Fleet: The Dice Game (Second Edition)

2020

Choose dice, unlock licenses, launch boats, develop the town, and outscore your rivals across ten tense rounds.

45
minutes

1 - 4
player(s)

Medium

Download official rules (EN) Buy on Amazon

Fleet: The Dice Game (Second Edition) board game cover

About this board game

Fleet: The Dice Game is a strategic roll-and-write game for 1–4 players, playable in about 45 minutes. Set in beautiful Ridback Bay, it delivers a deeper, more decision-focused experience than many roll-and-write games.

The game unfolds over 10 rounds, each divided into a Boat Phase and a Town Phase. Players select dice in turn order, making meaningful choices while also using the die left behind by the group.

During the Boat Phase, the active player rolls one more boat die than the number of players. Selecting a boat die lets a player check off the matching boat type on their sheet, unlocking license powers and boat launches that help them catch fish.

In the Town Phase, players roll town dice and again choose one die each in turn order. Their choices can unlock special buildings in the Wharf, acquire ships in the harbor for points and additional fishing, or visit the market to gain income and generate bonus actions.

Boat decisions: Develop boat types, unlock licenses, launch boats, and catch fish.
Town development: Use buildings, harbor ships, and market income to expand your opportunities.
Shared dice tension: The die remaining after individual selections is used by everyone.

Fishing takes place between phases during even-numbered rounds. At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins.

Fleet: The Dice Game also includes a fully integrated solo mode, in which you compete against Captain Ruth to earn the most points and reap the rewards of Ridback Bay. The English second edition includes an updated rulebook, scorepads, and the Fleet: The Dice Game – Captain & Trophy Expansion.

Board Game Rules for
Fleet: The Dice Game (Second Edition)

Download official rules (EN)

Introduction

One moment, the sky over scenic Ridback Bay is an innocent blue, with a few otter-shaped clouds somersaulting high above. But all of a sudden, the weather turns dicey and the sky darkens to a bruised and foreboding purple. Timid trawlers turn back and seek the shelter of the harbor to ride out the approaching storm from inside the walls of the pub . . . but not you. As the others come in, you and your fearless fleet of fishing vessels head straight out into the teeth of the gathering storm, despite the dicey waters. You’re ready to roll the dice, because rolling the dice is fun — as long as you don’t end up in debt to Davy Jones himself.

Overview

This is a “roll-n-write” game. Each round, you will be selecting dice and marking the results in the corresponding boxes of your score sheet. You’ll want to catch as many fish as possible with your boats, construct buildings at the wharf, and visit the harbor. But don’t neglect coins, which can trigger star actions that you can use anywhere on your score sheet. You have 10 rounds to prove you’re a saltier sea captain than your opponents!

Game Contents

Score Sheets
10 Custom Dice:
- 6 Boat Dice
- 4 Town Dice
1 First Player Marker
3 Captain Tokens

Game Setup

Give each player a pencil and a sheet from each pad. Together these 2 half sheets make up your score sheet.
Each player rolls 1 boat die to determine their starting bonus. On their score sheet, they fill in the first 3 boxes for the boat type corresponding to their rolled result. (Reroll any “3 coins” result .) This immediately grants each of them a license and boat of that type.
Create the dice pools using boat dice and town dice, according to the number of players. There will always be 1 more die in each dice pool than there are players. Return any leftover dice to the box.
Give the first player marker to a random player.

Boat Dice Pool

4 players: 5 boat dice
3 players: 4 boat dice
2 players: 3 boat dice

Town Dice Pool

4 players: 4 town dice + 1 boat die
3 players: 3 town dice + 1 boat die
2 players: 2 town dice + 1 boat die

Round Overview

Fleet: The Dice Game is played over 10 rounds. Each round has the following phases:

BOAT PHASE – roll the boat dice pool and select dice in turn order
INCOME PHASE – each player gains 1 coin
FISHING PHASE – all launched boats collect fish (EVEN ROUNDS ONLY)
TOWN PHASE – roll the town dice pool and select dice in turn order

In both the Boat Phase and Town Phase, you will select a die (in turn order) and fill in the matching box on your score sheet. You will always use 2 dice in each phase: the die you select and the lone remaining die, which all players use simultaneously at the end of the phase.

GOLDEN RULES!

Whenever you fill in a box on your score sheet, it must always be the topmost open box in that section. You may NOT skip boxes.
The term “box” is used in the rules to refer to any fillable space, no matter the shape.

