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1-5 Players | Ages 16+ | 30 Min/Player
the ANGLER’S GUIDE to

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Look, you haven’t exactly lived a model life. You’re not proud of some of things you’ve done,
but fishing keeps your mind off of it all. The endless ritual of casting and reeling. The quiet
solitude. The boundless mysteries that lie at the end of that thin tether into the deep unknown.
It’s a tonic against a mad world.
And the world is mad. Over 200 years ago, Edmund Halley and his entire crew vanished on an
expedition to the corners of the sea, convinced that Earth was hollow. People dismissed it as the
infirmity of old age, but the centuries that followed have given new consideration to the veracity
of his claims. Recently, Rocabarraigh, a fishing island off the coast of Scotland, disappeared
without trace. A school of worms with human fingers choked the nets of trawlers in the North
Sea. An enormous, unidentifiable mass washed ashore in Hamnøy. The usual solace of the sea
is soured by omens that are hard to ignore. Did Halley find his Hollow Earth? Or did he find
more than he bargained for? And in so doing, did he set in motion events that would change the
course of history? These are times of high strangeness. End times.
But we must fish. No matter what we reel in, we must keep casting. It’s the only sane act in an
insane world. Just cast and reel. To stop would be to give in to your self-doubts, and lose your
grip on reality.
Push the boat out. Inhale in the briny air. Choke down your troubles. Cast. Reel.
INTRODUCTION
INDEX
CONTENTS
PORT BOARD
SEA BOARD
OCEAN SURVEY PAD
TWO-SIDED
MADNESS TRACKER
/OCEAN SURVEY
BOARD
FIRST PLAYER MARKER
OMEN
DIE
DAY TRACKER
5 MADNESS
CUBES
5 FISHBUCK
TRACKERS 5 BOAT MEEPLES
15 PLAYER DICE
24
TACKLE
DICE
60
REGRET
CARDS
117
FISH
CARDS
DICE
BAG
13
D I N K
CARDS
10 REFERENCE
CARDS
10 STARTING
PROVISION
CARDS
20
SUPPLY
CARDS
10
ROD
CARDS
3 CONTENTS
4 OVERVIEW
6 SETUP
8 HOW TO PLAY
10 SEA ACTIONS
12 FISH ANATOMY
16 PORT ACTIONS
18 REGRETS
20 MADNESS
22 GAME END
23 SOLO/CO-OP
27 APPENDIX
28 REFERENCE
10
REEL
CARDS
LIFE PRESERVER
FISHCOIN
CONTENTSINTRODUCTION
5 TWO-SIDED ANGLER BOARDS
being married to the sea
is a toxic relationship

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In Deep Regrets, you spend a week at Sea, competing against other anglers to reel in the most
valuable haul of Fish while repressing your Regrets and managing your Madness.
On each of six Days, players roll dice to determine their energy for the Day, and then decide
whether to stay at Sea and Fish, or Make Port to sell and resupply. Each Day proceeds with
players taking turns, in clockwise order, until all players have passed. At the end of the week,
players calculate their scores and the highest wins.
but there’s a CATCH
Regrets. They can creep up on you. There are bigger rewards to be won by acquiring more
and more Regrets, but push your luck too much and you could stand to lose a great deal. At
the end of the game, the player with the heaviest burden of Regrets has been wracked with
guilt, overcome by Madness, and must suffer grave consequences, discarding one of the trophy
Fish they’ve mounted during the game.
Can you still win with the most Regrets? Maybe. But it’s a difficult albatross to bear.
OVERVIEW OVERVIEW
EDMUND HALLEY
1656 - 174?
English Astrophysicist and Mathematician known most prominently
for predicting the appearance of the comet that shares his name.
He also turned his attention downwards, creating a diving bell in
which he spent four hours underwater, giving himself barotrauma.
His legacy was later overshadowed by the publication of his widely
disputed theory that Earth was hollow. He disappeared in 1740 on
a sea voyage north to find out the truth.
AN OVERVIEW

