Houston, We Have a Dolphin!

About this board game

Houston, We Have a Dolphin! is a card-based social deduction game for 3–5 players, with games lasting about 40 minutes. Each player controls a team of up to four astronauts, all with different abilities, while a potentially murderous dolphin works against the human mission.

The game alternates between two phases. During the spacewalk phase, players combine cards to trigger events and help repair the sabotaged spaceship. Each player knows only their own cards, so the consequences of every spacewalk can reveal clues about who is helping the mission and who is secretly undermining it.

• Spacewalks: Combine cards and resolve events while trying to identify hidden loyalties.
• Captain phase: Decide whether to sacrifice an astronaut, flood the spaceship, or reset it after repairs are complete.
• Secret revolts: A panicked crew can use panic tokens to overthrow the Captain and reject the order.

The Captain chooses the fate of crew members after each spacewalk, but authority is never completely secure. If the crew panics, they can secretly vote with their panic tokens to revolt and send the shifty Captain into the void. The dolphins win by flooding the spaceship, while the humans aim to repair it and reset the ship.

Designed especially for a low player count, Houston, We Have a Dolphin! combines hidden information, negotiation, uncertain alliances, and dangerous decisions. The game is also app supported, offering an in-app narrator and an easy-to-follow tutorial. An image detection algorithm helps connect the physical astronaut cards with the digital spaceship.