Distress in the lifeboat

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Save yourself who can / distress in the lifeboat
Game data
author Ronald Wettering
graphic Matthias Catrein (2006)
publishing company Walter Müller's Spielewerkstatt (1993),
Argentum Verlag (2006),
Z-Man Games (2006)
Publishing year 1993, 2006
Art Board game
Teammates 3 to 6
Duration 90 minutes and more
Age from 10 years on

Awards

German Games Prize 1994: 5th place

Save yourself who can is a board game that was released in 1993 by Walter Müller's Spielewerkstatt . In 2006 a newly illustrated edition was published as distress in a lifeboat by Argentum Verlag and an English version as Lifeboats by Z-Man Games .

Game objective

The players try to get as many of their sailors and helmsmen as possible to safety on one of the three islands. But not every lifeboat arrives, and not all islands are equally good. There are points for every rescued sailor and helmsman. The number of points depends on the island on which the pawn landed. The game is over as soon as there are no figures left in lifeboats on the open sea. The player with the most points wins.

Game flow

The game is played in rounds, with the starting player changing clockwise after each round. A boat gets a leak in every round of the game. With the help of the voting cards in the colors of the boats and playing figures, all players vote face-down on which boat is affected. Each leak occupies one place in the lifeboat. If there is no more free space, a pawn has to leave the boat and is out of the game. All players with pawns in the affected boat vote (again face down) who the unlucky one is. A player has as many votes as he has pawns in the boat concerned. There are even two votes for a helmsman.

Next, all players vote (again face down) which boat will move one space in the direction of the saving islands. The boat with the most votes is moved on the game board. When a boat reaches an island, the figures in it are placed on the corresponding island. The boat comes out of the game.

The last action in a game round is to switch. Beginning with the starting player, each player must let a pawn get out of a lifeboat. It is possible that a player cannot let a pawn get off because only one pawn per boat is allowed to get off. Then the players let their pieces get back on in reverse order, whereby the seats in the front lifeboats are of course very popular. A pawn that can no longer get on because pawns are not allowed to board the boat from which they got off is removed from the game.

Before the next round begins, it is checked whether all lifeboats are buoyant. If a boat has more leaks than figures on board (who skim the water), the boat sinks. The boat is removed from the game with all of the game figures in it.

In all votes, the players have the option of playing one of the three captain cards as an alternative to the boat card. If he is the only player who has played a captain card, he alone can determine the result of the vote. If several captain cards have been played, these cancel each other out. Captain cards are removed from the game after use.

target group

Lifeboat Distress is a simple, fun game with lots of communication and interaction. It is suitable for casual gamers and frequent gamers alike. However, players in need of harmony should keep their hands off it.

Furnishing

The equipment is high quality. Boats, pawns and holes are made of wood.

  • 1 game board
  • 1 starting player piece
  • 7 lifeboats
  • 30 sailors (5 per player)
  • 12 helmsmen (2 per player)
  • 15 holes / leak
  • 42 voting cards (7 per player)
  • 18 captain cards (3 per player)

Web links