Take a dive deep into the reef with this 2-player abstract strategy game from Kosmos Games.
In Aqualin, the sea creatures are loose and they need schooling. Will you be Team Colours or Team Creatures? Either way, both players will be battling it out to group the same colour tiles or the same creature tiles on the same game board! Whether you are juggling the jellyfish or rearranging the reds, swim carefully as when the reef is full it is game over! The largest schools gain the most points and the most points wins the game.
To set up, place the game board in the middle of the table; place the tiles face down next to the board and draw 6 random tiles and place them face up on the other side of the board to form a drafting pool. Decide who is schooling colours and who is schooling creatures and then the player who has most recently been in the ocean goes first.
There are 3 moves to each go:
Step One: Move a Sea Creature.
This is obviously skipped on the first go and is then optional thereafter. If you do wish to move a tile you can move any tile in a straight line (vertical or horizontal) any number of spaces but must stop when you reach another tile or reach the end of the row/column.
Step Two: Place a Sea Creature.
The current player chooses a tile from the drafting pool and places it in any empty space on the board.
Step Three: Replenish the Drafting Pool
The current player takes a random tile from the face-down pile and places it face-up in the drafting pool.
The game continues with players taking turns until the reef is full and then it is time for the School Assessment. Schools count as groups of two or more adjacent tiles (vertical or horizontal) for either matching sea creatures or matching colours. The more tiles in a school, the more points are awarded, with up to 15 points up for grabs for a school of 6 tiles. The player with the most points wins.
Aqualin is another great 2-player game that is easy to learn but full of depth. It can be played as a filler, during a coffee break, waiting for dinner to cook, having a pint at the pub…or you might just love it so much that you will want to make an afternoon of it and get submerged in a school tournament!
