Altay - Seafarers
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The wind rises, the sails swell. Out there, beyond the coast, there's a world none of the four civilizations have ever dared to touch.
What it's about
A civilization is no longer measured by the bounds of the land
Altay: Seafarers is the first expansion for Altay - Dawn of Civilization, the civilization deck-building game by Ole Steiness and Paolo Mori. Designed by Roberto Di Meglio and Fabio Maiorana with illustrations by Pauliina Hannuniemi, it takes the base game — already complete — and vertically opens it to a second axis of expansion: the sea.
It's not an expansion that adds marginal content. It modifies the starting deck of all players, introduces a board with a different economy, puts ships on the table that fight both alone and alongside warriors, and proposes a fourth asymmetrical faction — the Waterfolk — that plays with different rules from all others.
It is designed for those who already know Altay, have played a few games, and want an additional strategic layer. It works both with the new "Forgotten Sea" board and by applying its rules to the inland seas of the original map. It doesn't replace anything: it expands everything.
The first time you send a warrior across the sea to conquer an island, you realize Altay wasn't complete.
The secret of Seafarers in one line
The Waterfolk don't build ships — they become the sea. A faction that rewrites every opening plan.
From the game experience
What really changes at the table
The three new features of Seafarers, one by one
Three structural additions that intertwine. Each works alone — together they change the entire game economy.
The Forgotten Sea and harbors
A new board with a fragmented economy — and ports as a second axis of development
The new board is not a decorative extension. It is designed for a different economy: starting territories do not have all resources; some are only found on islands or across the sea. To grow, you must set sail — not as an option, but as a structural necessity.
The heart of the mechanic is the harbors: ports that players establish along the coasts. Ships depart from and arrive there, and each harbor becomes a node in its maritime route network. This adds a second axis of expansion parallel to the land one: competition is over territories and — simultaneously — over routes.
The navigation rules are modular: they can also be used on the inland seas of the original Altay map, transforming decorative bodies of water into contested territories.
The Shipwright enters the starting deck
Four new cards, new technology, and naval combat
This is the most important design choice: the Shipwright card is added to the starting deck of all players (except the Waterfolk, who have their own). This means that navigation is not an optional strategy to pursue — it's in everyone's hands from turn one, just like the basic cards of the original deck-building.
The Shipwright deploys wooden ship tokens, uniquely colored for each faction. Each ship occupies a sea zone and enables three things: moving warriors overseas to conquer islands, contributing to coastal battles alongside land troops, and fighting other ships. Coastal battles are the most interesting tactical detail — they combine naval and land forces in a single calculation, rewarding those who can coordinate both fronts.
Accompanying the Shipwright are three action cards: Sailor (enhanced naval movement), Explorer (access to remote sea zones), and new technology, Astronomy, which opens otherwise closed routes and offers conversions of marine resources. Four new strategic vectors on which to build the deck.
The Waterfolk: a faction that rewrites the rules
True asymmetry, not cosmetic — with dedicated silkscreened wooden buildings
The Waterfolk replace one of the four base factions. They are magical creatures inspired by merfolk, and their design is completely different from everything else in the game. They do not build ships: two special characters — the Wavebender and the Wavesinger — allow them to cross the sea by singing to the waves, and to extract resources directly from the depths.
However, the sharpest mechanic is another: the manipulation of discarded actions. While other players, at the end of their turn, discard used cards and lose their value, the Waterfolk can recover it. They don't simply recycle — they recover value from what the game normally "consumes," transforming discards into raw material. This makes them reactive: they plan by observing what others discard, and adapt their next move accordingly.
They come with a dedicated starting deck and their own set of silkscreened wooden buildings — not shared with the other factions. It's a material detail that's noticeable as soon as the box opens: the Waterfolk are designed as a fourth people, not as a variant.
Altay: Seafarers Expansion
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on official rules and expansive mechanic analysisQuick summary
Four elements you bring to the table
Forgotten Sea + harbors
Board with fragmented resources. Ports become the second axis of development, parallel to the land one.
Shipwright in the starting deck
Everyone starts with the ability to build ships. Navigation is not optional — it's fundamental.
Combined coastal battles
Ships and land warriors fight together. Coordinating the two fronts is a new tactical level.
Asymmetrical Waterfolk
They recover value from discarded actions. Dedicated deck, their own silkscreened wooden buildings.
The world of Altay has never been so vast. And you have never been so small on the map.
📖RulebookEnglish · Official Ares Games PDF
Altay - Seafarers
Altay Bundle
FROGBUNDLE
Cooperiamo.Poi ascoltiamo il capo.– FrogZen
Gioco in solo per rilassarmi.Litigo con me stesso.– SoloFrog
Mazzo perfetto.Pesco cinque zavorre.– Lady Meeple
Motore online.Al penultimo turno.– MechaFrog
Primo meeple posato.Posto sbagliato.– Capo Rana
Drafto con criterio.Ti nego la carta giusta.– Lady Croak
Spingo la fortuna.Lei non si muove.– Rana Fortuna
Tiro benissimo.Scrivo rimpianti.– Scribe Frog
Mi manca solo una carta.È nel tuo tableau.– Girinix
Elimino ogni sospetto.Tranne il colpevole.– SherFrog
Non mi affeziono.Sticker uno: lacrime.– Archivista Anfibio
È chiarissimo.Fino a pagina 17.– Maestro Ranaldo
Il downtime insegna la pazienza.E lo shopping di espansioni.– FrogBerto
Non è indecisione.È turismo nel regolamento.– La Rana Saggia
Cooperiamo.Poi ascoltiamo il capo.– FrogZen
Gioco in solo per rilassarmi.Litigo con me stesso.– SoloFrog
Mazzo perfetto.Pesco cinque zavorre.– Lady Meeple
Motore online.Al penultimo turno.– MechaFrog
Primo meeple posato.Posto sbagliato.– Capo Rana
Drafto con criterio.Ti nego la carta giusta.– Lady Croak
Spingo la fortuna.Lei non si muove.– Rana Fortuna
Tiro benissimo.Scrivo rimpianti.– Scribe Frog
Mi manca solo una carta.È nel tuo tableau.– Girinix
Elimino ogni sospetto.Tranne il colpevole.– SherFrog
Non mi affeziono.Sticker uno: lacrime.– Archivista Anfibio
È chiarissimo.Fino a pagina 17.– Maestro Ranaldo
Il downtime insegna la pazienza.E lo shopping di espansioni.– FrogBerto
Non è indecisione.È turismo nel regolamento.– La Rana Saggia
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