2023Dmitry Knorre, Sergey Machin
- Videos
- 33
- Creators
- 21
2 - 4 players30 - 60 minMedium weight

2016Daniel Berger (I)
Mostly reviews. Hands in the Sea is covered on BoardGameVideo.com by 22 reviews, 3 how-to-play guides, 2 recorded sessions, 3 unboxings, and 2 other videos.
From BoardGameGeek
Hands in the Sea is a two-player deck building wargame on the First Punic War, between Rome and Carthage, 264–241 BC. Each player has a starting deck of cards they use to perform various actions, up to two per round. Actions range from colonization, to naval movement, to battle, with most activity centered in and around Sicily and Sardinia/Corsica. Players may also purchase additional cards from their own custom decks, or from a set of neutral cards that either player may purchase. There are also Strategy cards that each player can purchase (one, max) that give the owning player some special advantage. The game is played over the course of several turns, up to a maximum of twelve. At the end of each turn, players resolve random events, collect income and score victory points. There are several paths to victory, ranging from simply having the highest score at the end of the game, to capturing the opposing player's capital. Inspired by A Few Acres of Snow, this game features several new elements, including navies, naval battles, cavalry superiority, mercenaries, field battles, sieges, manpower, strategy cards, random events, turn based scoring, bribery and tactical bonuses. The name of the game is based on a quote from a Carthaginian commander, who claimed at the outbreak of hostilities that the Carthaginian control of the seas was such that the Romans would not even dare wash their hands in the sea.
Hands in the Sea has 32 videos from 10 creators: 22 reviews, 3 how-to-play guides, 2 playthroughs, 3 unboxings and 2 other videos. They date from 2015 to November 2024.
To learn the rules, start with "Hands in the Sea - A well loved two player war game reprints, with new art and more." by Meeple University, which runs 9 min.
For an opinion before you buy, start with "[DriveThruReview] #361: “A Few Acres of Amusement”". 6 creators have reviewed it. To see it played, watch "Playthrough - Hands in the Sea 2nd edition" by Weekly Game Night, one of 2 playthroughs.
If you like it, try Evolution: New World, Mysthea, Warriors of God: The Wars of England & France, 1135-1453 or Caesar: Rome vs. Gaul, which share several of its mechanics.
8 of 10
2023Dmitry Knorre, Sergey Machin
2 - 4 players30 - 60 minMedium weight
2019Martino Chiacchiera, Marta Ciaccasassi
2 - 5 players90 - 120 minHeavy weight
2008Makoto Nakajima, Adam Starkweather
1 - 2 players180 minMedium weight
2020Mark Simonitch
2 players120 - 240 minHeavy weight
From BoardGameGeek:
Hands in the Sea is a two-player deck building wargame on the First Punic War, between Rome and Carthage, 264–241 BC. Each player has a starting deck of cards they use to perform various actions, up to two per round. Actions range from colonization, to naval movement, to battle, with most activity centered in and around Sicily and Sardinia/Corsica. Players may also purchase additional cards from their own custom decks, or from a set of neutral cards that either player may purchase. There are also Strategy cards that each player can purchase (one, max) that give the owning player some special advantage. The game is played over the course of several turns, up to a maximum of twelve. At the end of each turn, players resolve random events, collect income and score victory points. There are several paths to victory, ranging from simply having the highest score at the end of the game, to capturing the opposing player's capital. Inspired by A Few Acres of Snow, this game features several new elements, including navies, naval battles, cavalry superiority, mercenaries, field battles, sieges, manpower, strategy cards, random events, turn based scoring, bribery and tactical bonuses. The name of the game is based on a quote from a Carthaginian commander, who claimed at the outbreak of hostilities that the Carthaginian control of the seas was such that the Romans would not even dare wash their hands in the sea.
Designer
Daniel Berger (I)
Artists
Katarzyna Jasińska, Bartek Jędrzejewski, Nils Johansson, Jamie Noble, Naomi Robinson, Natalia Turzańska
Publisher
Doit Games
Categories
Mechanics