Unveiling the Depths: A Definitive Guide to Endeavor: Deep Sea!

Hey there, fellow oceanographers! Get ready to embark on an epic journey of discovery, observation, and conservation with **Endeavor: Deep Sea**. As your friendly neighborhood SEO specialist and senior editor at BoardGameBot, I'm here to guide you through the teeming shallows and mysterious depths of this fantastic game. Forget extraction; we're all about making a positive **Impact** on our fragile planet's oceans. So, gather your crew, prepare your vessels, and let's dive in!

Objective of the Game

In **Endeavor: Deep Sea**, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to have the most beneficial effect on the world's oceans. This isn't about plundering resources; it's about understanding, protecting, and making a lasting **Impact**. You'll be scoring **points** by increasing your **attributes** (Reputation, Inspiration, Coordination, and Ingenuity), taking actions that create positive **Impact**, and adapting your strategy to meet your chosen scenario's unique **Goals**. The player who makes the biggest positive impact on the ocean by the end of the game will be crowned the ultimate conservationist!

Preparation (Setup)

Alright, team, let's get our research station ready. **Endeavor: Deep Sea** is a **scenario-driven game**, meaning each play session starts with a specific **Scenario sheet** that dictates the setup, special rules, and scoring goals. For your first dive, we recommend **Mission 1: The Ocean's Call**.

1. Scenario Sheet: Choose a **Scenario sheet** (like Mission 1) and place it on the table. This sheet contains all the vital setup, scoring, and special rule information for your mission.
2. Ocean Boards: The **Ocean boards** form your play area, becoming "zones" once in play. Your **Scenario sheet** will show you which boards to use and how to arrange them. Shuffle all remaining **Ocean boards** into five face-down piles based on their depth. Leave plenty of space around your initial setup, as your grid will expand!
3. Dive Tokens: Shuffle all **Dive tokens** into a face-down pile. For each **Dive site** indicated on the initial **Ocean boards** in play, draw the specified number of **Dive tokens** and place them face-down on that site. For example, The Sea Star starts with four **Dive tokens**.
4. Journals: Shuffle the **Anchor Journal** deck and the regular **Journal** deck separately. Place four random **Anchor Journals** face-up in a display, returning the rest to the box. Keep the shuffled **Journal** deck face-down nearby.
5. Player Materials: Each player chooses a color and takes:
   • One **Player Mat**
   • One **Team Leader Tile**
   • 30 **Discs** (your effort!)
   • 5 **Track Cubes**
   • 20 **Impact Markers**
   • 3 **Vessels**
   Place your five **Track Cubes** on the '0' space of your **Attribute** and **Research tracks**. Place your **Team Leader** near your **Player Mat** with one **Disc** on its activation circle. Keep your remaining **Discs** in a supply pile, distinctly separate from your **Staging Area** (the area on your mat where discs become available). Your **Impact Markers** should be near the **Impact Board**. Deploy your initial **Vessel** to the launch zone specified by the scenario (e.g., The Sea Star for Mission 1) and immediately gain its **Arrival Bonus**. Keep your other **Vessels** near your **Player Mat**.
6. Specialists: Prepare the **Specialist tray**. **Tier 1-4 Specialists** should be flipped **Junior** (blue) side up and separated into stacks by title, then placed in their corresponding tier pockets. For **Tier 5 Specialists**, shuffle them **Junior**-side up and stack three random tiles in each of the rightmost column's pockets.
7. The Wave: Randomly choose a starting player and give them the **Wave marker**.

The Turn of Play

**Endeavor: Deep Sea** unfolds over six rounds, each consisting of two exciting phases. The player with the **Wave marker** goes first in each phase, with play proceeding clockwise.

Phase 1: Preparation

Each player performs these three steps in order:

1. Recruitment:
   • On your turn, choose one **Specialist** from the tray and add it to your tableau. Your **Reputation track** determines the highest tier you can recruit from (your **Recruitment level**).
   • Your recruited **Specialist** always enters play on its **Junior** side.
   • If your new **Specialist** has any **immediate gains**, resolve them right away! These gains can even affect the next two steps of the Preparation Phase, so choose wisely!
   • If recruiting a **Tier 5 Specialist** empties its pocket, move the top tile from another pocket to keep three **Tier 5s** available.
2. Effort:
   • Gain new **Discs** from your supply to your **Staging Area**. Your **Inspiration track** determines how many **Discs** you gain (your **Effort level**). You gain one **Disc** per symbol.
3. Reassignment:
   • Reclaim **Discs** from your **Specialists** back to your **Staging Area**, making both the **Disc** and the **Specialist** available for future use. Your **Coordination track** determines how many **Discs** you can reclaim (your **Reassignment level**). Reclaim one **Disc** per symbol.
   • If you don't have enough **Coordination** to reassign all your **Specialists**, you'll have to choose which ones to reclaim.

Phase 2: Activation

Players take turns activating **Specialists** to perform actions, continuing clockwise until everyone has passed.

• On your turn, you must either take a turn or pass. Once you pass, you're out for the rest of the round.
• To take a turn, you'll usually activate a **Specialist**. Place a **Disc** from your **Staging Area** onto an empty activation circle of a **Specialist** in your tableau. This allows you to perform that **Specialist's action(s)**.
• Some actions require an additional **Disc** from your **Staging Area** to actually carry out.
• To perform an action in a zone, you must have a **Vessel** in that zone.
• You can always decline any reward or action you're entitled to.
• If a **Specialist** has multiple actions separated by a "/", choose one to perform. If there's no "/", you can perform any or all of them, in any order!

