- Select a scenario sheet.
- Note that there are may be special setup rules on it.
- Put out the starting ocean boards, as is shown on the scenario
sheet.
- Note that the scenario shows you how wide you can expand out.
- Any ocean boards with the "sun" symbol next to the name should not be used unless they are explicitly part of the scenario.
- Shuffle the remaining ocean tiles for each respective depth and create a stack for each.
- Place the specified number of dive tokens face down as shown on the ocean tiles.
- Shuffle the anchor (starting) journal cards and lay out 4 random cards.
- Shuffle the regular journal deck and set it next to the starting journal cards.
- Place the specialist tray nearby.
- Shuffle all the tier 5 specialists and create 3 stacks of 3 specialists in the 5th column of the tray.
- Randomly choose the start player and give them the wave.
- Each player:
- Take all components of a color, including a team leader.
- Place the 5 cubes on the zero spaces of the 5 tracks on your board.
- Place your team leader near your mat and place 1 of your discs on them.
- Create a personal supply of discs and impact markers near your player board.
- Deploy your starting sub to the launch zone and take its arrival bonus. Place your remaining subs near your player board.
- Select a scenario sheet.
The game is played over the course of 6 rounds, with each round consisting of 2 phases. Each phase is played in turn order starting with the player with the wave.
- Phase 1: Preparation
This phase is broken into 3 simple parts that each player completes before moving to the next player.
Recruitment a Specialist
- Chose 1 specialist that you can recruit based on your level
on the reputation track.
- The specialist must match your highest available tier or below.
- You always get specialists on their junior side (blue).
- Immediately take any instant bonuses (left side) shown on the specialist.
- You may recruit duplicates of the same specialist.
- Any "Inspiration" (green) or "Coordination" (yellow) track gains are usable in the next steps.
- If you recruit a tier 5 specialist and it leaves an empty slot in the tray, move the top tile from another slot to this 1.
Effort
- Gain a number of discs from your supply into the staging area on your player board based on your level of the green track.
Reassignment
- Reclaim discs assigned on your specialists in the previous round
according to the level of your yellow track.
- You cannot remove discs placed on journals.
- You cannot remove discs from ocean tiles.
- You can retrieve the disc from your team leader in the 1st round.
- Chose 1 specialist that you can recruit based on your level
on the reputation track.
- Phase 2: Activation
Players take turns or pass during this phase. Once you pass, you can no longer take turns during the round. This continues until all players have passed.
Taking Turns
- This is usually done by placing a disc from your staging area
onto 1 of your specialists to take the action(s) shown on it.
- Some specialists show multiple actions separated by a "/". You can only choose 1 of those actions.
- Some specialists show multiple actions not separated by a
"/". You may perform all actions shown in any order.
- The actions may be performed in different zones.
- Multiple actions still count as a single turn.
- Each action must be fully resolved before activating the other action.
- You can activate a specialist and not take its action.
- Some actions will require you to place a 2nd disc from your staging area onto an ocean board to activate it.
- If you have a journal with a special activation circle, you can
place a disc from your staging area onto those to activate them.
- This is done instead of activating a specialist.
- You can always decline any reward or action you are entitled to.
- To perform the action, you must have a sub in a zone with a
matching action available.
- Actions are always performed in the same zone as one of your subs, unless otherwise specified.
- If you ever reach the impact symbol near the end of a track, gain
1 impact.
- If you ever advance beyond the end of a track, move your marker back to the impact spot and gain 1 impact (as shown).
- If you reach a sub icon on the blue track, place a sub on the
launch zone (for the scenario) and gain the arrival bonus.
- This happens only the 1st time you reach each sub.
- This is usually done by placing a disc from your staging area
onto 1 of your specialists to take the action(s) shown on it.
- Action: Travel
- Move your sub to a different zone and gain the arrival bonus
of the zone where your movement ends. This will allow you
to take future actions in that zone.
- The max depth is determined by your location on the blue track. e.g. if it shows 3 ingenuity symbols, you can dive to depth 3.
- Your level on the blue track also determines the number of
zones you can move when taking this action.
- All movement is orthogonal. Subs cannot move diagonally.
- You may not travel through empty spaces.
