How To Play: Waters Edge

Waters Edge is Catherine Redgate’s coastal card game about building a town and managing its fishing. Collect, preserve and sell fish, expand the town, and work with the changing day and night cycle to score the most points over a week.

Setup

This introduction covers the original Waters Edge, rather than Northern Lights or its expansion packs. Follow the setup in your copy and identify the fishing, ice-house, town and lighthouse cards before starting.

A week of fishing

The publisher’s original description gives each day six rounds: four in daytime and two at night. Play continues for one week. The changing time matters because certain activities require light; completing a lighthouse or using the Full Moon card enables night fishing.

Building your town

Balance the fish you catch with preservation and sales while growing your town. The ice house supports keeping fish, and a completed lighthouse opens options after dark. Storms, whales and seagulls can interfere with your plans.

Use the rulebook supplied with your edition for the actual card-play sequence, dealing, hand management, individual effects and point values. The designer’s page also links a video walkthrough that demonstrates play.

Scoring

Score through collecting, preserving and selling fish and expanding the town. Aim for the highest total when the week ends, using the printed values and end-of-game procedure.

First-game tips

Keep the current daytime or night-time round easy to see. Before investing in a lighthouse, compare the remaining night opportunities with what you could gain from fish or town development now. During the teach, explain one fishing decision alongside one preservation decision so players see how the two fit together.

Rules and further reading

• Catherine Redgate’s game page and how-to-play video
• Original publisher description preserved on BoardGameGeek

Read our Waters Edge review for a closer look at the game.