In Endeavor: Deep Sea, you lead a Research Institute traveling to the far reaches of the ocean, working on projects that will maintain the fragile balance of the aquatic ecosystem. Fans of Endeavor: Age of Sail will recognize a familiar system of mechanics, but even those new to the game will quickly pick up on the accessible rule set balanced with critical decision-making.
Each game of Endeavor: Deep Sea uses a different challenging scenario that informs how you approach the game. Scenario sheets include the starting setup of the ocean map, your endgame scoring goals, and a unique Impact board where you will mark progress and unlock valuable bonuses. The modular ocean boards will get added throughout the game, but it will always be a surprise when they come out and how the ocean is constructed. No two games will ever be the same, forcing you to adjust your strategies to the challenges you’re facing.
Over the course of six rounds, you improve your attributes of Reputation, Inspiration, Coordination, and Ingenuity. The better your status in each attribute, the more effectively you will be able to perform the associated action and the more endgame points you will earn.
Rounds begin with each player hiring a new Specialist in turn order. Specialists (including a variety of Divers, Scientists, and Engineers) each have specific skills that can help you complete your mission. Most of them come with an immediate boost to one or more of your attribute tracks. They also usually provide you with one or more actions that you can take advantage of during the action phase. With a higher reputation, you will attract Specialists of increasing skill. Throughout the game, Specialists can be flipped to their upgraded sides, unlocking new skills and attribute boosts.
Next you will gain new discs based on your position on your Inspiration track. Discs represent effort in the game; you will need them to activate your specialists and to represent your presence in the ocean zones. After that you will clear discs from your Specialists based on your position on the Coordination track. Developing the last attribute, Ingenuity, allows you to travel further and deeper into the sea and unlocks new vessels for you as you advance.
The final phase of each round is the Action phase. You’ll activate your Specialists to perform different tasks, like traveling to already-known zones, discovering new areas of the ocean, diving to gain valuable research, performing conservation efforts to protect the sea, and publishing critical journals. As new zones are revealed there can be a race to arrive there and perform actions. Deciding how you spend your time at sea and how you divide your resources is critical to the success of your mission.
Each game of Endeavor: Deep Sea unfolds differently. Each Scenario has different scoring criteria, and the way the ocean reveals itself differently as you add new tiles to the board will keep you looking for new and effective strategies.
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