How to play

Game Contents:

4 play location holders
4 spare equipment holders
4 plastic boats
2 decks of cards
4 fish matrices
140 tokens
1 set of game rules

Each person has a Fish Matrix, a Boat, a Play Location Holder, a portion of Tokens and a Spare Equipment Holder. The Play Location holder has slots in it to hold the rod, line, hook and bait that you are actually fishing with. These are all represented by the appropriate card.

The Spare Equipment Holder also has slots to hold your spare equipment cards. That is, any equipment cards that are not being played in the Play Location holder. There are maximum limits on equipment.

Your Fish Matrix tells you which Rod, Line, Hook and Bait or Lure combination that you will need to catch the fish of your choice and it also displays the value each fish is worth. Use the tokens to mark off which fish you have caught or have been caught by other players.

Players take turns flipping a card over from the Card Deck Pile. It might be a Fish Card, Bait Card, Equipment Card or a Surprise Card. Depending on what type of card is picked up determines what a player can do with that card. If its a fish card that matches their rod, line and bait combination then they have caught that fish and it goes into their boat. They may be able to add to their arsenal of equipment or stockpile of bait. Or they may pick up a surprise card which can be good or bad! If the player can't use the fish card then it goes into the "Sea of Fish" scattered around the Card Deck Pile. If players can remember where a particular card went in the Sea of Fish then they can pick it up from there instead.

At any one time you may fish with two Rods, Lines, Hooks and Baits or a Lure. At the same time you may have your Net and Lobster Pot out in the Play Location Holder. The Net catches and Lobster catches also have slots in the Play Location Holder for these cards to be placed in. Only the fish caught on a Rod are placed in your Boat.

The game continues until either all the fish are caught, a preset points quota is met or a pre-determined fish combination has been caught by any one player. The winner is the player who is first to achieve each goal in each game scenario.

Game Dynamic Of Tacklebox™

Tacklebox™ is a game that can be played as an individual competing against other players or it can be played in teams versus other teams. Below is the game dynamic for individual play and we will be posting on this website the game dynamic for Team play shortly.

Individual Team Play

1. Your game strategy and tactics will depend on what type of game finish you choose. There are 3 possible game finishes

Quota option where you agree on a given number of points and the first to reach this number of points wins. The kind of fish you catch is not important, the value is. This has a game play of 10 to 20 minutes depending on the value of points chosen.
Select a number of targeted fish that have to be caught. An easy rule of thumb to the number of fish to be caught is 2 x the number of players plus 1. This option involves targeting certain fish and it can be extended to individuals selecting their own targeted fish groups, this is a more advanced game and requires another level of strategy and tactics from the players. This has a game play of 20 to 40 minutes or longer depending of the number targeted.
Fish everything that is in the Sea of Fish and count who have the most points. This has a game play of +40 minutes.

2. Then you have to choose how you deal with the end of the Card Pile:

Pick up all the fish in the Sea of Fish and put into the Discard Pile and then shuffle the card deck. This introduces a greater level of luck to win the game.
Only shuffle the Discard Pile. This puts more emphasis on the strategy and tactics required to win the game.

3. Once you have chosen the above you then can decide on what equipment Rod, Line, Hook combination you want (you can use your Fish Matrix to help you) and the corresponding bait or lure option. This will allow you to get ready to fish.

4. You can also choose to fish with Nets and Lobster pots at any time but there are associated risks with this option. Watch out for surprises!

5. You are also able to use Net catches as bait but you will forgo the point value of this card if you choose to use it as bait. The player will also need to be able to recognise their fish types so they can put the correct bait on their chosen Rod, Line, and Hook combination.

6. The player has 3 choices to play from.

They can pick up an equipment card from the Discard Pile and build up their equipment levels. This is the lowest risk option.
They can pick up a card from the Sea of Fish. Note certain surprise cards are also in the Sea of Fish so beware! This is a medium risk option.
They can chance a card from the Card Pile which is the highest risk option and this could involve receiving,
1. Equipment card
2. Fish card
3. Bait card
4. Favourable or unfavourable surprise card

7. There are a number of Surprise Cards which add to the risk and strategic advantage you will have over other players.

Hot Tips for Tacklebox™ Players

Game Basics:

Managing the Card Deck: Make sure you shuffle the 110 cards very well before you play your first game of Tacklebox™. This is because the cards are put in the deck by their group types, which allows you to quickly get acquainted with the different card types in Tacklebox™. So to get the deck ready for your game it is important that you evenly distribute the card types throughout the deck. Then shuffle the deck as you would normally do.

