How to Play Niagara: Diamond Joe

Game Objective

The game Niagara: Diamond Joe is an expansion that adds the character Diamond Joe, a cautious and clever old man who loves to admire the beautiful things found in the Niagara River. Although the main objective of the base game is not detailed here, the expansion introduces interactions with Diamond Joe, who collects gems and can trade with players. The specific victory condition for this expansion is not provided in the context.

Preparation (Setup)

1. Take Diamond Joe's canoe (light brown).
2. Place Diamond Joe's canoe on the first river space, next to the beaches.
3. If playing with fewer than 5 players, you can use an unused canoe as Diamond Joe's canoe.

Game Flow

Diamond Joe interacts with the game at specific moments during the turn:

After Moving the River

After the river moves, if Diamond Joe is in a space with gems, he loads one into his canoe. He always loads a gem of the same color as its discovery spot. If there are only gems of other colors, he loads none. If he is not in a gem space, or there are no gems in the spot, or if he already has a gem in his canoe, nothing happens. Diamond Joe never unloads a gem on dry land or in gem discovery spaces.

Moving Diamond Joe

After Diamond Joe has loaded a gem, he moves upstream the number of spaces indicated by the paddle token of the starting player of the newly played turn (the starting player is the one with the life vest). If the starting player has played the Cloud, Diamond Joe does not move.

Initially, Diamond Joe moves upstream. If he reaches the beginning of the river (next to the beaches) and there are still movement points, he changes direction and moves downstream. If Diamond Joe reaches the river fork, he always chooses the right bank of the river. He never places his canoe on dry land (on the beaches).

If Diamond Joe falls down the waterfall, at the beginning of the next turn, he must be placed back on the first river space (next to the beaches). If he had any gem, this gem is returned to its respective color's spot.

Actions and How to Play

River Encounters with Diamond Joe

If on your TURN, at the beginning or end of your movement, you have a canoe in the same space as Diamond Joe, he can be generous. It is possible to trade with him, and these are voluntary actions that do not cost paddle points. You can:

• If your canoe is empty, Diamond Joe gives you a gem, if he has any.
• If your canoe has a gem, you can trade it with Diamond Joe's gem, if he has any.
• If Diamond Joe has no gems, you can give him a gem, if you have one in your canoe.

You cannot trade with Diamond Joe by passing him with your canoe. You must start or end a canoe's movement in the same space as Diamond Joe's canoe to perform an action with him.

Actions with Diamond Joe are voluntary, meaning you perform them if you wish.

End of Game and Scoring

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Tips for Winning

• Pay attention to Diamond Joe's position on the river, as he can be a source of gems or an opportunity to trade yours.
• Plan your movements so that your canoe starts or ends in the same space as Diamond Joe, allowing for voluntary trades without costing paddle points.