Bea kayaking beside a copper trout through the sandstone reservoir

A canyon fishing board-game concept

Choose a task.
Chart the circuit.

Zandoremi introduces Canyon Circuit: a fictional tabletop journey where a two-card hand gives every bend a purpose.

Slip beneath a sandstone arch, follow a flag to open water and decide which promise to keep. The best route begins with a plan small enough to change.

Set out the circuit Draft a task hand

2–4 paddlers
35–45 minutes
Ages 9+ concept

Two active tasks. Plenty of ways around the canyon.A free original tabletop idea

Between the sandstone walls

A route shaped
by what you keep.

A flag can mean a catch, a milestone or a reason to turn around. Your task hand gives the same board a different story each round.

2: active tasks
3: checkpoints
4: paddle units
6: rounds to plan

Prepare Echo Launch

A clear hand makes a better start.

Place the reservoir in the middle, arrange the flags and explain the task limit before dealing the first offer.

Kayak fleet

Put a coloured kayak at Echo Launch. Each player keeps the matching paddle token beside their task hand.

Checkpoint flags

Place flags at the Arch, the Narrows and the Sun Shelf. A visit counts only when the kayak ends a move there.

Task folio

Deal three task cards face-up. Choose two to keep; return the third before anyone makes their first move.

Wind dial

Set the dial to a crosswind. It changes movement cost at exposed crossings, but never changes a task after it is completed.

The circuit map

Three flags.
More than one way.

The channels reconnect after every sandstone island. Choose a short crossing when the wind allows it, or a quiet edge when your tasks need time.

The Arch: A sheltered first checkpoint with silver perch and an easy route back.
The Narrows: A winding passage that rewards repeated visits and careful ordering.
Sun Shelf: An exposed ledge for copper trout and the final flag in a survey.
Echo Launch: The common start. Returning here lets you exchange one tackle card.

Canyon reservoir board with three channels, kayak pieces and checkpoint flags — Let the task describe the journey.

From one flag to the next

Keep the evidence beside the card.

One turn adds a small piece to your plan. Explain the checkpoint before marking a task so the table can follow along.

1
Inspect the hand
Read both tasks and choose which one your next move will support.
2
Choose a channel
Spend up to four paddle units. A narrow passage costs one; exposed water costs two.
3
Cast at a flag
Take the catch printed at the checkpoint, or exchange that cast for a tackle card.
4
Record evidence
Mark the visit on an active task. A single arrival may support both tasks if their words allow it.
5
Finish or exchange
Claim a completed task. You may replace one unfinished card after paying a paddle unit.

Companions and equipment

A familiar face at the next bend.

A planner, a reservoir catch and a shared tackle case supply three different reasons to adjust a route.

Bea holding a task folio above the canyon reservoir

Circuit planner

Bea, Flag Finder

Bea can reserve one offered task until her next turn. The reserved card remains visible, so every paddler knows which route she is considering.

Skill · hold an offer

A copper spotted trout jumping between sandstone cliffs

Reservoir catch

Copper Canyon Trout

This catch waits at the Sun Shelf. It scores six circuit marks, and its copper symbol can complete a task that asks for two different catches.

Catch · 6 circuit marks

Three bright lures arranged in a cobalt case on sandstone

Useful equipment

The travelling tackle case

Keep a spoon, a fly and a jig in separate compartments. Tasks refer to their symbols; the illustration is a reminder, not a hidden rule.

Limit · two tackle cards

Bea and Flynn laying out a task folio on a canyon dock — Keep unfinished plans visible. Another paddler should be able to explain what your next flag would achieve.

The changing task hand

Keep two.
Make them count.

A task is a commitment to a sequence. A bonus is a brief exception that helps you keep it. Neither changes evidence already recorded.

Task cardsTrack progress openly and bank a card only when every condition is met.

Bonus cardsRead the timing aloud, resolve the effect once and return the card.

Flynn checking two flag tokens on a canyon jetty

Task · survey

Flynn’s flag circuit

End a move at the Arch and then the Sun Shelf. Keep the order visible with two checkpoint markers.

Earn 5 circuit marks

Bea paddling a yellow kayak beneath a sandstone arch

Bonus · passage

A line through the arch

Cross one exposed water space for a single paddle unit. Announce this before moving the kayak.

Save 1 paddle unit

Task · catch journal

Two shades of scales

Collect a silver perch and a copper trout while this card is active. Old catches cannot be counted again.

Earn 7 circuit marks

Bonus · spare kit

The case has a spare

Exchange a lure without spending the cast at your current checkpoint. Return the old card to the shared tray.

Keep this turn’s cast

Task · sheltered route

Follow the quiet edges

Visit the Narrows twice with another checkpoint between those visits. The route can be clockwise or anticlockwise.

Earn 4 circuit marks

Bonus · clear intention

One last revision

Replace an unfinished task at the end of a turn without paying the usual paddle unit. Keep your other task.

Refresh one plan

Try a two-card hand

Make room for the next plan.

Add up to two tasks, then record their progress. Finish a task to bank its marks and open a slot. Removing an unfinished task discards its progress.

Arch to Shelf

Record two checkpoint visits. Worth 5 marks.

Two catches

Record two different catch symbols. Worth 7 marks.

Quiet edges

Record three sheltered-route visits. Worth 4 marks.

0 of 2 task slots filled. Banked: 0 marks.

Wind lifting flags across a canyon game board under a dramatic sky

Yellow kayak, coral flags, copper trout and wind dial tokens

When the canyon wind turns

Same destination.
A different crossing.

After the third round, rotate the wind dial. Exposed water now costs an extra paddle unit for the next round. Sheltered channels retain their printed cost.

A task already completed stays complete. If a new crossing would exceed your movement allowance, choose another route or stop at the nearer flag.

1Extra unit: add it only to exposed crossings. Do not charge the whole route again, and never move a kayak after its allowance is spent.

The circuit ledger

Bank the journey,
not the promise.

Only catches and finished tasks enter the ledger. Unfinished progress tells a story but adds no final marks.

Entry	Evidence	Marks
Silver perch	Catch at the Arch	3
Copper trout	Catch at Sun Shelf	6
Flag survey	Arch, then Sun Shelf	5
Catch journal	Two different catches	7

Kayaks returning to Echo Launch as sunlight warms the canyon walls

One more bend

A good plan leaves
room for the river.

Try a task hand, trade an unfinished idea and see how an open slot changes the next choice.

Return to the task hand

Before the first paddle

Small rules.
Useful answers.

The task wording is public. Use these examples to settle the timing before a kayak leaves its flag.

Can the same visit count for both tasks?

It can when both tasks are active and both conditions are met. A task that says “then” also requires the printed order; an earlier visit cannot be added retrospectively.

What happens when a task is exchanged?

Its progress is discarded. Completed tasks remain banked. The planner below models the two-card hand limit, so removing an active card also removes its rehearsal progress.

Is the reservoir a real location?

No. The canyon, people and routes are original fictional elements. Movement costs are game rules, not guidance for kayaking, weather or safe fishing.

Does the planner keep my hand?

Only until you reload or leave the page. There is no account, server score or saved collection. The optional browser notice preference is separate.

Choose a task.Chart the circuit.

A route shapedby what you keep.