7th Sea: City of Five Sails
7th Sea: City of Five Sails Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Credits
Set Design: Tom Brown, Robert Croy, Case Kiyonaga, Case Lopez, Chris Medico
Original Graphic Design and Layout: Jason Ballard, Rhiannon McCullough
Five Sails Title Logo: Tamsyn Goodnow
Background, Story, and Flavor: Jeff Bailey, Bryan Fox, D.G. Laderoute, Case Lopez, Ian Oneail, David Orange, Carmel Rechnitzer, Nancy Sauer, Fred Wan
Learn to Play Book: Jason Ballard, Robert Croy, Carl Matherly, Chan Sterling
Rulebook: Devin Bell, Tom Brown, Robert Croy, Carl Matherly, Rhiannon McCullough, David Orange
Proofreading and Editing: Tom Brown, Robert Croy, Carl Matherly, David Lapp, David Orange
Website & TTS/Videos: Robert Croy, Carl Matherly, Chan Sterling, Alex Wirges
Playtest Lead: Tom Brown
Playtesting: Conall Armstrong, Tom Brown, Thomas Brown, Antonio Calderon, Mike Clark, Robert Croy, Diamond Dan DaMeme, Matt Froese, Alex Gordon, Darren Hazelden, Grégory Henriques, Hayes Hunter, Ian Kicmol, Sébastien Jules-Mousquetaire Du Roy, David Lapp, Patrick Logan, Carl Matherly, Brian Mazurowski, Max Ogden, Max Smith, Emmanuel Oseguera, Jon Palmer, Bo Quel, Stephen Stilton, Even Strite, Louis Tarmichael, Corrin Mana, Michael Reed, Remmers, Josh Thompson, John Urbanek, Jon Woe
Art Direction: Case Lopez
Cover Art: Charles Urbach
Artists: Zulkarnaen Hasan Basri, Jason Ballard, Jason Behnke, Echoe Croy, Grzegorz Bobrowski, Von Caberte, Manuel Castañón, Brent Chumley, Donald Crank, Charlotte Creber, John Donahue, Talon Dunning, Matt Forsyth, Paul Herbert, Sergio Villa Isaza, Tania Kerins, Yong Yi Lee, Case Lopez, Jeff Menges, Federico Musetti, Mauro Mussi, Mirco Paganessi, Fabian Parente, Terry Pavlet, Paolo Puggioni, Diego Rodriguez, Riccardo Rullo, ShenFei, Charles Urbach, Mateusz Wilma, Wacław Wysocki
Combat & Design Lead: Robert Croy
Original Concept & Creative Lead: Case Lopez
Project Developer: David Lapp, Carl Matherly
Special Thanks: Agent 006, Alazilla, Cassandra Christine-Cyburt Farrugia, Tonbo Karasu, Richard, The Writer's Room; a 7th Sea Podcast
Achieving Victory
Victory
There are three victory conditions in 7th Sea: City of Five Sails:
- Assassination Victory: Be the only player with a Leader in play. In a game with three or four players, when your Leader is destroyed, lose half of your Renown rounded-up.
- Dominance Victory: During Plunder, control the three core City Locations: The Docks, The Forums, and The Grand Bazaar. In case of a tie, Dominance Victory beats Economic Victory.
- Economic Victory: During Plunder, control seven or more Renown.
Day Limit
The game ends at the end of the fifth Day. If there has not been a winner by the end of the fifth Day, then the player that controls the most Renown wins.
Ties
It is possible for multiple players to win at the same time. Below are the tiebreakers and their order when determining a winner.
- If two or more players achieve an Economic Victory at the same time, the player with the most Renown wins.
- If two or more players have the same amount of Renown, then play another Day. (Maximum five Days).
- At the end of the fifth Day, if players have the same amount of Renown:
- The player who controls the most locations wins.
- Then, the player with the most Influence wins.
- Then, the player whose Leader has the fewest wounds wins.
- Then, the game is a draw.
Game Setup
Create a central pool of tokens: wounds and Renown.
Shuffle the City Deck and place it within easy reach among all players. Then place the three core City locations in a line between the players. The Forums is central with The Docks and The Grand Bazaar on either side of it. Ensure The Docks is closest to the City Deck.
Note: in a three-player game, place Ole's Inn to the outside of The Docks. In a four-player game, also place Governor's Gardens to the outside of The Grand Bazaar.
Players simultaneously reveal their Leaders, placing them en garde (upright) in front of them in the area designated as their Home. A player's Home represents their headquarters, ship, back alley, or barracks. This is where they put their plans into motion to claim Five Sails for their own. Your Home is adjacent to all City locations. A player can never move one of their characters into an enemy's Home.
Each player places their non-randomized Approach deck facedown, followed by their facedown randomized Faction Deck. Do not yet draw a starting hand.
Example: In a two-player game's setup, each player's area has (left to right) their Approach Deck, their Home (with their Leader in play), and their Faction Deck. The illustrated Leader in the example setup is Kaspar "Old Iron" Dietrich, a Leader – Hero – General – Eisen Character with a City Action: engage Kaspar to reveal cards from the City Deck until a Mercenary is found; Kaspar may recruit it and can parley even while engaged, then sink the rest of the revealed cards; when Kaspar parleys, he gains +2 to the parley.
Component key: Wound Tokens and Renown Tokens form the central pools. The City Deck sits within reach of all players. Each player's Leader occupies their Home, flanked by their Approach Deck and Faction Deck.
Key Concepts
Golden Rule
Whenever the text of a card contradicts the text of the rulebook, perform the text on the card. Cards supersede the rulebook.
En garde vs Engaged
Cards enter play en garde, upright and ready to act. Some abilities engage cards. When a card becomes engaged, rotate it sideways 90 degrees. An engaged card cannot engage for any costs that require it to engage. Engaged cards can become en garde through effects. Once en garde, cards may engage for costs again.
Example: Servo Scarpa (Duelist – Red Hand – Vodacce Character) is shown en garde, upright and ready to act, then engaged, rotated 90 degrees sideways.
First Player Token
The player who has the First Player Token is the First Player. The First Player has the first chance to act or react in any given phase. When effects would resolve simultaneously, the First Player determines the order they resolve. First Player is usually determined by whichever player has the highest Initiative during the Planning phase.
Opposing
An enemy character at the same location as your character. Both characters are opposing each other.
Sink
Send the card(s) to the bottom of their corresponding deck in a random order.
Performing Character
The performing character is the character doing the ability.
- They perform any ability on themselves, printed on the card itself or otherwise granted via another effect.
- They perform any ability on any card they have equipped.
- A qualifying performer must be selected to use a qualified ability. E.g. Sorcerer City Action.
- They perform City Deck event cards.
- Even if the above does not apply to a given ability, if it reads "performer," or "performing character," then one must be chosen.
Qualified Abilities
Any and all qualifiers that determine the specific type of character that is carrying out the ability must be satisfied by the performing character.
- Abilities sometimes have another word preceding them, e.g.: Duelist Maneuver, Scoundrel Action, Villain Technique. To activate these abilities, the performing character must have that trait. A Duelist Maneuver can only be used by a character with the Duelist trait.
- A City Action or City Reaction is a type of ability that must be performed by a character at a City location. If City Action or City Reaction appears on a character, that character must be in a City location to activate their ability.
- If City Action or City Reaction appears on a non-character card, a character at a City location must be chosen to be the performing character. The character must be at the location where the effects are taking place.
- The effects of any City Action or City Reaction ability must remain in the location in which that action is taking place unless the effect specifically says the effect takes place at a different location.
- Qualified Abilities also inherit the traits necessary for the ability to be used. A Sorcerer Action requires a performing Sorcerer and the action itself is considered a Sorcerer action.
- Abilities do not inherit all of the traits of the performing character, only the ones required to perform the qualified ability.
The Locker
When cards are sent to The Locker, set them aside, wherever convenient. They cannot return to play.
- Each player has their own The Locker location.
- When your card is sent to The Locker, place it in your The Locker location.
Paying Costs and Spending
Wealth cost is indicated by the value on the top left of the card. Pay the cost of a card by discarding cards from hand equal to the value indicated. If a card has a value of 0 or is reduced to 0 by effects, play it without discarding any cards.
- All cards are worth one unless otherwise noted.
- Some abilities specify spending a resource other than cards, e.g. Renown, Thrust.
- Anytime a player must "spend" something, it must come from their controlled and collected resources or relevant card value and have at least the specified amount.
