Section 6: Scoring
The standard game uses survival rather than points. Each successful crossing keeps a minnow in the round, while a catch changes that player's role to shark. A caught player stays involved rather than being eliminated from the whole game.
- One minnow remains: Stop play and declare that minnow the winner. They do not have to complete an extra crossing alone.
- Several minnows survive a crossing: Start another crossing in the opposite direction.
- The final minnows are caught together: If no sole survivor can be identified, those last minnows share the win. Do not invent an order for an indistinguishable finish.
- A round ends early: If play must stop while multiple minnows remain, record them as survivors without declaring a sole winner.
For the next round, this ruleset makes the previous winner the starting shark. After a shared win, choose one of the winners randomly. Groups may instead rotate the starting role or choose the first minnow caught, but should agree before the first round.
As an optional scoring variation, give each minnow one point for every completed crossing and compare totals over an agreed number of rounds. Rotate starting sharks so everyone receives comparable chances to score. This is a house scoring system, not an official ranking method.