For the rules of niagara, see GameHelpNiagara

Basic strategy

Don’t fall over the falls!

• It is hard to recover from this as you lose a boat and you can only get it back by paying a gem.
• If you do lose a boat be careful about when you pay to get it back.
• Remember that you can only bring one boat back in at a time.
• You don’t want to give the last vital gem to an opponent.

Play your small numbers early

• This will keep some large numbers in reserve so you can either:
  • Get a gem out or
  • at least avoid plummeting over the falls.

Plan when to play your cloud

• Don’t be forced to play it when you really need to move upstream to avoid going over the falls.
  • It is embarrassing and will cost you a boat!
• When you are in front, reduce the river speed.
  • This speeds up the game
• When you are behind, increase the river speed.
  • This slows the game
• This will give you and other players more opportunities to steal gems from the leaders.

Steal gems whenever possible

• Unless that sets up your opponent to get the gem they need to win.
• The fewer gems your opponents has, the more work they need to do to win.

Avoid being stolen from whenever possible

• If your opponents have used all numbers required to land on a particular space this turn, then treat that space as a safe place for this turn only.

Remember all your opponents’ numbers played

• This is your key to developing a winning strategy.
• Without this information, you are just guessing and hoping.
• Be informed, don’t play randomly.

Defend against sudden victories by your opponents

• You need to keep in mind all possible victory conditions and make sure no opponent is getting close to one of them.
• Reduce the number of purple or white gems available if an opponent is going for one of these.
• They only need four of the same gem, so don’t wait until they have their third or fourth gem loaded on a boat.
• Remove the possibility of someone else getting four gems by getting that gem too.
• All opponents should work together to stop the leaders winning.
• If an opponent is carrying a gem they don’t need for their victory, don’t steal it from them as it only makes their job easier.
  • Unless you need it yourself!

Advanced Niagara strategy

What are the best opening moves?

• Are there some which are better or worse than others?
• What are the worst opening moves to be avoided?
• Playing too high a paddle number will likely lose you a boat on the first turn of the game!

The quickest path to victory

• The cheaper gems must be attacked hard.
• You will either win with them or, at the very least, stop an opponent from doing so.
• This is the quickest path to victory.

What are your opponents' best moves?

• What are they likely to play?
• Can you position your boats to take advantage of this?
• For example, if they are likely to land on a particular space, is it worth aiming to land on that space to steal from them?

Cloud management

• You will mostly play your cloud when both your boats are out of the water and safe.
• Mostly, you will make life more difficult for your opponents by making the river go faster.
• However, sometimes it is more strategic to slow it down.
• For example, with a boat starting out of the river, an opponent can easily get out their last white gem by playing a 1 and then a 6 if you help them by maximising the weather impact to +2.
• Instead, why not make them work for their victory?

General strategy

• You don't have to pick up a gem every time it is possible to do so.
• Consider moving your boats to a better position for next turn.
• You may be able to steal from an opponent, or at least threaten to do so, thereby putting pressure on their choices.
• You could position yourself to get gems of the colours that fit better with your current strategy - either completing your own set of gems or obstructing an opponent from getting the gem they need.
• It pays to have an overall view of the game, not just your own little part of it.
• What are your opponents trying to do? Which gems are they trying to get? Can they steal from you? Can they steal from an opponent? What is their shortest path to victory?
• Always be aware of which player is in the strongest position, closest to winning the game. If it is you, then finish it as quickly as you can! Or someone may find a way to stop you.

Defending your gems

• How do you defend against an opponent who is moving after you and could steal from you?
• For a start, you could aim to avoid landing on such a dangerous space.
• You can work out temporarily "safe" spaces by seeing which numbers each opponent has already played and moving to those spaces they cannot reach so they cannot steal from your boat this turn.

Working together

• When someone is very close to winning, their opponents must work together to stop them.
• Sometimes, this, too, is a bluff, as often you have to choose which opponent will win. But normally, if an opponent has an easy move to win, you should stop them whenever possible. If they can win in one turn and you can stop them, it is your responsibility to do so.
• You could steal their gem, or pick up the gem they need, or speed up the river so they are not in reach of the finish.
• Speeding up the river can be done by playing a cloud but also by playing a bigger movement number of your own.
• While self-sacrifice is an extreme measure, sometimes you have to sacrifice your own boat to stop an opposing player from winning.

Remember the game end conditions

• Remember, the game end is triggered by the game end conditions.
• To win, you must be one of the players to meet these game end conditions.
• It is no use having the most expensive gems unless you also trigger the end of the game yourself!
• You must have 4 of the same gem, or 5 different gems, or any 7 gems. Without one of these, you cannot win (although it would make an interesting variant - try it out face-to-face!)

For additional enjoyment/challenges/fun

• Try having alternate "fun" goals: see how many boats you can cause to go over the falls in a game! It is hilarious when it is not yours sailing through the air, but still very funny when it is yours! Of course, if this is everyone's goal, the game may never end! (Note: This should only be done in a friendly game. It should never be done in a competition game since in competition it is reasonable to assume that all players are trying to win, not just messing around.)
• Also try out the Niagara expansions ("Spirits of Niagara" and "Diamond Joe" - see Niagara expansions on boardgamegeek.com) when you are playing face-to-face. While these haven't been implemented on BGA yet and add a lot more randomness, they do add extra fun and complexity to the game, especially if you know the base game well.
• For a challenge, try winning with 4 blues or even 4 pink gems!
• What is the theoretical maximum score in a game of Niagara on BGA? Can you achieve this score? (I believe it would be 3 blue gems and 5 pink gems, for a total of 37 points!) If you are trying such a feat, you would need to slow your opponents down or they will win easily with purple or white gems. To slow them down, you could systematically move all the cheap gems to the "pink" or "blue" spaces nearest the waterfall.

Final words

• Remember, Niagara is a game of bluff and double-bluff and flat-out running for the finish line.
• Once you work out the best moves that work in each situation, you will realise that there are only a few to choose from and that your opponents know what these moves are too!
• Which move will you make?
• Which move will they make?
• Can you out-guess your opponents' moves?
• Can you bluff them out of guessing your next move? :)

Happy boating! :)