We're Sinking! Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Overview
• Goal
  • Save the Ship
  • Save Yourself
• Set-up
  • A. Game Board
  • B. Ship Assembly
  • C. Threshold
  • D. First Mate
  • E. Choose an Enemy
  • F. Player Set-Up
  • G. Create Starting Hands
  • Assemble Treasure
  • Assemble Water Deck
  • Assemble Breach Deck
  • Permanent Breaches
  • Assemble Cannons
• Iconography
• Essential Concepts
• How to Play
  • Starting a Round
  • Inspect Phase
    • Step 1. Check for Breaches
    • Step 2. Check Water Threshold
  • Threat Phase
    • Step 3. Deal Out Water and Treasure Cards
    • Step 4. Roll and Resolve Enemy Dice
  • Task Phase
    • Step 5. Discuss and Declare Actions
    • Step 6. Reveal and Resolve Actions
  • Bucket
  • Plunder
  • Patch
  • Fire
  • Upkeep
    • Step 7. Check Hand Size
    • Step 8. Pass First Mate to the Left
• Sinking Procedures
• End of Game
  • The Enemy Is Defeated
  • The Ship Sinks
• Treasure
• Chests
• Cannons

Components

• 10 Chest Tokens
• 1 Enemy Damage Token
• 3 Permanent Breach Tokens
• 1 Game Board
• 4 Enemy Sheets (Kraken, Shark, Sirens, Skullsairs)
• 4 Threshold Sheets
• 6 Character Sheets
• 1 First Mate Scroll
• 6 Action Dials
• 6 Player Aids
• 1 Shark's Belly, 1 Skullsairs' Stash
• 12 Enemy Dice: 4 Basic Attack Dice, 8 Special Attack Dice
• 9 Cannon Dice: 3 Single-Shot Dice, 3 Double-Shot Dice, 3 Triple-Shot Dice
• 95 Water Deck Cards: 30 Clear Water; Treasure Cards — 26 Gems, 21 Basic Items (Brown), 12 Enemy Items, 6 Character Items
• 15 Breach Deck Cards: 6 Minor Breaches, 4 Major Breaches, 3 Massive Breaches, 2 Monster Breaches
• 9 Double-Sided Cannon Cards: 3 Single-Shot & Busted Single-Shot, 3 Double-Shot & Busted Double-Shot, 3 Triple-Shot & Busted Triple-Shot
• 1 Miniature Ship: 1 Small Sail, 1 Large Sail, 1 Small Mast, 1 Large Mast, 4 Hull Sections

Overview

Ahoy Matey! After scoring a big bounty you and your fellow pirates are back on the open seas when suddenly a dastardly enemy begins attacking your ship! The Captain has abandoned ship, leaving your crew with only a lifeboat for one and tough decisions.

During each round, players will discuss what tasks they should undertake to keep the ship afloat. They may have to work together to accomplish common goals. However players, being pirates, are greedy and selfish! They can be as honest or deceptive as they want about their true intentions and actions.

Goal

In We're Sinking, there can only be one winner. There are two ways the game can end: either Save the Ship or Save Yourself. Players may collaborate and betray one another in pursuit of these goals.

Save the Ship

If the players defeat the enemy before the ship sinks, the player with the highest Point Value in their hand is the winner!

"For a pirate, all that truly matters is glorious loot! With my pockets lined with treasure, I'll be sure to get a pretty penny or two back in port."

Save Yourself

If the ship sinks, the player who has the fewest cards in their hand is the winner!

"While the others were greedy, I made sure I was light enough to escape on the only remaining lifeboat."

Set-up

A. Game Board

Unfold and place the Game Board toward the top center of your play area. Be sure to have plenty of space below the Game Board. This space is reserved for columns where players will place cards, action dials, dice, tokens, and more during gameplay.

