Deep Vents

Deep below the surface, along the cracks in the ocean floor, hot springs shoot their black and white plumes into the darkness. They bring warmth to the ice-cold water and a wealth of minerals. There, where almost no life seems possible, something special still takes shape. Tiny creatures feed on that warmth and form the start of a strange and beautiful food chain full of wondrous deep-sea animals. In Deep Vents you build your own living world on the sea floor. Each turn you pick a tile and add new life or a piece of landscape to your system. The tiles you skip are paid for with archaea, the coins of the game. After that you either grow your world or activate your tiles one by one. Growing means adding archaea, activating means spending them to attack neighbours, protect yourself or make your opponents' tiles unusable. Watch out if you are attacked and cannot hand over enough archaea, because then you are in trouble. Twice in the negative and you are out of the game. The battle ends when only one player is left, or after eight rounds. Whoever has collected the most points from archaea, shells and living tiles then wins. A game for anyone who loves sharp planning and just a little luck in the deep.