- The arrival bonus is shown below the travel symbol.
- Note that new subs that are launched to the launch zone do get the arrival bonus of that zone.
- Move your sub to a different zone and gain the arrival bonus
of the zone where your movement ends. This will allow you
to take future actions in that zone.
- Action: Sonar (needs a 2nd disc)
- Place a disc from your staging area onto the leftmost circle
for a sonar action space and take any bonus shown there.
- If a zone has multiple sonar actions, you may place your disc in the leftmost space of either.
- Some spaces will give you a link bonus.
- If you complete a link, you and the other player both
receive the bonus shown between the 2 discs.
- If both discs are yours, you only get the bonus once.
- If you complete a link, you and the other player both
receive the bonus shown between the 2 discs.
- If the space shows a "discover" symbol, perform a discover
action:
- Draw 2 ocean boards from the depths shown. e.g. if
the symbol shows "3+", you could take 2 from depth 3, 4,
or 5, or 1 board from any 2 depths.
- You can draw from depths you cannot travel to.
- Note that the scenario sheet shows how wide your ocean area can be.
- Aside from depth 1, there must be a zone of a shallower depth to place it below. e.g. you cannot place a depth 4 tile in a column with no depth 3 tile.
- If your discovery is impossible to resolve, you must draw from the shallowest possible depth. e.g. if your discovery is 1-2 and depth 1 and 2 are full.
- If the entire play area is full, gain impact instead and skip the remaining steps.
- If a drawn board has a sun symbol next to the name and it is not listed on your scenario, discard it and draw a replacement.
- Look at both boards and choose 1 to place.
- Place the board in a legal (above) space and place the other board back at the bottom of its depth stack.
- If the zone has a dive site(s), place the specified number of tokens face down on its space(s).
- Claim the discovery bonus (1 time rewards in the top
left corner).
- Note that the bonus area will have a reminder to place dive tokens on the board if it has a dive site(s).
- Draw 2 ocean boards from the depths shown. e.g. if
the symbol shows "3+", you could take 2 from depth 3, 4,
or 5, or 1 board from any 2 depths.
- Place a disc from your staging area onto the leftmost circle
for a sonar action space and take any bonus shown there.
- Action: Dive
- Draw the top dive token from a zone you have a sub and reveal it.
- When spending a token, you either take the action or get the amount of pictured research.
- You may spend a dive token before, after, or between your actions.
- You may spend a dive token instead of activating a specialist for your turn.
- You may spend tokens on the same turn you acquire them.
- You may spend a max of 1 token on your player board at the
end of your turn.
- Any excess unspent tokens are lost.
- You may spend any number of dive tokens on your turn.
- If the supply runs out, shuffle the discard to form a new supply.
- Action: Conserve (needs a 2nd disc)
- Pay the research cost for a space in a zone where you have
a sub and place a disc from your staging area to get the
displayed bonus(es).
- Some spaces will give you a link bonus.
- If you complete a link, you and the other player both
receive the bonus shown between the 2 discs.
- If both discs are yours, you only get the bonus once.
- If you complete a link, you and the other player both
receive the bonus shown between the 2 discs.
- Some spaces will give you a link bonus.
- Pay the research cost for a space in a zone where you have
a sub and place a disc from your staging area to get the
displayed bonus(es).
- Action: Journal (needs a 2nd disc)
- Place a disc from your staging area onto a journal space in
a zone where you have a sub. Spend the listed research cost
on the matching journal cards and take it.
- The space's symbol must match the symbol on the journal card you take.
- The matching symbol has no bearing on what is activated on the card, all effects are activated regardless of the symbol.
Journal Effects
Symbol Benefit 
Points: Earn the displayed points at the end of the game. 
You: You immediately gain all displayed benefits. 
Others: These benefits are immediately gained by all other players (but not you). 
Actions: For your turn, instead of placing a disc on a specialist, you can place a disc onto a journal action space. Discs on journal action spaces remain there for the rest of the game and may not be removed during reassignment. 
Dive, and claim an additional dive token from that dive site (if any remain). 
Travel, but treat your technology level as if it were 1 higher. That means you can move 1 extra zone and/or dive one depth deeper than usual. 