- As costs must be paid, if the player cannot spend the required resource, the ability cannot be announced.
Once-per-day Ability Activation
Generally, players can use Actions and Reactions on cards once per printed instance each full Day, which is a complete round of the game. Techniques may be used once per duel. Cards in play with more than one ability can use each of the actions once per printed instance per full Day or challenge. Forced abilities always take place when the triggering condition is met.
Wound, Wounds, Wounding
A single wound is damage a character has suffered.
- Unmitigated threat in a duel applies as wounds.
- When a character suffers any amount of wounds, they have been wounded.
- A character is considered wounded if they have any amount of wounds on them.
- When instructed to wound a character, always apply exactly one wound (unless noted otherwise).
- …wound the adversary.
- …wound an opposing character.
- …wound them.
- When a character has wounds equal to or greater than their Resolve, they are destroyed and removed from the game by "sending them to The Locker."
Example card: Bleed Out (Risk, Cost 1, Villainous trait) — "While your Leader is a Villain, this card has -1 cost. Action: Target a wounded non-Leader character in a City location • Wound them." Flavor text: "Let him fall. Let him rot." – Servo Scarpa.
Pressures
A pressure compares the total sum of a stat (Resolve, Combat, Finesse, and Influence) among all characters at a given location. The pressure is only successful if the initiating player has the highest sum of the dictated stat among all of the players and their cards at that location. The pressure fails if the initiating player has less or ties.
I.e. Pressures occur most commonly when a player attempts to take control of a City location. Do this by engaging your character at that location and taking the "Claim" action. During the Claim action, all players sum all their Influence among all characters they control at that location and compare results.
Gambling
Reveal two cards from the top of your deck. Choose one and sink the other. Use the chosen card as dictated by the effect that caused the gamble effect.
- When gambling during a duel, play the chosen card as your combat card.
- When gambling during a duel, you may only gamble a number of times up to your current participant's Finesse.
- I.e. If your participant has 2 Finesse and you have gambled twice already, then you cannot gamble again. If, somehow, your participant changes to someone with 3 Finesse, you may gamble one more time. If, somehow, your participant changes again to someone with 1 Finesse, then you cannot gamble as you have already gambled more times than your current participant's Finesse.
Card Anatomy
The information printed on cards includes the following:
Wealth Cost
Wealth cost is indicated by the value on the top left of the card. Wealth cost is paid by discarding cards from your hand equal to the value indicated. If a card has a value of 0 or is reduced to 0 by game effects, it is played without having to discard any cards.
- When paying costs, all discarded cards are worth one.
- When paying costs, cards with the Wealth keyword are worth two when discarded this way. Cards with Wealth are sent to The Locker when used this way.
Traits
Traits are bolded tags on a card that give it extra definition. Some actions refer to traits as an additional requirement to use the action.
Some abilities refer to a trait. To use an ability that refers to a trait, the performing character must have that trait or be in a location with that trait. For example, a Thug Maneuver requires a character with the Thug trait to use the effect.
Stats
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Characters and Attachments Characters and attachments have four main Stats: Resolve, Combat, Finesse, and Influence. Leaders have two additional Stats: Panache and Crew Cap.
- Resolve: The number of wounds a character can suffer. When a character has wounds equal to or exceeding their Resolve, they are immediately destroyed and sent to The Locker.
- Combat: Represents a character's ability in a fight.
- Finesse: Represents a character's agility and ability to gamble.
- Influence: Represents a character's reputation, wealth, infamy, or clout. When a card has a + or a - in its stat, it modifies the card it is attached to.
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Schemes Scheme cards have a Panache modifier and an Initiative value.
- Initiative: How quickly the Leader and their crew act that Day.
- The player with the First Player Token is the First Player.
- The player with the highest Initiative on their scheme takes the First Player Token.
- In the case of a tie, the First Player Token passes to the left.
- In the case of a tie when no player has the First Player Token, randomly determine who gains the First Player Token.
- Initiative: How quickly the Leader and their crew act that Day.
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Characters (Leaders) Leaders have Resolve, Combat, Finesse, and Influence in addition to Crew Cap and Panache.
- Crew Cap: The number of characters (including your Leader) that you can have in play. Players can control more characters by recruiting Mercenaries and mustering characters from their Approach Deck during each Planning phase of each Day. Also, certain factions can have specific character cards in their deck with special rules. Note: When a player has more characters than their Leader's Crew Cap, they must send characters to The Locker until they have reached their Crew Cap.
- Panache: Determines how many cards a player draws each Day during the Planning phase. It can be modified by a player's cards, most commonly by their scheme. Panache also dictates the number of cards a player may keep in their hand at the end of the Day. Any excess must be discarded.
Combat Values
Cards in a player's faction deck have combat values. These values are on the bottom left-hand corner of each card and are always in order. From top to bottom: Riposte, Parry, Thrust.
Example card: Flourish - Eisenfaust (Riposte 2, Parry -, Thrust 1) — "While your participant is equipped with an Eisenfaust attachment, this card has -1 cost. Maneuver: If your participant has equal or greater Combat than the adversary, or is equipped with an Eisenfaust attachment • Wound the adversary."
These values are used during a duel. They can be modified by abilities.
- Riposte: Reduce threat in your threat pool by X and add threat to your adversary's threat pool equal to the amount reduced. This cannot "return" more than what was reduced.
- Parry: Reduce threat in your threat pool by X.
- Thrust: Add X threat to the adversary's threat pool.
Card Anatomy Examples
- Attachment — labelled diagram of the Breastplate card (Wealth Cost 1, Attachment, stat modifiers, faction symbol, Riposte -, Parry 3, Thrust -1). Forced: During a duel, the first time the equipped character would suffer any amount of wounds • Reduce the number by one. Forced: When the equipped character is wounded • Destroy this card. (0 wounds is not wounded.) Flavor: "Slows you down, hot as hell, but I wonder what something that shiny is protecting…" – Soline el Gato.
- Risk — labelled diagram of the Legendary Reputation card (Wealth Cost 2, Card Type, Riposte 1, Parry 1, Thrust 2). Challenge - Glory - Honor. City Action: Your performer issues a Combat challenge to target opposing character. Only Leaders can intervene. Flavor: "You have obviously heard of the steel of the Musketeers from Montaigne." – Léontine Giroux.
- Scheme — labelled diagram of The Song of Eisen card, subtitled "Bargain - Prepared" (Initiative 67, Panache Modifier 0, Card Type, Separation Bar, Faction Symbol). Add a Renown to The Forums. Put target Mercenary from the City Deck discard pile on top of the City Deck. (below the separation bar) Your Leader gains +1 Panache while parleying with a Mercenary. Reaction: At the end of High Drama, if there are no available Mercenaries and attachments • Gain a Renown. Flavor: "The song sounds suspiciously like the jingling of coins." – Otto Streit.
Phases of the Day
7th Sea: City of Five Sails is played over a series of turns called Days. A full Day takes the players from Dawn to Dusk. They will muster a new character, hatch new schemes for the day, and carry out their activities. A full day has five distinct phases played in the following order:
- Dawn - Preparing the City for the next full Day.
- Planning - Players choose schemes and muster characters from their approach decks.
- High Drama - The majority of play happens during this phase.
- Plunder - Collect Renown and check for victory.
- Dusk - Cleaning up the City and getting ready for the next Day.
Phase 1: Dawn
- Beginning of the Day.
- Beginning of Dawn.
- One at a time, add a City Deck card to each location. Start with the location closest to the City Deck and proceed away from it.
- End of Dawn.
Phase 2: Planning
- Beginning of Planning
- Each player secretly selects a scheme and character from their Approach Deck for the Day. Place them facedown until all players have made their selections.
- Reveal all the selected cards.
- "When revealed" effects resolve.
- If there is more than one "when revealed" effect, the current First Player chooses the order they resolve in.
- If there is no First Player yet, perform the following Determine Initiative step and the resulting First Player then chooses the order the effects resolve in. Then, skip the following Determine Initiative step since the initiative is already determined this Day.
- "When revealed" effects resolve.
- Determine Initiative: The player with the First Player Token is the First Player.
- The player with the highest Initiative on their scheme takes the First Player Token.
- In the case of a tie, the First Player Token passes to the left.
- In the case of a tie when no player has the First Player Token, randomly determine who gains the First Player Token.
- Muster: Starting with the First Player and proceeding clockwise, the revealed character joins their controller's Crew and comes into play at their Home. When a player exceeds their Leader's Crew Cap stat, they must send their characters to The Locker until they no longer exceed their Crew Cap.
