Overview

Forgotten Waters is a Crossroads-style cooperative pirate adventure game for 3-7 players. Players are senior crew members on a pirate ship, embarking on a shared narrative adventure driven by a companion web app. Together, players navigate the seas, manage ship resources, and complete the captain’s objectives. Each player also pursues personal glory by filling in stars on their constellation (personal progress chart). The game features branching story paths, skill checks, and unique pirate character sheets with fill-in-the-blank backstories and personalized endings.

Components

• 1 Rulebook, 1 Location Book
• 1 Map Board
• 6 Role Boards: Boatswain, First Mate, Cooper, Gunner, Quartermaster, Lookout
• Pad of Ship Scribe Sheets, Pad of Player Sheets (7 unique pirate types)
• 89 Treasure Cards, 96 Story Cards, 10 Objective Cards
• Location Dials (assembled on Gunner board)
• Cannon Tokens (with loaded/unloaded sides)
• 12-sided Dice (1 per player color + 1 shared)
• 25 Re-roll Tokens, 20 Misfortune Tokens, Lock Tokens
• 15 Constellation Event Tokens, 20 Special Location Tokens
• 30 Navigation Tokens, Threat Tokens
• Ship Stat Markers: Hull, Supplies, Crew, Discontent
• 7 Player Infamy Markers, 7 Pirate Standees, 1 Ship Standee
• Player Treasure Chest Cards, Special Rules Cards

Setup

1. Launch the Forgotten Waters web app at fwcrossroads.com and select a scenario. Play “Beyond the Ocean’s Edge” first.
2. For 4 or fewer players, use the Hungry Pirates special rules card. For 3 players, also use the Masked Pirate card.
3. Place the Location Book in the center. Place the Map Board nearby with the ship standee and special location tokens per scenario setup.
4. Shuffle treasure cards into a face-down deck. Place navigation tokens face-down in a pile.
5. Each player selects a pirate standee and takes their matching die, treasure chest card, and infamy marker.
6. Each player takes a unique player sheet, names their pirate, and fills in story blanks.
7. Assign roles to players (each player must have at least 1; some will have multiple with fewer players):
   • Ship Scribe: Records info on the ship’s log
   • Quartermaster: Tracks infamy and times the Planning Phase
   • First Mate: Tracks crew and discontent
   • Boatswain: Tracks hull
   • Cooper: Tracks supplies
   • Gunner: Tracks cannons and location dials
   • Lookout: Tracks threat and current objective
8. Set ship stat markers per scenario setup. Follow any additional scenario instructions.

Turn Structure

The game is played over a series of rounds, each on a page of the Location Book.

Phase 1: Planning Phase (Timed)

1. The Quartermaster starts the timer via the app.
2. In order from highest to lowest infamy, each player places their pirate standee on an available action on the current Location Book page.
3. If the timer runs out before all players have chosen, raise discontent by 1, then finish selecting.

Action Types:

• Unlimited: Any number of players may choose it.
• Limited: Only 1 player may choose it.
• Locked: Cannot be chosen (blocked by lock token).
• Required: Must be chosen by exactly 1 player. Last remaining players must take required actions if unfilled.

Phase 2: Action Phase

Players resolve actions in numbered order (Action 1 first, then Action 2, etc.). Within each action number, players resolve in order from highest to lowest infamy. Follow the instructions listed under each action in the Location Book.

Phase 3: End of Round Phase

Read the entry listed under the End of Round section on the current page.

Turning to a New Page

Remove all tokens from the current page. Read the Location Warning section aloud (provides clues about upcoming negative effects). Then immediately start a new round.

Actions

Skill Checks

When directed to perform a skill check:

1. Roll your 12-sided die.
2. Add 1 for each filled-in box for that skill on your player sheet.
3. Add bonuses from matching skill icons on your treasure and story cards.
4. Consult the result table and resolve the matching outcome.

Misfortune Tokens: If you have any, roll a second die and keep the lower result. Then discard 1 misfortune token.

Re-roll Tokens: After rolling, you may discard a re-roll token to re-roll 1 die. May be used multiple times per check.

Gaining Skills

When you gain a skill (e.g., “hunting +1”), fill in the leftmost unfilled box for that skill on your player sheet. If the box contains a star symbol, also fill in a star on your constellation.