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Each player takes an Angler Board and places
it in front of them, either side up. They are
all functionally identical.
Give each player:
• 1 Fishbuck tracker in their color
(place it on the 0 space)
• 3 Player Dice in their color
• 2 Reference cards
• 1 Can of Worms card
• 1 Lifeboat card
The first Day is always spent at Sea,
so place each player’s Boat at Depth I.
Give the first player marker to the person
who had the most regrettable day.
PLAYER SETUP
SETUP
1
14
15
9
5
3
1
6
2
3
4
Market
Space
Market
Space
2
4
Place the Port board at the end of the table.
For a normal game (30 min/player), place the Day tracker
on Monday. For a shorter game (20 min/player), place the
Day tracker on Tuesday.
Place all Tackle Dice into the dice bag, randomly draw 4,
and place them in the Market. Place the bag nearby.
Shuffle all the Regret cards, then take 10 cards per player
and place them in a single pile next to the Port board,
creating the Regrets deck. Return the rest to the box.
Shuffle the Rods, Reels, and Supplies decks and place them
below the Port board in the Market, face-up. Leave space
beneath them for a second row of items to be revealed.
Place the Life Preserver, Fishcoin
and Omen Die nearby.
Place the Madness tracker nearby, and place
each player’s Madness cube on the top row.
Place the Sea board beside the Port board.
Shuffle the Dinks deck and place it in the designated space
at the top of the board.
Shuffle all Depth I Fish and deal them out in piles
of 13 to form a row of three Shoals at Depth I.
Do the same for Depths II and III.
Leave space for Graveyards to the right of each Depth row.
(ALSO USED IN SOLO/CO-OP MODE)
Port SETUP
SEA SETUP
5
16
12
10
8
13
7
12
6
13
7
14
8
15
9
16
10
11
Regrets
Discard
Market
Space
Depth I
Graveyard
Depth II
Graveyard
Depth III
Graveyard
SETUP
11

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HOW TO PLAY:
the four day phases
EACH DAY IS PLAYED IN FOUR PHASES:
START, REFRESH, DECLARATION, AND ACTION.
DAY PHASES DAY PHASES
PHASE I
start
PHASE III
DECLARATION
PHASE II
refresh
PHASE IV
ACTION
RED SKY AT MORNING:
Move the Day tracker up, pass the first
player token clockwise, and discard all
revealed Fish at Sea. Trigger any Day
effects shown on the Day tracker:
Wed/Fri: All players flip their Can of
Worms face-up.
Thur/Sat: All players take one blue/
orange die from the bag (or Market). If
there are not enough available, all players
take one green die instead.
Market fluctuations:
Discard the bottom Market row to the
bottom of their decks, then move the
top card of the deck down a row. There
should always be two items of each type
visible (Rods, Reels and Supplies).
DECLARE INTENT:
Starting with the first player and
proceeding clockwise, each player
declares whether they will be at Sea
or Make Port by placing their Boat
in the appropriate location.
EQUIP ROD & REEL:
If players own Rods or Reels,
they decide which they will equip,
and place them in the slots below
their Angler Board. These remain
equipped until the next Declaration
phase and cannot be changed.
Muster Your Courage:
Each player takes all dice from their
Spent Pool and as many dice as they
wish from their Fresh Pool and rolls
them. Then they can place any dice
into the Fresh Pool, up to the number
allowed by their current Max Dice
on their Madness tracker. Any excess
dice are placed into the Spent Pool.
Throw the Life Preserver:
The player who rolled the highest
(and, in case of ties, is earliest in
turn order) takes the Life Preserver
and gives it to another player
of their choice.
The Life Preserver
may be discarded at Sea to reduce
the Difficulty of a single Fish by ,
or at Port to reduce the cost of a
single item by .
TAKE TURNS:
Starting with the first player and
proceeding clockwise, each player
takes one action per turn.
PASS YOUR TURN:
If a player cannot take any more
actions (or chooses not to), they may
pass. Once they have passed, they
are skipped in the turn order. They
cannot take any actions, eat any Fish,
or use any items until the next Day.
LAst to Pass:
Once all players but one have passed,
if the remaining player is at Sea,
they get only TWO final turns
and then must pass. If they
are at Port, they get FOUR
final turns instead. Play then
proceeds to the next day.
NOTE: Skip this phase on the first Day
1 1
1 1
2
2
2
3
2
NOTE: Skip this phase on the first Day
2
2
ROCCABARRAIGH
A small fishing village off the north coast of Scotland.
There is no record of Roccabarraigh prior to the year 1743.
As mysteriously as it appeared in history, it vanished
again in 1909 without trace—along with every man,
woman and child on its mud-caked streets.
Nuair a thig Rocabarra ris,
is dual gun tèid an Saoghal a sgrios.”
“

