Against the current

Against the Current

Ages 12+ · 2–4 Players · 10–15 Minutes

1. EXPERIENCE GOAL

Experience the struggle for survival among aquatic animals in a human-impacted river — where competition meets environmental pressure.

Guide your animals through a changing river filled with pollution, fishing nets, rapids, dams, and turbines. Different species handle each challenge differently.

2. OBJECTIVE

Bring all three of your animal tokens to River Sanctuary.

When a token arrives, place it on an unclaimed tributary. The number on that tributary is its score.

When all tokens arrive, add your three scores.

Highest total score wins.

3. COMPONENTS

• 4 Animal Character Cards
• 12 Animal Tokens — 3 per animal
• 15 River Terrain Cards
• 1 River Sanctuary Card
• 1 River Current Wheel
• 12 Special Event Cards
• 1 Pollution Marker
• 1 Fishing Net Marker
• 1 Pressure Marker per player
• 1 Six-Sided Die

4. SETUP

1. Place the Terrain Cards in the River Current Wheel.
2. Place River Sanctuary at the end of the route.
3. Set the wheel to Current 1.
4. Shuffle the Special Event Cards and place them nearby.
5. Each player chooses one animal and takes its 3 matching tokens and 1 Pressure Marker.
6. Place all tokens on Start.
7. Randomly choose the first player.

5. ANIMAL CHARACTERS

Each animal has one Boost and one Pressure Ability.

Each ability may be used once per game.

AXOLOTL

BOOST — Regeneration

When your token lands on Pollution, treat it as PASS.

PRESSURE — Plant Tangle

After one of your tokens lands on Water Plants, place your Pressure Marker on that card.

YANGTZE PORPOISE

BOOST — Echolocation

After rolling, change your result by +1 or -1.

PRESSURE — Turbine Wake

After one of your tokens lands on Turbine, place your Pressure Marker on that card.

EUROPEAN EEL

BOOST — Slip Through

When your token lands on Dam or Turbine, treat it as PASS.

PRESSURE — Net Drift

After one of your tokens lands on Fishing Nets, place your Pressure Marker on that card.

CHINESE STURGEON

BOOST — Migration Burst

After rolling, move 2 extra spaces.

PRESSURE — Strong Current

After one of your tokens lands on Rapids, place your Pressure Marker on that card.

6. PRESSURE RULES

A Pressure Marker stays until the next wheel rotation.

Opponent tokens landing on that terrain worsen their result by one level:

PASS → -1 → -2 → STOP

• +1 is not affected.
• STOP stays STOP.
• Pressure affects opponents only.
• Remove all Pressure Markers when the wheel rotates.
• Use only one Character Ability per turn.

7. RIVER TERRAIN

Resolve terrain only when a token lands on it.

Terrain	Meaning
Open Water	Stable water
Pollution	Waste and poor water quality
Fishing Nets	Capture and entanglement risk
Water Plants	Dense plants and shallow habitat
Rapids	Strong currents
Dam	Migration barrier
Turbine	Mechanical danger

EFFECT KEY

Symbol	Effect
PASS	No extra effect
+1	Move forward 1 extra space
-1	Move back 1 space
-2	Move back 2 spaces
STOP	This token cannot move on its owner’s next turn

Do not resolve terrain again after movement caused by terrain, abilities, or Event Cards.

If a token moves behind Start, return it to Start.

8. TERRAIN EFFECT TABLE

Terrain	Axolotl	Yangtze Porpoise	European Eel	Chinese Sturgeon
Open Water	PASS	PASS	PASS	PASS
Pollution	-2	-2	-1	-1
Fishing Nets	-1	STOP	PASS	-2
Water Plants	+1	-1	PASS	-1
Rapids	-1	PASS	-1	+1
Dam	-1	-1	-2	-2
Turbine	-1	PASS	-2	-1

9. RIVER CURRENT WHEEL

Animal tokens stay on the fixed outer path. Terrain Cards rotate inside the wheel.

Start at Current 1.

After every player has taken one turn, rotate the wheel one step clockwise:

Current 1 → Current 2 → Current 3 → Current 4 → Current 1

WHEN THE WHEEL ROTATES

• Tokens do not move.
• River Sanctuary does not move.
• Terrain effects do not trigger.
• Pollution and Fishing Net Markers move with their cards.
• Remove all Pressure Markers.

10. SPECIAL EVENT CARDS

When you roll a 6:

1. Move normally.
2. Resolve the terrain where you land.
3. Draw 1 Special Event Card.
4. Complete its challenge.
5. Use its effect.
6. Discard it.

Skip the challenge, and you cannot use the effect.

When the deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile and make a new deck.

11. SPECIAL EVENT EFFECTS

Card	Effect
Extra Roll	Roll again with the token you just moved. This roll cannot trigger another Event Card.
Tail Current	Move one of your tokens forward 1 space.
Backwash	Move one opponent’s leading token back 1 space.
Detour	Choose one opponent. On their next turn, they must move their rearmost unstopped token.
Second Chance	Remove STOP from one of your tokens. If none are stopped, move your rearmost token forward 1 space.
Cleanup Crew	Remove one Pollution Marker or Fishing Net Marker. If none exist, move one of your tokens forward 1 space.
Current Shift	After the round ends, rotate the wheel 1 extra step clockwise.
Safe Shelter	Choose one of your tokens. Its next negative terrain result improves: STOP → -2, -2 → -1, -1 → PASS.
River Support	Choose one of your tokens. Its next Fishing Nets result becomes PASS.
Habitat Squeeze	Choose one opponent. They cannot use their Boost on their next turn.
Pressure Wave	Choose one opponent token. Its next terrain result worsens: PASS → -1, -1 → -2, -2 → STOP.
Migration Push	Move your rearmost token forward 2 spaces.

12. TURN ORDER

1. Choose one token that has not reached River Sanctuary and is not stopped.
2. Roll the die.
3. Use a Boost or Pressure Ability if available.
4. Move your token.
5. Resolve the terrain.
6. On a roll of 6, draw and resolve 1 Special Event Card.
7. End your turn.

After every player has taken one turn, rotate the wheel once.

13. RIVER SANCTUARY AND SCORING

A token arrives when it enters or passes River Sanctuary. An exact roll is not needed.

Place it on any unclaimed tributary.

Each tributary holds one token. Its number is that token’s score.

14. END OF THE GAME

The game ends when all animal tokens reach River Sanctuary.

Add your three tributary scores.

The player with the highest total wins.

In a tie, the player whose third token arrived first wins.