- Resolve Scheme: Starting with the First Player and proceeding clockwise, players resolve their schemes.
- Players resolve the text on their scheme above the separation bar. Resolve the text from top to bottom in order. When all text above the separation bar has been resolved, pass to the next player clockwise.
- If a scheme does not have a separating bar, resolve all the text.
- After all text above the separating bar is resolved, place the scheme to the side, faceup, in play.
- Draw: A player's cards may modify the Panache of their Leader for the Day. Each player draws cards equal to the Panache of their Leader as modified by cards.
- End of Planning
Phase 3: High Drama
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Beginning of High Drama
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Starting with the First Player, players will take turns performing an Action. After the First Player performs a single action, play proceeds clockwise to the next player who will perform a single action, and so on. Because these actions are Unlimited, players can use the actions from this list any number of times per Day and in any order. If a player Passes, they may take an action at their next opportunity as long as every other player did not also Pass. Play continues in the High Drama phase until all players Pass consecutively.
- Use a Card Action
- Move Action
- Equip Action
- Recruit Action
- Parley Reaction
- Challenge Action
- Claim Action
- Pass
a. Use a Card Action — Use any Action ability on any card you control in play, or use an Action ability on a card in hand by playing it. After using an Action ability on a card from a player's hand, discard it after resolving all effects. Unlimited.
b. Move Action — Moving is the act of a character going from one location to another. Whenever a character moves, they maintain any and all wounds and equipped cards. Characters maintain the state they are in when moving: en garde or engaged. Generally, characters are only able to move to adjacent locations. Abilities will note if the character can move to a non-adjacent location. Players always have access to the following ability: Action: Engage your performing en garde character (unless they are at Home.) • Move them to an adjacent location. Unlimited.
c. Equip Action — Attachments are most commonly equipped to characters. Some cards can be equipped but are not attachments. Those cards equip via other means. Equipped cards go to the discard pile when the card they are equipped to leaves play. Players always have access to the following ability: Action: Pay costs • Equip an attachment from hand to your performer; or an available attachment at their location. Unlimited.
d. Recruit Action — Mercenaries are found in the City Deck and will likely populate the city during Dawn. Players can recruit available Mercenaries to supplement their crew. A City Deck card is available when it is not controlled by any player and it is at a City location. When a player has more characters than their Leader's Crew Cap, they must send characters to The Locker until they no longer exceed their Crew Cap. Players always have access to the following ability: City Action: Pay the costs of target available Mercenary at your performer's location • The Mercenary enters play en garde and under your control at this location. Unlimited. Note: Mercenaries are generally negotiable. Any card with negotiable can be parleyed with. —
Phase 4: Plunder
- Beginning of Plunder
- Victory and Renown. a. Check for Dominance Victory. b. Renown. i. Players take Renown from all locations they currently control. ii. Take additional conditional Renown (via your scheme, Leader, etc.). c. Check for Economic Victory. d. Check for Fifth Day Victory.
- End of Plunder
Phase 5: Dusk
- Beginning of Dusk.
- Clean up. a. Locations become uncontrolled. b. Each character becomes en garde and moves to their Home. c. Discard any City Deck cards left on any City Locations. d. Send schemes to The Locker. e. Discard down to the unmodified Panache value of your Leader.
- End of Dusk.
- End of the Day.
Decks and Card Types
There are a variety of card types in 7th Sea: City of Five Sails; each with their own role, stats, and rules.
City Location Cards
Location cards represent the districts in the city of Five Sails. These locales represent the physical space where characters play the game, and where players compete with one another for control of Five Sails. There are three core City location cards: The Docks, The Forums, and The Grand Bazaar.
- Every game uses these three core City locations. In a game with at least three players, add Ole's Inn. With four players also add Governor's Gardens.
- They do not belong to any player's deck.
- They are only affected by abilities that allow a player to do so.
City Deck
The City Deck is a predetermined deck with exactly thirty cards. At the beginning of each Day, add one card to each City location from it.
- There are three types of cards in the City Deck: characters, attachments, and events.
- All characters in the City Deck have the Mercenary trait.
- Randomize the City Deck as part of setup and place it face down within easy reach of all players.
- Its contents may change over the life of 7th Sea: City of Five Sails to represent the evolving story of Five Sails. Any game of 7th Sea only requires one City Deck.
Event Cards
Events are a type of card that appear only in the City Deck. They only affect the location they are at unless stated otherwise.
- Event cards are not controlled by any player.
- A player has access to abilities on events when they have a character at that location.
- Players may use Actions on events even though they do not control the event card.
- Because events are not controlled by a specific player, each player may use an Action on an event once per Day.
Approach Deck
The Approach Deck represents a player's crew, tactics, and overall plan to control Five Sails. It consists of characters and schemes.
- Each player constructs their own Approach Deck.
- The Approach Deck contains exactly ten cards of five characters and five schemes.
- The Approach Deck is placed facedown and is not randomized as part of setup.
- A player may look at their Approach Deck at any time.
Character Cards
Characters represent the larger-than-life personalities of Five Sails such as academics, mercenaries, diplomats, scoundrels, heroes, villains, or anyone else.
- At the beginning of each Day, each player will choose a character from their Approach Deck to bring into play. This is called mustering.
- Some characters, usually Mercenaries, have a wealth cost in the top left corner of the card. Players must pay for these characters like any other card with a cost.
- Characters enter play at their controller's Home unless directed otherwise.
- Send destroyed characters to The Locker. Note: characters with the Brute keyword go to their owner's discard pile instead.
- All characters are always Unique unless otherwise stated on the card.
- All characters have the following stats: Resolve, Combat, Finesse, Influence.
Leader Cards
Leaders are a special type of character. They have the Leader trait. Leaders function exactly like any other character in regards to abilities and effects. The stats Crew Cap and Panache appear on Leaders.
- A player's Leader determines what faction they are playing.
- The Leader starts the game in play.
- A player cannot have more than one Leader.
- If only one player has a Leader in play, they win the game.
- Leaders have a Crew Cap stat. This determines how many total characters that player can control, including their Leader.
- Leaders have a Panache stat. It is modified by the Panache stat on other cards. The modified value is how many cards a player draws during Planning.
- A Leader's unmodified Panache dictates how many cards a player may hold at the end of each Day.
Scheme Cards
Schemes represent the strategies and attitudes of your Leader while attempting to control Five Sails. Schemes are part of a player's Approach Deck.
- All schemes are Unique unless otherwise printed on the card.
- Schemes go to The Locker at the end of Dusk.
- Schemes have initiative values. The player with the highest initiative gains the First Player Token. In the case of a tie, the First Player Token passes to the left. In the case of a tie when no player has the First Player Token, randomly determine who gains the First Player Token.
- A player's scheme modifies the Panache of their Leader.
- Players draw cards equal to the Panache of their Leader, modified by any other cards or abilities.
- Card effects cannot remove schemes from play unless specifically stated otherwise.
Faction Deck
Each player constructs their own Faction Deck. It consists primarily of attachments and risks.
- Faction Decks must contain at least 40 cards.
- Players randomize their Faction Decks as part of setup and place them face down.
- Characters with the Brute keyword go into the Faction Deck instead of the Approach Deck.
- A Faction Deck may include up to two copies of any non-Unique card, and exactly one copy of a Unique card.
- When a player must draw or reveal a card and cannot because their deck is empty, they must shuffle their discard pile and place the shuffled discard pile face down to form a new deck.
- All cards in a Faction Deck have the combat values: Riposte, Parry, and Thrust.
- A player never has to pay the wealth cost of a card to use its combat values during a duel.
- Cards are always drawn from the Faction Deck unless stated to draw from a different deck.
Risk Cards
Risks are tactics your Leader and other characters use to secure control of Five Sails. They can be heroic, villainous, thuggish, academic, pious, corrupted, or anything else. Risks are part of the Faction Deck. Like other cards in a player's hand, they are hidden until played.
- Risks can have several kinds of abilities: Passive Abilities, Actions, Reactions, Forced, and Maneuvers.
- Risks go to the player's discard pile after they are fully resolved.
- To play a risk, the player must pay its wealth cost.
- A player never has to pay the wealth cost of a risk to use its combat values during a duel: Riposte, Parry, Thrust.
Attachment Cards
Attachments cards represent items, armor, trinkets, weapons, or even virtues and hubrises. Attachments are 'equipped' to their target. Equipped cards are played underneath cards already in play and modify those cards with rules text.
