Ravenous River

About this board game

Ravenous River is a hidden-role animal game for 2–7 players that plays in about 20 minutes. Each player secretly receives an animal and must help it feed, survive, and cross the river safely—while trying to identify which animals are predators and prey.

Seven animal cards are shuffled and placed face down along the riverbank, with two boats waiting nearby. Each boat holds up to two animals. On your turn, you can place an animal face up on a boat, return it face down to the bank by discarding an action card, move an animal between the bank and a boat, or play an action card.

Every animal has a predator and a prey. For example, the horse is connected to the bull as its predator and the hound as its prey. Since roles are hidden, choosing who shares a boat—or who remains on the bank—requires careful judgment and a little feral cunning.

• Secret animal roles: Work toward feeding your animal while concealing its identity.
• Two-person boats: Arrange the crossings carefully, since the wrong companion may become lunch.
• Action-driven movement: Spend cards to reposition animals or trigger useful effects.
• Changing scoring opportunities: Animals can eat on the bank, aboard a boat, and again after reaching home.

When both boats are full and a player has no cards left, everyone votes on whether to end the round. If it ends, players resolve who eats whom on the bank, then on each boat, unload the animals at home, and resolve another feeding opportunity.

Animals score for eating, while survivors earn points for remaining on the bank or reaching home. Once a player reaches 6 or more victory points, that player wins—unless the result is tied, in which case Ravenous River continues into another round.