The Swarm

About this board game

The Swarm is a board game for 2–4 players, playable in about 75 minutes, in which nations send scientists to confront an ecological catastrophe caused by previously unknown marine life forms.

Based on Frank Schätzing’s novel and part of the Kosmos line of literature-based games, The Swarm places research and competition at the center of the crisis. Each player represents a nation working to develop research networks across the game board.

Action cards form the core of play. At the start of each round, the cards are shuffled and arranged in a row. Players then act in turn order, taking the leftmost card until no cards remain. This creates a clear but important choice each time a card is selected.

• Take the leftmost action card from the row.
• Alternatively, buy a different card by paying victory points.
• Score points at the end of each round based on the sizes of your largest research networks.
• Earn additional end-game points depending on whether research stations connect to the center of the board.

The card-taking system combines an available shared row with the option to spend points for a different opportunity. Players must balance their immediate choices with the growth of their research networks as the global threat develops.

Round scoring rewards network size, while the final scoring condition focuses on connections to the board’s center. These two scoring stages give the game a distinct arc, from building research networks during the rounds to checking their final links at the end. Released in 2008, The Swarm offers a focused board game adaptation of its ecological science-fiction setting.