Deep Regrets Board Game Review
Deep Regrets, designed by Judson Cowan and published by Tettix Games in 2025, is a horror-themed fishing game where players pull increasingly disturbing creatures from the ocean while losing their grip on reality. The game supports 1 to 5 players ages 14 and up with a runtime of 30 to 150 minutes. This review covers the gameplay, components, mechanics, and whether the game lives up to its eerie presentation.
Deep Regrets Overview
Players take on the role of anglers fishing the cursed waters around the island of Rocabarraigh. The goal is to haul in the most valuable catch while managing how much madness creeps in along the way. The player with the highest scoring collection at the end wins, though carrying too many Regret cards forces you to discard your best fish.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Designer | Judson Cowan |
| Artist | Judson Cowan |
| Publisher | Tettix Games |
| Year Released | 2025 |
| Players | 1-5 |
| Age Range | 14+ |
| Playing Time | 30-150 minutes |
| Game Type | Thematic, Family, Horror, Nautical |
| Complexity | 2.33 / 5 (Medium-Light) |
What’s in the Box for Deep Regrets
The components are one of the strongest parts of the production. Cowan’s hand-drawn artwork covers every card and tile, with a grotesque Lovecraftian style that fits the theme.
- Player boards for tracking dice, supplies, and mounted fish
- Bespoke tackle dice numbered one to three
- Cloth bag for drawing dice during the game
- Fish cards split into Fair and Foul categories
- Regret cards with values one through three
- Dink cards (consolation items for failed catches)
- Rod, Reel, and Supply cards purchased at port
- Money tokens and resource trackers
- Rulebook with background fiction and a solo campaign sheet
The dice bag, polyhedral non-D6 dice, and thick cardboard tokens feel premium. The fish card backs show shadow shapes that hint at the size below, which is a small but smart design choice.
Deep Regrets Pros and Cons
Pros
- Theme is woven into every component, from the rulebook fiction to the artwork on each card
- The madness mechanic creates meaningful push-your-luck tension
- Predicting fish size from card-back shadows gives players partial information to work with
- Solo mode plays as a cataloging campaign across dozens of games
- Production quality matches the price, with thick cardstock and a tactile dice bag
Cons
- Heavy randomness across fish flips, dice rolls, and equipment draws
- Game drags at four or five players, with long stretches between turns
- Port equipment purchases pull from random draws, so one player can grab a top rod for $1 while another pays $3 and gets nothing useful
- Price point of around £100 / $130 is steep for a game with this much luck
How to Play Deep Regrets
Setup
Deal 13 fish cards face down into each of three rows representing shallow, mid, and deep water. Each player takes a starting player board, a small pool of tackle dice, and a few coins. Place the Regret deck, Dink deck, and port equipment piles within reach.
Turn Structure
On your turn, choose to head out to sea or return to port. If you go fishing, roll your tackle dice to determine your strength for the round. Pick a shoal, flip the top card, and check the cost.
If you have enough dice value to pay the cost, you catch the fish and add it to your collection. If you cannot pay, you discard one die and take a Dink card to use later. Some fish trigger effects on reveal or catch, including sharks that eat your smallest fish or Foul creatures that hand you a Regret card.
The Madness Track
Each Regret card increases your madness. Higher madness lets you roll more dice and makes Foul fish worth more, but it lowers the value of Fair fish. Push too far and you pass the madness threshold, which forces a penalty at game end.
Visiting the Port
Spend a turn at port to sell fish, eat Fair fish to recover sanity, and buy Rods, Reels, Supplies, or extra dice. Most equipment purchases involve a random draw, with the option to pay more to see a few cards and pick one.
Winning the Game
The game ends when one of the depth rows is exhausted. Players total the value of their mounted fish. The player carrying the highest total Regret value must discard their single most valuable mounted fish before counting. The highest score wins.
Where to Buy Deep Regrets
| Retailer | Region | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tettix Games | Worldwide | Publisher direct, including expansions |
| Amazon | US / UK | Stock varies; Even Deeper Regrets expansion also listed |
| Game Nerdz | US | Carries base game and both mini-expansions |
| BoardGameBliss | Canada | Stocks the Lamentable Tentacles expansion |
| eBay | Global | Used and Kickstarter editions appear regularly |
| Tesco | UK | Listed at around £100 |
Deep Regrets Game Mechanics
The core mechanism is push-your-luck dice rolling layered on top of set collection. You can re-roll and lock dice using Dinks and Supplies, which gives you some control over the otherwise swingy outcomes.
The madness track is the most interesting design choice. It works as a self-balancing economy: leaning into Foul fish pushes your score up but locks you into needing more Foul fish to compensate for the devalued Fair ones. Pulling back to sanity costs turns and resources.
Player interaction is light but present. The shared fish rows mean catches deplete the pool for everyone, and the random port economy means others can snipe the equipment you wanted. There is no direct attacking, which keeps the table tone closer to a parallel solo-friendly experience than a confrontational one.
Who Should Play Deep Regrets
Deep Regrets works best for two players, where turns come fast and the random equipment draws sting less. Solo play is also a strong fit thanks to the campaign sheet and the ability to choose equipment instead of drawing it.
The game suits players who enjoy thematic horror, hand-drawn art, and push-your-luck risk-taking. Fans of Lure, Sentinels of the Multiverse art style, or Arkham Horror’s tone will find a lot to like here.
Skip Deep Regrets if you dislike randomness driving strategic decisions, if your usual game group has four or five players, or if you want a deep euro-style experience. The play time also runs long at higher counts, sometimes pushing past two hours.
FAQ
Is Deep Regrets good for beginners?
The rules are light enough for newer players, with a complexity rating of 2.33 out of 5. Setup takes about 10 minutes and the core fishing loop is easy to teach. The madness and Regret card interactions take a game or two to fully understand, so expect the first session to run longer.
How long does Deep Regrets take to play?
The box states 30 to 150 minutes. In practice, two-player games finish in 45 to 60 minutes. Three players adds another 30 minutes. Four or five player games can stretch past two hours, especially in the late stages when players have more dice and the catch decisions take longer.
What’s the best player count for Deep Regrets?
Two players or solo. At two, turns come fast and the random equipment draws hurt less because there is less competition for the good cards. Solo mode lets you choose equipment instead of drawing it, which removes the biggest source of frustration in the multiplayer game.
Does Deep Regrets have expansions?
Two expansions exist. Lamentable Tentacles is a mini-expansion that adds new fish and effects. Even Deeper Regrets is a larger expansion that adds more cards, equipment, and gameplay variety. Both are available through Tettix Games directly and through retailers like Game Nerdz and BoardGameBliss.
What games are similar to Deep Regrets?
Lure is the closest comparison, using dice rolls for fishing in a lighter package. Fans of cooperative horror games with strong art direction may also enjoy Arkham Horror: The Card Game or Mansions of Madness, though those play very differently. For push-your-luck dice, Quacks of Quedlinburg shares the same risk curve.
