Forgotten Waters Preview: The Planning Phase
Here We Are, Now What Do We Do?
Thanks for followin’ along on our preview voyage through Forgotten Waters, Plaid Hat’s newest Crossroads masterpiece, comin’ out this April. Today we’ll be takin’ a gander at the Planning Phase - the fastest phase you’ll ever see.
So You Find Yourselves in Some Ruins
Imagine it - you and the crew of yer ship have landed upon a deserted island, only to discover some ancient ruins. Perhaps the ruins are a random destination you just happened to stumble across, or perhaps they’re a location critical to yer scenario? Either way, you’ll want to poke around, and that’s where the Planning Phase comes in!
The Planning Phase couldn’t be simpler! Remember our previous article on infamy? During the Planning Phase, players take turns, in infamy order, placing their pirates on one of the actions available at a location. As you can see from the example above, there are 7 different choices when visiting ruins.
“Easy!” I hear you cry. “That ain’t nothin’.” Well shut yer traps, ‘cause it ain’t that easy! You see, the Forgotten Waters app has a timer, and when the Planning Phase starts, that timer starts countin’ down. You’ve all got 40 seconds to select yer action, so there’s no time to read every little option. If you run out of time before everyone’s chosen their action, then the crew on yer ship are gonna get testy, and will be one step closer to mutiny. Best to think fast!
But don’t worry, matey, you won’t be flyin’ blind. Each of the possible actions has a few handy symbols to give you some idea of what the action is good fer.
Signs of Things to Come
Each action has an icon showing game pawns to their left. This tells you how many players can choose that action in a round. As you can see below, any number of players can work the ship while it's anchored near the ruins, while only one player can report to the cap’n for a special mission.
Notice those symbols under Work the Ship? Those give you an idea of what can happen to you while completing that action. When those symbols are black like those here, it means you have a chance to improve yer stats or gain precious resources. See that skull and crossbones? That means choosing Work the Hull might earn you infamy. The other symbols tell you the hull and supplies might increase, or you might improve your Navigation stat, or even get treasure! If any of those symbols are white, that tells you might also have to complete a test of the stat shown.
See that ominous question mark under Captain’s Quarters? That’s right. Lads and lasses choosin’ that option have no idea what kind of shenanigans they might get into, so beware!
Special Actions
In addition to the icons showing if an action can be chosen by one or multiple players, there are two other possible types: locked and and required actions!
Some actions will lock because of somethin’ yer crew has done, or they might be locked because you need somethin’ special to unlock it. These actions will have a locked token placed on them, showin’ not even the saltiest of sea dogs can select it.
Worse, some actions are required! When you see the dreaded required icon, that means exactly 1 player MUST choose that action, and often those required actions are less than kind. Having a higher infamy than the other players will ensure you get to choose more rewarding actions, leaving the required actions for those of lesser standing. Of course, you could always be a pal and take the required action fer the good of the ship and the other players. You could. I mean, it’s totally a valid option. For suckers!
Adventure is Comin’!
Arrr, the release of Forgotten Waters is right around the corner! Pre-order yer copy now and get free shippin’ in the 48 contigious states. It’s not a required action, so you know it’s the right move!