Phase 1: Boat Phase

The first player rolls the boat dice pool. Then, in turn order, each player selects 1 available die from the pool to use and fills in the topmost open box in that section of their score sheet (see Example A). Once a die has been selected, no other player may select that die. After everyone has taken a turn, then all players simultaneously use the lone die that remains.

Example A: Murray is last in turn order during this Boat Phase. On his turn, he must choose between a Shrimp die and a Lobster die. Both are good for him, but he chooses Lobster so that other players cannot also use it. He then fills in the topmost open box in the Lobster section of his score sheet. Since that leaves Shrimp as the lone remaining die, all players (including Murray) then immediately use the Shrimp die.

When you fill in an activation box (circular) in the top left section of your score sheet, you immediately launch a boat or activate a license of the corresponding type:

[B] = launch a boat
[L] = activate a license
[?] = your choice

Launching a Boat

Fill in the box next to the topmost available boat of that type. That boat is now launched and will catch fish during the Fishing Phase (even rounds only).

Activating a License

Fill in the box next to the topmost available license of that type. The bonus granted by that license is now active for the rest of the game. (See License Bonuses.)

Three Coins

If you select the “3 coins” die face, you fill in the next three coin boxes on the coin track. (See Coin Track.)

Phase 2: Income Phase

In this phase, each player gains 1 coin on the coin track as their standard income, applying any income bonuses (from buildings or Lobster licenses) they have.

Phase 3: Fishing Phase

Note: This phase occurs ONLY during the even-numbered rounds!

In this phase, every launched boat catches fish — this occurs simultaneously for all players. Fill in 1 fish box on each launched boat.

EXCEPTION: Oyster boats always catch 2 fish at a time. If a boat is full (i.e., has all fish boxes filled), it cannot catch any more fish.

If you have several launched boats of a single type (e.g., 2 Swordfish boats), you catch 1 fish with each launched boat!

Example B: Amy has 5 launched boats. During the Fishing Phase, she catches 1 fish with each of her Cod boats, 1 fish with her Shrimp boat, and 2 fish with her Oyster boat. She cannot catch a fish with her Lobster boat, because it is full.

Phase 4: Town Phase

The first player rolls the town dice pool. Then, in turn order, each player selects 1 available die from the pool to use and fills in a corresponding box on their score sheet. Once a die has been selected, no other player may select that die. After everyone has taken a turn, then all players simultaneously use the lone die that remains.

Note: The town dice pool always has 1 boat die in it!

Harbor die: fill in the topmost open box on any ship in the HARBOR.
Wharf die: fill in the topmost open box on any building in the WHARF.
Market die: gain coins based on the total number of fish caught so far (including on ships; consult the chart).
Boat die: fill in the topmost open box in that section of the AT SEA area (just like in the Boat Phase).

Example C: Sig selects a Harbor die, which allows him to fill in the topmost open box of any ship in the HARBOR area. He chooses the topmost open box in the Inuit section, which launches an Inuit boat that will catch 1 fish every Fishing Phase.

Buildings on the WHARF provide bonuses that activate once the building has been completed. Each completed building is also worth VPs at game end.
Each ship in the HARBOR has special rules and effects. All ships (except Captain’s Club) are treated as boats, and boat-based bonuses apply.
The MARKET is a way for players to gain coins based on the total number of fish they have caught so far, including on ships. Consult the chart.

Round End

At the end of the round, the current first player passes the first player marker to the player on their left. Then a new round begins.

Coin Track & Star Actions

Whenever you gain coins, track them by filling in 1 box per coin on the coin track. Whenever a star box is filled in, you have triggered a star action, which allows you to immediately fill in any topmost open box anywhere on your score sheet. If that box is an activation box, carry out the corresponding action immediately.

Example E: Sig gains 3 coins, so he fills in 3 boxes on his coin track, including 1 star box. This triggers a star action, which means that Sig may immediately fill in the topmost open box anywhere on his score sheet. He chooses to fill in the topmost open box at the Bait Shop.

Note: If you trigger star actions during the Fishing Phase, you carry them out after all fishing has been completed.

Using Any Die as a Coin

At any time, you may gain 1 coin instead of using a die for its normal action. You can do this with a die you select on your turn and/or with the lone remaining die that all players use.

License Bonuses

You get bonus abilities as you activate licenses during play. As you activate more than 1 license of the same type, that bonus is replaced by the stronger, next-level bonus. (The bonuses are not cumulative.) In addition, whenever you activate the second license of a type, you gain 2 coins immediately. All level 3 fishing licenses are worth VPs at game end.

