Boucaniers

Boucaniers Rulebook

Table of Contents

Objective

Dig up Armand the Braggart's treasure before the others, or amass a booty of 25 coins (20 coins with 5 players). Maneuver your ship simultaneously and prepare for battle!

Setup

For a first game, form the archipelago of tiles as shown in the diagram.

For subsequent games, arrange the tiles at random so as to form a hexagon, following these principles: Gherkin Island is in the center; the Red Bastion, Chatty Parrot and Delights Port tiles are placed around it; and the other islands are located on the outer edge. Do not place more than 2 sea tiles in a row, either on the inner edge or on the outer edge.

Place the two small ships of the East India Companies between the inner and outer tiles, as shown in the diagram: the Redhead on the peak 1 segment away from the Red Bastion, and the Bluecrew 4 segments away from the Redhead, moving clockwise.

Shuffle the Buccaneer deck and place it face up; draw 4 cards and line them up in front of it.

The 9 Clues contain the anecdotes of Armand the Braggart. Make sure the images on the cards follow one another and form a continuous frieze. Stack them. Then turn this pile face down, and cut it several times. Next, draw the two cards from the top of the pile without looking at them and set them aside. These two clues indicate the island containing the treasure. Shuffle the remaining cards to form a draw pile and place it face down near the board. Follow this step scrupulously or the game will be spoiled.

Each player chooses a compass of one color. The first player to equip is determined by drawing their color at random from among the flags; then, clockwise around the table, each player proceeds as follows:

The player chooses a ship and places it on an unoccupied peak of the Gherkin Island tile, hoisting the flag of their color on its mast. They take the corresponding ship board and embark one buccaneer from the 4 available (which is replaced by the first card of the draw pile). They receive 2 coins, which they place on the board.

For a 2-player version, each player controls two ships. They carry out this placement in turn, one ship after the other (see page 10).

Once the ships are finally ready to set sail, the epic can begin.

Turn Structure

A turn is played in 5 phases:

NAVIGATION: once its movement has been chosen, each player reveals their compass and moves their ship.
BOARDING: if several ships are on the same point, there is a boarding. None of them may play an action later in this turn.
CANNON FIRE: each ship fires its cannons at range 1.
ACTIONS: actions are resolved in this phase unless stated otherwise.
EAST INDIA COMPANIES: a designated player moves the Redhead and the Bluecrew by a distance of 1 clockwise.

At the start of the turn, each player secretly indicates on their compass the heading and the length of the route their ship will take.

Movement may be made along the centers and peaks of the hexagonal tiles. Movement takes place in a straight line and by a number that does not exceed the ship's sails rating. This number indicates the number of segments the ship will travel. Setting the compass to the anchor means the ship will remain motionless. The direction is defined by the wind rose tile, which indicates North. Islands and enemy ships never block movement. The peaks of tiles on the edge of the board are navigable.

Once its navigation is set, a player places their compass face down in front of them. Then, when everyone is ready, the players reveal their compasses at the same time and their ships are moved simultaneously as indicated.

Certain actions that increase the distance to be traveled are played in this phase. To do so, the player indicates the enlarged number in secret, then, after revealing their compass, declares the actions used and pays the costs that apply to them.

If a player mistakenly displays a number greater than possible, they must move their maximum, using the actions necessary to do so. A ship cannot move more than 6.

Illustration caption: on its compass, the player has chosen to navigate a distance of 3, heading North-East.

2 Boarding

A boarding is resolved according to the number of buccaneers on board. Each ship loses as many buccaneers as the opponent has on board. The player chooses which of their buccaneers to eliminate. A player who has more buccaneers to eliminate than they have on board is wrecked (see Wreck, page 6). If the number of buccaneers on board is equal, each ship loses its buccaneers without being wrecked, and it will fire its cannons.

Example: Two ships board each other. One has 4 buccaneers and the other has 2. They each lose 2 buccaneers: the first ship survives with 2 buccaneers alive, and the second is wrecked.

When a boarding takes place among more than two ships, each ship loses a number of buccaneers equal to the sum of the enemy buccaneers. In case of a tie with the sum of its opponents, the ship remains in play. Taking part in a boarding forbids any further action in the turn.

3 Cannon Fire

Each ship fires its cannons at any ship located at range 1 or in contact. A cannon shot removes hull points from the enemy ship. Place as many damage markers on the hull as the firing ship's cannon strength. A ship that has no hull points left is wrecked.

4 Actions

Each ship may play one action per turn: the action of one of its buccaneers, a captain's action or, if it is on an island, one of the actions available there. Unless stated otherwise, actions are resolved in the fourth phase. Spending a letter of marque allows an additional action to be played in the same turn, with no limit on the number of letters used.

