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- BGG rank
- BGG #18,591
- BGG rating
- 5.8
King's Blood
- 1–6 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 1.2/5
- 2003
- BGG rank
- BGG #9,607
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Mermaid Rain
2003
Rules assistance for Mermaid Rain
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–6 players
- 45 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.2/5
For 3 players
Rules assistant for Mermaid Rain
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Mermaid Rain is a board game released in 2003 for 3–6 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Keiji Kariya and Hitoshi Yasuda and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Tile Placement.
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About the game
Mermaid Rain is a Japanese game from the makers of Train Raider. Over five rounds, players try to collect five different types of goods by moving around the sea. The game uses two phases: first is the "surf predicting" phase where players play melds of cards in a Taj Mahal-type mechanic. The melds determine player order, selection of "wave tile", and give other benefits. In the second phase, "surf riding", players place their wave tiles on the board and then use cards to move through the sea on the waves to collect goods. The game is playable with English rules as the components are either language-independent or easily decipherable. Game Summary Setup: specific locations for subset of tiles, some face down; rest are to side, also face down. Deal out 7 cards (3 suits). Each round, players simultaneously select a card to play (max 5 cards total) -- choose the pass card to pass for rest of round. The resulting poker-style combinations give bonuses (VP, or special powers); the ranking gives you player order for the round. In order, select a face up sea tile (4 shapes, 2-3 hexes each, with one of 3 suits or wild). Then, in order, place the tile on the board and use some/all cards left in hand to move your mermaid around the board (playing card allows you to move mermaid to matching tile/space). Whenever on an island with token(s), look at face down tokens then add one of the tokens to your collection. At end of round, sea tiles with the darker color are removed from the board. Any mermaids on them are displaced to one of the unoccupied starting locations (player's choice). Then, deal 7 cards per player (max hand size 9) and repeat. Game ends after 5 rounds. Each player must discard 5 tokens (1 per symbol), or lose 5 VP per missing symbol. Then rank players' collections of sets of each type, awarding VP accordingly (rarer tiles, larger sets earn more VP). Most VP wins.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Z-Man Games
- Gentosha Education
Questions and answers
Mermaid Rain supports 3–6 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 Mermaid Rain is 45 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 Mermaid Rain 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.
Mermaid Rain has a complexity rating of 2.2 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.
Mermaid Rain belongs to these categories: Fantasy and Exploration. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Tile Placement. 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 Mermaid Rain are: Keiji Kariya and Hitoshi Yasuda. 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 Mermaid Rain 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.