Overview

If Wishes Were Fishes! is a card game about catching, selling, and wishing upon fish. Players take fish cards from the ocean to sell to markets or throw them back for wishes. Markets fill up, awarding bonuses to players with the most fish. The player with the most dollars at game’s end wins.

Components

• 74 Cards: 70 fish cards (10 each of 7 kinds), 4 market full cards
• 30 Worms
• 1 Game board (with 7 markets, scoring track, garbage heap)
• 75 Wooden fish (15 each in 5 player colors)
• 5 Buyers (one “3”, two “2”s, two “1”s)

Setup

1. Each player takes all fish of one color and 6 worms; remainder back in box.
2. Each player places one fish on the zero space of the scoring track.
3. Place 5 buyers randomly among markets (no more than 1 per market).
4. Shuffle fish cards; deal 4 face-up in a row (the “ocean”). Place deck face-down next to the last card dealt.
5. Stack market full cards in limit order: 4 on top, 7 on bottom.
6. Choose a starting player.

Turn Structure

On your turn, perform exactly one of three options:

1. Take a fish card and put it in a boat
2. Take a fish card, use the wish, and throw it back
3. Sell a single fish from one of your boats

Actions

Taking a Fish Card

• Cards in the ocean go from shallowest (farthest from deck) to deepest (closest to deck).
• To take a fish, you must first place a worm on each fish card in shallower water than the one you’re taking.
• You cannot take face-down cards from the deck.
• When taking a fish, also take all worms on that card (kept even if you throw the fish back).
• After taking, push remaining cards toward shallowest water and add a new card from the deck at the deep end.

Putting a Fish in a Boat

• Each player starts with 2 imaginary boats.
• Each boat holds exactly 1 fish card.
• If all boats are full, you may not put another fish in a boat.

Throwing a Fish Back (Wishing)

• Instead of keeping a fish, discard it and carry out its wish immediately.
• Both parts of a wish must be performed if possible.

Selling Fish

• Sell a single fish from one of your boats (entire turn).
• Markets buy only their shown fish type.
• Base price: 2 dollars per fish.
• Buyers at the market increase price by their value per fish.
• Place wooden fish of your color on the corresponding market.
• Advance scoring marker by dollars earned.
• If sale exceeds market capacity, extra fish go to garbage heap (still paid for).

Filling Markets

• Markets fill when they reach the number shown on the topmost market limit card.
• Bonus: Player with most fish earns the higher value; second-most earns the lower value.
• Tie for first: Add both values, divide by 2 (round down) for each tied player; no second-place bonus.
• Tie for second: All tied players earn full second-place points.
• After scoring, place the market limit card on the filled market. Future sales to that market go to garbage heap.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Game End

The game ends when either:

• All market limit cards are placed on markets, OR
• 10 or more fish are on the garbage heap (garbage heap evaluated like a filled market, but top two players LOSE the points shown instead of gaining them)

Worm Bonus

• Most worms: 8 dollar bonus
• Second-most: 4 dollar bonus
• Tie for most: 6 dollars each, no second-place bonus
• Tie for second: 4 dollars each

Winner: Player with the most dollars.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

Wish Types

| Wish | Effect | |——|——–| | Move Buyer 1 | Move one 1-point buyer 1-3 markets clockwise, then sell all of one kind of fish | | Move Buyer 2 | Move one 2-point buyer 1-3 markets clockwise, then sell all of one kind of fish | | Move Buyer 3 | Move the 3-point buyer 1-3 markets clockwise, then sell a single fish (double fish = double payment) | | Spread All Buyers | From markets with 2+ buyers, keep highest value, redistribute rest to empty markets (max 1 per market) | | Sell All of One Kind | Sell all cards of a single type | | Spoilage | Move one fish from open market to garbage heap or from garbage heap back to owner’s supply, then sell one fish | | Worm Bonus | Score 1 dollar per worm held, then give 1 worm to each other player | | Boat | Keep card face-down as extra boat (no limit on boats) | | Sell as Another Kind | Sell all of one kind as the fish type shown on the card |

• Double Fish cards: Count as 2 fish when sold via a wish; count as 1 fish when sold normally.
• Only fish in the current player’s boats may be sold via wishes.

Player Reference

Fish Type	Types Available
Angelfish, Kingfish, Starfish, Monkfish, Catfish, Clownfish, Swordfish	10 cards each

Market Limit Cards	Capacity	Bonus (1st/2nd)
Top card	4	Shown on card
2nd card	5	Shown on card
3rd card	6	Shown on card
Bottom card	7	Shown on card