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REVEAL: Select a Shoal at any Depth and flip over the top card so all players can see it.
If any Fish are already revealed, you may choose to catch one of them instead.
TRIGGER: Check to see if the revealed Fish has any reveal abilities. If so, resolve
them now before proceeding. Ignore reveal abilities on previously revealed Fish.
DROP SINKERS: Your Boat must be at the same Depth or lower
than the revealed Fish in order to catch it. You may move your
boat down one Depth by spending a die of any Value. Your boat
remains at this Depth until you return to Port.
PAY: Check the Fish’s Difficulty in the upper right-hand corner
of the card. To catch the Fish, you must spend dice at least
equal to the Fish’s Difficulty. Spent Player Dice are moved into
the Spent Pool, spent Tackle Dice are put back into the dice bag.
You cannot spend half-dice, so if a Fish costs less than the dice
you’re paying, any additional points are lost.
NOTE: If a Fish has no printed Value or has a Value of , you
don’t need to spend any dice unless it has an ability that states it
must be caught with exactly a certain number of dice.
catch: Once you’ve paid the correct amount of dice, check if the Fish has any catch
abilities and resolve them now, then take the card into your hand, and keep it hidden
from other players. This ends the fishing action and the turn rotates to the next player.
SEA ACTIONS
sea ACTIONS
ABANDON
SHIP
If your lifeboat is face-up, you may flip
it over to immediately Make Port. Move
your Boat to the Port Board, and follow
the procedure for Making Port (p.17). You
can now only take Port actions for the rest
of the Day.
NOTE: If all other players have passed
when a player uses their lifeboat, they may
still take FOUR actions at Port.
It’s a drastic act, but sometimes necessary.
Once the lifeboat is face-down, it can
never be flipped back over. At the end of
the game, a flipped lifeboat increases your
Regret Value by 10. A flipped lifeboat
does not count as a Regret card when
calculating Madness. You cannot abandon
ship once you have passed.
AT SEA, THERE ARE TWO ACTIONS YOU MAY TAKE:
FISH AND ABANDON SHIP.
HOW TO
You may also do any of the following on
your turn, they don’t count as actions:
eat fish:
If a Fish has an eat ability, it may
be used at any stage of the fishing
process by discarding the Fish to its
respective Graveyard.
USe the life preserver:
If you have the Life Preserver,
you may discard it to reduce a
single Fish’s Difficulty by .
USe dinks & ITEMS:
Some Dinks and Supply items
can be used at Sea for various
benefits. When used, discard
them to the bottom of their
respective decks.
USE Your Can of WORMS:
Before revealing, you can flip your worms
to peek at a Fish and decide to put it back
on either the top or bottom of the Shoal.
2
0
If you ever catch the last Fish in a Shoal,
immediately draw one Regret card. Players
can no longer Fish from this Shoal.
OVERFISHING:
SEA ACTIONS
fish
Ah, the heart of the matter. Fishing is done in five steps and
if you fail to catch a Fish (or don’t want to) you must spend a
die and draw a Dink as a concession. Follow this process:
HOW TO
If at any step of fishing you cannot afford to catch a fish, or you
decide not to, you must spend one die of any Value and draw the
top card of the Dink deck instead. Any uncaught Fish remain
revealed until the end of the Day, when they are discarded.
CATCHING DINKS
1
2
3
4
5
You need dice to fish
Fish Difficulty
of 4
Spend at
least 4 Value
in dice
Yo u must have at least one fresh
die in order to fish, regardless
of your items and equipment.

