Objective of the Game

Welcome, intrepid adventurers, to Forbidden Island! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to work together as a team to snatch four ancient treasures from a rapidly sinking island. These aren't just any trinkets; they are The Crystal of Fire, The Statue of the Wind, The Ocean’s Chalice, and The Earth Stone, artifacts of immense power. Once you've secured all four, you must make a daring escape by helicopter from Fools’ Landing. Fail to do so before the island completely submerges, and your mission ends in a watery defeat!

Preparation (Setup)

Let's get this adventure started! Here’s how to set up Forbidden Island:

1. Create Forbidden Island: Shuffle all 24 Island tiles and place them face up (non-blue and white side) to form your game board. Start with a 4x4 square in the center, then add 2 tiles next to each of the 2 middle tiles on every side of the square. Leave small gaps between the tiles – this is where your pawns will move!
2. Place the Treasures: Position the 4 treasure figurines (The Earth Stone, The Statue of the Wind, The Crystal of Fire, and The Ocean’s Chalice) around the island. You'll be collecting these by discarding 4 matching Treasure cards on a corresponding tile. Each treasure can be claimed on one of two specific tiles, indicated by a symbol in the bottom left corner of the tile.
3. Divide the Cards: Separate the 58 cards into three distinct decks based on their backs: the Flood deck (blue back), the Treasure deck (red back), and the 6 Adventurer cards.
4. The Island Starts to Sink: Shuffle the Flood deck and place it face down to form the Flood draw pile. Draw the top 6 cards, one at a time, and place them face up next to the draw pile to form the Flood discard pile. For each card drawn, flip the corresponding Island tile over to its "flooded" (blue and white) side.
5. The Adventurers Appear: Shuffle the 6 Adventurer cards and deal one to each player. Each of you now has a unique special power! Read your role and power aloud so everyone knows your strengths – teamwork is key! Take a wooden pawn matching your Adventurer card's color and place it on the corresponding Island tile (look for the matching pawn icon on the Gates and Fools’ Landing tiles). Don't worry if your starting tile is flooded, it's okay!
6. Hand Out Treasure Deck Cards: Shuffle the Treasure deck thoroughly and deal 2 cards face up to each player. If anyone draws a Waters Rise! card, give them a replacement card and shuffle the Waters Rise! card back into the Treasure deck. Place the Treasure deck face down, ready for a Treasure discard pile to form next to it.
7. Set the Water Level: Place the Water Level marker on the left side of the Water Meter. Choose your starting difficulty (Novice, Normal, Elite, or Legendary) and set the marker accordingly.

The Turn of Play

Alright, who's ready to brave the sinking island? The player who last visited an island goes first, and play continues to the left. On every turn, you'll do three things in order:

1. Take Up to 3 Actions: You can take 0, 1, 2, or 3 actions. Your teammates are encouraged to offer advice! Choose any combination of these four actions:
   • Move: For 1 action, move your pawn to an adjacent Island tile (up, down, left, or right, but never diagonally). You can move onto a flooded tile, but not onto a missing tile.
     • Exceptions: The Explorer can move diagonally. The Pilot can move to any tile once per turn for 1 action. The Navigator can move other players up to 2 adjacent tiles per action. The Diver can move through one or more adjacent missing and/or flooded tiles for 1 action.
   • Shore Up: For 1 action, you can shore up any adjacent Island tile (up, down, left, right), or the tile your pawn is currently on. Simply flip the tile over to its un-flooded side.
     • Exceptions: The Engineer can shore up 2 tiles for 1 action. The Explorer can also shore up tiles diagonally.
   • Give a Treasure Card: For 1 action per card, you can give one or more of your Treasure cards to another player, but only if both your pawns are on the same Island tile. You cannot give Special Action cards.
     • Exception: The Messenger can give cards without being on the same tile.
   • Capture a Treasure: For 1 action, if your pawn is on one of the two corresponding Island tiles for a treasure, you can discard 4 matching Treasure cards from your hand to claim it! Discard the cards to the Treasure discard pile and move the treasure figurine in front of you. You can even capture a treasure on a flooded tile!
2. Draw 2 Treasure Deck Cards: After your actions, draw 2 cards from the top of the Treasure deck, one at a time, and add them to your hand (face up).
   • If you draw a Waters Rise! card, do NOT add it to your hand. Instead, immediately:
     1. Move the Water Level marker up one tick mark on the Water Meter.
     2. Take all cards from the Flood discard pile, shuffle them, and place them face down on top of the Flood draw pile. This means those tiles will flood again soon!
     3. Discard the Waters Rise! card to the Treasure discard pile.
   • Special Action Cards: (Helicopter Lift and Sandbags) are taken into your hand and can be played at any time, even on another player’s turn, without costing an action. Discard them immediately after use.
   • Hand Limit: You can only hold 5 cards. If you ever have more (e.g., after drawing or receiving cards), you must immediately choose and discard the excess to the Treasure discard pile. If you discard a Special Action card, you can use its action before discarding. If the Treasure deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck.
3. Draw Flood Cards: Now, the island fights back! Draw a number of cards from the top of the Flood draw pile equal to the current Water Meter level. Draw them one at a time and place them face up on the Flood discard pile. For each card:
   • If the matching Island tile is un-flooded, flip it to its flooded side.
   • If the matching Island tile is already flooded, it sinks into the abyss! Remove both the tile and the matching Flood card from the game.

   If your pawn is on a tile that sinks, you must immediately "swim" to an adjacent tile (up, down, left, or right) that is still part of the island (even if flooded). If you can't move to an adjacent tile, you sink, and everyone loses!

   • Exceptions: The Diver can swim to the nearest tile. The Explorer can swim diagonally. The Pilot can fly to any tile.

   If the Flood draw pile runs out, shuffle the discard pile to form a new one.

Game End and Scoring

The fate of Forbidden Island hangs in the balance!

Winning the Game

To achieve victory, your team must:

1. Collect all four treasures.
2. Have all players move their pawns to the Fools’ Landing tile.
3. One player must then discard a Helicopter Lift card to whisk your team off the island! (You can win even if Fools’ Landing is flooded!)

Losing the Game

The island is unforgiving. You lose if any of these conditions occur:

1. If both tiles for any specific treasure (e.g., both Temples for The Crystal of Fire) sink before you collect that treasure.
2. If the Fools’ Landing tile sinks.
3. If any player is on an Island tile that sinks and there is no adjacent tile for them to swim to.
4. If the Water Level marker reaches the skull and crossbones on the Water Meter.

Tips for Winning

To conquer Forbidden Island, you'll need strategy and teamwork. Here are a few pointers:

• Communicate and Cooperate: Your Adventurer cards grant unique powers. Discuss your strengths and coordinate your actions. The game explicitly encourages teammates to give advice – use it!
• Prioritize Shoring Up: Don't let too many tiles flood! Keeping key tiles (especially treasure locations and Fools' Landing) shored up is crucial to prevent early losses. Remember, once a tile is flooded and then drawn again, it's gone for good.
• Manage Your Hand: Keep an eye on your Treasure cards and the 5-card hand limit. Giving cards to other players is essential for collecting sets of 4 to capture treasures, but don't forget you can use Special Action cards like Sandbags to save a tile or Helicopter Lifts for a quick escape.