The Ferrymen is set in the Ancient Greek underworld. Players take the part of ferrymen carrying souls of the dead across the river Acheron to the Gates of Hades. A player's turn consists of two phases – the Souls of the Dead Phase and the Ferry Phase. During the Souls of the Dead Phase, players move souls along the Path of the Dead toward docked ferries. During the Ferry Phase, players move their ferries along the river Acheron. Different souls (Lovers, Families, Spartans, Merchants, etc.) have different movement rates, restrictions, special abilities and delivery fares. Players vie to maneuver beneficial combinations of souls onto their ferry and detrimental combinations onto their opponents' ferries. The monsters Cetus (a many-tentacled river horror), and Cerberus (guardian of the Gates of Hades) pose a hazard to players. Three random Gods & Goddesses are in play each game. Players who sacrifice the most bulls to a God or Goddess receive their favor; players who sacrifice the fewest bulls receive their wrath. Favor is generally beneficial and wrath is generally harmful. Effects vary by God or Goddess and have a large impact on gameplay. A key component of strategy is that nearly any positive effect can be negative in some circumstances and vice versa. For example, an upgraded ferry is larger than the default ferry, but may take more turns to load. A player wins the game when they deliver nine souls to the Gates of Hades or accumulate 30 coins worth of money.