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FISH ANATOMY
Using some deduction, you can speculate
about how hard a Fish will be to catch. There
are three sizes of Fish—small, middling
and large—each with consistent ranges of
Difficulty at each Depth. You can see from the
shadows on the back of each card what size
a Fish will be, then refer to the chart here
or on the player reference cards to see the
potential range of Difficulty.
PRO TIP: THE BIGGER THE BETTER
Larger Fish generally have higher Value to Difficulty ratio.
Will you take a chance at revealing something larger and
more valuable at the risk of it being too difficult to catch?
Or will you play it safe?
PRO TIP: THE DEEPER THE MORE DIFFICULT
Fish of the same size are more difficult to catch at deeper
Depths. Make sure you check the correct Difficulty range and
are adequately prepared before committing to reveal a Fish.
FISH DIFFICULTY
small
shadows
are almost
completely
covered
by the
numeral
middling
shadows
nearly touch
the borders
on the card
large
shadows
exceed the
edges of
the card
Every player has a reference card with this chart.
Always do your research before wildly revealing Fish!
HOW TO IDENTIFY
LARGEMIDSMALL
0-2
1-3
2-4
I
II
III
1-3
2-4
3-5
2-4
3-5
4-?
DEPTH
DIFFICULTY RANGE BY SIZE & Depth
FISH ANATOMY
FISH Anatomy
WE’RE USING THE TERM “FISH” VERY LOOSELY HERE.
Some of these things are very clearly not Fish. Some of them completely defy description.
Nevertheless, they mostly all have a few things in common.
dINKS are small catches used for bait, discounts and more. They do not count as
Fish, they are unaffected by Madness level, and they do not count for scoring.
Value:
This is the Value of
the Fish, both for
selling at Port and for
scoring at the end of
the game. Note: Value
is modified by your
current Madness.
Sell effect:
All Foul Fish cause
you to draw one
Regret card when
sold. You don’t
feel great about
introducing this
horror into society.
Difficulty:
This is how hard
the Fish is to catch.
When fishing, you
must spend dice
equal to or greater
than the Fish’s
Difficulty in order
to catch it.
NAME:
If you need to get the Fish’s
attention, this is the name to use.
Size & type:
This states how
big the Fish is,
and whether it’s
a Fair Fish or a
Foul Fish.
Abilities:
Any static, reveal,
catch, or eat abilities
are listed here.
LORE:
A fact or observation about the Fish.
Has no bearing on gameplay.
Depth:
A reminder of the
Depth from whence
the Fish came.

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FISH ANATOMY
There are four potential types of Fish abilities: persistent, reveal, catch, and eat.
No Fish has all four types, but some have two or, in rare cases, three.
FISH abilities
HOW TO IDENTIFY
PERSISTENT:
These abilities are always in effect as long
as the Fish is revealed.
THE Fishcoin:
If a Fish has an ability that
requires the action, flip the
Fishcoin and resolve either the
heads or tails effect accordingly.
THE omen die:
If you're lucky enough to catch
the Amulet of Agarta, you get
to add the Omen Die to your
player dice.
REVEAL:
These abilities resolve immediately when a
Fish is revealed.
CATCH:
These abilities resolve immediately
when a Fish is caught.
EAT:
These abilities resolve immediately
when a Fish is eaten and discarded.
FISH ANATOMY
There are two types of Fish: Fair and Foul.
You can tell a Fish’s type by the color of the
text and borders on the card, but it is also
clearly stated just under the Fish’s name, next
to its size.
Foul Fish are more likely at lower Depths.
The ratio of Foul to Fair Fish can be found
below or on the player reference cards.
FAIR FISH
Have blue borders and are things that
exist in the normal order of nature.
FOUL FISH
Have green borders and are abominations
that have no place in a sane world.
FISH TYPE
HOW TO IDENTIFY
FAIR:FOUL ratio BY Depth
Every player has a reference card with this chart.
Be scientific, be curious, always check the guide.
PRO TIP: madness affects value
Fish Values are affected by Madness according
to type. Where your Madness lies at the end
of the game can have a major impact on your
score! Refer to Madness (p.20) for details.
Foul Fish with
a Value of 0
Current Foul Value
of +1 on the
Madness tracker
Fish Value = 1
FOULFAIR
I
II
III
DEPTH
TO
TO
TO
3
1
1
1
1
3

