2 Player Octopus Duel!
This version of the game is full of fast-paced action where you’ll go head to head against another player in a frantic real-time race to score more points than your opponent.
To start, both players will sit opposite each other at a table. Make sure the table is large enough to accommodate both players having areas to build their seascapes and have a shared tile pile between the players.
Find the Throw Octopus! game box (or Octopus Duel box); One player will use the top of the box, and the other player will use the bottom of the box. Make sure these boxes are open (so you can throw tiles in them), then place to the side of each player. These boxes will be serve as the tile discard box for each player.
Shuffle all the tiles face down to form the shared tile pile in the middle of the table (half way between both players). If needed, you can push the tile pile to the side to provide more room for building. See photo below for reference.
MAKE SURE BOTH PLAYERS KNOW THE RULES TO PLAYING TILES FIRST. If not, please see the Multi-Player Games rules for the section on how to properly play tiles.
Each player will draw 6 tiles from the shared Tile Pile and expose them face up in front of them. This is referred to as the players “hand”. Each player will pick one of their 6 tiles to become their “Start Tile”, leaving 5 tiles in their hand.
Let’s Play!
Upon both players being ready, one player will announce “Go!”
The game starts as both players race to properly play one of the tiles in their hand on their growing seascape. You can not play on the other player’s seascape. Once a tile is played, take another tile from the shared tile pile to return your hand to 5 tiles. You can only have 5 tiles in the your hand at once.
In OCTOPUS DUEL, once you play a tile, YOU CAN NOT MOVE IT, unless the tile has an Octopus Icon (see below). Any tile with an Octopus Icon CAN BE MOVED at any time, either to another spot of your seascape or back in your hand. AFTER MOVING THE TILE, your seascape MUST STILL BE PROPER (creatures must connect properly and no tiles can be left hanging) and you can only have 5 tiles in your hand at once.
By allowing you to do this, you may find a better play for your tiles that allows you to complete more creatures.
If you can’t play, you must discard one tile into your discard box, and draw a new tile. Play resumes. If you can not play the newly drawn tile, discard another tile from your hand and draw a new tile until you can make a play.
If your seascape becomes “locked”, meaning no more possible plays, you can select one of the tiles from your hand and start a new seascape. In the end, count your points from both seascapes.
NOTE: In this game, you do not need the cards, nor will you be throwing the octopus plushie at each other.
Scoring:
For each completed small creature (formed by perfect circle), you get 1 point. For each completed larger creature (formed by oval shape), you get 2 points. In the photo below, the top player has 8 points, and the bottom player has 5 points.
The game is a race to score points. The key is to quickly play tiles so you can collect as many tiles from the tile pile before your opponent. But be careful, carelessly discarding tiles to your discard box could give your opponent a huge advantage during Overtime.
Overtime:
Once all the tiles from the shared tile pile have been played or discarded, and your hand is empty (if you have any tiles left in your hand or unplayable, you must discard to the discard box), then you are ready to start Overtime:
To start overtime, each player gives their discard box of tiles to the other player. Upon receiving these tiles, each player attempts to play these tiles on their seascape and score more points. You can lay all the tiles out at once (in overtime, you do not have to be limited to only 5 tiles in your hand) to make this easier. When there is no more plays, the game is over.
Most points wins the game.
Sudden Death: If you’re still tied after overtime, then flip all the tiles over and shuffle. Each player draws one tile at a time. The first person to draw a tile with an Octopus Icon wins the game. If the first player draws an Octopus Icon, then the 2nd player has the ability to draw too. If the 2nd player draws a tile with an Octopus Icon too, then play another round until there is a winner.
Here’s a sample photo of two people playing this game:
Typical game scores are like 10-8, or 8-7
The Match: Play best 3 out of 5 games. First player to win 3 games is the champion! Each game takes about 5 minutes.
Example: In the photo below (for one player) there are 6 total points showing in their ‘Seascape’. There are 2 larger creatures completed, worth 2 points each or 4 points. There are 2 smaller creatures completed or 1 point each or 2 points.
Good Luck!