B. Ship Assembly

1. Slightly bend the Small Sail and align it to the notches on the Small Mast to attach it. Then do the same with the Large Sail and the Large Mast.
2. Insert both masts into their matching slots on the top Hull Section (Section 4).
3. Shuffle the Chest Tokens face-down and place 2 in each lower Hull Section. Return the unused Chest Tokens to the box.
4. Stack the Hull Sections one on top of the other in ascending order (Section 1 on bottom and Section 4 on top). Place the assembled Ship on the top center of the Game Board.

C. Threshold

1. Choose a Threshold Sheet based on the number of players. The player count indicator is located in the center of each sheet.
2. Tuck half of the Threshold Sheet under the left side of the Game Board so that only the "Level 1 Cargo Hold" side is face-up and visible.

D. First Mate

1. The last player to go for a swim becomes the First Player (First Mate).
2. Give the First Player the First Mate Scroll, with the "Duties Checklist" face-up.

E. Choose an Enemy

1. Choose an Enemy to play against for the game and add its Enemy Sheet to the right of the Game Board.
2. Reference the chosen Enemy Sheet under "Set-Up" to see what unique requirements are needed for the game.
3. Return all unused Enemy Sheets, their matching Enemy Item cards, and their matching Special Attack Dice to the box.
4. Place the Enemy Damage token on the Enemy Sheet's "Damage" Section, on the left-most box with dotted lines.

Want a Gradual Complexity? We recommend going up against the enemies in this order: Kraken, Shark, Sirens, Skullsairs.

F. Player Set-Up

1. Pass each player a Player Aid card.
2. Each player chooses a Character Sheet and places it in front of them.
3. Each player takes the Action Dial that matches their character's color/icon.
4. Return all unused Character Sheets and Action Dials to the box.

G. Create Starting Hands

1. Each player adds the Character Item to their hand that is referenced on their character's sheet. The character items are identified with matching colors and icons.
2. Each player is dealt 3 Clear Water cards to their hand.

Assemble Treasure

1. Shuffle together all Gem, Basic Item, unused Character Item, and matching Enemy Item cards.
2. Deal 2 Treasure cards face-up into the Treasure Column.

Assemble Water Deck

1. From the remaining Clear Water cards, remove the following amount based on your player count:

   Players	3	4	5	6
   Remove	15	10	5	0

2. Shuffle together the assembled Treasure cards and remaining Clear Water cards.

3. Place the Water Deck face-down in its space on the Game Board.

4. Deal 1 face-down card from the Water Deck into the Water Column.

Assemble Breach Deck

1. Look at the bottom center of each Breach card for the player count icon and remove any cards that do not contain your player count in them. Breach cards without the player count icon are in every game.
2. Deal 1 Minor Breach face-up into the Breaches Column.
3. Shuffle the remaining Breach cards to create the Breach Deck.
4. Place the Breach Deck face-down in its place on the Game Board.

Permanent Breaches

Place all Permanent Breach tokens to the right of the Breach Deck.

Assemble Cannons

1. Place 1 Single-Shot card and a Single-Shot die in the Cannons Column.
2. Place 1 Busted Double-Shot card and 1 Busted Single-Shot card with a matching Double-Shot die and Single-Shot die in the Breaches Column.
3. Place the remaining cannon cards and dice above the Game Board for easy access later.

Iconography

If ye want to live a life on the sea, ye best learn the common tongue! Ye may also refer to your trusty Player Aid card.

Actions: Bucket, Plunder, Patch, Fire

Columns: Water, Treasure, Breaches, Cannons

Point Value: Located at the top-left of certain Treasure cards and Chest Tokens. It notes how many points a card or token is worth at the end of the game.

Action Dial: Represents the player's Action Dial.

Enemy Hit: Represents a single damage on an enemy.

Card Count: Located at the bottom center of Treasure cards. It notes how many identical cards are in the game. If there is no card count icon, the card is unique.

Essential Concepts

This here is pertinent information, vital to you living a long and prosperous life on the high seas.

Player Hands: Players will keep the contents of their hands private. Hand size is public knowledge. However, players may be as misleading or honest about what cards are in their hands if asked or attempting to plan actions during discussions.