- Attachments go to the discard pile when they leave play.
- Some attachments have Technique abilities. During a duel, a card with a Technique can only be activated if it is equipped to the active participant in the duel.
- Attachments may modify the equipped character's stats; e.g.: Resolve, Combat, Finesse, or Influence.
- Stat modifications on an attachment always affect the character while the attachment is equipped. An attachment modifies the stats whether the attachment or character is en garde or engaged.
- Any stat with a - (dash) cannot be modified.
- An attachment may only equip to a card you control unless otherwise specified.
- A character may have exactly one card with the Armor trait, one card with the Attire trait, and one card with the Weapon trait.
- The controlling player must choose and destroy attachments on the character until this restriction is met.
- Some attachments may have Passive Abilities, Actions, Reactions, Forced abilities, or Techniques. To use these abilities, the attachments must be equipped and in play.
- When a character is destroyed, the character is sent to The Locker and any attachments go to their owner's discard pile.
Abilities and Playing Cards
To play a card, all costs must be paid. This includes the wealth cost and any other additional costs. Additional costs could be: engaging a character, receiving a wound, etc.
Some cards have a bullet point •. Additional costs and required timing precede the • and effects follow after the •. Effects resolve after all additional costs and targeting have been satisfied.
Types of Abilities
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Passive Abilities:
- Constant effects. These do not have to be announced and are always active.
- Passive Abilities are denoted with plain text. They are not preceded by Action, Reaction, Technique, Maneuver, Forced, or any other kind of ability marker.
- Passive Abilities are always active.
- It is up to that player to resolve any Passive Abilities that are a "may" effect.
- It is the duty of all players to properly resolve any ability that is not optional.
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Action:
- When a player has priority, they may use an Action ability or Pass.
- Actions are only used in the High Drama phase.
- Actions cannot be used during a duel.
- Actions can only be activated once per Day per instance.
- Actions on events and City locations can only be activated by each player once per Day per instance.
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Maneuvers:
- Maneuvers are abilities on combat cards played during a duel.
- Maneuvers on a card may be ignored. A card can always be played as a combat card only for its Riposte, Parry, or Thrust.
- To use a Maneuver, the player must pay any and all costs.
- The Maneuver of a card is tied to that card's combat values. A player cannot use the Maneuver of one card and the combat values of another. Exactly one card is played during a round.
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Techniques:
- Techniques are abilities used exclusively during a duel.
- Techniques appear on cards already in play, usually characters and equipped cards.
- A card with a Technique must be in play to activate its ability.
- During a duel, a card played as a combat card with a Technique cannot activate its ability as it is not in play.
- When activating a Technique, do not pay the wealth cost as the card is already in play.
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Forced:
- A Forced ability is used in response to another ability, effect, or game step. Forced abilities respond to a triggering condition like a Reaction.
- Forced abilities are not optional and must occur if the triggering condition is met.
- Forced abilities do not have a once-per-day limit. Every time the triggering condition of a Forced ability occurs, the Forced ability must then activate.
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Reaction:
- A Reaction is a type of ability that is used in response to another ability or effect. Reactions must respond to a triggering condition.
Playing a Card
- Announce the ability to be used.
- You must control the card or show the card from your hand.
- Pay all costs and required targeting:
- Pay the wealth cost by discarding the number of cards to meet it.
- Cards with a • have additional costs. Additional costs must be paid before effects can resolve.
- Anytime a player must "spend" something, it must come from their control and collected resources or relevant card value and have at least the specified amount.
- Targeting may occur during costs or effects.
- Targeting during costs must be satisfied to use the ability.
- Resolve effects in the order they appear. Do as much as possible. If an effect cannot be resolved, the rest of the effects continue as normal.
- The ability is now used.
- If the ability came from a risk card, discard it now.
Issuing a Challenge and Dueling
Duels are the primary way characters engage in combat in Five Sails. All duels follow the same procedure. To begin a duel, a challenge must be issued.
If a Challenge is accepted then a duel occurs. Challenges note what stat is to be used for the following duel. Challenges issued via the basic Challenge action use Combat. However, any stat could be used. This appears as: "Issue a Resolve/Combat/Finesse challenge to target opposing character." The duel then uses that Stat when determining threat and wounds using Restricted Hostilities (p. 27).
Issuing a Challenge (overview)
- Issue a challenge
- Choose your performing challenger
- Who they challenge
- Activate a Technique.
- The challenged character accepts, refuses, or a different character intervenes
- Resolve Technique
- Generate Threat
Repeating Rounds (overview)
- Round Begins
- Play a Combat Card
- Activate and resolve one Technique and/or Maneuver
- Combat Values
- Riposte
- Parry
- Thrust
- Resolve Threat
- Round Ends
Issuing a Challenge
Issue a Challenge
- Issuing a challenge is the process to begin a duel. It dictates which characters will be fighting each other in the following duel.
- When a player issues a challenge, they choose their performing character and the character they are challenging simultaneously.
- Announce the performing character that is issuing a challenge.
- The targeted character challenged to a duel must be opposing the character issuing the challenge.
- If using the rulebook "Challenge Action" action, engage the performing character.
- Some effects can issue a challenge without using the "Challenge Action" action. These effects may not require the performing character to engage. Despite this, the performing character must be announced.
Activating a Technique
- Technique: The performing challenger may activate a Technique.
- The challenging character may issue a challenge with one Technique.
- Techniques used during the challenge are considered to have been used during the duel. That Technique cannot be used again during that same duel.
- Do not resolve the effects until duel is accepted.
Accept or Refuse the Challenge. The controller of the challenged character must now accept or refuse the duel.
- Accepting a challenge
- When a player accepts a challenge, they must play a card on their first round of the duel.
- The duel may be accepted by the original target or a different character via intervening.
- Intervene
- The player redirects the duel that is targeting their challenged character.
- To intervene, the player controlling the challenged character engages another character they control at the same location.
- The challenger is now targeting the intervening character.
- When the challenge is accepted, the challenging character and the character accepting the challenge are now the "participants."
- Each participating character, and their controllers, are adversaries of each other.
- "Adversary" can refer to the enemy participating character or their controller.
- Refusing a challenge
- When a challenge is refused, generate threat as outlined in the following "Threat" section. The refusing character suffers wounds equal to the threat generated, with respect to Restricted Hostilities, activated Techniques, or other relevant effects.
Resolve Technique
- If a Technique was activated previously in the issuing of the challenge, resolve its effects now.
- If the Technique adds +Thrust, it will be added in the next step.
Threat
- Combat is most commonly used. Some abilities allow different stats to be the stat used during the duel.
- The challenging character generates an amount of threat equal to their dueling stat.
- If a Technique adds +Thrust, add that much threat.
- Add all the generated threat to the adversary's threat pool.
The Duel
After a challenge is accepted, a duel occurs and is played out in a series of repeating and alternating rounds, starting with the accepting character. A duel ends only when neither participant has any threat in their threat pool.
A Round of the Duel:
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Round Begins
- Beginning of the round.
- A duel begins and occurs at the start of the first round.
- The character that accepted the duel has the first round. Then the participants alternate rounds until the duel ends.
- Beginning of the round.
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Play a Combat Card:
- If it is the first round of the duel, a combat card must be played. This can be either from hand or gambling (see Additional Dueling Rules and Concepts, below).
- The active player may choose to play a combat card or not. If they do not, their participating character suffers wounds equal to the threat in their threat pool up to a maximum of their adversary's Combat. Any excess threat is discarded (see Additional Dueling Rules and Concepts, below). This will end the duel, as a duel ends when there is no threat in any participant's threat pool.
- The player may play a card from their hand or by gambling.
- Players keep cards played during a duel faceup in front of them. Display the cards such that the combat values on the bottom left remain visible. This is the dueling line. The dueling line remains in play during the duel. Discard it at the end of the duel.
- Activate and resolve up to one Technique and/or one Maneuver.
- A Technique or Maneuver may be activated and resolved in any order.
- Each Technique and Maneuver may be used once per card per duel. (The same ability may be used more than once, as long as each use was from different copies of the card.)
- The Maneuver of a card is tied to that card's combat values. A player cannot use the Maneuver of one card and the combat values of another. Exactly one card is played during a round.
- Activate and resolve up to one Technique and/or one Maneuver.
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Combat Values
- A card can always be played for its combat values (Riposte, Parry, Thrust) regardless of its cost.
