FISH EAT FISH® • Stock #4321 • Suggested Retail Price $24.99 OFFICIAL RULES Download a pdf version of these rules Note: This color pdf fits on 8.5x11" paper if the following boxes are checked: "Shrink oversized pages to paper size", and "Auto-rotate and center pages. It will print in shades of grey on a black and white printer. Updated 11/3/03 Note: The rules on this page reflect the most current version available, and may differ slightly from previously printed rules. What's in the Box 35 Stackable Fish 15 purple fish and 5 each in blue, green, red and yellow Five color-coded sets of Challenge Cards Each set contains one Shark Card, two Octopus Cards and eight Fish Cards Starfish Token FISH EAT FISH Game Board Quick Play Rules   The Object of Fish Eat Fish In FISH EAT FISH, players challenge and bluff each other as they attempt to "eat" other players' fish. The player with the most fish at the end of the game wins!   Setting Up 1. Open and place the game board in the center of the table. 2. Each player selects one color, and will play with that set of five Stackable Fish and eleven Challenge Cards. Purple may only be selected when there are five players. 3. Players may look at their Challenge Cards. 4. Select a player to go first and give that player the Starfish Token. That player will be the first to place a fish.   Placing the Fish 1. The player selected to go first places one of his or her fish on any of the 25 circles on the game board. 2. The player to the left places one of his or her fish on an empty circle. Fish must be placed so that no two of the same color are next to each other, unless there is no alternative. The placement of fish continues, clockwise, until each player has placed five fish. 3. If there are five players, all circles will be filled. If there are fewer than five players, the purple fish are then considered neutral and must be placed on all remaining empty circles. Unused purple fish will remain out of play. 4. The player with the Starfish Token now takes the first turn.     Definitions: • A player's fish is defined as either a single fish in that player's color, or a stack of fish with that player's color on top. • Fish are considered to be adjacent when they are located on circles connected by a single line.     Moving a Fish A fish moves according to the following rules: • A player may only move his or her own fish. • A fish may move along a straight line, without turning left or right, stopping on any empty circle along its path. • A fish may not jump over another fish. In this example, the red fish may only move to circle A, B, or C.     Choosing a Fish to Attack   If possible, a player must use one of his or her fish to attack an opponent's fish, a neutral fish, or a fish of the same color. A fish may only attack a fish that is located on an adjacent circle. However, a fish is allowed to attack by first moving to an empty circle adjacent to another fish. See Moving a Fish.   When a fish is in position to attack, the Starfish Token is placed on the line between the attacker and the fish being attacked. This indicates which two fish will be engaged in battle on this turn.   If an attack is not possible, the player must move one of his or her remaining fish to an empty circle where another player could move adjacent to it and attack it during another turn. See Moving a Fish.     Attacking a Fish   The Starfish Token is placed between the two fish that will battle. These fish must be located on adjacent circles.   • If the fish under attack is an opponent's fish, then each of the two players selects one Challenge Card from his or her hand and places it, face down, on the table. Simultaneously, the cards are turned face up, and the outcome is determined. See Resolving Attacks on the back page.   The Challenge cards are then discarded, face down, for the rest of the game. Players are not allowed to view any discarded Challenge Cards.   • If the fish under attack is neutral or the same color as the attacking fish, no cards are used. The player simply places the attacking fish on top of the other fish.   When a fish wins a battle, or when a fish eats a neutral fish, or a fish of the same color, the winning fish is placed on top of the losing fish. If this creates a stack of more than five fish, then the lower fish are removed to reduce the stack to five. The removed fish are now out of play, and are placed in front of the player whose fish is on top of the stack. These fish become part of that player's "catch" and are added to his or her total fish count at the end of the game..     Taking Turns   At the end of a player's turn, he or she hands the Starfish Token to the player on the left. Now that player must attempt to have his or her fish attack another fish. Turns continue until only one player has fish remaining on the board.     Winning the Game   The game is over when only one player has fish remaining on the board. These fish are now added to that player's catch. That player is also awarded the Starfish Token for surviving the feeding frenzy. Players count the number of fish in their catches and the player with the most fish wins!   Tie Breaker   If the tie for having the most fish involves the player who was awarded the Starfish Token, then the player with the Starfish Token wins!   If the tie does not involve the player who was awarded the Starfish Token, then the player with the most Challenge Cards remaining in his or her hand wins!     Resolving Attacks   • If both players select Fish Cards, each player adds the number on the Fish Card to the number of fish in his or her stack of fish. The player with the highest number wins and places his or her fish on top of the losing fish.     • If both players select Fish Cards and the attack results in a tie, then both stacks of fish are taken off the board and eliminated from the game. Fish eliminated from the game will not be counted toward any player's catch at the end of the game.     • If one player selects a Shark Card, and the other player selects a Fish Card, the Shark Card wins. The person who played the Shark Card places his or her fish on top of the losing fish. • If both players select Shark Cards, this results in a tie, and both stacks of fish, regardless of the size, are taken off the board and eliminated from the game. • If one, or both, of the players select an Octopus Card, the attack is nullified, neither fish is affected, and the Challenge Cards are discarded as usual. • If the fish under attack is neutral or the same color as the attacking fish, no Challenge Cards are used. The player simply places the attacking fish on top of the other fish.   If a player is out of Challenge Cards after an attack is resolved, that player must remove all of his or her remaining stacks of fish from the board. These fish become part of that player's catch and will be added to his or her fish count at the end of the game. That player may not participate in any more battles.