Capt'n Clever
Capt'n Clever Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
For 3-4 players, ages 6 and up.
- 4 sailing ships, one in each of 4 colours
- 36 treasure cards, 9 in each of 4 colours
- 1 game board
- 4 captains, one in each of 4 colours
Setup
The game board is placed in the middle of the table. Each player receives a captain figure, a sailing ship, and the nine treasure cards of their colour. Each player passes their own treasure cards to the player on their right.
Starting with the youngest player, everyone places their captain on any unoccupied island (one captain per island).
Ships are placed at sea between the piers of their own colour. In this way a bridge is created between two islands. Only one ship may be in a bay.
Goal of the Game
Each captain, of course, is searching for treasure. Using the ships of their own fleet, a captain moves from island to island. Each player learns where to find the next treasure from the player on their right. The captain who first collects the treasures of all 9 islands wins.
Gameplay
The islands on the board and the paper treasure cards show identical treasures.
At the start of the game, each player chooses a task card for the player on their left and looks at it secretly from the other players. It is to your advantage to give the player on your left an island that is far from their captain. While they travel there, you will have time to get ahead of them. In this way, every player in turn receives a task.
Each player receives their own task from the player on their right.
Task cards are placed face down next to the players.
From this point on, players take turns in clockwise order.
On your turn you may move your ship, and you must move your captain if it is possible.
Movement Rules
- You may not move other players' figures.
- A ship may sail any distance.
- In the bay where your ship docks, between the piers of your colour, there must be no opposing ships.
- During your turn you may move your ship only once.
- You may also leave your ship where it is.
- You may move your ship in such a way that, as a result, your captain loses connection with unoccupied islands.
- For your captain to travel from one island to another, these islands must be connected by a ship, either your own or another player's. A chain of ships may be built to move a captain over long distances.
- Captains disembark onto islands, not onto ships.
- A captain may pass across an island on which another captain is standing while moving, but may stop only on an unoccupied island.
Collecting Treasure
The treasure card given to you by the player on your right shows on which island you will find the next treasure. Land your captain on the specified island and take the treasure card for yourself. You also take the card if, during this turn, you did not move a ship and instead used a chain of ships that already existed. After this, the player on your right gives you a new task of their choosing.
Treasure cards you have already won are placed in a face-up stack in front of you, so that your rivals forget which islands you have already visited.
End of the Game
The game ends when one of the players collects the 9th treasure card of their colour. That player is declared the Clever Captain!
Simplified Variant
Each player keeps their own treasure cards from the start of the game, shuffles them, and places them in a face-down stack in front of themselves. Then all players look at the top card of their stack but do not show it to the others. Now each player, with their captain (following the rules described above), tries to reach the treasure they were given. The player who finds the treasure, by bringing their captain to the required island, reveals that card in front of themselves. After this they look at the next card on top of their stack, and so on.
Good luck on your maritime adventures!