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TACKLE DICE
PORT ACTIONS
Purchase one of the available Tackle Dice
($1 for green dice, $2 for blue dice, $3 for
orange dice), then refill the Market with a
new die from the bag. Immediately roll any
purchased dice and place them into your
Fresh Pool. If you would exceed your Max
Dice, place the excess in your Spent Pool
instead. (NOTE: Tackle Dice are returned
to the bag when they are spent instead of
moving to the Spent Pool.)
The different colors of dice have different
costs and pip Values, as shown below:
You may also do any of the following on
your turn, they don’t count as actions:
MAkE Port
Returning to Port is an important time to rest, recuperate and collect yourself for
another harrowing Day at Sea. Choosing to return to Port gives you an opportunity
to buy equipment that can dramatically increase your chances of catching
impressive Fish. It also gives you multiple chances to roll stronger results on
your dice – once when returning to Port and once at the start of the next Day.
Immediately upon arriving at Port, whether during the Declaration phase
OR when using your lifeboat:
1. MUSTER YOUR COURAGE, Again (See Refresh phase, p.8)
2. FLIP YOUR CAn of WORMS FACE-UP (If they are not already face-up)
3. DISCARD ONE REGRET CARD (This is optional, you can always just sulk)
HOW TO BUY
USe the life preserver:
If you have the Life Preserver, you
may discard it to reduce a single
item or Tackle Die’s cost by .
USe dinks:
Some Dinks can be used at Port
to reduce the cost of items.
When used, place them on the
bottom of the Dink deck.
cycle the market:
You may pay to place all revealed
items of one type (Rod, Reel, or Supply)
on the bottom of their deck and reveal two
new cards OR you may pay to place
all dice in the Market back in the bag and
draw out four new dice.
2
1
1
1
2
3
Port ACTIONS
SELL fishMOUNT fish
BUY items
Choose one of the Fish in your hand and
sell it for its Value, modified by your current
Madness. Take the correct amount of and
discard the Fish to its respective graveyard.
If the Fish you sold was Foul, you must draw
one Regret card. (NOTE: Foul Fish always
sell for their current Value, before you draw
the Regret card for selling them.)
Foul Fish with
a Value of 3
Fair Fish with
a Value of 3
Current Foul Value
of -2 on the
Madness tracker
Current Fair Value
of +2 on the
Madness tracker
Fish sells for
Purchase one Rod, Reel, or Supply from
the Market by paying the cost in the upper
right corner. Immediately refill the Market.
Permanently place one of your Fish under
any empty slot at the top of your Angler
Board. At the end of the game, this Fish’s
Value will be modified by the multiplier on
the slot. (NOTE: You can never unmount
Fish. The player with the most Regrets at
the end of the game must discard their most
valuable mounted Fish.)
AT PORT, THERE ARE THREE ACTIONS YOU MAY TAKE:
SELL, BUY, AND MOUNT.
HOW TO HOW TO
HOW TO
1
Fish sells for 5
for selling

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Drawing regrets:
When an effect or ability requires you to
draw a Regret, take one from the top of
the Regrets draw pile at Port, look at it in
secret, and put it face-down in front of you.
If the draw pile is empty, you must draw
from the discard pile. If the discard pile is
empty, you must choose another player and
take a random Regret from them. If you
somehow miraculously have all of the Regret
cards, well done: you are the most miserable
angler of all time.
DISCARDING REGRETS:
When an effect or ability requires you to
discard a Regret, place it on top of the
discard pile, face-down.
When multiple players
draw or discard regrets:
If an effect or ability causes multiple players
to draw or discard Regrets simultaneously,
resolve this by starting with the first player
and proceeding in turn order.
A LAMENTABLE NARRATIVE
Each Regret card has a unique Regret on it.
At the end of the game, feel free to craft
a narrative that ties all of your Regrets
together and force the other players to listen
to your miserable tale of woe.
Regrets at the end of the game:
When the game is over, all players tally up
the total Value of their Regrets, adding 10
points if they flipped their Lifeboat. The
player with the highest total Regret Value
must discard one of their mounted Fish.
(see The End, p.22)
HOLLOW EARTH
Based on magnetic readings taken from a compass
he developed, Halley posited that Earth was
actually hollow, and that there may be another
entire world within this one, possibly teeming with
life and even civilization.
REGRETS
REGRETS
REGRET CARDs VS. REGRET VALUE
WE ALL HAVE THEM.
SOME MORE THAN OTHERS.
Over the course of the game, you’re going to collect a lot
of Regret cards—they represent things you’ve done in life
of which you’re particularly ashamed. Viewed as a whole,
they paint a picture of a life poorly lived.
You must keep your Regret cards face-down in front of you
in such a way they can be counted, and you must disclose
your number of Regrets cards honestly if asked.
A key distinction to note is the difference between your number of Regret cards (which
affect Madness level) and your Regret Value (which only affects end-of-game scoring).
Number of Regret cards
This is public knowledge. It’s the physical
number of cards you have, regardless of
what Value they state on the front. Use
this number to determine where you fall
on the Madness tracker. A flipped lifeboat
does not count as a Regret card.
Regret VALUE
This is kept hidden from other players.
It’s the Value on the back of the Regret
card, between 0 and 3. At the end of
the game, your total Regret Value is the
Value of all your Regret cards combined,
plus 10 if your Lifeboat is flipped.
VS
3 Regret Cards 8 Regret Value

