Bluffaneer Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Objective
• Set Up
• How to Play
  • Doubles
  • Not Doubles
• FAQ
• Winning

Contents

2 Bone Dice, 18 Cards, 1 Treasure Map, 50 Gold Coins

Objective

Bluff and steal Coins from your fellow mates to see who can collect the most treasure.

Set Up

1. Place the Treasure Map on the table for all to view.
2. Shuffle the Cards and deal one Card face down to each player. Place the remaining Cards face down in a stack nearby.
3. Place the open box off to the side. This is where discarded Gold Coins will go during play.
4. Give each player 10 Gold Coins and place the extra Coins into the box, out of play. *Note: In a 6-player game, each player should only get 8 Coins.
5. The player with the best pirate impression goes first.

How to Play

Each player looks at the icons on their Card, without showing their Card to the other players.

The first player rolls the Bone Dice in the center of the play area. All players watch the Bones closely to see what combination of icons has been rolled.

Each round, the player who rolled the Bone Dice is called the Roller.

Doubles

If the Roller rolls the same icon on both Bones (Doubles), refer to the Treasure Map for the action the Roller should take:

• Roll 2 (green icon pair): All players give you 1 Gold Coin.
• Roll 2 (blue icon pair): Steal 2 Gold Coins from another player.
• Roll 2 (red icon pair): Steal 3 Gold Coins from another player.
• Roll 2 (black double crossbones): Give all players 1 Gold Coin.

Not Doubles

If the Roller does NOT roll Doubles, two possible actions can occur:

1. If the icons on the Bones match the icons on your Card, reveal your Card immediately. All players, except the Roller, lose 1 Gold Coin and discard them into the empty box.

2. If the icons on the Bones don't match the icons on your Card, any other player can claim to have a match. That player shouts "Gimme Yer Booty!" but doesn't reveal their Card just yet.

Here's where the "bluff" in Bluffaneer could come into play...

• If you think the player is telling the truth, give them 1 Gold Coin. That player then reveals their Card to the table. (Whether they were bluffing or not, they have earned 1 Gold Coin.)

• If you think the player is bluffing, shout "Bluffaneer!" That player then reveals their Card to the table.

  • If the player was telling the truth, and the icons on their Card match the icons on the Bone Dice, you must give them 2 Gold Coins.
  • If the player was bluffing, and the icons on their Card don't match the icons on the Bone Dice, they must give you 1 Gold Coin.

After any player reveals their Card, they should place it into the discard pile and draw a new Card.

Note: If at any point in the game the stack of Cards runs out, reshuffle the discard pile and create a new stack.

FAQ

Q: Can the Roller ever bluff? A: No, they are the only player each round who is not allowed to bluff.

Q: What happens if another player has the same Card as the Roller? Can they shout "Gimme Yer Booty!" A: Yes, they can shout it, but if the Roller has a Card that matches the icons on the Bones, they have the advantage and all other players lose a Coin.

Q: What happens if no one has a Card that matches the Bones, and no one shouts "Gimme Yer Booty!"? In other words, what if no one chooses to bluff this round? A: All players keep their Cards and play continues clockwise.

Q: What happens if more than one player shouts "Gimme Yer Booty!" A: The player who shouts first gets to play. In the rare case where two players shout "Gimme Yer Booty!" at the same time, the Roller flips a Gold Coin and asks one of the involved players to call heads (Skull & Bones) or tails (Pirate Ship).

Q: What if the game ends with a double crossbones roll and the Roller has fewer Coins than the number of players? A: When there are not enough Coins to give to all players after rolling double crossbones, the Roller must pass them out in clockwise order, to the player on their left, until they are out of Coins.

Winning

Play continues until someone runs out of Coins. All other players count their treasure. The player with the most Gold Coins, wins!

Tiebreaker Rule: In the case of a tie, flip a Gold Coin and call heads (Skull & Bones) or tails (Pirate Ship) before the Coin lands.

Strategy Tip: Be mindful of who you are stealing Coins from! If there is a player who is almost out of Coins, and stealing from them results in the end of the game, make sure you have more Coins than your opponents. You don't want the game to end if you have fewer Coins than another player, so think about stealing from someone with more treasure!