Postmark Games is all about creating games that you can print and play at home! They have a small footprint but big gameplay, all wrapped up in a digital package. Their latest game, Aquamarine, is now live on Kickstarter, and it’s looking like another winner!
Players take on the roles of divers, venturing down from their boats into the ocean below. Along the way, they’re bound to spot vivid coral, intriguing shipwrecks, and all manner of sea creatures. There’s only so much air for each dive, however, so players need to plan out their path if they want to see as much as possible.
Let’s find out some more about Aquamarine!
Aquamarine Kickstarter – What’s It All About?
Over the course of a game of Aquamarine, players will conduct 3 different dives, each from one of the boats towards the top of the player sheet. Two dice are rolled which determines how a player will traverse through the oceanic depths below. Using the higher die allows you to dive further, but it will also require you to expend some of your precious air.
Once your air is fully depleted, your dive ends and you’ll be forced to the surface! You can’t just slow-play the game, however. To get to all of the best sights that the ocean has to offer, you’ll need to progress deep towards the ocean floor. This means that you’ll expend more effort and energy, thus depleting your air supply further. All good things must come to an end!
The beginning of Aquamarine, a die is rolled to determine whether it’s Day or Night. Stingrays and Cuttlefish only come out during their respective times, so you need to keep that in mind as you plan your expedition. Each path that you draw will take off another tick of the game clock until you’ve played 24 rounds. After that, scores are tallied!
There is a wide range of opportunities to score in Aquamarine! You may be interested in the coral, but you can only view one of the two sets of colors with each path that you draw. Butterfly fish score more points if can you manage to sneak a peek of multiple fish in the same box. But watch out for the Jellyfish – those stings will contribute negative points towards your score!
Perhaps my favorite part of Aquamarine is hunting down the shipwrecks. If you manage to explore every space that a shipwreck occupies, you’ll be able to gain one of the six additional scoring options at the top of the page. This really allows you to double-down on a specific exploration strategy and separate yourself as a top diver.
When playing the game, you really feel the pressure of that air tank. It’s a constraint that’s always there in the forefront of your mind. It actually reminds me a lot of Deep Sea Adventure by Oink Games. The main difference, of course, being that everybody is working off their own player sheets.
Another great thing about Aquamarine is that you likely have two dice laying around that you’ll be able to play with right away, along with a writing instrument. Even if you only have one die, that’s enough! Just roll it twice.
As far as printing goes, you can take the file over to your local library and print it off for a quarter. Then, I’d recommend laminating the file and using a dry erase marker for the most eco-friendly and long-lasting option.
If the Aquamarine Kickstarter campaign is anything like the one for Voyages, then there’s also additional content on the way. The player sheet is something I can see being remade with different paths down to the bottom. Plus, there is a ton of mechanical potential as well: new sea creatures, cleaning up despicable trash from the water, or maybe even some submarines!
I’m excited for where this game can go!
Aquamarine Kickstarter – Campaign Is Live Now!
The Aquamarine Kickstarter campaign is going on now! And while you’re at it, maybe check out Voyages, also by Postmark Games! Purchasing Voyages also gives you access to any future content released for the game. Right now, they’re up to 5 stunning Maps, each with a different way to enjoy the game!
Because of its approachability and creative way to put the tension on the player’s air supply, we are happy to award Aquamarine with the Nerds on Earth Seal of Awesomeness! With every roll of the dice we continue to see how far we can push our luck. It’s an absolute delight.
Once again, you can find the link to the Aquamarine Kickstarter right here.
[Disclaimer: Nerds on Earth was provided an advance press copy of the Aquamarine rules and game sheet in exchange for an honest preview.]