- If a player wants to use a card for its combat values, and the card has a Maneuver, they may choose not to activate the Maneuver. This uses the combat values as normal.
- Always resolve all of the combat values in order, every time, from top to bottom: Riposte, Parry, Thrust.
- Resolve Riposte
- Remove threat in your threat pool by X. Then, add threat to the opposing adversary's threat pool equal to the amount removed.
- Riposte cannot "return" more than what was removed.
- Resolve Parry
- Remove threat in your threat pool by X.
- Resolve Thrust
- Add X threat to the opposing adversary's threat pool.
- Resolve Riposte
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Resolve Threat
- Your participant takes wounds equal to the threat remaining in your threat pool up to a maximum of your adversary's stat in the duel (usually Combat). More on Restricted Hostilities in the Additional Dueling Rules and Concepts section (p. 27).
Additional Dueling Rules and Concepts
Ending a Duel
The duel only ends when there is no threat remaining in any threat pool. It is entirely possible for a character to be destroyed during a duel and have the duel continue.
Final Strike
Final strike is a keyword. The last combat card played before that character is destroyed is their final strike. A character is destroyed after resolving their combat cards (Riposte, Parry, Thrust). Therefore, a player may have threat in their pool after their adversary is destroyed. Continue the duel as normal. The duel only ends when there is no threat in any threat pool.
- Some abilities have "Final Strike" as an additional cost. The effect only activates if that character is destroyed the same round that ability is activated.
- If a character's adversary is destroyed, but still has threat in their own threat pool, they may use their combat values as normal. This gives the surviving character a chance to Parry or Riposte any threat away.
Gambling During a Duel
During a player's round in a duel, they may play a combat card. If they choose to, they may play a card from their hand or by gambling. To gamble, the active player reveals the top two cards of their deck. They play one and sink the other. The chosen card is the card they must play that round.
- When a player gambles in a duel, they must set their hand aside. They may not choose to play a card from hand that round after choosing to gamble.
- The played card is put into the dueling line engaged. This is to easily track how many times a player has played a gambled card in the duel.
- A player cannot gamble in a duel more times than their participating character has Finesse.
- If a gambled card does not enter, or exits, the dueling line for any reason it is still considered gambled and counts against the participant's Finesse for the duration of the duel.
Modifying Combat Values
Each card included in your deck has three combat values. They are: Riposte, Parry, and Thrust. Abilities can modify these values.
- If a value drops below 0, treat it as a 0.
Lethal
Lethal is a keyword. Your participant ignores Restricted Hostilities until your next round of the duel. This allows your character to inflict wounds to the adversary greater than their stat used for the duel.
Restricted Hostilities
Restricted Hostilities is a keyword. A character can only inflict wounds on their adversary up to their Stat Value used for the duel. The stat used in most challenges and duels is Combat.
- Example: A character with 1 Combat sends four threat to their adversary. The adversary chooses to not play a combat card which removes none of the threat from their pool. They suffer a total of one wound and discard the three excess threat. Now that no player has any threat in their threat pool, the duel is over.
An Absent Adversary
If an adversary is not at the same location as your participant when threat is being added to their threat pool, discard the threat. Participants in a duel must be at the same location together to "send" threat to each other.
Moving During a Duel
All threat in a participant's threat pool is tied to that character. If a character moves to another location during a duel, they bring all threat in their pool with them to the new location.
- Kaspar and Soline are both at The Forums. Kaspar does his Riposte and Parry. He resolves his threat, taking any remaining threat as wounds. His combat card allows him to move to The Docks after his round ends. Soline then plays a combat card. Their Riposte and Thrust generates threat that is "sent" to an absent adversary and is thus discarded since Kaspar is at The Docks and Soline is at The Forums. During their round, Soline does not move. They take any remaining threat as wounds.
- Kaspar and Soline are both at The Forums. Kaspar does his Riposte and Parry. He resolves his threat, taking any remaining threat as wounds. His combat card allows him to move to The Docks after his round ends. Soline then plays a combat card. That card allows Soline to move to an adjacent location immediately. They move to The Docks before they perform the Riposte and Thrust. Now that Soline is opposing their adversary, threat they generate is added to Kaspar's threat pool.
In practice, threat is only added to the adversary's threat pool if they are opposing your participant to "receive" it. Also, characters cannot escape threat already in their pool. It must be mitigated or taken as wounds.
Simultaneously Threatened Participants
In rare occasions, it is possible for both participants to have threat in their threat pool at the same time. When this occurs, simply conduct the duel as normal with alternating rounds starting with the accepting character. Since there is threat in a threat pool, the duel will not end.
Additional Rules and Keywords
Dashes as Values
Any value on a card that is a - (dash) cannot be modified or set otherwise.
- A character with a - (dash) as a stat cannot initiate or be the performing character in any abilities that use that stat.
- For example, a character with a - (dash) in Combat cannot issue a challenge via the "Challenge Action" action. Similarly, a character with - (dash) Influence cannot initiate or perform a pressure to claim a location.
- When a player must consider the value of a - (dash), treat it as a 0. This will happen most often when a character with a - (dash) for a stat is challenged to a duel of that stat. Note: The character with a - (dash) in that stat cannot issue the challenge of that stat, but can still be challenged.
Self Referentials
- Most cards refer to themselves with the phrase "this card." Characters may refer to themselves by name but refer to themselves nonetheless.
- When an ability copies the effect of another ability, then any self-referentials on the copied card will refer to the card doing the copying.
- When a card copies the ability of another card that destroyed itself as part of the effect, the card doing the copying will destroy itself. It will not destroy the card it copied.
Costs vs Effects
Some cards have additional costs. All costs must be paid before any effects resolve. Cards with a • have the costs before the • and effects after it. If the costs cannot be paid after announcing the action, the effect does not occur. If costs cannot be paid on a Risk card, then that card is discarded as well.
After all costs have been paid, effects resolve. Effects resolve in the order they appear on the card or ability. If a portion of an ability fails to resolve, continue resolving the rest.
Duration of Abilities
- Lasting effects of an ability used outside of a duel end at the end of the Day, unless otherwise noted.
- Lasting effects of an ability used inside of a duel end at the end of the duel, unless otherwise noted.
Wealth
Cards with Wealth are worth two when discarded to pay wealth costs. After it is used this way, send the card to The Locker.
Brute
Characters with the Brute keyword do not go into the Approach Deck when building a deck. They are shuffled into the Faction Deck and are brought into play by paying costs as normal. Brutes enter play at that player's Home unless stated otherwise. Brutes are discarded from play at the end of the Day. When a character with Brute would be discarded or destroyed they enter the discard pile instead. Brutes do not count towards a Leader's Crew Cap.
Parley
Reaction: While paying for a card with negotiable, engage your non-Mercenary character at that location • Reduce the cost by that character's Influence. Unlimited.
Replacement Effects
Some abilities modify how a cost or effect functions. Whenever an ability uses "as if" or "instead" then do as the ability instructs.
- When a cost has been replaced, it is considered paid.
- When an effect has been replaced, the original unmodified effect did not occur and the new modified one did occur. This is especially relevant for triggering conditions.
Last Known Information
When the resolution of an effect references a value that was in play but is not anymore, use the value that was last known when it was last in play. This frequently occurs during a duel when a character is destroyed.
For example: A player has threat in their threat pool. Their character is doomed and will be destroyed this round. They play a combat card and resolve the threat. They send threat back to the adversary, and their own character is destroyed. The adversary is still at risk of taking wounds during their next round. Wounds are still applied with respect to restricted hostilities, despite the destruction of the character.
Can't vs Can
When two different sources disagree if an ability or effect could take place, "can't" always takes precedence.
- A character is equipped with two cards. One says "The equipped character must be the target of enemy challenges," and the other says "The equipped character cannot be challenged." In this instance, that character cannot be challenged.
Repeatable
Immediately after an ability with this keyword resolves, you may pay the costs again and resolve the effects again. The ability can be repeated any number of times.
Deck Building Requirements
Building a Deck
Each player must construct two decks – an Approach Deck and a Faction Deck.
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Choose a Leader: This assigns your Faction and thus which cards you have access to when constructing your deck.
- The faction symbol on your Leader determines which cards are available to you.
- A card is part of your faction if it shares the same faction symbol as your Leader.
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Construct an Approach Deck: Ten cards consisting of exactly five characters and five schemes.
- All schemes are unique by card title (one per deck).
- Characters must all be Neutral or part of your faction. All characters are unique by card title (one per deck).
