Surf's Up! Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Overview
  • How to Win
• Setup
  • Give Each Surfer
  • The Surf & Beach
  • Shared Goals (Optional)
• Playing a Round
• How to Catch a Wave
  • Step 1: Choose an Energy Card
  • Step 2: Catch or Win the Wave
  • Step 3: After the Wave
  • Step 4: Visit the Beach
• Resting
• How to Avoid a Bluebottle
  • 1. Choose an Energy Card
  • 2. Reveal
  • 3. Who Got Stung?
• Next Round
• Game End
  • Shared Goals
  • Scoring Example
• Tips
• Reminders

Components

• 1 game mat
• 18 shared goal cards
• 36 starting energy cards (Rest card and Energy cards)
• 28 ocean cards (23 wave and 5 bluebottle cards)
• 42 beach cards (Temporary energy cards and Surfboard cards)
• 2 player aid cards
• 24 respect tokens
• 18 bluebottle tokens
• 6 beach towel cards

Overview

In Surf's Up! rival surfers compete to catch and win waves as they roll into the beach.

Surfers start with 6 energy cards (valued 0 to 5) used to catch waves, and 2 respect tokens used to break ties when catching waves, and to buy cards when they visit the beach.

Each round surfers try to win the wave card (worth 1 to 10 points), or avoid the bluebottle stinger card (worth 0 to -3 points) closest to the beach (the breakzone), by simultaneously selecting and revealing 1 energy card that represents how hard they paddle.

When trying to win a wave, if any surfers reveal the same energy card and have the same amount of respect, they WIPE OUT!

Of those remaining, the surfer who revealed the highest energy card with the most respect (if tied) wins and takes the wave card. The surfer with the next highest energy and respect is the runner-up.

However, the winner has to trash their energy card, removing it from the game, while the other surfers discard their revealed cards to their towel, to get back later.

The winner and runner-up then get a chance to either gain 1 respect, OR visit the beach and spend respect to purchase surfboards that provide extra points, or temporary energy cards.

When trying to avoid a bluebottle, surfers who reveal the lowest energy card take a bluebottle token and get stung, potentially losing points.

Surfers who reveal their rest card (0 energy) can't catch a wave, but gain 1 respect and regain all their energy cards from their towel.

How to Win

• Win waves for points (pages 6 to 8)
• Collect surfboards that match your waves (page 9)
• Avoid bluebottle stingers (page 10)
• Achieve shared goals (page 11)

The game ends when all 5 bluebottle cards have been resolved, or any surfer has only their rest card left (after trashing all their others). Surfers total their scores then subtract their bluebottle stings. The surfer with the most points wins!

Setup

Give Each Surfer

• 6 starting energy cards (one of each number from 0-5) as their hand,
• 1 beach towel card, on which they place their discarded cards,
• 2 respect tokens, placed on the table near their towel where everyone can see them.

Leave room near your towel for a score zone where you place the wave and surfboard cards you earn during the game.

The Surf & Beach

Shuffle the ocean cards into an ocean deck, place it to the left of the board, and place 3 cards face-up in the surf spaces.

If any bluebottle cards are revealed into the surf now, set them aside and replace them with new ocean cards until there are 3 wave cards in the surf. Then shuffle any set aside bluebottle cards back into the deck.

Shuffle the beach cards into a beach deck, place it to the right of the board, and place 3 cards face-up in the beach spaces.

Place all bluebottle tokens face-down and the rest of the respect tokens in supply piles within reach of all the surfers.

Make room for a trash pile. Also make room for a bluebottle zone under the board.

The board areas are:

• The Surf: where all 3 current ocean cards go.
• The Breakzone: the wave closest to the beach that you are all trying to catch.
• The Beach: where the 3 face-up beach cards go.
• The Trash: space for trashed ocean and energy cards.
• Goal Zone: 3 goal cards placed above the board.
• The Bluebottle Zone: enough space for 5 bluebottle cards below the board.