5 East India Companies

Two merchant ships of the East India Companies sail the archipelago. In the last phase of the turn, each of these ships is moved 1 clockwise along the border between the outer and inner tiles of the board. Like the other ships, they board and fire their cannons in the earlier phases. To sink one of the two, all of its hull points must be destroyed in a single turn, or a boarding must be victorious.

The triumphant player then receives a merchandise of their choice (a sugar cane, a rum or a black powder). If several ships sink it in the same phase, no one receives a reward. The reward for the Redhead is 15 coins when it is defeated off the Red Bastion.

THE BLUECREW: cannons 1, hull 1, crew 1, sails 1.
THE REDHEAD: cannons 2, hull 3, crew 2, sails 1.

When one of them is sunk, it is placed back during the action phase on the point opposite where it was on its dedicated route (for example here for the Bluecrew).

With 5 players, the Redhead has only 1 cannon and the Bluecrew has 0.

Wreck

A player who sinks another, by boarding or by cannon fire, takes half of the loser's coins from them, rounded up, not counting those protected on the Deserted Island. If this loser faces several players in the phase in which they are wrecked, none of them receives a reward.

A ship that is wrecked removes its ship from the board. It loses all its coins, its merchandise, its letters of marque, its treasure map fragments, its upgrades, its buccaneers and its clues, except what is protected on the Deserted Island. At the end of the following turn, the player chooses a new ship from among those unused, and their former ship then becomes available. It is placed on one of the peaks of Gherkin Island (occupied or not) with its flag hoisted. It then receives 2 letters of marque and embarks a new buccaneer from the four available.

When several players are wrecked in the same phase, they choose their ships in turn in alphabetical order of the names of their sunk ships.

Dig

A player posted on an island, at the center of the tile, may attempt to unearth the treasure. They announce clearly that they are digging at the end of the navigation phase.

The dig takes 4 complete turns. The player counts the remaining turns using their compass (by positioning the compass on the figure with the shovel and the corresponding number). If they move, if they perform an action or if they are wrecked, the countdown returns to 4 as if they had not dug. If another ship boards them in the meantime, the player is interrupted. If they survive the boarding, they may resume their dig in the next turn at the stage where they were before the confrontation. Each treasure map fragment owned shortens the dig by one turn. A dig of zero turns ends as soon as the navigation phase is reached, avoiding being interrupted by a fatal cannon shot or a boarding (unless the other ship also has a zero-turn dig, in which case there is a boarding).

At the end of the dig, take the 2 clues set aside. Taking care not to reveal their faces, place the first clue over the cover corresponding to the dug island (slide the turtle under its shell). The two cards must line up perfectly. Without shifting the cards, then turn this assembly over in full view of everyone.

Illustration caption: the shell on the turtle.

If a cross appears in the hole, start again with the second clue. If only one of the two clues shows a cross, this means the island is empty. The game continues, and the island's cover is then set aside. If there are two crosses, the treasure is indeed there and the player wins the game!

Amass a Booty

The other path to victory is to own 25 coins (20 coins with 5 players) at the end of a turn. If several players meet a victory condition in the same turn, they share the victory. Keep in mind that the reward for taking the Redhead is worth 15 coins when it is next to the Red Bastion (see page 5).

Islands

A ship posted on an island, at the center of the tile, may take one of the corresponding actions:

GHERKIN ISLAND: recruit a buccaneer for 1 coin.
VOODOO LADY: draw 1 clue and keep it in hand, up to a limit of 3.
CHATTY PARROT: look at 1 clue and put it back under the draw pile.
JULES' DRY DOCK: repair your ship OR upgrade one of the three characteristics of your ship for 1 coin.
RED BASTION: repair your ship OR obtain 2 letters of marque.
DESERTED ISLAND: protect your booty against any future wreck.
DELIGHTS PORT: receive a rum merchandise OR sell as many sugar canes and black powder as desired for 2 coins each.
PLANTATION: receive a sugar cane merchandise OR sell as many rums and black powder as desired for 2 coins each.
SULPHUR MINE: receive a black powder merchandise OR sell as many rums and sugar canes as desired for 2 coins each.
CANNIBALS: sacrifice a buccaneer to gain a treasure map fragment.

Clues

Armand the Braggart, a barfly at the Chatty Parrot tavern, likes to recount his adventures, except those that might lead to the treasure. The clue draw pile contains anecdotes of Armand the Braggart that do not concern the treasure island. They depict landscape features that are not present on the island containing the treasure. There are 2 clues per island, and each clue is found on 2 islands. The treasure is never on Gherkin Island.

A player may no longer draw a clue at the Voodoo Lady if they have 3 in hand. Wreck returns them to the top of the draw pile. The player at the Voodoo Lady draws before the player at the Chatty Parrot.

Captain's Actions

Merchandise may be spent to obtain a particular benefit:

TACK: (navigation phase) spend a number of rums to increase sails by the same number for this turn.
LOAD THE POWDER: spend a number of black powders to increase cannons by the same number for the next turn.
CAULK: spend a number of sugar canes to repair the same number of hull points.