- Any card from the Approach Deck may be played again if it is returned to the Approach Deck.
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Construct a minimum of 40-card Faction Deck: Using cards that are Neutral and part of your faction.
- Faction Decks are composed of a combination of Neutral and faction cards. Faction cards share your Leader's faction symbol.
- A maximum number of two copies of a card by name may be included in the Faction deck. Cards with the Unique trait can have exactly one copy by name included in the Faction Deck.
Sample Deck Lists
What follows are sample decklists for each faction. Cards with * are neutral cards.
Note: Any two of these decks can be constructed at one time using this box. While it is possible to construct a deck for each faction using one box, all the decks will have to share the neutral cards supplied.
Castille
Leader: Soline el Gato
Approach: The Cat's Embargo, Shifting Blame, Marooned*, Midnight Shipment*, Parley Gone Wrong*, Makepeace Botwighte, Maya de La Rioja, Sanjay, "Madre" Dolores, "Padre" Aníbal
Risk: Gallegos Blade x2, Unfortunate x2, Adaptable x1, Research x1, Robbery x2, Roll the Bones x2, Improvising x2, Carnaval x2, Night of Drinking x2, Amour x2, Life in the Canals x2, Nothing Personal x1, It's Personal x1, Taunt x2, Drinking Games x2, The Cat's Glass x1, Throwing Knife x2*, Uppman's Jacket x2*, Hidden Corridors x1*, A New Strategy x1*, Not Today x2*, Triage x1*, I know that Trick! x1*, Liberating Goods x1*, Matchlock Musket x1*, Paid Off x1*
Eisen
Leader: Kaspar Dietrich
Approach: The Song of Eisen, Armed and Marshaled, Let the Sword Decide*, Let's Haggle*, Parley Gone Wrong*, Uwe Zimmerman, Daniella Dietrich, Otto Streit, Philip Hase, Terrell Brant
Risk: Fight Through the Pain x2, Answering the Call x2, Langschwert x2, Last Word x2, Kaspar's Panzerhand x1, Iron Reply x2, Polished Flintlock x2, Precision x2, Move Along x2, Stratege x2, Regroup x2, Press the Advantage x2, Well Equipped x2, Throwing Knife x2*, A New Strategy x1*, Breastplate x2*, Not Today x2*, I Know that Trick x1*, Improvised Weapon x2*, Triage x2*, Matchlock Musket x2*, Dark Gift x1
Montaigne
Leader: Odette Dubois d'Arrent
Approach: Réputation Méritée, Épée Sanglante, Let's Haggle*, Let the Sword Decide*, Midnight Shipment*, Bastian Girard, Léontine Giroux, Jean Urbain, Henri Michelet, Maxime de Lafayette
Risk: Broken-time x2, Defending Honor x2, Disarm x2, A Heroic End x2, Friends at Court x2, Gallant Deeds x2, Cavalier Hat x2, Master of Valroux Style x2, Legendary Reputation x2, Status Matters x2, Tabard of the Fallen Musketeer x1, Mastercrafted Rapier x2, You're Embarrassing Yourself x2, Valiant Spirit x2, Porté Travel x1, Breastplate x2*, Not Today x2*, I Know that Trick x2*, Triage x2*, Blood Mark x2, Appealing to the People x2*
Ussura
Leader: Yevgeni Lashiye of the Woods
Approach: The Boar's Guile, Filling the Ranks*, Parley Gone Wrong*, Inspire Generosity*, Valeri Mikhailov, Ved'ma, Elina Georginova, Torsten Vakt, Pavel Ivanov
Risk: Grandfather's Hammer x1, Mireli Saber x2, Stubborn x2, Strength of Ten x1, Iron and Velvet x1, Matushka's Command x2, Matushka's Sight x2, Matushka's Efficiency x2, Sunder x1, My Fight Alone x2, Indomitable Will x2, Mireli's Revision x2, Strong Hands x2, Predatory Pursuit x2, Razrushitel x2, Breastplate x2*, Appealing to the People x1*, Come Hither x1*, A New Strategy x1*, Boon x2*, Pull x2*, Triage x1*, I Know that Trick! x2*, Improvised Weapon x2*
Vodacce
Leader: Don Constanzo Scarpa
Approach: Servo Scarpa, Sibella Scarpa, Vissenta Scarpa, Cesca del Rosso, Cirilo Naucriparos, The Great Game, Plans Within Plans, Marooned*, Contempt and Hatred*, Until Morale Improves*
Risk: Angelo x1, Alcee x1, Buratino x1, Dante x1, Stiletto x2, Fate's Burden x2, Veronica's Guile x2, Pack Tactics x2, Pull the Strand x1, Wrath of the Don x2, For the Family x2, Ambush x2, Rough 'Em Up x2, Objection x2, The Pressure is On x2, Bravos x2, Bleed Out x2*, Shoddy Craftsmanship x1*, Paid Off x2*, A New Strategy x1*, Boon x2*, Pull x2*, Not Today x2*, Liberating Goods x1*
Glossary
Ability: Specialized game text stating how a card affects and interacts with the game. Abilities affect the game when they are in play, played from hand, or otherwise used. The various types of abilities include: Action, Forced, Maneuver, Passive, Technique, and Reaction.
Action: Actions are only used in the High Drama phase. During High Drama, players will alternate taking actions one at a time. Actions cannot be used during a duel and can only be activated once per Day per instance.
Adversary: During a duel in which your character is participating, the adversary refers to both the opponent's participating character and their controller.
Approach Deck: The Approach Deck represents a player's crew, tactics, and overall plan to control Five Sails. Each player constructs their own Approach Deck containing exactly ten cards of five characters and five schemes. The Approach Deck is placed facedown and is not randomized as part of setup. A player may look at their Approach Deck at any time.
Attachment: Attachment is a card type. (See Equip/Equipped)
Available: City Deck characters and attachments are available while they are in a city location and controlled by no players. Available City Deck characters can be recruited and available City Deck attachments can be purchased. Once they are recruited or purchased, they are not available.
Base: A Base stat or value is the printed stat or value in its unmodified state.
Brute: Brute is a keyword. Characters with Brute do not go into the Approach Deck when building a deck. They are shuffled into the Faction Deck and are brought into play by paying costs as normal. Brutes enter play at that player's Home unless stated otherwise. Brutes are discarded from play at the end of the Day. When a character with Brute would be discarded or destroyed they enter the discard pile instead of The Locker. Brutes do not count towards a Leader's Crew Cap.
Challenge: Issuing a challenge is the only way to start a duel. Characters may only issue challenges to characters opposing them. Challenges can be based on Resolve, Combat, or Finesse, and use that corresponding stat during the duel.
Character: Character is a card type. Characters are the larger than life personalities that perform actions during the game. Characters are found in a player's Approach Deck as well as the City Deck. Character cards in a player's Approach Deck are played during the Planning phase.
City: A trait on locations denoting them as a city location. (See City Locations). City is also a qualifier on action or reaction abilities. Abilities with a City qualifier can only be used at City locations. If it appears on a character, that character must be at a City location to perform that action or reaction.
City Deck: The City Deck is a predetermined deck with exactly thirty cards used to represent the living city of Five Sails. The City Deck contains characters that can be recruited to your crew, attachments that can be purchased and equipped, and events that open new actions and create special effects. Randomize the City Deck as part of setup and place it face down within easy reach of all players. Any game only requires one City Deck. The cards in the city deck will change over time to reflect the evolving story and conflict in Five Sails.
City Locations: The City Locations are the cards placed during setup that represent the different parts of Five Sails where characters can move to and from. There are two types of City Locations, Core City Locations and Ancillary City Locations. Core City Locations include The Forums, The Docks, and The Grand Bazaar. Ancillary City Locations include the Governor's Garden and Ole's Inn. The Core City Locations always begin play in the center of the table. The Ancillary City Locations are used in three or four player games, as well as special formats and events. A location has two states: Uncontrolled and Controlled. City Locations become controlled with claim effects. All locations become uncontrolled at the end of each Day.
Claim: When a player claims a location, they attempt to take control of that location (See Control). Claim is one of the Unlimited actions that can be used during the High Drama phase.
Combat: Combat measures a character's ability to inflict wounds during a duel. (See Restricted Hostilities)
Control: Some abilities or effects allow a player to control a location. At the end of a day, if a player controls all three core city locations, that player wins the game via a Dominance Victory. Control of a location is not permanent and can change between players during a day (See Claim).