SHRIMP LICENSES

When you select a Shrimp die, you may use it as any boat type.
When you select a Shrimp die, you may use it as any boat type AND take a star action (i.e., you fill in 2 boxes total).
When you select a Shrimp die, you may use it as 2x of any boat type AND take a star action (i.e., you fill in 3 boxes total).

Note: Shrimp license bonuses apply to the die you take on your turn ONLY — not to the shared die used by all players.

COD LICENSES

When you launch a boat, gain 1 coin.
When you launch a boat, gain 2 coins.
When you launch a boat, gain 3 coins.

LOBSTER LICENSES

During income, gain 1|2 coins if you have at least 2|8 launched boats.
During income, gain 1|2 coins if you have at least 2|5 launched boats.
During income, gain 1|2|3 coins if you have at least 2|5|10 launched boats.

SWORDFISH LICENSES

After fishing, you may take a star action.
After fishing, you may take a star action and gain 1 coin.
After fishing, you may take 2 consecutive star actions.

Note: Swordfish license bonuses do NOT apply to personal Fishing Phases triggered by Captain’s Club.

OYSTER LICENSES

When fishing, instead of catching a second fish on an Oyster boat, you may instead gain 1 coin. This can be done once per launched Oyster boat. Your Oyster boats have a capacity of 6 fish.
When fishing, instead of catching a second fish on an Oyster boat, you may instead gain 1 coin. This can be done once per launched Oyster boat. Your Oyster boats have a capacity of 8 fish.
When fishing, instead of catching a second fish on an Oyster boat, you may instead gain 1 coin. This can be done once per launched Oyster boat. Your Oyster boats have a capacity of 10 fish.

Harbor Ships

KING CRAB – When you fill in the first activation box, you activate your King Crab license and immediately select 1 available bonus. Once a bonus has been selected, no other player may select that bonus. When you fill in each other activation box, you launch a King Crab boat, which will catch fish as normal. At game end, the license is worth 5 VPs and you also score VPs (max. 10) for your selected bonus.
CAPTAIN’S CLUB – Each time you fill in an activation box, you carry out a personal Fishing Phase, catching 1 fish with each boat as normal. Your opponents do NOT catch fish during this personal Fishing Phase. All fishing bonuses (besides Swordfish) apply.
RESEARCH VESSEL – Each time you fill in an activation box, you launch a Research Vessel. Each is worth 1 VP at game end. All boat-related bonuses apply.
BARGE – Once you have filled in the activation box, at the start of each Fishing Phase (including any personal Fishing Phase triggered by Captain’s Club), the Barge catches 1 fish for each full boat you have. All boat-related bonuses apply.
INUIT – Each time you fill in an activation box, you immediately launch an Inuit boat. An Inuit boat catches 1 fish during each Fishing Phase, as normal. All boat-related bonuses apply.

Wharf Buildings

CASINO – After filling in both boxes, you may reroll the die you select in either phase. Worth 2 VPs at game end.
AMA’S BANK & TRUST – At game end, worth 2 VPs for each box filled in.
SALVAGE YARD – After filling in both boxes, you may use any die to take a star action (instead of using it as normal). You may do this up to 3x during the game. Fill in a star next to Salvage Yard after each use. Worth 2 VPs at game end.
BAIT SHOP – After filling in both boxes, gain 2 coins (instead of 1) when using any die as a coin. Worth 2 VPs at game end.
RIDBACK CANNING CO. – After filling in the box, gain +1 coin for each full boat during income. Worth 1 VP at game end.
SMOKEHOUSE – After filling in both boxes, gain +2 coins when using the market. Worth 3 VPs at game end.
FISHERMAN’S PUB – At game end, worth 10 VPs if you have filled in all boxes.
SEAFOOD BUFFET – After filling in the box, you may use a boat die to fill in the matching type of hex next to the Seafood Buffet (instead of using it as normal). At game end, score bonus VPs based on how many different hexes you filled in: 1|2|3|4|5 hexes = 1|3|6|10|15 VPs.
Note: Shrimp license bonuses do not apply to Shrimp dice used at the Seafood Buffet.

End of the Game

After the tenth round, the game ends. All players total their scores across 5 categories to determine the winner:

FISH: 1 VP per fish caught on all boats (including King Crab, Barge, and Inuit)
BOATS: VPs for each boat you have launched
LICENSES: VPs for licenses (King Crab license, plus any level 3 licenses)
BUILDINGS: VPs for buildings on the Wharf
BONUS: VPs for King Crab license bonus (max. 10 VPs)

The player with the most VPs wins the game. In the case of a tie, the tied player who caught the most fish wins. If there is still a tie, begrudgingly enjoy your shared victory.

