Band together with your teammates, don your Adventurer identity, and race around a sinking island, trying to capture the hidden treasures and escape before it all disappears under the churning sea! That, in a nutshell, is the concept behind the innovative Forbidden Island game. The game consists of 24 beautifully illustrated, double-sided island tiles, four treasure figurines, Treasure cards, Flood cards, Adventurer cards, pawns, and a water meter.
To begin, lay out the 24 tiles in a group, with the treasures close by. Six Flood cards are played, and their corresponding island tiles are flooded, and flipped to their blue-shaded "underwater" side. At this point, players are randomly dealt Adventurer cards, and take the matching pawns. Each Adventurer has a role (Engineer, Navigator, Pilot, etc.), and slightly different abilities than his/her teammates. As the game begins, players (although taking turns) act as a team to accomplish treasure-gathering, shoring up flooded tiles, and (hopefully!) keeping everyone on stable parts of the island. On each turn, players can take several actions including moving their pawn, shoring up flooded tiles, giving Treasure cards to another player, or capturing a treasure. After they have completed their actions, they draw Treasure cards and Flood cards. This is the most unpredictable part of the game, as you never know when you will trigger a rising water level which increases the number of Flood cards you have to draw on every turn! Flood cards dictate which tiles on the island are "flooded." If tiles aren't shored up and a Flood card matching that tile is drawn again, the tile is permanently removed from the island and the island shrinks. Once you begin, it's a race against time to gather the treasures (and keep the tiles that hold treasures from sinking!), and leave the island as a group. If you fail to gather one or more treasures, or you lose a teammate the game is over and you lose. You'll find your whole team strategizing together and breathlessly watching each other draw the fateful Flood cards. Truly unique, this pulse-pounding game is a bit different every time you play and a great team strategy game too! For 2-4 players. ~Jess