Everything You Need to Know About
Tsuro of the Seas!
This week in the Calliope Summer Travels Series we are headed to the tumultuous waters of the Pacific as we go daikaiju watching (and avoiding) in Tsuro of the Seas.
Tsuro of the Seas is the first “expansion” to the original Tsuro: the Game of the Path, though it is fully playable on its own and does not need the base game to play. It was published in 2012, and was Calliope Games’ first ever Kickstarter. In fact, it was thanks to Kickstarter that the game ever got made! Back when Calliope Games was a new company, traditional distribution wasn’t ready to take a chance on us. But board gamers knew a great product when they saw it, and they came together to raise almost $50,000 to make this game a reality! Then Wil Wheaton found out about it, put it on a little show called Tabletop, and well… let’s just say it’s one of our most well-known games.
Jump to...
How to Play
Quick Start Guide
To setup: give each player a boat pawn and 3 path tiles, and place the daikaiju on the board (number will vary based on the number of players) based on the roll of the dice. So, if you roll a 1 on the gold die and a 6 on the blue die, you’ll place a daikaiju where those numbers meet like the example shown.
Basic play is identical to the original Tsuro game: lay down a tile, follow the path, don’t run off the board or into another pawn (this time represented by boats), last player standing wins! However…
In Tsuro of the Seas you also need to contend with wandering daikaiju! Before you place your tile, roll the two dice and if you roll a 6-8 the daikaiju move! Then roll 1 die and move the daikaiju based on the number; they will either move one space or rotate the direction on the tile. If at any point a daikaiju overtakes your boat, or you sail into its waiting jaws, you are eliminated!
Some good news! If a daikaiju’s movement takes it off the board, it is eliminated the same way a boat would be.
If you manage to fill every tile space and are still on the board, it’s a shared victory.
Can you sail to safety, or will you be swept away?
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I buy the game?
Right here on our website! You can also find it at your friendly local game store, Amazon, or any convention Calliope Games attends.
How do you pronounce “daikaiju”?
Dī-kī-jū.
Can you play the original Tsuro game with just Tsuro of the Seas?
You sure can! Just ignore the daikaiju rules and sail along a tranquil sea.
What do players do once they’re eliminated?
Wil Wheaton came up with an excellent idea that we have embraced: eliminated players now control the daikaiju! They can roll, place, and move the sea monsters.
Is this a good game to play with my kids?
Absolutely! There is zero reading involved except for the dice, turns move quickly, and the placement of the tiles encourage spatial awareness development. The game box says Ages 8+ but we’ve seen kids as young as 6 enjoy playing.
Reviews and Playthroughs
Tabletop– playthrough featuring Wil Wheaton, Kevin Pereira, Brendan Halloran, and Andy Hull
Board Game Bakes– Danielle makes edible Tsuro tiles and plays the game with them
The Board Game Family– Written review
Father Geek- Written review geared towards families