Deserted Island

HIDE YOUR BOOTY: protects the cargo the ship holds at that precise moment. Protected cargo can be merchandise, coins, letters of marque and treasure map fragments. Placed outside the ship board, this cargo is kept in case of wreck. It remains usable at any time and from anywhere. Any new cargo is placed on the ship board.

Jules' Dry Dock

This shipyard allows you to repair for free or buy an upgrade for the price of 1 coin (upgrade tokens are placed on the dedicated spaces of the ship board). Four actions are available:

IMPROVE THE RIGGING: increase sails by 1. Cost: 1 coin.
IMPROVE THE CANNONS: increase cannons by 1. Cost: 1 coin.
IMPROVE THE HULL: increase hull by 2. Cost: 1 coin.
REFIT: repair the entire hull.

Red Bastion

REFIT: repair the entire hull.
KING'S WARRANT: receive 2 letters of marque.

A player may spend a letter of marque to carry out one more action in the same turn. Any number of letters of marque may be used per turn. However, acquiring letters of marque and using them during the same turn is forbidden.

Cannibals

Armand the Braggart lost the map leading to the treasure among the cannibals.

SACRIFICE: sacrifice a buccaneer to obtain a treasure map fragment (the buccaneer's card is turned over and kept as cargo, and the crew space is then vacant). Each fragment owned shortens the dig by one turn.

Ships

The sails indicate the maximum movement the ship may make during the navigation phase.

The cannons indicate the number of damage dealt in the cannon fire phase to each enemy in range. Black powder used by the captain's action is stacked opposite them.

The hull indicates the maximum number of damage points caused by enemy cannons that the ship can absorb. If there is as much damage as hull points, the ship sinks.

The hollow circles are reserved for the upgrades bought at Jules' Dry Dock.

The number on the right indicates the maximum number of buccaneers the ship may embark.

Buccaneers

A buccaneer is recruited for the cost of 1 coin at Gherkin Island. One of the 4 buccaneers placed in front of the draw pile is chosen and that card is replaced by the first card of the draw pile.

A buccaneer returns to Gherkin Island – under the draw pile – if it dies in a boarding, if the ship is wrecked, or if the player replaces it with another buccaneer.

Unless stated otherwise, buccaneer actions are played during the action phase. Letters of marque may multiply the capabilities of their actions. To activate a buccaneer that acts on the following turn (the Canoeist, the Harpooner or the Helmsman), its card is tilted, and is straightened when its effect is applied. The Fetish Priest and the Socialite are played after the islands offering similar actions.

CANOEIST: ACTION, for 1 coin, boards one or more ships in the next turn, on a point at range 1 or 2. Aligned or not, the point is chosen by the player. A boarding in contact prevents this action. The Canoeist takes priority over the Harpooner.
CARTOGRAPHER: ACTION, moves the ship by 1 in the desired direction. If the ship arrives on the same island as another, it may play the island's actions after it in exchange for letters of marque.
CARPENTER: ACTION, repairs 1 hull point.
STOWAWAY: free on recruitment. Offers 1 coin if chosen as the first buccaneer.
ROOSTER: is worth 2 treasure map fragments when sacrificed to the cannibals.
CORSAIR: the East India Companies cause no boarding losses or cannon damage to the ship.
DEMOLISHER: digs in 1 turn, but sinks the ship if the treasure is not there.
HERMIT: ACTION, protects the booty, as would be done on the Deserted Island.
CROOK: each merchandise is worth 3 coins when sold instead of 2.
SPY: looks at another player's navigation compass, before setting its own, when its own ship's hull has 4 points or fewer.
FORGER: ACTION, receives 1 letter of marque.
allows recruiting buccaneers on all islands by searching the draw pile.

Two-Player Version

With two players, each player controls two ships with two compasses and two flags. During setup, each player in turn places a ship with a buccaneer and 2 coins on board.

The ships of the same player do not board each other, nor exchange cannon fire, and may thus take actions at the same point. The victory at 25 coins is only valid when one of the two ships reaches that sum. A ship sunk by both ships of the same player offers no reward. Clues in hand remain limited to 3 and are lost after the wreck of either of the two ships.

After a wreck, a ship reappears at the end of the second following turn.

Table Etiquette

Actions must be announced aloud.

You may decree that any announced action or dig cannot be cancelled. Players are assumed to make their announcements simultaneously. In practice, the next phase begins when a player starts that phase and no one objects.

With 3 or 4 players, if they accept a slight imbalance, it is possible to introduce a new player during the game. They place their ship at the start of a turn off Gherkin Island, with 2 coins and one buccaneer.

Draw on the flags or print others! Your colors will reveal the true nature of your daring.