Forbidden Island is an exciting cooperative board game that immerses players in an exhilarating adventure to recover four ancient treasures from a rapidly sinking island.
In this race against time, players assume the roles of intrepid adventurers with unique abilities, each contributing to the team’s efforts. As the island sinks piece by piece, players must work together to collect the treasures, which are scattered across the island’s different locations, and then make a daring escape by helicopter.
The game’s tension builds as players strategize and race against the relentless rising waters that threaten to engulf the island.
Successful coordination and careful planning are essential, making Forbidden Island an engaging and challenging cooperative experience suitable for both seasoned gamers and newcomers alike.
What’s included in Forbidden Island
- Game board representing the island.
- Treasure cards, one for each treasure.
- Flood deck containing island tiles that represent the sinking island.
- Treasure deck with treasure cards, including the four treasures.
- Adventurer pawns and corresponding cards.
- Water level markers.
- Helicopter lift card.
- Special action cards.
How to play Forbidden Island
The goal of the game is to collect all four treasures and escape from the island using the helicopter landing pad before the island sinks entirely.
Setup
- Lay out the island tiles randomly on the game board to create the island.
- Shuffle the treasure cards and draw four to determine the locations of the treasures on the island.
- Shuffle the flood deck and place it face down. Draw a number of cards equal to the water level, flip them over, and place them on the corresponding island tiles.
- Each player chooses an adventurer pawn and takes the corresponding adventurer card. Place all pawns on the starting location, “Fool’s Landing.”
- Set the water level marker to the initial water level indicated in the rulebook.
Rules for Forbidden Island
Forbidden Island is played in turns, and each turn consists of three steps:
- Take up to 3 Actions:
- On your turn, you can take up to three actions, which may include:
- Moving to an adjacent tile.
- Giving a treasure card to another player on the same tile.
- Claiming a treasure if you have four matching treasure cards and are on the corresponding tile.
- Using a special action card.
- You can take the same action multiple times in a turn.
- On your turn, you can take up to three actions, which may include:
- Draw Treasure Cards:
- Draw two treasure cards from the treasure deck. If you draw a treasure card matching a treasure you haven’t collected, keep it.
- If you draw a “Waters Rise!” card, follow its instructions to increase the water level and shuffle the flood discard pile back into the flood deck. Then, draw the top cards from the flood deck equal to the water level and place them face up on the matching island tiles.
- Flood the Island:
- Draw cards from the flood deck equal to the current water level and flip them face up. These tiles are considered “flooded” and may eventually sink.
Winning and Losing: Players win “Forbidden Island” by collecting all four treasures and making it to Fool’s Landing. They lose if:
- The helicopter lift card is drawn, and the helicopter pad hasn’t been reached.
- A player can’t draw enough flood cards due to the flood deck running out.
- Fool’s Landing sinks.
- An adventurer is on a tile that sinks.
For the official rules, see the link below:
Adventurers in Forbidden Island
Here are the all the adventurers and their special abilities from the game:
- Diver (Pilot):
- Special Ability: The Diver can move through one or more adjacent flooded or missing tiles for a single action.
- Starting Location: Bronze Gate.
- Engineer (Engineer):
- Special Ability: The Engineer can shore up two tiles for a single action instead of one.
- Starting Location: Iron Gate.
- Explorer (Navigator):
- Special Ability: The Explorer can move other players up to two tiles away for one action each.
- Starting Location: Whispering Garden.
- Messenger (Messenger):
- Special Ability: The Messenger can give or receive treasure cards from a player anywhere on the island for one action each.
- Starting Location: Whispering Garden.
- Navigator (Navigator):
- Special Ability: The Navigator can move other players diagonally or orthogonally for one action each.
- Starting Location: Silver Gate.
- Pilot (Pilot):
- Special Ability: The Pilot can fly to any tile for a single action if it has been shored up.
- Starting Location: Bronze Gate.
- Scuba Diver (Diver):
- Special Ability: The Scuba Diver can move through one or more adjacent flooded or missing tiles for a single action.
- Starting Location: Iron Gate.
- Surveyor (Engineer):
- Special Ability: The Surveyor can shore up tiles from one tile away for one action.
- Starting Location: Copper Gate.
Tips to consider to escape the Forbidden Island!
· Communication is Key:
- Effective communication is vital. Discuss your moves, plans, and priorities openly with your fellow players.
- Coordinate actions and share information about your treasure cards to efficiently collect sets of four matching cards.
· Prioritize Treasure Collection:
- Focus on collecting treasure sets early in the game. These sets are necessary to win, so don’t delay gathering them.
- Share treasure cards with teammates when possible to accelerate the collection process.
· Keep Tiles Dry:
- Prioritize shoring up tiles that are one flip away from sinking. This prevents valuable tiles from being lost.
- Use the Engineer’s ability to shore up two tiles at once efficiently.
· Plan Your Movements:
- Plan your actions carefully to maximize efficiency. Consider your adventurer’s unique abilities when deciding which tasks to undertake.
- Move together as a team when necessary to share cards and maintain proximity for efficient treasure collection.
· Use Special Action Cards Wisely:
- Special action cards like “Sandbags” and “Helicopter Lift” can be game-changers. Use them strategically to avert disasters or quickly move across the island.
- Prioritize playing special action cards that mitigate imminent threats, such as flooding key tiles.
· Manage Water Level Progressively:
- Keep an eye on the water level marker. As the game progresses, the water level increases, making the island sink faster.
- Adjust your priorities as the water level rises, focusing on shoring up critical tiles and planning your escape route.
· Adapt to Evolving Circumstances:
- Be flexible and adapt to the changing island. Priorities may shift as tiles flood and the island’s layout transforms.
- Anticipate potential problems and plan proactively to counter them.
· Don’t Delay Escape:
- Once you have collected all four treasures, consider making your escape as soon as possible. Staying too long may lead to an unwinnable situation.
- Use the Helicopter Lift card strategically to ensure that all adventurers can reach Fool’s Landing for a swift exit.
· Learn from Your Mistakes:
- “Forbidden Island” rewards experience. If you lose a game, reflect on what went wrong and how you can improve your strategy for the next attempt.
- Adjust your approach based on lessons learned in previous games.
· Adjust Difficulty Level:
- “Forbidden Island” offers different difficulty levels. If you find the game too challenging, start with the Novice setting and gradually increase the difficulty as you become more experience