River Rats: Will You Sink or Swim? Kickstarter Preview

River Rats is a cooperative card game that plunges players into a high-stakes poker match against cunning River Rats. With its unique blend of strategy, limited communication, and player powers, this game promises an intense and immersive experience. As you navigate through rounds, drawing and playing cards to form the best possible hands, the tension builds with each turn.

Will you and your team outsmart the River Rats and emerge as the river kings, or will you find yourselves left like drowned rats, overwhelmed by debt and defeat?

Game Setup

First Time Playing: If this is your first time playing River Rats, skip Player Powers and River Rats’ Abilities:

1. Character & Player Power: Each player chooses an Ace and places it in front of them, representing their Character with a unique Player Power
2. River Rats: Take the four Kings. Shuffle them. Draw two and place one face-up (active) and one face-down (inactive). These are now the River Rats.
3. Jokers: Place two Jokers face-down next to the play area.
4. Draw Deck: Shuffle all unused cards (including remaining Aces and Kings) to form the Draw Deck.
5. Individual hands: Deal two cards to each player.
6. Market: Reveal three cards and place them face-up in the Market.
7. Joker’s Prediction Reference: Place the Joker’s Prediction Reference card next to the Jokers.
8. Player’s Debt: Leave space next to the Joker’s Prediction Reference to track the Player’s Debt.

After the Game Setup, continue with Round Setup.

Round Setup

1. River Rat’s Hand: Reveal five cards and place them next to the active River Rat. Draw two extra cards and place them face-down. The River Rat’s hand consists of the face-up River Rat(s), five face-up cards and two face-down cards.
2. Joker’s Prediction & Debt: Reveal one card and place it face-up next to the Jokers. This is the Joker’s Prediction and the the first Debt card of the round. The Debt card represents the ante of the round.
3. Collective Hand: Leave space below the River Rat’s Hand for five cards to place the collective player hand.
4. River Rat’s Ability: Read the active River Rat’s Ability and adjust setup if needed.

COMMUNICATION RESTRICTIONS – Players cannot reveal or hint at their hands. General strategy discussions are allowed as long as they don’t reveal card specifics or desired Collective Hand.

Gameplay Overview

The game consists of rounds and turns. A round ends after resolving hands, and a turn is a player’s turn.

Turn Actions

1. Draw & Play:
   • Draw Cards: If you have fewer than three cards, draw until you reach your hand limit by either:
     • Taking a face-up card from the Market (refill the Market if it has fewer than three cards).
     • Drawing one card from the Draw Deck.
   • Play a Card: Play a card from your hand into the Collective Hand. You may:
     • Perform the action based on the card’s suit.
     • Use your Player Power if the card’s suit matches your Character’s suit.
2. Use a Joker:
   • Add a face-up Joker to the Collective Hand. A Joker can represent any card. During hand resolution, the players collectively decide its suit and value. Only one Joker can be used per Collective Hand.

End of Turn

• If the Collective Hand contains five cards, proceed to Hand Resolution. Otherwise, the next player takes their turn.
• Shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck whenever the Draw Deck runs out.

Hand Resolution

1. Joker’s Prediction: If the Collective Hand matches the Joker’s Prediction, flip one Joker face-up.
2. Reveal Cards: Turn any face-down cards face-up, except for the inactive River Rat, in both the River Rat’s and the Collective Hand.
3. Determine Best Hand: The best hand consists of five cards. If more cards are available, form the best possible combination of five cards.
4. Determine Outcome:
   • Players Win: Place all Debt face down on the River Rat. When a River Rat has gained five or more Debt, it has been defeated.
   • River Rat Wins: Assign one player to collect all Debt for the players. Place the accumulated Debt in the game on top of their Character card. If the players have collectively accumulated five Debt, the players lose the game.
   • Tie: River Rats win all ties.
5. Clean Up: Discard your Collective Hand, the River Rat’s hand (except the River Rats themselves), and remove used Jokers from the game. Perform a new Round Setup. Players’ hands and the Market remain untouched. If the Deck runs out, shuffle the Discard pile to form a new Deck.

