Overview

Hellapagos is a semi-cooperative survival game where shipwrecked players must work together to build a raft, gather food and water, and escape a desert island before a hurricane arrives. However, resources are scarce and the raft may not have enough seats for everyone. Players who board the raft in time win; those left behind lose.

Components

• 1 gameboard with survival track and raft track
• 6 wooden balls (5 white, 1 black) in a bag
• 12 Raft cards
• 54 Wreckage cards
• 12 Weather cards (including 1 Hurricane card)
• 12 Castaway Status cards (Sick/Dead sides)
• 1 First Player card
• 1 card holder
• Food and Water markers
• 1 Wood disc

Setup

1. Place 6 wooden balls in the bag.
2. Create a stack of 12 Raft cards near the gameboard.
3. Shuffle 54 Wreckage cards; deal 4 to each player (3-8 players) or 3 each (9-12 players). Place remainder face down in card holder.
4. Remove the Hurricane card and 5 random Weather cards. Shuffle these 6 cards, place them under the remaining Weather deck on the board.
5. Place Wood disc on space 0 of the Raft track.
6. Place Water and Food markers on the survival track according to player count.
7. Place 12 Castaway Status cards beside the board.

Turn Structure

Each round has 5 phases:

1. Change the First Player

Skip in round 1. Otherwise, pass the First Player card to the right.

2. Reveal the Weather Card

First player reveals the top Weather card (precipitation side up).

3. Each Player Takes One Action

Starting with first player, clockwise, each player chooses one action.

4. Check for Survival

Consume water, then food. Vote to eliminate players if resources are insufficient.

5. Check for Game End

Verify if embarkation, hurricane, or total death conditions are met.

Actions

Catch Fish

Draw a ball from the bag. Advance the Food marker by the number of fish shown (1, 2, or 3). Return the ball.

Collect Water

Advance the Water marker by the number shown on the current Weather card’s water droplet (0-3). Note: On extremely sunny days (0), no water is collected.

Gather Wood

• Automatically advance Wood disc 1 step.
• Optionally announce 1-5 additional pieces to collect; draw that many balls simultaneously.
  • All white: advance Wood disc that many additional steps.
  • Black ball drawn: bitten by snake, become sick for one round. No additional wood collected.
• When Wood disc reaches 6, add a Raft card and reset disc to 0.
• Return all balls to the bag.

Search the Wreckage

Draw the top Wreckage card into your hand (hidden from others).

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Leaving the Island (Win)

At the end of any round, all survivors may board the raft if:

• Water and food rations have been distributed
• At least as many Raft cards as survivors
• At least 1 water and 1 food remaining per survivor (for the trip)

Hurricane Arrival (Forced Departure)

When the Hurricane card is revealed, the raft must leave at the end of that round. If conditions are not met, hold votes to eliminate players until conditions are satisfied.

Total Failure (Everyone Loses)

If all players die of thirst or hunger, everyone loses.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Voting: When resources are short, first player counts to 3; all players simultaneously point at someone to eliminate. Most votes = eliminated. Ties broken by First Player’s choice. A designated player can save themselves by playing a Water/Food card.
• Sick Players: Cannot vote, cannot take actions or play cards next round. Return Status card before phase 4 of the recovery round.
• Gun & Bullet: The Gun is a permanent card. Combined with a Bullet, shoot any player to eliminate them. Gun holder receives victim’s hand cards. Gun is the only permanent card recoverable from a dead player.
• Permanent Cards: Flask (double water collection), Crystal Ball (vote last), Axe, Fishing Rod, etc. Discarded if owner is eliminated (except Gun).
• Resource Cards: Water Bottle (1 water), Sandwich (1 food), Can of Sardines (3 food). Can be played for community or saved for personal survival.
• Filthy Water/Rotten Fish: Count as 1 ration but make you sick for one turn.
• Fruit Basket: Prevents deaths from a shortage but cannot be used as embarkation rations.
• Voodoo Doll: Bring an eliminated player back to life.
• Maximum reserves: 36 for both food and water.
• Anti-venom: Cures a snakebite (no sickness) but lose all wood progress.
• Eliminated players’ cards are shuffled and dealt alternately to left and right neighbors.

Player Reference

Phase	Description
1. Change First Player	Pass card right (skip round 1)
2. Weather	Reveal top Weather card
3. Actions	Each player: Fish, Water, Wood, or Search
4. Survival	Consume Water then Food; vote if short
5. Game End Check	Embark, Hurricane, or Total Death

Embarkation Requirements: Raft seats >= survivors AND 1 Water + 1 Food per survivor remaining after distribution

Wood Track: 6 wood = 1 Raft card (1 seat)