- BGG rank
- BGG #10,120
- BGG rating
- 6.6
IUNU
- 2–4 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2013
- BGG rank
- BGG #21,319
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Aether Captains: The Search
2011
Rules assistance for Aether Captains: The Search
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 20 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.6/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Aether Captains: The Search
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Aether Captains: The Search is a board game released in 2011 for 2 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Todd Sanders and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Point to Point Movement, and Area Majority / Influence.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #21,386
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Serica: Plains of Dust
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 2011
- BGG rank
- BGG #20,846
- BGG rating
- 6.0
Six Sons of the Sultan
- 1–2 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #9,223
- BGG rating
- 6.3
The Maiden in the Forest
- 1 player
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2015
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,193
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Mr. Cabbagehead's Garden
- 1–2 players
- 10–20 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #22,596
- BGG rating
- 6.2
Aether Captains: Capek Golems
- 2 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2011
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,511
- BGG rating
- 6.3
The Draugr
- 1 player
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #22,416
- BGG rating
- 8.1
Knights of the Pond Table
- 2–4 players
- 20–40 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2026
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,841
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Tacta
- 2–6 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2025
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,414
- BGG rating
- 6.1
BOO
- 2 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #18
- BGG rating
- 8.4
The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2024
- BGG rank
- BGG #15,214
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Shadows Upon Lassadar
- 1 player
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2011
About the game
The Search is a game of evade and capture for two players taking place in the Aether Captains world of Arkady. One player, the criminal, must visit three marked map cards committing a heinous crime at each location. The other player takes on the role of the Watch & Ward, the court police force of Val Justinia, and must surround the criminal with their police officers and barricades. Needed to Play: The game deck consisting of 20 map cards, 17 blue game cards for the police and 17 gray for the criminal. 1 criminal pawn and 3 crime scene markers (suggested color: black), 4 police pawns and 3 barricade markers (suggested color: blue), and 2 closed sewer markers (suggested color: yellow). Play: A player’s turn consists of 3 possible actions. Players may do any one action or all of them during their turn, and may do the first two actions in any order. The third action, drawing cards, is always done last: • Move a pawn one card orthogonally in distance (the police player will move only 1 pawn on a turn). tThe criminal player cannot move onto any map card occupied by a police pawn or on to any map card with a barricade marker on it. • Play a card, discarding it beside the player’s draw deck. When the draw deck is exhausted, shuffle the discard deck and create a new draw deck. • Draw back to 3 cards in your hand at the end of a turn. Win: The criminal wins by either placing a marker at each of the three crime scenes or by wounding all 4 police officers. The police win by surrounding the criminal on all orthogonal sides with police pawns, barricades or the edges of the 5x4 map. (example if the criminal pawn is on one corner of the map the police can surround the criminal with pawns, or barricades, on the 2 adjacent orthogonal cards).
Designers
Publishers
- (Self-Published)
- (Web published)
Questions and answers
Aether Captains: The Search supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Aether Captains: The Search is 20 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Aether Captains: The Search for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Aether Captains: The Search has a complexity rating of 1.6 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Aether Captains: The Search belongs to these categories: Card Game, Print & Play, and Murder / Mystery. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Point to Point Movement, and Area Majority / Influence. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Aether Captains: The Search are: Todd Sanders. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Aether Captains: The Search as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.