How to play
There are two kinds of chart, and each reads its clues a different way.
Surveyor charts
On a Surveyor chart, the numbers next to each row and column give the lengths of the runs of consecutive land tiles, in order, with at least one sea tile between.
Some rows and columns have no clue. A line with no clue can be anything. Each chart has a unique way to fill it in.
0
12
11
3
Rules a chart can add
A chart uses a few of these at most. Open its Rules to see which ones it has.
- Hidden groups: Each × is one run of consecutive land tiles with at least one sea tile between, but the sizes are unknown
Three groups in five tiles can only be land, sea, land, sea, land. There are exactly two groups, but you don't know their sizes. There are only two land groups here, but the clue calls for three. - Linked tiles: Same letter means same terrain, and an upside-down letter is the opposite.
Same letter, same terrain. Matching letters have to agree, so this breaks the link. An upside-down letter is the opposite terrain. - Coastline: The land is all connected and the sea is all connected, forming a single coastline with no separate islands or lakes.
One landmass and one sea make a single coastline. A lake fully enclosed by land is fine. It's still one of each. A lone island ringed by sea works too. Still one of each. Diagonal touches don't connect, so this counts as three separate islands. - Swamp: The land is boggy and never forms a solid 2×2 square of land.
Three out of four is fine. Only a full 2×2 is too boggy. A solid 2×2 of land never forms in a swamp. The rule only limits land. A full 2×2 of sea is fine. - Island Size: An island is a group of land tiles joined edge to edge, and every island is the size shown on the badge.
These two islands only touch at a corner, so they stay separate. Both are size 2. The lone tile on the right is an island of size 1, so not every island is size 2. - Lake Size: A lake is a group of sea tiles joined edge to edge, and every lake is the size shown on the badge.
These two lakes only touch at a corner, so they stay separate. Both are size 2. This lake is size 3, but the rule calls for size 2. - Island Shape: Every island is one of these shapes. Shapes can be rotated or flipped.
One island is an L, the other a T. They touch only at a corner, so they stay separate. A turned or flipped L still counts as an L. A solid 2×2 block is not an L or a T, so this island breaks the rule. - Lake Shape: Every lake is one of these shapes. Shapes can be rotated or flipped.
One lake is an L, the other a T. They touch only at a corner, so they stay separate. A turned or flipped L still counts as an L. A solid 2×2 block is not an L or a T, so this lake breaks the rule. - Distinct Islands: No two islands have the same shape. Rotated or flipped shapes count as the same.
Two islands, two different shapes. A turned or flipped L still counts as an L, so these two match. Two lone tiles are the same shape, so a chart can have at most one.
Ranger charts
On a Ranger chart, the number on each edge is how many tiles you can see from that edge, looking inward along its row or column, up to but not including the first forest, which blocks the view. You see straight through sea and beach.
Clues sit on all four sides. Some edges have no number. An edge with no number tells you nothing. Each chart has a unique way to fill it in.
A forest is a land tile whose neighbours are all land. A beach is land that touches the sea (or a still-blank tile). You only ever mark land and sea, and the chart shades each land tile forest or beach for you as you go.
3
2
3
0
Rules a chart can add
A chart uses a few of these at most. Open its Rules to see which ones it has.
- Bound clues: A plus after a number means you see that many tiles or more. A minus means that many or less.2
You see 4 tiles before the forest. The clue says 2 or more, so it holds. 2A plus clue does not promise a forest. Seeing the whole line still counts as 2 or more. 2You see 3 tiles here. The clue allows 2 or less. 3The forest is the third tile, but you only see the 2 tiles in front of it. - Linked tiles: Same letter means same terrain, and an upside-down letter is the opposite.
Same letter, same terrain. An upside-down letter is the opposite terrain. Forest and beach are both land, so the link still holds. - Watchtower: Watchtowers are always on land. The number counts the forest tiles among its 8 surrounding tiles.
This tower counts only 1 forest among its neighbors. The rest are beach or sea. This tower sits on a beach. A tower can be on either beach or forest. Watchtowers cannot be on sea. - River: The sea is a single river, one tile wide, running from edge to edge. It never branches or loops.
One river, one tile wide, winding from one edge to another. A river never branches. Three sea tiles meet at one point here. A river never loops. Four sea tiles form a square, which is two tiles wide. All the sea is one river. These two channels are separate, which isn't allowed. - Lake Shape: Every lake is one of these shapes. Shapes can be rotated or flipped.
One lake is a T, the other an L. They touch only at a corner, so they stay separate. A turned or flipped L still counts as an L. A straight line is neither a T nor an L, so this lake breaks the rule. - Firebreak: No two forests can neighbor each other.
The two forests are separated by beach. Two forests are next to each other, which isn't allowed.