End of the Game

The game ends immediately when one of the following conditions is met:

• You Win: Both River Rats are defeated when each has accumulated five Debt.
• You Lose: The players collectively accumulate five Debt. In this case, the River Rats win.

Gameplay Experience

This is the second game from Four Suit Studio, and their original game, Monster of Loch Lomond, one of my most surprising games of 2023. Beautiful Art, great game play & is still played to this day. So when Robin reached out about their second game, I couldn’t hit send on that email quick enough requesting River Rats.

When River Rats first showed up, I was a little underwhelmed. It looked like a simple deck of playing cards with an art deco style artwork; as beautiful as the cards were, I wasn’t sure how this game was going to compare. Yet, I was hopefully, as the team from Four Suit Studio have wowed me in the past & I read through the rules, and I’m so thankful I didn’t judge the book by its cover…. well too much.

The crew of HMS Dining Table was assembled, River  Rats was actually the first game that was ever played in my new house. Also weirdly, one of us actually got sea sick; technically morning sickness, but it sounds more immersive if we calm it was sea sickness. So we soldiered through the wide baby seas, and were so ready to show those River Rats who are the boss!

And after game one and two, we showed them that the Boss was in fact them! As game two was so close, but they beat us just. The team work was starting to show and game 3 and 4, we were coming back harder than Tom Brady in Super Bowl LI and with scores even we could taste victory. And that victory never came, as the River Rats destroyed us in the last game. All our hard work & amazing team work down the drain & we had fallen on the last hurdle.

By match 3 we finally took down those pesky River Rats, and after 11 matches, we were 4 and 7 against them. Playing River Rat is so much fun. The game strikes a nice balance between strategy and luck, keeping things interesting without feeling too random. I found myself getting really invested in the outcome even often mad at the River Rats for getting a good hand; especially during tense moments when it felt like the River Rats were about to gain the upper hand. The cooperative aspect adds a layer of camaraderie that’s often missing in competitive games, and I love that this game is both cooperative but also competitive.

One thing I particularly enjoyed was the variety of strategies you can employ. Depending on your faction and the cards you draw, you might focus on building up your hand, sabotaging the River Rats, or supporting your teammates. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, which keeps the game fresh and replayable.

Artwork

One of the standout aspects of River Rat is its thematic richness. The artwork and narrative elements are beautifully crafted, immersing players in the world of river-bound rogues. Each faction boasts a distinct backstory and unique abilities, adding layers of depth to the gameplay and ensuring that every session feels like a fresh adventure. This is all woven together in a stunning anthropomorphic Art Deco style that transports players to the roaring 1920s, evoking the charm of New Orleans paddleboats. Each character’s distinct personality further enhances this world, proving how a simple deck of cards can hold an entire, vibrant setting.

As with their previous titles, Four Suit Studio has masterfully intertwined art, gameplay, and thematic cohesion. While they could have simply relied on anthropomorphic characters, it’s their use of Art Deco aesthetics that truly elevates the experience. A deceptively simple design choice—but one that more than justifies the price of admission ten times over.

Conclusion

In the end, River Rats is more than just a deck of beautifully illustrated cards—it’s an experience that sneaks up on you, much like the cunning river rogues themselves. What started as a visually striking yet seemingly simple game quickly unraveled into a layered, strategic battle of wits, cooperation, and just the right amount of luck. From moments of triumph to crushing defeats at the hands of those pesky River Rats, every match told its own story, rich with suspense and camaraderie.

Four Suit Studio has once again delivered a game that balances accessibility with depth, keeping players engaged and coming back for more. Whether you’re drawn in by the stunning Art Deco aesthetic, the clever mechanics, or the thrill of overcoming the odds, River Rats proves that great games don’t need sprawling boards or complex rulebooks—they just need heart, creativity, and a little bit of mischief. It’s a game that will linger long after the final card is played, leaving you eager for another round.

River Rats has already set sail thanks to its fully funded Kickstarter, and you can secure your own copy now. Don’t miss your chance to join the crew—grab yours before the river runs dry!