The Actions:

Let's explore the core actions your **Specialists** can take:

• Travel: Move one of your **Vessels** from its current zone to a different one. Your **Ingenuity track** (your **Technology level**) dictates how far and how deep your **Vessel** can move. After moving, immediately gain the **Arrival Bonus** for the destination zone. You cannot travel through empty spaces.
• Sonar (Requires a second disc): Place a **Disc** from your **Staging Area** onto the leftmost empty space of a **Sonar track** in a zone where you have a **Vessel**. This often leads to **Discovery**!
  1. Step 1: Choose Your Board: Draw two **Ocean boards** from the depths indicated by the **Discover** symbol. Choose one to place and return the other to the bottom of its pile.
  2. Step 2: Place the New Zone: Place your chosen board in any legal spot at the correct depth. If the new zone has a **Dive site**, place the indicated number of **Dive tokens** on it.
  3. Step 3: Discovery Bonus: Claim the unique **Discovery Bonus** from the new zone.
• Dive: Choose a zone with your **Vessel** and a **Dive site** with remaining **Dive tokens**. Draw the top token and reveal it. **Dive tokens** provide **Research** and often an effect. You can spend **Dive tokens** at any time during your turn (even between other actions) for their **Research** value or effect. At the end of your turn, you can store one **Dive token** on your **Player Mat**; any excess must be spent.
• Conserve (Requires a second disc): Choose an available **Conservation site** in a zone with your **Vessel**. Pay the displayed **Research cost**, gain any indicated rewards, and place a **Disc** from your **Staging Area** in the site. This may complete a **link**!
• Journal (Requires a second disc): In a zone with your **Vessel**, choose an unoccupied **Journal site** with a **Field Symbol** matching a **Journal** in the display. Pay the **Research Cost** of the **Journal**, place a **Disc** from your **Staging Area** in the site, and claim the **Journal**. Immediately draw a new **Journal** to refill the display. **Journals** grant immediate benefits (to you or others), end-game **points**, or new actions you can take in place of activating a **Specialist**. **Discs** on **Journals** stay there for the rest of the game.

Other Key Concepts:

• Promotion: When you **Promote** a **Specialist**, flip a **Junior Specialist** to its **Senior** side. You gain any displayed attribute, **Research**, or **Impact**. If a **Disc** was on the **Junior** side, it's discarded to your supply.
• Completing Links: Some zone features are connected by lines called **links**. When both ends of a **link** are occupied by **Discs**, the **link** is completed! Both players with **Discs** at either end immediately gain the reward displayed on the **link**.
• The Impact Board: This board on your **Scenario sheet** represents your positive **Impact**. When you gain **Impact**, place a marker from your supply in an empty hex. You can place in hexes with entry arrows or those touching other occupied hexes. Many hexes provide immediate rewards and score **points** at the end of the game.

End of Game and Scoring

The game concludes at the end of the sixth round (you'll know because each player will have seven **Specialists**, including their **Team Leader**). Now, let's tally those scores!

1. Attribute Tracks: Check the **scoring brackets** across the top of your **Player Mat**. Each **track marker** scores the value of the bracket it has reached.
2. Impact Board: Earn **points** for your **Impact Markers** in **scoring hexes**, as indicated by the **Scoring Legend** on the **Impact Board**.
3. Journals & Tier-5 Senior Specialists: Some **Journals** display specific **scoring values**. Each **Tier-5 Senior Specialist** has unique scoring criteria; calculate their points, ignoring remainders.
4. Leftover Research & Discs: Add up your leftover **Research** (including any on a stored **Dive token**) and **Discs** in your **Staging Area**. Divide the total by three, and earn that many **points** (ignore remainders).
5. Mission Goals: Your **Scenario sheet** outlines several **Mission Goals**, each with its own scoring method. Many offer **leader bonuses** for having the most of something. If there's a tie for 1st place, all tied players get the 1st-place bonus, and no 2nd place is awarded.

The player with the highest final score wins! In case of a tie, tied players share the victory.

Tips for Winning

Ready to make a splash and dominate the depths? Here are a couple of tactical tips to get you started:

1. Balance Your Attributes: Don't neglect your **attribute tracks**! Increasing your **Reputation** allows you to recruit more powerful **Specialists**, **Inspiration** gives you more **Discs** for actions, **Coordination** lets you reuse your **Specialists** more efficiently, and **Ingenuity** expands your reach with **Vessels**. A well-rounded approach will give you more options throughout the game.
2. Strategic Impact Placement: The **Impact Board** isn't just for immediate rewards; it's a crucial source of end-game **points**. Pay attention to the **Scoring Legend** and try to place your **Impact Markers** in hexes that will yield the most points. Also, look for opportunities to chain placements, as you can place a marker in any hex touching an already occupied one.
3. Leverage Dive Tokens: **Dive tokens** are incredibly versatile! They provide valuable **Research** for **Conserve** and **Journal** actions, and many offer powerful immediate effects. Don't just hoard them; use them strategically to gain an advantage, whether it's boosting your **Research** or performing an extra action at a critical moment.

Now you're equipped with the knowledge to navigate the exciting world of **Endeavor: Deep Sea**. Good luck, and may your impact on the oceans be legendary!