Items: Items (including Character and Enemy Items) are a type of Treasure card with abilities players can use during gameplay. Most items require you to meet certain conditions to use them. When the condition is met you may reveal the item and resolve its ability, then discard it. A player can use multiple Items in a round as long as they do not share the same condition, i.e. Declare, Reveal, Resolve, etc. (Refer to Page 18 for more information on Items.)

Gems: Gems are a type of Treasure card that have a high Point Value. Collect gems to increase the total Point Value of your hand. The rarer the gem, the more points its worth.

• 9 Amethysts — 2 Points Each
• 7 Topaz — 3 Points Each
• 5 Sapphires — 4 Points Each
• 3 Emeralds — 5 Points Each
• 2 Rubies — 6 Points Each

Clear Water: Clear Water Cards weigh you down. At the start of the game, each player has 3 Clear Water Cards in their hand. It's uncommon that you'll want these cards in your hand by the end of the game. Do what you can to stay dry and get rid of them!

Discard: When any Treasure or Clear Water card is discarded, it must be discarded face-down to the Discard Pile in the center of the Game Board. Breach Cards are discarded face-down to the bottom of the Breach Deck.

How to Play

The First Mate is responsible for keeping everything in ship-shape. They'll use the "Duties Checklist" to make sure they don't miss any urgent tasks.

Starting a Round

A round consists of steps that must be followed in the order they are presented on the Duties Checklist. The First Mate reads the Duties Checklist aloud and resolves the three phases in order for players to proceed through the round.

Inspect Phase

Step 1. Check for Breaches

The First Mate checks the Breaches Column for breach cards and Permanent Breach Tokens. For each Water icon found in the Breaches Column, they will deal that many face-down cards to the Water Column from the Water Deck.

Example: 1 Permanent Breach Token, 1 Massive Breach and 1 Minor Breach would add 5 cards to the Water Column.

Step 2. Check Water Threshold

The First Mate looks at the Threshold Sheet on the left side of the Game Board and finds the number on the arrow icon. This number is the Water Threshold.

The First Mate will compare the Water Threshold with the total number of cards currently in the Water Column. One of two outcomes may occur:

a. The number of cards is less than the Water Threshold: Continue on to the Threat Phase.

b. The number of cards is equal to or higher than the Water Threshold: Flip the First Mate Scroll over to the "Sinking Procedures" side. Then follow each step to reset the game state. (Refer to Page 16 for Sinking Procedures.)

Threat Phase

Step 3. Deal Out Water and Treasure Cards

Deal Out Water

Refer to the Threshold Sheet to determine how many cards to place out. Deal cards from the top of the Water Deck and place each card face-down into the Water Column in a staggered vertical line. (Players should be able to quickly and easily tell how many cards are in this column.)

Deal Out Treasure

Follow the Threshold Sheet to determine how many treasure cards to deal out. Deal out cards from the top of the Water Deck one at a time. If the card is a Treasure card—marked with a treasure icon in the top left corner—deal it face-up to the Treasure Column. If it is a Clear Water card, deal it face-up to the Water Column.

Continue dealing cards until you have dealt out treasure cards equal to the requirement on the Threshold Sheet. Previous cards already in the Treasure Column do not count towards this requirement.

Treasure Capacity: If there are more than 5 cards in the Treasure Column, immediately discard down to 5, starting with the top (oldest) cards.

Step 4. Roll and Resolve Enemy Dice

Roll Enemy Dice

Take all the active Basic Attack Dice and Special Attack Dice and roll them together. The results will determine what perils the crew will face this round.

Resolve Enemy Dice

Resolve the icons rolled on the dice starting with the enemy's Special Attack Dice. The top attack ability on the Enemy Sheet should be resolved first if rolled, followed by the lower one. After that, Basic Attacks can be resolved in any order.

Special Attack Dice: These dice have special attacks unique to each enemy as well as basic attacks. Refer to the "Attacks" section on each Enemy Sheet to resolve special attacks.

