will either be in your cabin piles or the lost-to-sea pile. For your score, tally up points from cards lost to sea. The lower the point total, the better the score.
Assign points as follows:
- One point per numeric card.
- Two points per face card.
- Three points per Ace.
Example: after a finished game there are eight cabin stacks and a nine-point lost-to-sea pile.
Variants
Cabin stacks
The game can be made harder by only using seven cabin stacks instead of eight, and made easier by using nine cabin stacks.
Murky depths
Shuffle the tide pile and place it face down once the sea pile runs out.
Stockpiling
You may place the sea card revealed on each turn on top of the beach pile instead of a cabin pile.
Cabin by the Sea Summary
Starting Pile Contents
- Supply — four Aces, twelve random numeric cards shuffled, face down.
- Beach — all twelve face cards shuffled, face up.
- Sea — all remaining numeric cards shuffled, face down.
Building
- You may build new cabin stacks until you reach eight stacks.
- To build on a cabin stack, the card must be the same suit and of higher value as the top card. E.g. 6 of diamonds may be played on a 2 of diamonds.
- An Ace counts as the highest and lowest value e.g. Ace of hearts may be played on a Q of hearts cabin stack. Later 2 of hearts may be played on the Ace of hearts.
Taking a turn
Until the sea pile runs out,
- Build from the sea, or
- Build from the supply or the beach. The sea card is taken by the tide.
After the sea pile runs out, you must use a card from the supply, the beach, or the tide. If you cannot build, the card is lost to sea.
Scoring
Score each card in the lost-to-sea pile:
- One point per numeric card.
- Two points per face card.
- Three points per Ace.