Photo: BCD Jeux, partner shopTabletop games
Finspan
MatagotDavid Gordon (I), Michael O'Connell (II)2025
- players
- 1–5
- minutes
- 60
- years
- 10+
In the box
5 Ocean boards · 1 board and 9 objective tiles · 125 Fish cards and 10 starting fish · 30 divers (6 per colour) · 90 egg/hatchling tokens · 40 School tokens · 1 score booklet
Official rules (publisher's site)
Box details
- Designers
- David Gordon (I), Michael O'Connell (II)
- Artwork
- Catalina Martinez, Ana Maria Martinez Jaramillo, Mesa Schumacher
- Publisher
- Matagot
- Mechanics
- Hand ManagementOnce-Per-Game AbilitiesSolo PlayTags
- Expansions
- Finspan: Requins et Récifs · 2026
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
BCD Jeuxin stock (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)Philibertsearch for the game (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
Affiliate link: Marquoir may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
The basics
Each player fills their ocean over 4 weeks of 6 turns to finish with the most points. On your turn, place a diver to play a fish from your hand by paying its cost (cards, eggs, young or a shorter fish to consume), or to dive down one of the 3 columns of your ocean, gaining the bonuses of occupied zones and the brown effects of the fish you pass; three young on the same slot form a school. At the end of weeks 1 to 3, score the week’s achievement. After the fourth, add the yellow effects, the points on visible fish, 1 point per consumed fish, per egg and per young, and 6 per school; in a tie, the most fish cards in hand wins.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
1 to 5 players, 6 divers each, Hand of 3, face up
- 1 to 5 players, ages 10 and up. Each player takes an ocean mat and the 6 divers of their colour.
- Place 1 egg on each of the 2 printed forage fish meant for it and 1 young on the marked space. The forage fish are the 3 fish printed on the ocean mat.
- Each player receives 2 random starter fish and draws 3 fish cards; their hand stays face up, known to everyone.
- Achievement board: side A whenever a player is new to the game; otherwise side A or side B, where the achievement for each of the first three weeks is drawn at random. The first player is chosen at random.
How to play
4 weeks of 6 turns, Play a fish, Or dive
- The game lasts 4 weeks of 6 turns: on each turn, place one of your 6 divers to play a fish or to dive.
- Playing a fish: pay its cost (cards from your hand to discard, eggs or young to remove from your ocean, or a shorter fish to consume), then place it on a slot of a zone where it can live, and in the dive site of its colour if it has one. Its “when played” effects apply at once.
- Cards paid go face up into the player’s personal discard pile, which everyone may look at.
- Consuming a fish means covering it with a longer fish: the consumed fish stays underneath, and its eggs, young and schools move onto the new one.
- Diving: move a diver down one of the 3 columns of your ocean, row by row, always to the bottom. You gain each zone’s bonus if you have at least one fish in that zone of the column, and the “if activated” (brown) effects of the fish you pass.
- The first of your divers to reach the bottom of a column during the week also gains that column’s bottom bonus; the next ones do not.
- As soon as three young share the same slot, they form a school (only one school per slot).
- End of weeks 1 to 3: each player scores the week’s achievement, takes back their divers, and the first-player token passes to the left.
Scoring
6 points per school, 1 per egg and per young, 1 per fish consumed
- The achievements of weeks 1 to 3 are recorded as the game goes on; with side B, the player or players who score the most that week gain 3 extra points.
- At the end of the game, add the points of the “game end” (yellow) effects of the fish in your ocean, but not those of consumed fish.
- Then the points printed on visible fish, never on consumed fish.
- 1 point per consumed fish, card or forage fish printed on the mat.
- 1 point per egg and 1 point per young.
- 6 points per school.
- Example from the rulebook: 3 points of “game end” effects, 46 printed points, 4 consumed fish, 7 eggs and young and 3 schools make 78 points, to be added to the achievements already recorded.
End of the game
After the 4th week, Highest total, Tie: cards in hand
- The game ends after the fourth week: first apply the “game end” effects that do not score points, then score.
- The highest total wins. If scores are level, whichever tied player holds more fish cards in hand takes the win; otherwise, they share the victory.
House rules and pitfalls
If the shared deck runs out, everyone’s discard piles are mixed into a fresh deck…
- If the shared deck runs out, everyone’s discard piles are mixed into a fresh deck (an official variant lets each player hold back one card of their own discard).
- A school once formed never turns back into young; some costs, however, ask you to discard a school from your ocean.
- The solo game is played against an automated opponent, the Nautoma, described in its own rulebook.
- In Marquoir, the sheet follows the rulebook’s final scoring: enter the points for achievements, “game end” effects and visible fish, then the number of consumed fish, of eggs and young together, and of schools; the counter adds it all up. The game’s score pad lists eggs and young separately, both worth 1 point each: just add the two together.
Going further
Rules on video · In the same family
Rules on video
Videos in French, hosted on YouTube.