Overview
Aqualin is a tactical puzzle game for 2 players by Kosmos. Players take turns placing sea creature tiles onto a 6x6 reef grid. One player scores points for forming schools (contiguous groups) of the same color, while the other scores for schools of the same animal type. The larger the school, the more points it earns. After all 36 tiles are placed, the player with the most points wins.
Components
- 1 Reef game board (6x6 grid)
- 36 Sea creature tiles (acrylic) — 6 colors x 6 animal types
Setup
- Place the reef game board between the two players.
- Turn all 36 tiles face down, mix them, and place them next to the board as the stockpile.
- Draw 6 tiles at random from the stockpile and place them face up next to the board as the drafting pool.
- Decide which player gathers schools by color and which gathers schools by animal type.
- The player who was most recently in the ocean goes first.
Turn Structure
Each turn has three phases:
- Move a sea creature (optional; skipped on the very first turn of the game).
- Place a new sea creature onto the reef (mandatory).
- Replenish the drafting pool (mandatory, if stockpile has tiles).
Actions
1. Move a Sea Creature:
- Before placing a new tile, the active player may move one sea creature already on the reef.
- The creature moves any number of spaces within its row or column, stopping when it meets another sea creature or the edge of the reef.
- Moving is optional but strategic.
2. Place a New Sea Creature:
- Choose one tile from the drafting pool and place it on any empty space on the reef.
- It does not need to be adjacent to another tile.
3. Replenish the Drafting Pool:
- Draw one tile from the stockpile and place it face up in the drafting pool.
- If the stockpile is empty, no tile is drawn. Continue playing until the drafting pool is empty.
Scoring / Victory Conditions
After all 36 tiles fill the reef, perform the school assessment:
- A school is a contiguous group of 2 or more tiles sharing the same color (for the color player) or same animal type (for the animal player).
- Tiles must be orthogonally adjacent (side by side); diagonal does not count.
- A single tile by itself is not a school and scores 0 points.
- A tile can belong to both a color school and an animal type school simultaneously (each player counts their own type).
Scoring table (tiles in school → points):
| Tiles in School |
Points |
| 1 |
0 |
| 2 |
1 |
| 3 |
3 |
| 4 |
6 |
| 5 |
10 |
| 6 |
15 |
The player with the higher total score wins. In case of a tie, the player who went second wins.
Special Rules & Edge Cases
- The move phase is skipped entirely on the first turn of the game (no tiles on the reef yet).
- Movement is restricted to a single row or column — a creature cannot turn corners.
- A creature stops moving when it hits another creature or the board edge; it cannot jump over other creatures.
- When the stockpile runs out, the drafting pool shrinks each turn. Play continues until all tiles are placed.
- For a rematch, players should switch roles (color player becomes animal player and vice versa).
- Tip: orient sea creatures of the same type in the same direction for easier visual tracking.
Player Reference
| Phase |
Description |
| 1. Move |
Optionally slide one reef creature along its row/column |
| 2. Place |
Take one tile from drafting pool, place on any empty reef space |
| 3. Replenish |
Draw one tile from stockpile into drafting pool |
| School Size |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
| Points |
0 |
1 |
3 |
6 |
10 |
15 |
| Sea Creatures |
6 types: Crab, Fish, Jellyfish, Seahorse, Starfish, Turtle |
| Colors |
6 colors: Blue, Green, Pink, Purple, Red, Yellow |