Shared Goals (Optional)

Shuffle the shared goal cards into a goal deck. Draw and place 3 goals face-up into the goal zone above the board. Ensure all surfers understand the 3 goals, which will be checked and scored for all surfers at the end of the game. Return the goal deck to the box.

For a simpler game you can choose to play without any shared goal cards.

Playing a Round

Everyone can see the 3 ocean cards in the surf, and consider the energy they might choose each round as waves and bluebottles enter the breakzone.

Each round, surfers choose and reveal an energy card each to either:

1. Catch and win a wave in the breakzone, or come runner-up

   OR

2. Avoid a bluebottle in the breakzone.

Wave cards come in 3 suits, each worth incrementally more points.

Bluebottle cards: Avoid bluebottles or you may lose up to 3 points!

How to Catch a Wave

To catch the wave in the breakzone, you must choose the highest energy (to paddle the hardest) and win ties in respect against surfers paddling as hard as you.

Step 1: Choose an Energy Card

Everyone secretly chooses 1 energy card from their hand, at the same time, and holds them face-down. These represent how hard each surfer paddles to catch the wave in the breakzone.

Only 2 surfers can 'catch' the wave. One will 'win' it, and the runner-up also catches it for a minor benefit.

Surfers who choose their rest card (0 energy) are not attempting to catch the wave at all, but instead gain 1 respect and get their previously used cards back (see Resting: page 9). All other surfers are in contention to win or be runner-up on the wave.

Step 2: Catch or Win the Wave

1. Reveal

All surfers simultaneously count down "3, 2, 1, SURF'S UP!" and reveal their chosen energy card to see who paddled hardest to catch the wave.

2. Wipeouts

Surfers who reveal the same energy card and have the same respect, wipe out without catching the wave at all!

3. Winner and Runner-up

The remaining surfer with the highest energy card and most respect (if their energy card is tied), catches and 'wins' the wave.

The next remaining surfer with the highest energy card and most respect, catches the wave as the runner-up.

Proceed to Step 3: After the Wave.

If everyone wipes out or rests, no one catches the wave and there is no winner. Put the wave card into the trash, and discard each revealed energy card higher than 0 face-up onto its owner's towel. Then resolve any rest (0 energy) cards (see Resting: page 9).

Finally, skip Step 3 and Step 4, and prepare for the next round as usual.

Step 3: After the Wave

The winning surfer must:

1. Place their revealed energy card into the collective trash pile near the ocean deck. It can never be retrieved.
2. Move the wave card they won from the breakzone into their score zone near their towel.
3. Either gain 1 respect OR visit the beach (Step 4).

The runner up must:

1. Place their revealed energy card into their personal discard pile on their towel. It may be retrieved later when they rest (by playing their 0 energy card).
2. Either gain 1 respect OR visit the beach (Step 4).

Surfers may have a maximum of 4 respect.

If the winner or runner-up already have 4 respect, they must visit the beach to buy a card rather than gaining 1 respect.

Other surfers

All surfers with revealed energy cards higher than 0 must now discard their cards face-up onto their towel.

Surfers who revealed their 0 energy card, rest (see Resting: page 9).

Step 4: Visit the Beach

If you win or are runner-up on a wave, and choose not to gain 1 respect, you must buy 1 card from the beach with your respect. Immediately refill any space you create.

There are 2 types of beach cards:

1. Surfboards

Pay the respect cost of a surfboard to the supply, and place the chosen surfboard face up into your score zone.

During end game scoring, each surfboard gives its bonus points for each wave that matches its suit.

2. Temporary Energy

Pay the respect cost of a temporary energy card to the supply, and place the chosen card face-up on your beach towel. You will need to rest (by playing your 0 energy card) to get this card into your hand.

Temporary energy cards work like other energy cards, but must always be placed in the trash pile after use.