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20 21
REGRETS
Fair & Foul Values:
Your Madness level affects
the Value of all Fish, Fair
and Foul, both for selling
and scoring. Whenever
you sell a Fish, modify
its Value according to the
Madness tracker. As your
sanity slips away, Fair Fish
become less desirable and
Foul Fish more covetous
to you. At the end of the
game, modify all your Fair
Fish Values according to
the Madness tracker.
Port discount:
When you reach the bottom of the Madness
tracker, your desperation has climaxed and
you’re willing to cheat, swindle, and outright
steal. Every item purchase you make at Port
costs $1 less. This discount does not apply
to Tackle Dice.
Max dice:
This is the maximum
number of dice you can
move into your Fresh Pool
at one time. The more
unhinged you become, the
less you look after yourself.
You push yourself too far,
work yourself too hard,
and turn a blind eye to the
repercussions.
If you have more total
dice during the Refresh phase than your
Max Dice allows, roll them all and decide
which to move into your Fresh Pool.
If you acquire more dice than your Max
Dice allows, the remaining dice are placed
into your Spent Pool.
EFFECTS OF MADNESS
DIAGNOSING THE
The only time you need to check your
Max Dice is when acquiring new dice
or refreshing existing ones.
You never need to move dice out of
your Fresh Pool unless spending them.
If your Madness drops and you have
more dice in your Fresh Pool than your
new Max Dice allows, you don’t need to
remove them.
WHAT IF YOUR MADNESS
DROPS and you have more
fresh dice than allowed?
Fair Fish with
a Value of 4
Current Fair Value
of +2 on the
Madness tracker
Current
Fish Value = 6
REGRETS
MADNESS
AS YOUR SANITY SLIPS AWAY,
IT BECOMES HARDER TO IGNORE YOUR REGRETS.
And as your Regrets mount, your sanity slips away. It’s a vicious cycle.
The further you drift down into Madness, the more reckless you become.
You’re have fewer compunctions, are willing
to work longer hours, and manipulate and
mislead others. In your desperation you might
resort to thievery. Or cannibalism.
There is freedom in this Madness. A freedom
that can greatly benefit you, and perhaps help
you best the other anglers. But it could also
cost you dearly.
Tracking Madness:
Madness is tracked in real time by the number of Regret cards you have. As you draw and
discard Regrets, adjust your position on the Madness tracker appropriately.
6 Regret Cards
Place cube at 4-6 Tier
on Madness tracker
Effects:
+1 Fair Value
= Foul Value
5 Max Dice

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SOLO/CO-OP
A quest for knowledge
The Angler’s Guide Research Institute is on an
expedition to understand the ocean’s residents.
As a solo ichthyologist (or a team of scientists
working together), embark on a campaign
to catch and catalog every Fish in the Sea.
Each game, you’ll spend five Days reeling in
as much as possible. At the end of the game,
you’ll discard a Value of Fish equal to the
Regrets you’ve accumulated and then spend
the rest on permanently unlocking equipment
for future games. Your job is complete and the
campaign ends once you’ve brought every Fish
back to Port for observation and study.
SETUP
OCEAN SURVEY
SOLO / CO-OPERATIVE
Place these Fish back in the box:
I - Man O’ War
I - Tidal Trafficker
II - Bathyphysa Conifera
II - Deep Dealer
II - Blue Whale
III - Abyssal Colony
III - Profound Peddler
III - Whale of Rocabarraigh
Dink - Odd Ring
Any Fish from expansions
Perform the Sea Setup as described in
the multiplayer setup (see p.7).
Place the Ocean Survey board nearby
(on the back of the Madness Tracker).
Place the Day tracker on Monday.
Shuffle all Regrets cards and place the
on the Ocean Survey Board.
Choose a single Angler Board and
take the corresponding Player Dice
and Boat.
Place your Boat at Depth I.
Take a Can of Worms, a reference
card, and any equipment you have
unlocked in previous solo games as
indicated on your Ocean Survey sheet.
Ready your Ocean Survey sheet and a
writing utensil of your choice.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
THE END
THE GAME ENDS ON THE FINAL DAY,
ONCE ALL PLAYERS HAVE PASSED.
DEALING WITH REGRETS:
To start, all players must reveal
and count the Value of all their
Regret cards, adding 10 to the
total if they flipped their Lifeboat.
The player(s) with the highest
total Regret Value must discard a
Fish according to player count.
Counting up scores:
End of game scores include three things: Fish in hand, mounted Fish,
and Fishbucks.
Once players have totalled their scores, the player with the highest score
wins. In the case of a tie, the player with the lower total Regret Value
wins. If they are still tied, the player with fewer Regret Cards wins.
If they are still tied, they just tie. Stop being so competitive. Let it go.
FISH IN HAND are scored by their printed Value modified
by your current level on the Madness tracker
MOUNTED FISH are scored by their Value
first modified by your current level on the Madness tracker and then
multiplied by the mount modifier (either x2 or x3).
FISHBUCKS score 1 point for every
1
2
3
Highest total Regret
Value discards one
mounted Fish
Calculate Value using the scoring system
below when deciding which to discard
Madness effects:
-2 Fair Value
+2 Foul Value
Example
score:
Value of 6
-2 for Madness (4)
x2 for Mounting
= 8 points
Value of 6
+2 for Madness (8)
x3 for Mounting
= 24 points
Value of 5
+2 for Madness (7)
x2 for Mounting
= 14 points
Value of 2
-2 for Madness
= 0 points
Value of 3
+2 for Madness
= 5 points
2 points from
Fishbucks
8 + 24 + 14 + + 5 + 2 = Final Score of
HIGHEST REGRET PENALTY:
+
NUMBER
of PLAYERS
MUST
DISCARD
2
LOWEST VALUE
MOUNTED FISH
HIGHEST VALUE
MOUNTED FISH
53
50
THE END

