WTF: (What the Fish!) Game Rules

What is WTF: (What the Fish!)?

If you love fishing and you love a challenge, then WTF: (What the Fish!) is the game for you!

In this crazy game, you’ll play as a fisherman trying to catch as many fish as possible. But here’s the twist: the fish are sneaky and always shifting around!

How to Play

To play WTF: (What the Fish!), you’ll need the game board, fishing rods, and fish cards. Each player will choose a fishing rod and get ready to fish!

Now, place the fish cards face down on the game board. When it’s your turn, you’ll use your fishing rod to try and catch a fish. Simply lift up one fish card and see what you’ve caught!

There are different types of fish you can catch, and each one has a unique value. Some fish are worth more points than others, so try to catch the most valuable fish!

But be careful! The fish are always on the move. The game board has rotating sections, so the fish cards will shift around. This adds an extra challenge to the game, as you’ll never know exactly where the fish are hiding!

Scoring

After each player has taken their turn, it’s time to score! Add up the points for each fish you’ve caught. The player with the most points wins the game!

You can play WTF: (What the Fish!) with 2-4 players, and it’s suitable for ages 5 and up. It’s a fun and exciting game that will keep you guessing until the very end!

When I play this game, I don’t have to wait for my turn. I can play my cards onto the discard pile whenever I want.

I only draw cards if I choose to use the Flint Flush rule later on.

How the Game Begins

First, the dealer puts the remaining cards (draw pile) in the middle of the playing area. Then, they say “What the Fish!” to let everyone know it’s time to pick up and look at their cards.

If I’m the fastest player to place a FISH card face up on the table, I get to start the game by creating the discard pile.

Fish: The Key to Winning

If you want to win this game, you’ve got to make sure your FISH card stays alive. It’s the only way to come out on top. But how do you do that? Well, it’s all about playing your cards at the right time. There are three crucial moments when you can play your FISH card:

1. Start of Play: Right at the beginning, when the game kicks off.
2. After a Dead FISH: When another player’s FISH has met its end, you’ve got a chance to jump in.
3. When someone plays a Beaver Buddha WTF card: Keep an eye out for this move, because it’s your opportunity to strike.

Remember, you can only play one FISH card at a time, so choose wisely!

Take Down a Fish: The Red Cards

If your opponents play one or more KILL cards whose combined value is higher than your FISH card’s rank, your poor FISH is a goner. It’s a real cliffhanger! But there’s hope: you can save your FISH if you can beat their KILL cards.

Here’s the catch – all your opponents can contribute KILL cards to take down your FISH. So, be ready for a tough fight!

Safeguard the Fish: The Green Cards

Don’t worry, there’s a way to protect your FISH. You can play one or more protection cards that have a greater value than the KILL cards played on your FISH. It’s like having a shield!

So, here’s the deal if you want to kill a fish. You can play additional KILL cards on top of any protection cards, but the value of those KILL cards has to be higher than the value of the protection cards you just played.

If you want to save your fish instead, you can play WTF cards. These cards might get you some more protection cards, which can be pretty helpful (you can read more about WTF cards below).

The Sad Fate of Dead Fish

If you can’t save your fish, it’s game over. You have to put your hand face down on the table and dramatically declare, “Belly up, my fish is dead!” It’s a tough moment.

But here’s a twist – when your fish dies, any player can throw a new fish onto the discard pile and try to swim to freedom. Just to make things interesting.

Oh, and one more thing – you can’t hold onto any fish separately from your hand, all sneaky-like, just so you can be the first one to slap down a new fish. Gotta keep things fair, you know?

The Resilience of Flint Fish

If I find myself without any FISH in my hand, I can do a really cool move called “Flint Flush.” I’ll shout it out to let everyone know what’s happening, and then I’ll reveal my cards to the other players. After that, I’ll put my cards at the bottom of the discard pile and draw a fresh hand of 7 cards from the draw pile. If there are only 2 of us playing, then I’ll draw 10 cards instead.

Now, let’s talk about the super awesome WTF Cards, also known as Purple Cards. These cards are special because I can play them anytime during the game. All I have to do is place one of these cards face up on the table and announce how I want to use it. Once I’ve used the card, it goes to the bottom of the discard pile.

Here are a few examples of WTF Cards and what they can do:

– Muggen. Croc: This card lets me randomly take 2 cards from another player. It’s like stealing, but in a friendly way, of course.

– Snappen Snatch: With this card, I can totally switch my entire hand with another player’s hand. It’s like a magic trick!

– Mrs. Crobits: This card lets me sneak a peek at another player’s hand. It’s like being a detective, but without the detective hat.

– WTF Tax: This card lets me take 1 FISH card from another player. I get to choose which one I want, so it’s like being a really sneaky tax collector.

So, next time you play the game and find yourself without any FISH, don’t worry! Just shout out “Flint Flush” and do your special move. And if you’re lucky enough to have a WTF Card, you can surprise everyone with some magical tricks. Have fun and enjoy the game!

BenFadklft/TmeT&vdleh: Press this button to undo the last action you took. If you played a card, it will be turned face down on the table until the current FISH freedom swim is over. Communist Manfifaj&: Take a card from one player and give it to another player without looking at it. Remember, you can’t give it to yourself unless there are only two players in the game. The Elvis Effect: Pick up a dead FISH card from the discard pile and add it to your hand. Just make sure it’s not the FISH that is currently being played. Beaven Buddha: End your turn without any result. Any player can now place a new FISH card on the discard pile.

No Fish

If no one wants to play a FISH card, all players must show their hands, and the player with the highest-ranking FISH card must play it.

Empty Draw Pile

If the draw pile ever runs out of cards, you’ll need to gather all the discarded cards (except for the FISH card that’s in play and any KILL cards played on it) and shuffle them together to create a new draw pile.

The Game’s End

Now, here’s how the game comes to a close: If a player manages to play a FISH card to the discard pile, and no opponent can play a KILL card on it, that player’s FISH is safe, and they have officially won the game!

Let’s Take a Look at an Example of Game Play:

Picture this: The dealer exclaims, “What the Fish!” Player A, being the fastest, instantly checks her cards and finds an #8 FISH card. Swiftly, she places it down on the table.

Meanwhile, Player B throws down a #4 KILL card and a #6 KILL card (which adds up to a total greater than 8).

Not to be outdone, Player A counters with her #11 PROTECTION card, which surpasses the 10 KILL cards thrown by Player B.

And, last but not least, Player C plays his only KILL card, a #9, hoping that another player has a KILL card to contribute, resulting in a combined total that surpasses Player A’s #11 PROTECTION card.

So, here’s what happened. I was playing this game with my friends, and things got pretty intense. Let me break it down for you.

It all started when Player A played a card called WTF. Yeah, you heard that right. And get this, it said “Swap Entire Hand with Another Player.” So, Player A decided to switch hands with Player C. Talk about a power move.

But then, Player B came in with a #13 KILL card. The thing was, the total number needed to kill was 22. Player A didn’t have enough PROTECTION cards to beat that score, nor did she have any WTF cards to help her out. So, you know what she said? “Belly up, my fish is dead!”

But just when we thought it was over, Player C swooped in with a FISH card, number 11. That was a close call for Player A.

Player A wasn’t ready to give up just yet. She played her only KILL card, number 13. It was a risky move, but she had to try.

Player C, on the other hand, had no more FISH cards in their hand. So, what did they do? They went for a Flint Flush. Now, that’s a bold strategy.

The game kept going, and we played round after round, trying to kill the fish. But eventually, there came a point where we couldn’t kill any more fish. And you know what they say, when you can’t kill a fish, the game’s done.