Constellations and Stars

Each player has a constellation on their player sheet. Stars are filled in by:

• Gaining skills that have star symbols in their boxes.
• Burying treasure (discarding treasure cards at certain actions).

Stars must be connected to the start star or a previously filled-in star. Stars containing a special symbol grant a constellation event token.

Constellation Events

When directed to resolve constellation events, discard all your constellation event tokens. For each token, read the next event on your player sheet aloud (filling in story blanks). These provide resources, items, or narrative moments.

Ship Stats

• Hull (Boatswain board): Ship’s structural integrity. Reaches 0 = all players lose.
• Supplies (Cooper board): Food and resources for the crew.
• Crew / Discontent (First Mate board): If discontent equals or exceeds crew, all players lose.
• Cannons (Gunner board): Can be loaded/unloaded and upgraded.

Treasure and Story Cards

• Treasure Cards: Drawn when gaining treasure. Provide skill bonuses for checks. Max 4 per player; excess must be discarded (gaining 1 supply per discard). Can be buried for stars.
• Story Cards: Function like treasure but cannot be buried, discarded, stolen, or used to pay costs. No limit on number held.

Navigation and Movement

• Moving the Ship: Move to an adjacent space on the map. Empty spaces get a navigation token drawn and placed face-up before entering.
• Stop Symbol: If the ship moves onto a token with a stop symbol, it cannot move further that round.
• Scouting: Draw and place navigation tokens face-down on empty spaces adjacent to the ship or previously placed tokens, then flip them face-up.

Infamy

Infamy determines player order for action selection and tie-breaking. The Quartermaster manages the infamy track, ensuring markers never share spaces.

Threat

Threat tokens accumulate on the Lookout’s threat track. When directed to check threat, if tokens meet or exceed the current objective card’s threat limit, check off the next Threat Event box on the ship’s log and read the corresponding entry. The final Threat Event causes all players to lose.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Win: When a scenario entry indicates the goal is reached, all players who have completed at least 4 constellation events win. Players who completed all 5 constellation events achieve a superior victory. Starting with the highest infamy player, each reads their ending from their player sheet (determined by number of stars filled).

Lose (any of these):

• Drowned: Ship’s hull reaches 0.
• Mutiny: Discontent equals or exceeds crew.
• Threat: The final threat event is reached.

Endings: Each pirate type has Bad, Good, and Legendary endings based on stars filled, creating personalized narrative conclusions with fill-in-the-blank story details.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• App Required: The game requires the free web app at fwcrossroads.com for story entries and scenario management.
• Saving: At certain points, the game offers a save option. Record game state on the back of the ship’s log.
• Special Rules Cards: “Hungry Pirates” (4 or fewer players) and “Masked Pirate” (3 players) adjust gameplay for lower player counts.
• Objective Cards: Exactly 1 is in play at all times. Replaced when directed by the scenario.
• Location Dials: Assembled on the Gunner board; track various location-specific variables that change during play.
• Rocky Waters: Ship cannot move onto rocky waters special location tokens.
• Guide Symbols: White symbols indicate potential skill gain AND skill check; black symbols indicate potential resource gain or location dial changes.
• First Scenario Requirement: “Beyond the Ocean’s Edge” must be completed successfully before playing other scenarios.
• Tie-Breaking: Ties are always broken by infamy order (higher infamy wins).

Player Reference

Round Structure

1. Planning Phase (timed) — Choose actions in infamy order
2. Action Phase — Resolve actions in numbered order, infamy order within each
3. End of Round Phase — Read end-of-round entry

Skill Check Formula

Die roll + filled skill boxes + treasure/story card bonuses = total. Consult result table.

Loss Conditions

• Hull reaches 0
• Discontent >= Crew
• Final Threat Event reached

Win Condition

• Reach scenario goal + have 4+ constellation events completed
• 5 constellation events = superior victory

Player Roles

| Role | Tracks | |——|——–| | Ship Scribe | Ship’s log | | Quartermaster | Infamy, planning timer | | First Mate | Crew, discontent | | Boatswain | Hull | | Cooper | Supplies | | Gunner | Cannons, location dials | | Lookout | Threat, objective |