Official Jaws Rules
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Objective: The game is played in two acts. In Act 1, the objective is to locate and tag the shark three times before it destroys too many swimmers. In Act 2, the objective is to defeat the shark before it sinks the boat or eliminates the crew.
Components
1 Double-sided game board (Amity Island on one side, The Orca on the other)
3 Crew character boards
1 Shark board
16 Ability cards (8 for the crew, 8 for the shark)
16 Equipment cards
3 Dice
5 Boat tiles
4 Character movers
2 Boat movers
1 Shark mover
1 Beach closed token
4 Resurface tokens
8 Seal tokens
3 Tracking tokens
1 Round tracker
40 Swimmer tokens
1 Reference sheet
4 Player screens
1 Rulebook
Setup
Act 1: Amity Island
Set Up the Board: Place the Amity Island side of the game board in the center of the table.
Place Swimmer Tokens: Shuffle the swimmer tokens and place three face-up on each of the four beaches (North, South, East, West).
Character and Shark Movers: Place Brody at the Police Station, Hooper at the Docks, Quint at the Orca, and the Shark in the ocean area (this is hidden from the other players).
Character and Shark Boards: Each player takes their corresponding board and ability cards. The shark player also takes the shark board.
Equipment Cards: The crew draws equipment cards as indicated on their boards.
Set Up Tokens and Markers: Place the round tracker on the first round space and the tracking tokens nearby.
Gameplay
Act 1: Amity Island
Shark Phase:
The shark secretly chooses a movement location on the board and eats any swimmers in that area.
The shark player writes down their movement and the number of swimmers eaten on the shark board.
Crew Phase:
Brody, Hooper, and Quint take turns performing up to four actions each.
Actions include moving, rescuing swimmers, picking up equipment, and closing beaches.
The objective is to use their abilities to locate and tag the shark three times.
Act 2: The Orca
Set Up the Board: Once the shark has been tagged three times or a certain number of swimmers have been eaten (as per the shark player’s choice), flip the game board to The Orca side.
Place Boat Tiles: Place the boat tiles on the board, starting with the center tile and then adding the surrounding tiles.
Place Character and Shark Movers: Place the crew on the boat and the shark in the water around the boat.
Gameplay
Act 2: The Orca
Equipment Phase:
The crew draws additional equipment cards.
Shark Phase:
The shark secretly chooses a location to resurface using the resurface tokens.
Crew Phase:
The crew attacks the shark using dice rolls based on their equipment and location on the boat.
Resolution Phase:
The shark reveals its location, and damage is applied to the boat and the crew.
The shark also attacks the boat and the crew.
End of Game
Act 1Â ends when the shark is tagged three times or eats nine swimmers. If the shark is tagged three times, the crew gains an advantage in Act 2. If the shark eats nine swimmers, it gains an advantage in Act 2.
Act 2Â ends when:
The shark’s health is reduced to zero (crew wins).
The boat is completely destroyed, or all crew members are eliminated (shark wins).
Tips and Strategies
For the Shark: Stay hidden and strategically choose when to reveal your location. Focus on eating swimmers early on to gain an advantage in Act 2.
For the Crew: Use teamwork and communication to narrow down the shark’s location. Balance rescuing swimmers with finding and tagging the shark.
Jaws: The Game offers a thrilling and suspenseful experience, with asymmetric gameplay that keeps players on the edge of their seats.