Example D: At the end of the game, Linda is adding up her score. She scores 32 VPs from fish she caught, 11 VPs from launched boats, 15 VPs from licenses, and 10 VPs from buildings. Since the King Crab bonus she selected was “1 VP per 6 fish,” she scores another 5 VPs from that bonus. Linda’s final score is 73.

Overview

In the solo mode, you are working to build the greatest fishing empire Ridback Bay has ever seen, while Captain Ruth tries to claim all of the best areas for herself!

Solo Setup

Give yourself a score sheet and a pencil. (The Captain does NOT get a separate score sheet.)
Roll 1 boat die to determine your starting bonus. On your score sheet, fill in the first 3 boxes for the boat type corresponding to your rolled result. (Reroll any “3 coins” result.) This immediately grants you a license and boat of that type.
Prepare the boat and town dice pools as you would in a 2-player game.
Place the 3 Captain Tokens on the Shrimp, King Crab, and Casino sections of your score sheet.

Solo Gameplay

You play first in the odd-numbered rounds, while the Captain plays first in the even-numbered rounds. In the Boat Phase and Town Phase, you will select a die and the Captain will select a die. You and the Captain will both use the remaining shared die. (See Captain Priority to determine which die the Captain will select.)

When you select a die, mark off the topmost open box in the corresponding section of your score sheet, as normal.
When the Captain selects a die, she strikes through the 2 bottom-most open boxes in the corresponding section of your score sheet.
When you use the shared die, mark off a box as normal.
When the Captain uses the shared die, she strikes through the 1 bottom-most open box in the corresponding section of your score sheet. If you and the Captain both are targeting the same box when using the shared die, priority goes to whoever is first in turn order this round.

If the Captain completely strikes through an activation box, it is unavailable to you.

EXCEPTION: In the WHARF, you may complete a building if you do so before the Captain strikes through all the boxes in that building.

Example F: It’s the Boat Phase of round 3. The dice pool is Shrimp, Shrimp, Cod. You choose first this round, and you select Shrimp, marking the topmost open box in Shrimp. The Captain then selects Cod and strikes through the 2 bottom-most open boxes in Cod. You and the Captain then both use the remaining Shrimp die — you mark the topmost open box and the Captain strikes through the 1 bottom-most open box in Shrimp.

Token Movement

At the end of the round, advance all 3 Captain tokens on their respective loops. Each token moves to the next section in its clockwise movement loop (see below). The Captain tokens always skip over any section that has no available boxes.

Boat Token: Shrimp > Cod > Lobster > Swordfish > Oyster > Shrimp…
Harbor Token: King Crab > Captain’s Club > Research Vessel > Barge > Inuit > King Crab…
Wharf Token: Casino > Ama’s Bank & Trust > Salvage Yard > Bait Shop > Ridback Canning Co. > Smokehouse > Fisherman’s Pub > Seafood Buffet > Casino…

Example G: It’s the end of round 5. The fish token advances from Oyster to Shrimp, the harbor token advances from Inuit to King Crab, and the wharf token advances from Ridback Canning Co. to Smokehouse.

Captain Priority

Use the information below to determine which die the Captain will select from the dice pool during the Boat Phase and the Town Phase.

Boat Phase

The Captain will select a die for the boat type her token is on, or the closest to it in clockwise order.
The Captain never selects a die for a boat type that has no available boxes — unless it is her only option, in which case she passes.
The 3 Coins result is “wild” for the Captain. She only selects it if she has no other choice. When she does, the Captain strikes through the bottom-most open box in the section that has her boat token (or the next available section clockwise, if full).

Town Phase

The Captain’s priority order is always: Harbor > Wharf > Boat Die > Market.
When selecting a Harbor or Wharf die, she always targets the location with her token, or the next location in clockwise order, if full.
When selecting the Market die, she strikes through the next available star box on your coin track. (You must now skip that box, and forfeit that star action, when gaining coins.)

Solo End of Game & Scoring

The game ends after 8 rounds. Add up your score and check the solo achievement table to see how well you did!

Credits

Game Design: Benjamin Pinchback and Matthew D. Riddle
Illustrations: Marius Janusonis, Nolan N. Nasser
Graphic Design: Charlie Bink, Jesse Soto
Editing: Dustin Schwartz
Playtesting: Unpub 7 players, Chris Kirkman, Lillian Hagmann, Patrick Brophy, Patrick Hillier, John du Bois, Justin Bowman, and everyone we forgot!
Special Thanks: Stefan Lorenzutti