Is it possible to escape by boat when a shipwreck occurs? The difference between sinking, swimming, and safely making it to an island may be just a vote away!

Gameplay in Lifeboats: Plank of Carneades is all about voting, which takes the form of both co-operation and betrayal over the course of play as circumstances change and you find your sailors on the brink of death. During a vote, each player chooses a card from their hand, then everyone reveals their choices at the same time. You have one card of each boat color — which also correspond to the player colors — as well as three captain cards. If you're the only person to play a captain card during a vote, you get to decide the result...but if more than one captain card is played, they're ignored. In either case, each captain card can be played only once.

To set up, take turns placing your officers and sailors in empty spaces on several lifeboats, each of which is heading toward a particular island. The game then proceeds in multiple rounds, with the lead player position rotating each round. Whenever a vote is tied, the lead player breaks the tie.

First, players vote on which ship springs a leak. Whichever color boat receives the most votes has an empty space filled with a water token — and if the boat has no empty spaces, the players on this boat vote to determine which occupant will be thrown overboard to the sharks to keep the boat from sinking. In this type of vote, officers are worth two votes, sailors only one. However, if a ship has more leaks than occupants, it sinks and everyone on board turns into shark chum.

Second, players vote on which ship moves forward one space toward its island. If the ship reaches the island, all of its occupants are safe and will score their player points based on which island was reached.

Third, players scramble to find better chances for survival. Starting with the lead player, each player removes one of their officers or sailors from their respective boat, placing its token behind the boat. Only one occupant can jump from each ship, so a player late in the round might not have to put someone in the water. Then in reverse order, players move their token to an empty space on a different ship...and if the swimmer can't do this because all seat are full, glub glub glub.

Keep playing until all officers and sailors are either safe or dead, then determine who saved the most valuable crew.

Lifeboats: Plank of Carneades differs from Lifeboats in that it allows for up to seven players to fight for seats on ships. In addition, in some circumstances the ships will move faster and more ships will spring a leak, making gameplay move faster. Finally, the captain card is more powerful as players can use it to keep any ship from springing a leak in a round.