Resting

Surfers who played their rest (0 energy) card:

1. Gain 1 respect token, AND
2. Take all the cards from their beach towel, and their 0 card, back into their hand, organising it however they like.

Surfers may have a maximum of 4 respect.

When you rest you cannot catch a wave, even if everyone else wipes out!

You will be stung by a bluebottle if you rest during a bluebottle round (see page 10).

How to Avoid a Bluebottle

When a bluebottle card is in the breakzone, there is a lull in the waves, and bluebottle stingers are blown towards the beach.

To avoid being stung by a bluebottle, you must not reveal the lowest energy this round.

A bluebottle's sting causes the loss of 0 to 3 points at the end of the game.

1. Choose an Energy Card

Everyone secretly chooses 1 energy card from their hand, at the same time, and holds them face-down. This is how hard they are trying to avoid being stung by bluebottles.

2. Reveal

All surfers simultaneously count down "3, 2, 1, DON'T GET STUNG!" and reveal their chosen energy cards face-up to see who paddled the slowest and gets stung.

3. Who Got Stung?

Each surfer who reveals the lowest energy card this round takes a face-down bluebottle token from the supply, looks at it in secret, then places it face-down in front of them. They will lose the points shown on the bluebottle token at the end of the game.

Surfers tied for lowest energy (0 is the lowest) each take a bluebottle token. There is no respect tiebreaker for bluebottles.

Surfers who rest by playing their 0 card still gain a respect and reclaim their discarded energy cards and 0 card back to their hand.

Surfers who play a card higher than 0 discard them onto their towels as usual. You don't 'win' or 'catch' bluebottle cards, or visit the beach after them.

Move the bluebottle card to the bluebottle zone, and prepare to start the next round.

When the 5th bluebottle card is resolved in this way, the game ends.

Bluebottle is the Australian name for the Portuguese man o' war (Physalia physalis). They are stingers with long toxic tentacles carried by the wind into surf and onto beaches around the Pacific and Atlantic.

Next Round

To prepare for the next round:

1. Move the remaining ocean cards 1 space closer to the beach.
2. Reveal a new ocean card from the top of the ocean deck and place it in the empty surf space furthest from the beach.

Then start the next round.

Game End

The game ends when:

• a. The 5th bluebottle is placed in the bluebottle zone, OR
• b. A surfer has no cards on their towel, and only their rest card (0) left in hand.

Total your points as follows:

1. Add the points on each wave you won.
2. Add the points from each and every surfboard you bought that matches the suit of each and every wave you won.
3. Add the points for any of the 3 shared goals you achieved.
4. Flip over your bluebottles and subtract any negative points.

The highest score wins. Tied surfers share the victory.

Shared Goals

If using shared goals, during game end scoring, all surfers check and score each of the shared goal requirements they met. Multiple surfers can score from the same shared goal.

Scoring Example

Renee has 15 wave points (1, 4, 5, 5), 6 surfboard points from her 2 waves matching her 2 orange surfboards (+3, +3), 8 goal points (+3, +5, 0), -4 bluebottle points (-1, -3).

She did not gain points for her purple surfboard, as it had no matching waves.

Renee's total score is 25.

Tips

Winning waves isn't everything. Play for runner-up sometimes to earn respect or get more beach cards.

Try to catch waves with the least energy through careful timing. The fewer cards your rivals have, the more likely they are to rest!

Collect surfboards that match your waves for bonus points.

Keep an eye on other surfers' surfboard collections to clue you into what they need most, and will paddle harder for.

Don't run out of energy — temporary energy cards help you bluff and psych out your rivals to catch more waves later in the game.

Try to remember key energy cards your rivals trash and gain!

Reminders

• You must trash any energy card that wins a wave.
• You always trash temporary energy cards you use.
• Temporary energy cards you buy go onto your towel, not into your hand.
• You may have a maximum of 4 respect.
• Bluebottles can sting several surfers.
• Pay attention to the shared goals to earn bonus points.