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24 25
SOLO/CO-OP
SOLO / CO-OPERATIVE
CATALOGING
BE SCIENTIFICALLY RIGOROUS:
Every time you catch a Fish, check to see
if you’ve caught it before. If not, record
its details in the appropriate place on the
Ocean Survey sheet.
Everything in its right place:
The two-sided Ocean Survey sheet has
the exact number of slots to catalog
every Fish with none to spare. Check the
size and Depth of the Fish you’ve caught
and write in its type, name, Value and
Difficulty on the sheet.
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY:
If you reveal a Fish but fail to catch
it, don’t record its details on the sheet,
you’ll need to return another Day to
attempt to catch it again. You can use
the notes section on the back of the
sheet to remind yourself of Fish to keep
an eye out for in the future or warn
yourself of hazards to avoid.
Still gotta haul it in:
Leave the check box to the left of the
Fish empty when you first catch it.
You’ll check it off once you successfully
haul it back to Port but you may have to
jettison some Fish before then (see p.26).
SINGLE USE ITEMS:
Your Can of Worms and any
Supplies you’ve unlocked can
only be used once per game.
Flip them over once used.
SPEND YOUR DINKS
Dinks that reduce the cost of
items can be used at the end
of the game towards unlocking
new equipment.
“ I have seen for years that we are all
hurrying on indecorously to the abyss in
which we are all to plunge—together.”
- Edmund Halley
SOLO/CO-OP
STAY DOWN:
Spending dice to move to lower Depths
lasts until the end of the game.
HOW TO PLAY
SOLO / CO-OPERATIVE
PHASE I
REFRESH
PHASE II
SURVEY
CLOCK IN:
Move the Day tracker up and discard
any revealed Fish at Sea (skip on the
first Day).
COFFEE UP:
Take all dice from the Spent Pool,
roll them, and place them into the
Fresh Pool.
KIT OUT:
If you own any Rods or Reels, pick
one of each to equip for the Day and
place it in the appropriate spot under
your Angler Board.
CATCH:
Perform the fishing action exactly as
described on p.11.
CATALOG:
Each time you successfully catch
a Fish, record its details in the
appropriate place on your Ocean
Survey sheet. Do not check the box
to the left until you succesfully bring
the Fish back to Port (see Scoring).
CLOCK OUT:
Once you’ve run out of dice for
fishing, the Day ends and you
proceed to the next Day.
IGNORE SOME ABILITIES:
• Ignore eat abilities, you can’t eat Fish.
We’re here to document, not devour.
• Ignore coin-flip effects.
• Ignore effects that only target other players.
• Ignore effects that give you Fishbucks.
SHARING ROLES IN CO-OP:
If multiple players are involved, either
work as a team to make decisions or
assign specific roles such as:
ANGLER : Decides where to
fish and which equipment to use.
SCIENTIST: Writes Fish on
the survey sheet and decides which
to discard at the end of the game.
1 1
2
2
3
3

