FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Castaways is a great scalable game, and while we do believe that it plays best at 6-8 (ideally 8), you are able to play a mega game from 10-18 players.
While the box says '14yrs+', that is just for international safety legislations as our game contains a dice and small plastic sliders which could be harmful if swallowed. Additional testing is needed to be done which would take time and an additional expense which we just don't believe is necessary.
So the box says 14yrs however we feel that it is possible for 10yrs+ (if they are able to grasp the concepts of social strategy), but it should definitely be playable for 12yrs+.
The number of Castaways that are picked by each Player is determined by the player count. If playing with...
5-6 – Each Player will choose 3 Castaways from the face down line up.
7-8 – Each Player will choose 2 Castaways from the face down line up.
10-18 – Each Player will choose 1 Castaway from the face down line up.
When reading any rule or instruction always remember that the Players are the real people playing the game while the Castaways are the characters on the cards (that you are playing as).
Players are free to give or trade cards to any other player in the game. The terms of your deal is completely up to you... and whether you honour that deal is also up to you ;)
But just remember to ask yourself 'how will the Outcast Panel see such a move - good game play or simply dishonourable and cheating?'.
However, no cards may be transferred from one team to another once the losing team is at Outcast Tribunal. Cards may be transferred between players from the same team though.
In Castaways you are free to trade or gift Camp Life cards in your possession to any other Player in the game.
You are not required to state that you are doing so in any way.
The terms of your trade are entirely up to the Players involved. And whether you honour those terms are up to you.
If you are gifting, you could do so out of the goodwill of your heart, but perhaps hoping that this generous act will be repaid at a later stage, or work in your favour when it comes time to make your case at the Final Outcast Tribunal as to why you should receive that Players vote.
At the end of the day, trading cards can be a super powerful move but it all comes down to the Players themselves and how they choose to do this. Your creativity will be key here.
The dice is a fringe component that is sometimes called into action.
The dice is rolled to start the game to see which team will take ownership of the Team Leader card.
Some challenges will require the dice to complete
Some Daily Mail cards will require the dice to resolve it's effect
Some Tribunal Twists will require the dice to resolve it's effect
In some circumstances in the game, if a stale mate has been reached, the dice will serve as the ultimate tie-breaker, and the rule is always 'highest value wins/is safe'.