Conserve at a conservation site where you have a sub at the same depth, even if you don't have a sub in the zone. - Place a disc from your staging area onto a journal space in
a zone where you have a sub. Spend the listed research cost
on the matching journal cards and take it.
- Promotion
- When you receive a promotion effect, flip any junior specialist (blue side) to it's Senior side (gold).
- You do not lose any attribute symbols that were on the junior side.
- If there was a disc on the junior's circle when promoted, discard it back to your supply.
- Special Zone Features
There are 3 basic types of special zone features.
- General Effects: These will have a yellow warning triangle. These effects are not connected to any particular zone feature.
- Action Effects: A yellow line leading away from a feature means that something special happens right after you activate that feature.
- Marked Spaces: A yellow ring around a feature means that once you have a disc in that spot, the displayed special rule now applies to you.
- The Impact Board
- Each scenario sheet has a different impact board layout.
- Some scenarios include special rules for how you interact with the impact board.
- When you gain impact, place a marker from your supply in an
empty hex and gain any displayed reward.
- You may only place in a hex with an entry arrow pointing to it, or in a hex that touches any other occupied hex.
- Occupying hexes of certain colors will score you points at the end of the game (see the legend on the board).
- A hex with a ∞ symbol can hold any number of tokens.
- If you run out of markers, use a substitute.
- Each scenario sheet has a different impact board layout.
- End of the Round
- The round ends when all players have passed.
- If it was the end of the 6th round, proceed to final
scoring.
- You will know it's the 6th round because all players will have 7 specialists, which includes their team leader.
- Pass the wave token clockwise to set the new start player and begin the next round.
- Score points based on your position on all 4 tracks. The point breakdowns are shown above different columns.
- Score the points for your markers on colored hexes on the impact board.
- Score points shown on some journals.
- Score the points shown on each senior tier 5 specialist.
- Score the points for mission goals. Each scenario has goals printed on
it and awards points.
- Many goals offer leader bonuses as well.
- If more than 1 player ties for 1st, they all earn 1st place bonus and no 2nd place bonus is awarded.
- If a single player earns the 1st place bonus and there are multiple tied for the 2nd place bonus, all players tied for 2nd receive the 2nd place bonus.
- If you do not meet any of the goal's criteria, you cannot claim a leader bonus.
- Many goals offer leader bonuses as well.
- Add together your leftover research and discs in your staging area and divide by 3 (rounded down) and score this many points.
The player with the most points wins. If there is a tie, the tied players share the victory.
Symbol Description 
Travel action 
Sonar action 
Dive action 
Conserve action 
Journal action 
Ingenuity; Advance on the Ingenuity track 
Inspiration; Advance on the Inspiration track 
Coordination; Advance on the Coordination track 
Reputation; Advance on the Reputation track 
Advance any of the 4 attribute tracks 
Advance your lowest attribute marker 
Advance your research track 
Impact; Advance on the Impact track by placing a token 
Gain a disc from your supply to your staging area 
Promote a specialist 
Perform a sonar action in this zone 
Discard a disc from your staging area to your supply 
Spend 2 research
All scenarios can be played in co-op or solo mode. The only difference in the rules is that you play 7 rounds if playing solo.
Additional Setup
- Shuffle the setback cards and make a stack of 3 random setbacks face down (4 if playing solo).
- Shuffle the bonus goal cards and place 3 random cards face down on top of the setbacks.
- Choose the difficulty you wish to play at:
- Beginner: Complete any 4 goals
- Intermediate: Complete any 5 goals
- Expert: Complete any 6 goals
- Legendary: Complete all 7 goals
Bonus Goals and Setbacks
- At the start of each round (including the 1st), draw the top card of
the stack.
- Place bonus goals near the other goals on the scenario sheet.
- Immediately apply the effect of any setbacks.
How to Win
- Play the game using the normal rules, but try to meet the thresholds
for a set of goals.
- Many co-op goals require you to reach a minimum amount of a particular criteria, determined by player count. This does not mean that each player must individually meet that goal. Instead, the team's combined amount must meet that goal.
- At the end of the 6th round (7th if solo), assess your goals to see how many you achieved.