Game Choices: You will need to make the following choices before you start the game:

Choose what type of game end you are playing to as this sets the length of the game and the strategies & tactics you will use in the game.
Choose when you come to the end of the Card Pile if you are going to pick up the Sea of Fish and shuffle with the Discard Pile or just leave the Sea of Fish where it is? Leaving the Sea of fish gives you a more strategic game while picking up the Sea of Fish cards and shuffling with the Discard Pile cards gives you a more luck orientated game.

Remembering your Fishing Combination: Once you have set your line combination, from your Fish Matrix, then put your bait card as the upper most card in the Play Location Holder. This allows you to see the bait you are fishing with at all times. From this point on you do not have to remember your fishing combination because any player flipping over a Fish Card must announce the type of fish that has surfaced and what bait is required to catch this fish i.e. Blue Marlin, bait is Tuna or Lure. Remember before you can put your catch into your boat another player will check your line combination and see if it is correct. This combination is written on the Fish Card.

Remembering where you put that fish in the Sea of Fish Location: If you pick up a Fish Card that you want to catch but do not have the right combination then create in the Sea of Fish a favourite fishing spot of yours. Don’t tell anyone of course! How do you do this? Just as in real fishing when you have found a real good spot where you want to come back to, then you take some coordinates i.e. place the card down relative to something in your possession that does not move such as your Fishing Matrix, your Play Location Card Holder, or another card you have your eye on in the Sea of Fish. You can cross one card over the other or make the cards ends touch, be imaginative and create your own special fishing spot. But remember like in real fishing others will come to your spot and have a look!!!! Tip: All you have to remember is the bait to catch that fish.

Use Net catches as Bait Cards: If you know your fish types well enough then you can use a Net Catch card in replacement of a Bait Card. But you will have to look closely at what fish types are caught in the net. Remember if you use your Net Catch card as bait then you will forgo the point total of that card if you catch a fish as with bait you will have to return your Net Catch card to the Discard Pile on catching a fish.

Playing Tacklebox™ with Kids under 8 yrs: Here are some great ideas from avid Tacklebox™ families who have children under 8 years of age that love playing Tacklebox™.

Sometimes the Sea of Fish is a bit daunting for the younger ones and so a possible option is to create the Sea of Fish without turning over the Fish Card when you place it down i.e. the type of Fish is always seen. This allows the younger one to eye up the fish they are looking for and just concentrate on getting the Rod, Line, Hook and Bait combination correct. The Fish Matrix will be important for them. If they are very young then discard the need for the correct Fish Matrix combination and just start to teach them that they can use any Rod, Line, and Hook but must have the correct Bait for that fish. This can be still very enjoyable for them and the rest of the family.
If the younger one cannot manage the Play Location Holder because it is placed too far from them then just take the Play Location Holder away and allow them to put their combinations flat on the table with the Bait Card being uppermost.

Strategies & Tactics Section:

Basic strategy and advanced and complex strategy and tactics models will in time be offered on this web site. So watch this space.

Super Competitive Gaming of Tacklebox™

If you enjoy a highly competitive game then try an extension to Option 2 Game Finish in Tacklebox™. Option 2 Game Finish is where your focus is on fishing for particular types of fish. Just as in real life, people go out to catch only certain types of fish and this is will be their strategy for the day. In this case if you have 4 players then each player chooses 8 fish horizontally along the Fish Matrix. Use round tokens to mark off catches of your selected fish and use rectangular tokens on fish that other players have caught. This allows all players to know who is winning and adjust their fishing strategies accordingly. The player to catch the most fish in their selection wins the game. Note: you will find that other players will strategically catch your own selection of fish or mistakenly fish you out of the game. Good luck and remember to be a sportsperson!