Roaring River Card Game

About this product

Same raft. Different dream trip.

Paddle together, pull in different directions and try not to tip the whole adventure upside down.

A fast family card game where 2–6 players secretly choose how to paddle, steer through their favourite stretches of river and decide just how much danger the raft can take.

Product Description

Get ready for a wild ride down Roaring River, where everyone is sitting in the same raft, but not everyone wants to take the same route.

Each player has their own Motivation for joining the adventure. Some may be looking for calm water, while others want turbulent rapids, wildlife or particular scenery. Every round, players simultaneously choose a Paddle card, reveal their choices and combine their efforts to determine whether the raft moves left, right or straight ahead. 

The trouble is that stronger disagreements over direction can make the raft increasingly unstable. Keep pushing your luck and the raft may eventually flip, and that changes everything. Reach the end of the river normally and the player with the most points wins. Flip the raft, however, and the player with the least points wins instead. 

With different Motivation cards shaping what each player wants from the journey, previously played Paddle cards visible around the table, and plenty of room for table talk, every trip becomes a battle between cooperation, self-interest and one very tempting question: would tipping the raft actually help you win? 

View the Roaring River Rulebook (PDF)

Why You’ll Love It

• One raft, competing goals: Everyone travels together, but each player scores the journey differently.
• Simultaneous decisions: Choose your Paddle card at the same time and reveal together.
• A brilliant flip-the-raft twist: If the raft overturns, the normal victory condition reverses and the lowest score wins.
• Changing river routes: River cards range from calm water to turbulent stretches and can feature different terrain and wildlife. 
• Clever hand management: Played Paddle cards generally stay unavailable until you use particular ways to recover them. 
• Quick family play: Designed for 2–6 players with a 20-minute play time.

Quick Details

• Publisher: Jolly Dutch
• Designers: Joeri Hessels & Wouter Moons
• Illustrations: Lara Velitchko
• Players: 2–6
• Age: 8+
• Play time: 20 minutes
• Game type: Family card game
• Gameplay: Simultaneous card selection, hand management and route decision-making
• Contents: 110 cards
• Rules: Dutch and English
• 2-player mode: Dedicated two-player variant included

What’s in the Box

The 110 cards break down as:

• 2 Raft cards – double-sided
• 40 River cards
• 60 Paddle cards – 6 sets of 10 identical cards
• 6 Motivation cards – for 3–6 players
• 2 Motivation cards – double-sided for the 2-player variant

Good to Know

• Different ending conditions: Reach the end of the river and the highest score wins; flip the raft and the lowest score wins. 
• Dedicated 2-player rules: The two-player version uses special Motivation cards and two Paddle-card sets per player, creating a slightly more complex and confrontational game. 
• Table talk is allowed: Players may discuss the game and make deals, although deals are non-binding and Paddle-card numbers may not be revealed before play. 
• Eco-minded production: Biodegradable plastic, ink and glue; FSC quality mark; production in Europe; and CO2 compensation for transport.