
- BGG rank
- BGG #17,014
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Runes of Zun
- 2–4 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2020

2023
Rules assistance for Last Fish!
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Last Fish! is a board game released in 2023 for 2–6 players, 10–60 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Rico Connolly and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Player Elimination, and Interrupts.
The Great Pond is a world of myths, mystery, political intrigue and turmoil, ageless myths and budding legends, and of course, the magically-inclined fish called whiskers! In the Whiskers universe, species of koi and catfish experienced rapid evolution many centuries ago after a world-changing magic spell was cast to return life to the world. At that time, a global catastrophe had nearly wiped away nearly all the living things in the world, but one very old wizard still lived. That wizard sacrificed himself to bring life back to the barren world, creating the whiskers and imbuing them with some of his magical powers in the process. After generations of building, the whiskers have blossomed into several different cultures, societies, and nations. To begin, each player becomes an adventuring fish-person, known as a Whisker, living in the world of The Great Pond. Players represent themselves with one of several CHAMPIONS, each representing powerful, famous, infamous, or otherwise well-known whiskers of the pond. Whiskers themselves are huge fans of the game Last Fish! and often play to settle disputes, place bets, win glory, or otherwise pass the time. The game itself is based around some of the spells, skills, items, and locations that might be encountered during one’s travels through The Great Pond. The game uses two main decks, the Draw Deck and the Encounter Deck. The cards in the Encounter Deck represent random events that a CHAMPION might face when adventuring in the world of The Great Pond. They have the unique ability to affect a myriad of players all at once, and their effects are not always good. ENCOUNTER cards include events like monster attacks, finding items, exploring locations, etc. that can drastically alter the game at any moment. Each CHAMPION, all of whom start with 3 HEARTS (health points – represented by 3 HEART cards), draw from both decks at the beginning of their turns. To win, you have to reduce the HP of all other CHAMPIONS to 0.
Last Fish! supports 2–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Last Fish! is 10–60 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 Last Fish! for ages 8 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.
Last Fish! has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Last Fish! belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Party Game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Player Elimination, and Interrupts. 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 Last Fish! are: Rico Connolly. 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 Last Fish! 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.