Crew: Collective term for all characters in play that a single player controls.
Crew Cap: Only Leaders have a Crew Cap stat. Crew Cap is the number of characters (including your Leader) that you can have in play. When a player has more characters than their Leader's Crew Cap, they must send characters of their choice to The Locker until they have reached their Crew Cap.
Day: Gameplay takes place over a series of game turns called Days. The game ends at the end of the fifth Day.
Destroyed: Some card effects or abilities can destroy a card. If a card is destroyed, it is placed in a corresponding discard pile. If a character or scheme is destroyed, it goes to The Locker.
Discard Pile: When cards leave play, place them in a corresponding discard pile. Cards in any discard pile are always faceup and out of play. They have no impact on the current state of the game unless a card effect states otherwise. When a City Deck card leaves play, it goes to a communal City Deck discard pile, kept next to the City Deck.
Duel: A Duel is the combat that occurs as a result of a challenge. Duels only occur between two characters.
En garde: A card in its upright position is en garde. A character that is en garde is ready to act. Characters are either en garde or engaged. (See Engaged)
Engaged: A card that is turned 90 degrees (sideways). This generally indicates that the card has been used that Day. A card that must engage as a cost cannot engage if they are already engaged.
Equip/Equipped: Equipped cards are played underneath cards already in play and modify those cards with rules text. A card is considered equipped when it is in play this way. Attachments are most commonly equipped to characters, usually via the Equip Action. Some cards can be equipped but are not attachments. Those cards equip via other means than the Equip Action. There is no limit to the number of equipped cards a single character may have, but each character can have exactly one card with the Armor trait, one card with the Attire trait, and one card with the Weapon trait. Equipped cards go to the discard pile when the card to which they are equipped leaves play.
Events: Events are a type of card in the City Deck. They are not controlled by any player. Any player can use an Action on an event as long as they have a character at that location and meet all other requirements. Events with no Actions or Reaction have Passive Abilities and are always in effect. Events are not available because they cannot be recruited or equipped. Events are like other Actions in that each player may only activate it once per Day.
Excess Threat: During a duel, any threat that does not become wounds due to Restricted Hostilities is called Excess Threat. (See Restricted Hostilities)
Faction Deck: Each player constructs their own Faction Deck. It consists primarily of attachments and risks. When a player must draw or reveal a card and cannot because their deck is empty, they must shuffle their discard pile and place the shuffled discard pile face down to form a new deck. Cards are always drawn from the Faction Deck unless stated to draw from a different deck. Players randomize their Faction Decks as part of setup and place them face down. Faction Decks must contain at least 40 cards and may include up to two copies of any non-Unique card, and exactly one copy of a Unique card.
Final Strike: Final Strike is a keyword. The last combat card played before a character is destroyed is their final strike. Some cards have maneuvers, techniques, or other effects that modify a final strike.
Finesse: Finesse measures a character's ability to improvise during a duel. (See Gamble)
First Player: The First Player is the player who has the First Player Token. The First Player has the first chance to act or react in any given phase. When effects would resolve simultaneously, the First Player determines the resolution order. The First Player token is claimed by whichever player has the highest Initiative on their played scheme during the Planning phase.
Forced: A Forced ability is used in response to another ability, effect, or game step. Forced abilities respond to a triggering condition like a Reaction. Forced abilities are not optional and must occur if the triggering condition is met. Forced abilities do not have a once-per-day limit. Every time the triggering condition of a Forced ability occurs, the Forced ability must then activate.
Gamble: When you gamble, reveal two cards from the top of your deck. Choose one and sink the other. The chosen card will be used as dictated by the effect that caused the gamble. During a duel, instead of playing a combat card from hand, you may instead gamble. The chosen card is played as your combat card. When gambling during a duel, you may only gamble a number of times up to your current participant's Finesse.
Heal: Remove a wound from a character.
Home: Home is a location. Each player has their own home location and your characters can never enter another player's home location. When you muster a character during the planning phase, the mustered character enters play at your Home. Each player's home is adjacent to all city locations. Home is also a qualifier on Action and Reaction abilities. Abilities with a Home qualifier can only be used by performers at their Home location.
Influence: Influence measures a character's ability to claim and maintain control of locations. (See Claim & Control)
Initiative: Initiative is a stat found on Schemes. Initiative determines who will receive the First Player Token during the Planning phase.
In Play & Out of Play: The cards that a player controls in their play area are considered "in play." Each current Scheme, mustered and recruited characters, each equipped card, each location in the play area, and each city event card, are all considered "in play." When a card is played from hand, it is considered "in play" for the duration of the resolution of the ability on the card being used. "Out of play" refers to cards in any deck, in a player's hand, in any discard pile, and in The Locker. A card enters play when it transitions from an out-of-play origin to an in play area.
Intervene: When a challenge is issued against a character you control, another character you control at that location may Intervene. That character may engage to become the target of the challenge instead.
Keyword: A keyword is a card ability which conveys additional rules. Keywords include: Brute, Final Strike, Lethal, Muster, Negotiable, Parley, Repeatable, Unlimited, & Wealth.
Leader: Leaders are a special type of character. They have the Leader trait. Leaders function exactly like any other character in regards to abilities and effects. The stats Crew Cap and Panache appear on Leaders.
Lethal: Lethal is a keyword. During a duel, your participant ignores Restricted Hostilities until your next round. Lethal most commonly appears on Maneuvers and Techniques.
Locations: Locations are places that characters occupy. Locations include the Core City locations, Ancillary City locations, and each player's home location.
The Locker: When a card is sent to The Locker, remove it from the game. The most common way for a card to be sent to The Locker is when a character is destroyed. Some effects of a card may also send themselves or other cards to The Locker.
Loyal: Loyal refers to any faction-specific card defined by your Leader. These do not include any cards in the City Deck and will have your Faction emblem on them.
Maneuver: Maneuvers are abilities that can be used on combat cards when they are played during a duel. When playing a card as a combat card, using any maneuvers on that card is optional. To use a maneuver, the player must pay any and all costs. A player may use exactly one maneuver during each round of a duel.
Move: When a character moves, they go from one location to another. The Move action is the most common way that characters will move.
Muster: When a character musters, they join their controller's Crew and come into play at their Home. During the planning phase, when you reveal your chosen character card from your Approach Deck, that character Musters.
Opposed/Opposing: A character controlled by another player that is at the same location as your character is an Opposing character.
Panache: Panache represents your leader's ingenuity, resourcefulness, and leadership capabilities. Each Day during the Planning phase, players will draw cards equal to their leader's panache, modified by the Panache on their revealed Scheme.
Parley: Parley gives characters access to the following reaction they may use when they Recruit a Mercenary: Reaction: While paying for a card with negotiable, engage your non-Mercenary character at that location • Reduce the cost by that character's Influence. Unlimited. Parley represents a character's ability to negotiate with a Mercenary to reduce their cost.
Parry: During a duel, when resolving combat values on a chosen combat card, remove threat from your participant's threat pool equal to the combat card's Parry value.
Passive: Passive abilities are any card abilities that are not preceded by another ability type such as: Action, Forced, Maneuver, Technique, and Reaction.
Performer/Performing: The performing character is the character doing the ability. A character is the performer of any ability on themselves, printed on any card they have equipped, or otherwise granted via another effect, including city deck events. When an action on a card is being used, it may require a performer. In this case, the active character must choose one of their characters to be the performer. A qualifying performer must be selected to use a qualified ability. E.g. Sorcerer City Action. If a card reads "performer," or "performing character," then one must be chosen.
Pressure: You pressure a location by summing the values of a specific stat among all your characters at the location. Count all characters, en garde and engaged. Compare your total sum to that of the opponent(s). If you have a greater total than any other player, your pressure is successful. Otherwise, the pressure fails. Pressures most commonly compare Influence.
Reaction: A Reaction is a type of ability that is used in response to another ability or effect. Reactions must respond to a triggering condition. A triggering condition is a specific set of circumstances, usually effects. The triggering condition is described in the first phrase of the Reaction, preceding the •. Reactions can only be activated once per Day per instance. They are always optional. They do not take the place of an action during the High Drama phase.
Recruit: Recruiting is the act of buying an available Mercenary. The most common way to recruit a Mercenary is through the Recruit action.
Repeatable: Repeatable is a keyword. Immediately after an ability with this keyword resolves, you may pay the costs again and resolve the effects again. The ability can be repeated any number of times.