Basic Attack Dice: Each game will start with a specified amount of Basic Attack Dice, listed on the back of each Enemy Sheet. These basic attacks can be resolved by following the icons below.

Basic Attacks:

• We're Taking On Water! — Deal a card face-down from the Water Deck to the Water Column.
• We've Sprung a Leak! — Deal a card face-up from the Breach Deck to the Breaches Column.
• Cannon Down! — Flip the top/oldest cannon card in the Cannons Column to its "Busted" side and move it, along with its matching cannon die, to the Breaches Column.

"Active" Enemy Dice: The "Set-Up" section of the Enemy Sheet determines the number of Active Dice the enemies start with. As the enemy takes damage and players move the Enemy Damage Tracker, the enemy may gain or lose Basic Attack Dice that are rolled during this step. Refer to the Enemy Sheet's "Damage" section to know how many Basic Attack Dice to add or subtract from the total active dice.

• Enemy gains a Basic Attack Die
• Enemy loses a Basic Attack Die

Task Phase

Step 5. Discuss and Declare Actions

Discuss Actions

The First Mate starts a discussion on which actions players will take. This is an opportunity for each player to collaborate with or deceive their fellow pirates!

Players can use this time to communicate plans and/or intentions. Players are free to question each other, however players do not have to be honest about any discussed information, except their hand size.

Reference Actions: You can refer to the back of each player's character sheet for a quick reference to what each action does.

Declare Actions

Starting with the First Mate and moving clockwise, each player will declare one of the following actions on their Action Dial: Bucket Water, Plunder Treasure, Patch Breaches, or Fire Cannons.

To declare an action, players secretly pick 1 of the 4 action icons with their Action Dial and place it face-down at the very bottom of a column.

The secret action does not need to match the column it's placed in. This is an old pirate trick known as "lying."

You cannot place an Action Dial in an empty column, or if the column only has Permanent Breach Tokens.

Step 6. Reveal and Resolve Actions

Once all players have declared their actions, the First Mate will ask players to reveal their Action Dials. After discovering who told the truth and who lied, players will resolve their dials.

Reveal Actions

Simultaneously flip over and reveal all Action Dials without rotating them or changing their column location.

Then search for liars. Check each column, starting with the leftmost Water Column to the rightmost Cannons Column, top to bottom, for revealed Action Dials that do not match the column action. Move these dials one at a time and place them in the bottom of their matching column.

Example: Searching for liars left to right and top to bottom, you will find that the Red player (1) lied about patching and revealed a Plunder action. Red's Action Dial is moved to the Plunder Column, since no other dial is there, they will be first to resolve in that column. The Grey player (2) also lied and will be placed below Red's dial, indicating they will resolve second.

Resolve Actions

Actions on dials are resolved one column at a time, from the leftmost column to the rightmost column, from top to bottom.

(Actions and how they work are defined on Pages 14-15.)

Example: Based on the graphic, the turn order to resolve actions this round is as follows: Teal (1), Purple (2), Red (3), Grey (4), Orange (5), Blue (6).

Resolve Actions Continued

Each of the four actions on your Action Dial provides unique opportunities to pursue your goals and manipulate the cards in your hand. Depending on whether you think the enemy will be defeated or the ship will sink, you will want to choose your actions accordingly. Remember, actions are resolved one column at a time, from the leftmost to rightmost column, from top to bottom.

Bucket

Draw any 1 card from the Water Column, then Discard 1 card from your hand.

If You Are The Last (or Only) Player to Perform a Bucket Action: Draw any 2 cards from the Water Column, then Discard 2 cards from your hand.

"If someone doesn't bucket this water, we're all in deep trouble."

Plunder

If 1 Player Plunders: that player takes all the cards in the Treasure Column into their hand.

If Multiple Players Plunder: Those players equally take as many cards in the Treasure Column as possible. They will take 1 card at a time in order of Action Dials and continue to do so until an equal number of treasure cards can no longer be taken. Odd cards left behind stay in the Treasure Column for the next round.

