As the tide changes on the island of Miaui (MEOW-ee), it's time for the fishing festival, a competition where the most skilled Miauian divers try to bring back the most valuable fish from the lagoon for the evening feast.
All kinds of fish are served at the feast, but beware the gooey jellyfish and the thieving seagulls!
During a round, players choose how deep to dive in hopes of catching the best fish. Divers who choose the same depth to pursue the same fish, leaving Kiti, the divine tiki, to choose who among them is most deserving of the catch.
Components
- 72 Diver Cards (6 colors, 12 of each)
- 1 Lagoon Board
- 37 Fish Cards
- 1 Kiti with plastic base
- Instructions
Object of the Game
After 12 rounds, the player with the most points is crowned champion of the festival!
Setup
Place the lagoon board in the middle of the table.
Each player chooses a color and takes the 12 diver cards of that color as her hand. Return all unused diver cards to the box.
Place Kiti in the space between two players, to the left of the youngest player and facing the lagoon.
Shuffle all fish cards, then return the top card to the box without looking at it. Place the remaining fish cards facedown near the lagoon to create the deck.
Game Play
Miaui is played over a series of 12 rounds. The lagoon's fish are stocked at the start of each round. Starting with the bottom space and proceeding upward, draw the top card of the deck and place it faceup in its space.
Note: If a Seagull card is drawn during the first round of the game, draw a new fish card to replace it, then shuffle the Seagull into the deck.
Now that the lagoon has fish, each player chooses one diver card from her hand and places it facedown near the board. The numbers on the cards show how deep a player is diving this round; a "1" is a very shallow dive, while a "12" is the deepest dive you can do.
When everyone has chosen a card, all players flip their cards faceup to reveal how deep they chose to dive. Starting with the deepest space and proceeding upward, compare numbers on revealed diver cards to resolve the three depths:
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Deepest: The diver card with the highest number wins the deepest catch: that player takes the card from the bottom space of the lagoon and discards her diver card facedown.
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Deep: The remaining diver card with the highest number wins the second deepest catch: that player takes the card from the middle space of the lagoon and discards her diver card facedown.
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Shallow: The remaining diver card with the lowest number wins the shallow catch: that player takes the card from the top space of the lagoon, and all remaining players discard their revealed diver cards facedown.
Each player can win at most one catch per round. Caught fish cards are placed faceup in the player's fish pile, while discarded diver cards are placed facedown in the player's discard pile.
After resolving all three depths, the round ends. Move Kiti clockwise to the next space between players, then begin the next round by restocking the lagoon's fish.
Open Information
The top card of each player's fish pile is open information and should remain visible to all players.
Players can secretly look at the cards in their own fish piles at any time, but they cannot look beyond the visible top card in opponents' fish piles. Players cannot look at any cards in diver discard piles.
Resolving Ties
If two or more diver cards tie for winning a catch, Kiti resolves ties as follows:
Deepest or Deep Ties: The tied player who is closest to Kiti in a counterclockwise direction wins the catch.
Shallow Ties: The tied player who is closest to Kiti in a clockwise direction wins the catch.
Example of a Round
Players have placed their chosen diver cards near the board and are ready to reveal them:
Starting with the bottom space, players compare their revealed numbers.
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Three diver cards show the highest number (9). This is a tie for the deepest space, so the tied player closest to Kiti's right arm wins the Emperor Tuna and discards her diver card facedown.
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Now two diver cards show the highest number (9). Since this is a tie for the deep space, the tied player closest to Kiti's right arm wins the Tigerfish and discards her diver card facedown.
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There is a single diver card showing the lowest remaining number (7).
That player wins the Kittenfish, and all remaining players discard their diver cards facedown.
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Kiti is moved clockwise to the next space between players, and a new round begins.
The Lagoon's Fish
The lagoon waters are quite plentiful, and the Miauians find mostly Kittenfish, Tigerfish, and Emperor Tuna-but other things lurk in the water.
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Kittenfish (X7)
This small fry is worth 1-5 points.
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Tigerfish (X8)
This fiesty whopper is worth 6-9 points.
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Emperor Tuna (X8)
This lord of the lagoon is worth 10-15 points, and it's a local delicacy!
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Lantern-of-the-Sea (x4):
This angler is worth 1, 3, 5, or 7 points. If one of these was caught in the previous round, the next card placed in the lagoon space it came from is
secretly placed facedown. Only the player who caught that Lantern-of-the-Sea can peek at the facedown card.
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Jellyfish (X4)
Jellyfish are quite tough and chewy; they are worth either -10 or -15 points.
Fortune smiles upon unlucky divers, so if a player has 3 Jellyfish in her fish pile, she immediately discards them to the box.
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Seagull (X6)
Seagulls shadow divers to steal their fish.
If a player takes a Seagull card, she discards the Seagull and the top card on her fish pile to the box (even if it is a Jellyfish).
If she has no cards in her fish pile, she still discards the Seagull to the box, who flies away hungry.
End of the Game
In the final round, players must play the last card in their hand. When the game ends, players add up the points on their fish cards and compare point totals.
The player with the most points wins! In case of a tie, the tied players share the victory.
Variants
Before starting a game, players should agree on which variant rules (if any) they wish to use. Both variants can be used together in the same game.
Open Baskets: Discarded diver cards and caught fish cards remain visible. Instead of keeping discarded diver cards facedown, keep them faceup and arrange them so they are visible to all players.
Instead of keeping only the top fish of a fish pile visible, arrange them so they are visible to all players. Be sure to keep caught fish cards ordered for the Seagull's effect.
No Fighting: Kiti is returned to the box and not used this game. If a tie occurs, nobody wins the catch at that depth: the tied players discard their revealed diver cards, and the fish card at that depth stays in its space.
When restocking that lagoon space next round, place the new fish card faceup next to the existing card. A player who wins a catch at a depth with more than one fish card takes all those fish cards.
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