Renown: Renown represents each player's power and influence within Five Sails and claiming more renown than your opponent is one of the paths to victory.
Restricted Hostilities: A character can only inflict wounds on their adversary up to their Stat Value used for the duel. The stat used in most challenges and duels is Combat.
Reveal: When a player is instructed to reveal cards, that player is obligated to show those cards to their opponents. When revealing cards from a deck it will always be from the top of that player's Faction Deck unless otherwise stated.
Riposte: During a duel, when resolving combat values on a chosen combat card, remove threat from your participant's threat pool equal to the combat card's Riposte value, then add that amount to the adversary's threat pool.
Risk: Risk is a card type. Risk cards are found in a player's Faction Deck. Risk cards are played from hand in order to resolve their effects and abilities.
Round: Each duel is composed of a series of one or more rounds and each round is performed by a single participant. The first round is always performed by the participant who accepted the challenge. During a round of a duel, a player plays a card as a combat card. Then, they resolve up to one maneuver, up to one technique, and their combat values from their played combat card. They may also not play a card (unless it is the first round of the duel), in which case all threat in their threat pool is converted to wounds (with respect to Restricted Hostilities.) A player's Round ends when they have resolved the threat.
Sink: When a card is sunk, it leaves play but is not placed in the discard pile. Instead, send the sunk card(s) to the bottom of their corresponding deck in a random order.
Scheme: Scheme is a card type. Scheme cards are found in a player's approach deck. Scheme cards are played during the Planning phase. Schemes are destroyed at the end of each day.
Target: A target is a chosen recipient of the effects of an effect or ability. Effects or abilities may require a player to target a character, characters with specific traits, equipped cards, cards in a discard pile, locations, or other cards. Not all cards that affect other cards will necessarily target. A card will only target if the card specifically uses the word "target."
Technique: Techniques are abilities used exclusively during a duel. Techniques usually appear on character and attachment cards. During a duel, a card with a Technique must be in play in order to activate that Technique. A card played as a combat card cannot activate a Technique that is printed on it. When activating a Technique, there is no need to pay the wealth cost as the card is already in play.
Threat: Number of potential wounds being sent to an opposing character, usually via a combat card's combat values: Riposte, Parry, & Thrust.
Threat Pool: All threat that a character can modify with a combat card. Unresolved threat converts into wounds.
Thrust: During a duel, when resolving combat values on a chosen combat card, add threat to the adversary's threat pool equal to the combat card's Thrust value.
Title: Titles are the italicized words directly underneath a character's name. They do not have any effect on gameplay, and primarily serve to tell players more about the personalities of the characters in play.
Trait: Traits are bolded tags on a card that give it extra definition. Some actions refer to traits as an additional requirement to use the action. Some abilities refer to a trait. To use an ability that refers to a trait, the performing character must have that trait or be in a location with that trait. For example, a Thug Maneuver requires a character with the Thug trait to use the effect.
Uncontrolled: City locations are either controlled or uncontrolled. When a location is uncontrolled, no players control it. At the start of the first day, city locations are uncontrolled. At the end of each subsequent day, city locations become uncontrolled regardless of whether a player controlled them earlier that day.
Unique: Unique is a trait. A player may only have one copy of a card with Unique in their Faction Deck. All characters and schemes in the Approach Deck are Unique, unless noted otherwise.
Unlimited: Unlimited is a keyword. Players can use Unlimited actions any number of times per Day. Unlimited actions are not limited to use once per day, like other actions.
Unmitigated Threat: During a character's round of a duel, Unmitigated Threat is any threat remaining in that character's threat pool after resolving any maneuvers, techniques, and their combat values from their played combat card. At the end of that round, any unmitigated threat is removed from the threat pool and applied as wounds on that character.
Wealth: Wealth is a keyword. Cards with Wealth are worth two when discarded to pay Wealth Costs but are sent to The Locker instead of the Discard Pile.
Wealth Cost: Wealth cost is indicated by the value on the top left of the card. Wealth cost is paid by discarding cards from your hand equal to the value indicated. If a card has a value of 0 or is reduced to 0 by game effects, it is played without having to discard any cards. When paying costs, all discarded cards are worth one unless otherwise noted.
Wound/Wounds/Wounding/Wounded: A single wound is damage a character has suffered. When a character has suffered wounds equal to their resolve stat, they are destroyed and sent to The Locker. When a character suffers any amount of wounds, they have been wounded. A character is considered wounded if they have any amount of wounds on them. When instructed to wound a character, always apply exactly one wound (unless noted otherwise).
Fiction: Fear
by Carmel Rechnitzer
Servo Scarpa wanted to burst into his father's chamber screaming for vengeance. The rage that normally ruled him demanded satisfaction! But all of that volatile anger was dwarfed - encompassed - caged completely - by fear. The fear wasn't new. It wasn't fear that as the bearer of bad news, he might become a shot-at messenger. It was the same old fear that every man and woman in the Vodacce district had long ago succumbed to. A fear of Don Constanzo Scarpa.
That fear slowed his pace as he approached his father's door. It straightened his back and rolled back his shoulders. It cleared his throat, and forced him to ask, ever so politely, for a minute of his father's time.
"In fifteen minutes, Signore," came the reply. His father didn't raise his voice, but it carried through the wooden door loudly and clearly. The fear stuck his feet to the floor in obedience. He stared at the dark lacquered wooden doorway for nine hundred consecutive seconds, counting each as they passed by. Nine hundred and one, he whispered, and the door opened for him on cue. Don Constanzo was a precise tyrant.
The man within the opulent study beckoned him in with the sweep of a silver-topped cane. Everywhere the cane pointed lay another treasure of immeasurable wealth. The rich tapestries on the walls had been extorted from an Avalonian noble. The massive ebony desk once belonged to a Maghreb merchant, but blackmail dragged it here four weeks ago. Don Constanzo draped himself with red silk and rubies. He sat hunched on a gilded throne, with a purple velvet backrest still stained with the blood of the previous Don. Whether he kept the stain as a warning to himself, or to others, Servo wasn't certain. Maybe both.
Underneath Don Constanzo's withered features, Servo could see hints of "Constani," the jovial and ambitious man who'd raised him. The years had not been kind. Like pressure turning a lump of coal into a small diamond, power had condensed Don Constanzo. His back was crooked, his eyes were sunken, and his hand gripped the cane like a claw.
Servo took three steps in, and felt the door close behind him. He desperately wanted to step even closer. To beg the help of the man that Don Constanzo had once been. He knew that would be a fruitless endeavor.
"My Don," he said with a bow, "I take it that you have heard about the Musketeers? How they attacked our men?"
His father nodded the affirmative. The older man's eyes flashed a murderous glint, which Servo found assuring. It meant Don Constanzo was just as angry as he was.
Servo made a slow reach for his belt, careful to use his left hand to unclasp his purse strings. He kept his dominant right hand carefully laid flat against his heart. If he ever fumbled up that bit of etiquette, and his hand so much as brushed the grip of his rapier… Don Constanzo's bodyguards would instantly shoot him dead, no matter who he was.
With his father's permission, he approached the ebony table, and laid out forty eight guilders. The math was simple. If you wanted to murder anyone within the City of Five Sails, you had to pay Don Constanzo ten guilders upfront to acquire permission. Servo was a member of the Red Hand Gang, and Don Constanzo's son. Each of those earned him a separate, one guilder discount.
"A blood price, my Don," he announced, "for the lives of the five Musketeers and the woman who leads them. Eight coins a piece."
"Permission denied, Signore Scarpa," said his father. The man's voice was deep and rich, but gravely from decades of smoking.
"But my Don!" Servo began, took a deep breath, and stopped his argument short. He waited. If he deserved an explanation, his father would give him one.
"It was right of you to come to me so fast. It was proper. Shows that you understand what this assault means. You have acted well, and will be rewarded," his father assured him.
"My permission is only denied, Signore Scarpa, because I would like to arrange the six murders myself."
To show that he was not an impartial man, Don Costanzo counted out forty eight of his own coins and placed them on the desk. One of his servants or accountants, Servo knew, would add it to the Red Hand's coffer after their meeting was over.
"That Odette…" his father mused, "she has angered me greatly. I will set the Streghe on her and her men. Undo them one by one by subterfuge and trickery. I want it to hurt, the whole long time these upstart Montaignes will spend dying."
Servo smiled in anticipation. It was always exciting to watch newcomers to the City of Five Sails learn to fear the Don.
"Your reward, my son? I'll let you pick which of them dies first."
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