If More Players Plunder Than There Are Cards: All cards in the Treasure Column are immediately discarded.

"Argh! The treasure washed overboard while we all fought for the loot!"

Patch

Draw a card from the Water Deck or Discard a card from your hand.

Then, use your hammer in the Breaches Column to do one of the following:

• Patch A Breach: Place a breach card in the Breaches Column face-down at the bottom of the Breach Deck. Some breach cards require multiple hammers to remove. You may ask other players to use their hammers toward a larger breach to patch it but they must agree. Hammers cannot be saved between rounds.

  Example: Breach Requirements: This breach needs 3 hammers to be patched.

• Patch A Cannon: Flip a "Busted" cannon card over and place it at the bottom of the Cannons Column along with its associated cannon die. (For more on Cannons, refer to Page 19.)

• Bust Open A Chest: Take a Chest Token in the Breaches Column, and place it in your play area. You may keep it hidden from other players. (For Chest Tokens and how to use them, refer to Page 19.)

Fire

Roll all the cannon dice in the Cannons Column. For each die that shows an Enemy Hit, move the Enemy Damage Tracker 1 space to the right.

Shoot Ye Treasure: After rolling a blank, you may activate that cannon's ability by discarding 1 treasure card to re-roll its cannon die. You can only activate each cannon card once per round. (To learn more on Cannon cards and dice refer to Page 19.)

Example: 2 Hits causes the enemy's Damage Tracker to move 2 spaces to the right. The Kraken gains a Basic Attack Die for landing on or passing this icon with the Enemy Damage Tracker.

Upkeep

Step 7. Check Hand Size

Players check their hand size:

• If you are below 2 cards, you must draw cards from the Water Deck until you have 2 cards.
• If you are over 10 cards, you must randomly discard cards until you have 10 cards.

Step 8. Pass First Mate to the Left

Pass the First Mate Scroll clockwise to the next player and begin a new round. They will begin the next round as the new First Mate/First Player and follow the Duties Checklist starting at Step 1.

"No one wants to be First Mate on a sinking ship. Let someone else deal with it!"

Sinking Procedures

During Step 2 of the Inspect Phase, if the number of cards in the Water Column is equal to or higher than the Water Threshold, the First Mate flips over the First Mate Scroll, then follows and resolves the steps for sinking procedures.

1. Remove the lowest section of the ship from the game and take out its two Chest Tokens (without revealing them).
2. Place the Chest Tokens face-down at the bottom of the Breaches Column.
3. Move the Threshold Sheet to the next level by either rotating or flipping it to its other side. Then tuck half of the sheet back under the Game Board so that only the current level shows and faces the same direction as the Game Board.
4. Shuffle all cards in the Water Deck, Discard Pile, and the Water and Treasure Columns to create a new Water Deck.
5. If there are any Breach cards in the Breaches Column, discard all Breach cards and gain 1 Permanent Breach Token. Add the Permanent Breach Token to the top of the Breaches Column. It cannot be patched or removed.
6. Flip over the First Mate Scroll and continue the round on Step 3 of the Duties Checklist.

End of Game

Don't get too caught up in being a team player. You are greedy pirates after all. Therefore, there can only be one victor!

Gameplay continues until one of the following end-game conditions is met:

The Enemy Is Defeated

When the Damage Tracker is moved to the last space on the Enemy's Damage Track, no more actions or cards can be played. The game immediately ends.

Check Hand Size: All players follow Step 7 of the Duties Checklist.

Scoring: All players reveal their hands and add the Point Value of Treasure Cards and any Chest Token points to determine their total Point Value.

Winner: The player with the highest total Point Value wins!

Tie Breaker: If there is a tie for winner, the tied player with the fewest cards wins! If there is still a tie, the tied players share the victory.

The Ship Sinks

If the 4th and final ship section is removed during Step 2 of the Threat Phase, no more actions or cards can be played. The game immediately ends.

Check Hand Size: All players follow Step 7 of the Duties Checklist.

Scoring: All players reveal their hands and add up the number of cards they each have.

