Forgotten Waters

Goal and components: Players are the senior crew of one pirate ship. Together they complete the captain’s scenario, while each person also pursues individual glory through character growth and constellation events. The base game uses a Location Book, map, player sheets, ship-stat boards, and a free web app. It supports three to seven players and is listed for about two to four hours. The app supplies setup, numbered entries, and timing.

Scenario setup: Choose a scenario in the app and follow its setup. The publisher recommends completing Beyond the Ocean’s Edge successfully before moving to other scenarios. Set the ship’s map position, objective, threats, hull, supplies, crew, and discontent as shown. Each player selects a pirate, fills in a name and story blanks, takes a sheet, and receives at least one duty such as ship scribe, quartermaster, first mate, or gunner.

Planning phase: Each round takes place on a Location Book page. The quartermaster starts the app timer. In order from highest to lowest infamy, players place their standees on available actions. Some spaces are limited to one player; locked actions are unavailable, and required actions must be chosen as directed. If the timer ends before everyone has selected, increase discontent and then finish choosing.

Action and round-end phases: Once choices are made, resolve actions in number order from low to high. Players on the same action go from highest to lowest infamy, following the Location Book and app. Return a standee after its action. At round end, read the entry for that page. When moving to a new page, clear current tokens, read any location warning, and begin the next planning phase as instructed.

Skill checks and growth: Roll a twelve-sided die, add matching skill boxes on the player sheet and bonuses from treasure or story cards, then consult the result for that check. Outcomes may change supplies, crew, infamy, or story events. When gaining a skill, fill its leftmost open box; if it shows a star, also fill a connected space on the player’s constellation. Some locations allow burying treasure for stars, and constellation events add story and rewards. With Misfortune, roll an extra die for a skill check, keep the lower result and discard one Misfortune token. Each re-roll token rerolls one die, and multiple tokens may be spent on one check.

Common actions and resources: Pages may offer feeding the crew, charting a course, fishing, loading or upgrading cannons, talking to crew, visiting the captain’s quarters, or sailing. The group manages hull, supplies, crew, discontent, threat, and cannons together. Skill gains improve later checks and treasure cards provide bonuses. Exploration and sailing can reveal new map spaces, but may require resources or expose the crew to risk.

Shared loss conditions: The rules list four endings. If hull reaches zero, the ship is drowned and everyone loses. If discontent ever equals or exceeds crew, mutiny causes a shared loss. Reaching the last threat event also defeats the crew. A scenario goal instead leads to the victory procedure. Players must maintain the ship and its people; personal progress cannot prevent the whole adventure from failing.

Scenario success and personal endings: When a story entry says the scenario goal has been reached, every player with at least four completed constellation events wins. Completing all five earns a superior victory. Starting with the highest-infamy player and proceeding clockwise, everyone consults and reads the ending on their sheet. Personal story blanks use words supplied during setup, tying character creation and constellation progress to the final narration.

Saving and player count: In part two of a scenario, the app may offer a save option. Record the ship, map, and player state on the log, then follow the app’s instructions to resume. With fewer than seven players, some people take multiple ship duties. The box lists three to seven players; Plaid Hat also describes a one-to-two-player app variant. Follow that variant’s setup rather than mixing it with the standard box procedure.

App and content boundary: When instructed to read a numbered entry, enter it at fwcrossroads.com; the app and Location Book work together to provide story and resolution prompts. Have a phone or computer available and assign someone to handle entries and the ship log. The base box contains several standalone adventures. Follow the recommended introductory scenario first; Kraken’s Eye DLC is sold separately and is outside this summary.