How to Play Finspan: Fish, Dives, Eggs, Young & Schools
Finspan is a marine engine builder played across four weeks. Players discover fish in the Sunlight, Twilight and Midnight zones of a personal ocean, then use dive actions to trigger powers and develop eggs into young and young into schools.
Base-game guide. This covers the Stonemaier Finspan base game for 1–5 players.
Your ocean is divided into three depth zones
Fish cards have habitat/depth requirements and are placed into legal positions in your personal ocean. Card costs and placement restrictions determine how quickly you can fill the different zones.
On a turn, play a fish or take a dive action
Playing a fish expands the tableau and can trigger an immediate power. Diving sends your diver through part of the ocean and activates relevant fish powers along that route, generating cards, eggs and other engine benefits.
Eggs can become young; young can form schools
Finspan’s population system progresses beyond eggs. Powers can hatch eggs into young, and groups of young can be consolidated into schools when the rules allow. These stages matter for both engine effects and end-game scoring.
Fish powers trigger at different times
Cards identify when their powers activate—such as when played or during a dive. Resolve powers in the order required by the dive path and card text. Many combinations become stronger when adjacent fish or population tokens feed later powers.
Each week has an achievement target
At the end of a week, players compare progress toward the current achievement and score according to the achievement rules. Then prepare the next week with a reduced number of remaining turns.
After week 4, total the ocean
Final scoring includes points printed on fish plus population and achievement scoring described by the scorepad/rules. The player with the most points wins.
Continue learning
Source: Stonemaier Games: Finspan. Checked September 20, 2026.