Winner: The player with the fewest cards wins!

Tie Breaker: If there is a tie for winner, the tied players add the Point Value of Treasure Cards and any Chest Token points to determine their total Point Value. The tied player with the highest total Point Value wins! If there is still a tie, the tied players share the victory.

Treasure

Our ship is loaded with useful trinkets. Now they're lost at the bottom of the rising water. We'll have to keep our eyes peeled while sifting through our buckets. Some treasure is helpful for saving the ship, while others might be a bit more selfish in nature.

Treasure Cards: Treasure cards have a Treasure icon in the top left corner of the card. Treasure cards are made up of two types: Gems and Items.

Gems: Gems hold a specific value of points depending on the type of gems. The card count icon symbolizes how many of a gem type there are in the game.

Items: Items (including Character and Enemy Items) are Treasure Cards with abilities players can use during gameplay. Some Items have a Point Value. This means they add to your hand's total Point Value at the end of the game.

Activating Item Abilities

Most items require a condition to be met in order to use their ability. The condition is marked by a bold font that ends with a colon ( : ). When the condition is met you may immediately reveal the card and resolve its ability. Then discard it face-down to the Discard Pile. You may use multiple items per round, as long as they have different conditions (i.e.: Reveal, Resolve, Declare, etc.). Some items, such as "Water Flask" or "Treasure Map" work passively in your hand without requiring conditions to be activated.

Item Condition Types:

• Enemy Dice Rolled: Play after enemy dice are rolled and before they are resolved.
• Declare: Play after you declare an action with your action dial.
• Reveal: Play after you reveal your action dial.
• Resolve: Play after resolving your action.

Treasure Card Anatomy (example: "Cracked Compass")

• A. This icon tells you what column it belongs in.
• B. The card's name.
• C. Card type (Item, Gem, etc.)
• D. A quick and easy visual identifier when cards are stacked.
• E. The Point Value of the card.
• F. Ability Condition: Must be met during a round in order to play and resolve the ability.
• G. Ability: What will be resolved when the card is played.
• H. The card's illustration.
• I. Card Count: When a card has no card count icon, that means there is only one copy in the game.
• J. Refer to these Character and Enemy icons during setup.

Chests

As the water rises, our precious cargo floats to the surface! Some of these crates have valuable resources that can change the tide of battle or the contents of your pockets.

Chest Tokens do not count towards your hand size.

Chest Tokens you've claimed can be played at any time unless their ability states otherwise below.

• Cannon Upgrade: Replace a cannon card and die in the Breaches or Cannons Column with their next highest progression.
• 1 Extra Single-Shot Cannon: Add a new Single-Shot Cannon card and die to the bottom of the Cannons Column.
• 1 Blank Cannon Die Reroll: After you or another player rolls cannon dice, reroll 1 blank cannon die.
• 2 Blank Cannon Die Rerolls: After you or another player rolls cannon dice, reroll up to 2 blank cannon dice.
• 2 Victory Points: Gain 2 additional victory points.
• 4 Victory Points: Gain 4 additional victory points.
• 6 Victory Points: Gain 6 additional victory points.
• ARRGH EMPTY!: Nothing Here . . . Better luck next time!

Cannons

If we want to stand a chance against our adversaries, we'll need to upgrade these dinky pea-shooters!

Order of Patching and Busting Cannons

When patching a cannon, the card is added to the bottom of the Cannons Column. When a cannon is busted, flip and move the top (oldest) cannon card in the Cannons Column to the Breaches Column.

Upgrade Progression

Certain Items and Chest Tokens allow you to upgrade your cannons. When upgrading a cannon, swap out both the cannon card and its matching die with the next highest cannon type, as shown below: Single-Shot Cannon, Double-Shot Cannon, Triple-Shot Cannon.

What do these markings mean? Cannon dice have distinct markings on the corners of each face. These are for easy, at-a-glance identification of single, double, and triple shot dice. If it doesn't have a hit symbol it's considered a blank.