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26 27
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
FISH CLARIFICATION
THE PLUG: For the rest of the game, at the start of every player’s turn, discard the top Fish from
the top-left most Shoal in the Sea. As Shoals are depleted, work left to right across the row and
then move down to the far left pile of the next Depth. If all Shoals are ever depleted, the game
ends immediately.
SIREN: The highest paying player spends their dice and catches Siren. No one else spends dice.
PARASITIC LARVAE/COLOSSAL SQUID/GLOOM ORPHAN: These Fish can be sold or mounted by
normal rules. Their abilities are removed once mounted or sold. They are also scored normally
at the end of the game if face up in front of you.
TIDAL TRAFFICKER/DEEP DEALER/PROFOUND PEDDLER: Take ALL of the Supply items from the
Market, including those already revealed. Once you’ve selected the item you want to take,
shuffle the deck, place it back in the Market, and reveal two new items.
ALL SHARKS: Only discard a small Fish if you have one, catch the shark regardless.
ALL EELS, ALL OCTOPUSES AND THE KRAKEN: You must spend the required number of dice, even if
items or abilities reduce the Fish’s Difficulty to zero.
WHISPERING SKULL: This can’t be sold and has no Value. It only allows you to peek at a Fish
and does not allow you to place it on the bottom of the Shoal like Can of Worms.
AMULET OF AGARTA (OMEN DIE): This can’t be sold and has no Value. When you catch it, take
the red Omen Die, roll it, and put it into your Fresh Pool if your Max Dice allows. If not,
place it into your Spent Pool. Treat it exactly like a Player Die.
SEA MONKEY: If you have fewer Regrets Cards than the number of players, you may choose who
to give them to.

ITEM CLARIFICATION
CLOCHE: You may use this item at Port or Sea.
ROD OF THE DEAD: Do not trigger any reveal abilities on Fish you reveal. If the Fish cannot be
caught (for example, Blue Whale) discard the Fish immediately.
BONE WHEEL: To track unspent points, rotate the die to a lower Value.
SOLO / CO-OPERATIVE
WEEK’S END
COUNT REGRETS:
Once you’re done fishing on the final Day,
count up your total Value in Regrets. The
quantity of cards has no effect in solo
mode, only the printed Values.
JETTISON FISH:
You got tired. You got sloppy. Your hold
got overwhelmed. There were casualties.
You must discard any combination of Fish
with a total Value equal to or greater than
your total Value of Regrets.
BRING TO PORT:
Whatever’s left you get to bring back to
the Institute to observe and study. On your
Ocean Survey sheet, check the box to the
left of each Fish still in your possession.
UNLOCK EQUIPMENT:
Count up the total Value of all Fish
you brought to Port. You may spend this
amount towards unlocking equipment in
any combination. Only the items listed on
the Ocean Survey sheet are available to
unlock, and you must pay the cost printed
on the sheet, ignoring the cost printed on
the card. Place a check mark next to each
piece of equipment you purchase, it will be
usable in all future games.
GET BACK OUT THERE!
Start a new game immediately or save your
Ocean Survey sheet to play again later.
1
2
3
4
5
SOLO/CO-OP
8 Regret Value
Must discard
8 Value worth
of Fish

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Deep Regrets, ©2024, Tettix Games Ltd
ICON REFERENCE
Draw Regret Card
Discard Regret Card
Reveal ability
Catch ability
Eat ability
Increment one dice
Refresh one of your dice
Flip the Fishcoin
Heads on the Fishcoin
Tails on the Fishcoin
Fish Difficulty
Money
Cycle the Market
Flip this card over
Discard this card
No cards left in Shoal
Fish at this Depth or above
Bring to Port (solo mode)
Difficulty: How many points’ worth of dice you must
spend to catch a Fish.
Dink: One of the small cards with the green back.
DiSCARD: Unless otherwise noted, Fish are discarded into
the Graveyard that matches their Depth and items and
Dinks are discarded to the bottom of their decks.
Equip: Place a Rod or Reel in the matching slot on your
Angler Board to utilize its effects.
Increment: Rotate one of your dice to its next highest
Value, not exceeding its highest printed Value. When you
increment more than once, you may choose one or more
dice to increment.
Item: Any of the three types of cards bought at Port:
Rod, Reel, and Supply.
Madness: Your current standing on the Madness tracker.
Mount: Place a Fish card in any empty slot at the top of
your Angler Board for end-game scoring multipiers.
PEEK: Look at the top card of a Shoal without revealing it
or showing it to other players.
Player Dice: The two-tone starting dice.
Refresh (single action): Take one of your dice from the
Spent OR Fresh Pool, roll it, and put it into your Fresh
Pool (if your Max Dice allows).
Refresh (phase): The second phase of the day where all
players perform the Muster Your Courage action (p.8).
Regret cards: The number of physical cards.
Regret value: The number on the front of Regret cards.
Shoal: One of the nine piles of Fish cards on the Sea
Board, three at each Depth.
Tackle Dice: The plain wooden dice you buy at Port.
VALUE: How much a Fish is worth for selling and scoring.
Design, Development & Illustration:
JUDSON COWAN
TETTIXGAMES.COM

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