Shallow Regrets vs The Fisher & The Frod: What's Different?

Quick answer

The Fisher & The Frod is not a different game from Shallow Regrets; it is an expansion you add to it. Buy the base Shallow Regrets game first if you want to play at all. Then buy The Fisher & The Frod only if you want a solo opponent that runs on its own Frod deck and strategy cards. If you already own the base game and play mostly with other people, skip it.

What you actually get in each box

Shallow Regrets is the base wallet game: you set it up as normal and play turns in the usual way. The Fisher & The Frod is sold as an expansion for that wallet game, and its catalog entry lists a Frod deck that you shuffle separately before play. That separate deck is the core of the expansion, because it gives the Frod its own cards to act from rather than borrowing yours.

There is no standalone Fisher & The Frod rule set in the supplied catalog facts. The expansion changes how a turn is resolved, not the base game's components. If you are choosing between the two listings, you are really choosing between owning a game and owning an add-on.

How the Frod changes a turn

The expansion introduces a new layout for both the human player and the Frod. Each side places exhausted fish in a column and available fish in a row next to it. According to the catalog facts, this layout exists to clarify Frod's abilities and fishing attempts, so the board state is readable at a glance instead of buried in a shared pile.

On Frod's turn, the sequence is fixed. Frod always uses one ability from the previous turn's strategy card if possible, then you reveal a new strategy card. That two-step loop is what makes the Frod feel like an opponent with a memory rather than a randomizer, and it is also the part that takes a turn or two to internalize.

Setup and table footprint

Setup for the expansion is deliberately light. You set the game up as normal, then shuffle the Frod deck separately. Player turns proceed as normal after that. Because both sides use the same column-and-row layout, the table needs a little more room than the base game alone, but the wallet format still travels.

The main setup cost is mental, not physical: remembering to resolve Frod's previous strategy card before revealing the next one. Once that order is automatic, the expansion plays at roughly the same pace as the base game.

Other expansions in the same wallet line

If your real question is which small expansion to add to your shelf, the Button Shy wallet line offers different jobs. Combopolis Expansion Collection is a set of three expansions that let you combine the other games in the Sprawlopolis line, packed in a vinyl wallet, and it is aimed at players who already own those base games. Aqua ROVE: Sunken Secrets shuffles six expansion cards into the starting deck of ROVE, and each new card features dual movement with limited directions; its Mission Packs also include Endurance Mode, where you set up with a hand of five cards and complete up to twelve Missions instead of the standard seven.

Those are not substitutes for The Fisher & The Frod. They attach to different base games, so the right comparison is always expansion-to-its-own-base, not expansion-to-expansion.

Trade-offs at a glance

• Base game vs expansion: Shallow Regrets is required to play; The Fisher & The Frod is an add-on that assumes you already own it. New players should buy the base game first.
• Solo opponent vs human opponents: The Frod deck and strategy cards exist to run an automated opponent, which is only useful if you play solo. Group-only players can skip the expansion.
• Readable layout vs extra table space: The column-and-row fish layout clarifies Frod's abilities and fishing attempts, but both sides now need that space. Fine on a normal table; tighter on a small tray.
• Predictable AI vs bookkeeping: Frod always uses one ability from the previous strategy card if possible, then you reveal a new card. Expect a turn or two before the order feels automatic.

Product facts

• Shallow Regrets: The Fisher & The Frod: Set the game up as normal, shuffling the Frod deck separately. Player turns proceed as normal. Both the human player and Frod use a new layout, placing their exhausted fish in a column and their available fish in a row next to it, to help clarify Frod's abilities and fishing attempts. You keep the base Shallow Regrets rules you already know; only the Frod's side and the fish layout change.
• Shallow Regrets: The Fisher & The Frod: On Frod's turn, he will always use one ability from the previous turn's strategy card, if possible. Next, reveal a new strategy card. Frod's behavior is predictable enough to plan around, but you must track the previous card, which is the expansion's main learning curve.
• Combopolis Expansion Collection: Combopolis is a series of expansions which allows you to combine the other games in the Sprawlopolis line. Combopolis Expansion Collection - all three Combopolis expansions packed in a vinyl wallet. A useful reference point if you want a multi-expansion bundle rather than a single solo opponent; it requires the Sprawlopolis-line base games.

Which should you buy?

Buy The Fisher & The Frod if

• You already own Shallow Regrets and want a solo opponent with its own deck
• You like planning around a predictable AI that reuses its previous strategy card
• You want a small, low-cost expansion that keeps the wallet format

Skip it if

• You do not own the base Shallow Regrets game yet
• You only play with other people and never solo
• You want a multi-expansion bundle for a different wallet line, such as Combopolis