Who goes first?
From the publisher’s rulebook

Who goes first in Niagara?

English section · multilingual publisher rules

The person most afraid of water starts.

Read the publisher’s rulebook

Rule details

Everyone first chooses a paddle card simultaneously. The starting player reveals theirs first, followed by the others clockwise.

The lifesaver marks the starter and passes to the left at the end of each round.

Our interpretation

The English manual describes the starter as the most hydrophobic player; the short answer restates that in everyday language.

If there’s a tie

The cited starting-player instruction does not specify a tie-break. We don’t infer one.

Source & edition

  • Niagara — Zoch rulesZoch · Components and Set Up, lifesaver; Play paddle cards; End of Round; PDF pages 9, 10, 11 · Checked 2026-09-23

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