Captain's Log
Captain's Log Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Read This First
- Goal of the Game
- Components
- Game Setup
- Start of the Game
- Movement
- Actions
- Inaction
- Trade
- Interact
- Ranged Combat (RC)
- Repair
- Cargo tower
- Boarding or Melee Combat (MC)
- Free actions
- NPC or Non-Player Characters
- What are NPC?
- NPC roles
- NPC card
- NPC miniatures
- NPC nations (flags and bases)
- NPC activation
- NPC appearance and placement
- NPC time counter
- NPC actions (pennants)
- NPC movement
- NPC attack
- Aggressive - Defensive
- Merchants
- Special Ships
- NPC summary card
- Summary Diagram: Aggressive NPC / Defensive NPC
- NPC Passive Abilities
- NPC iconography
- Reputation
- Tavern and Shipyard "A-B"
- The Market
- End of Game
- Missions
- Events
- The Treasure
- The "White Whale" card
- Bounty card
- Captains
- Solo Mode
- Cooperative Mode
- Solo Game Scoring
- Iconography
Read This First
Cards may modify the rules and take priority over them.
A number with a "K" equals one thousand units of that number. For example: 1K = 1,000 doubloons.
When dividing, always round in a way that is unfavorable for the player, with a minimum of 1.
- Example 1: If you must pay 1,500 doubloons, you need to give 2,000 doubloons because there are no 500 coins. However, if you are supposed to receive 1,500, you only get 1,000.
- Example 2: If for some reason your movement is halved and you have a movement of 7, you can only move a maximum of 3 hexes.
- Example 3: If you must split half of your goods and you have 2 units of silver and 1 unit of tea, you will keep 1 silver and 1 tea.
NPC: Non-Player Character.
PC: Player Character.
When the game refers to "nations", it means all NPC.
The nations are: Netherlands, Spain, England, France, Pirates, Corsairs. Pirates/Corsairs behave differently from other nations.
A "number", a "D" and a "number" indicate the number and type of dice. For example: 3D12 = three twelve-sided dice.
Reputation: The favor you hold with different nations.
Fame: Points needed to win the game.
Expert Mode: All text within a green box like this refers to Expert Mode. Ignore the green boxes in the Standard Mode.
Goal of the Game
The goal of the game is to earn Fame Points. The game ends when a player reaches the number of Fame Points agreed upon before starting.
To enjoy all the eras, we recommend aiming for 21 points, though you can adjust the fame requirement up or down to change the game's length.
How to Earn Fame Points
- Collecting 2 barrels = 1 Fame Point.
- 3 barrels in games with 1 or 2 players.
- Sinking or destroying a PC/NPC.
- Successfully boarding a ship.
- Selling 4 identical goods in the market (excluding wood).
- Completing missions.
- Discarding 4 missions of the same type (e.g., 4 Transport missions).
- Increasing your ship level/upgrades as indicated on the player board.
Components
- 1 Kraken
- Schooner: 4 ships - PC aggressive NPC ships
- Brigantine: 4 NPC ships
- Caravel: 4 merchant defensive NPC ships
- Ship of the line: 4 NPC ships
- 1 White Whale
- 14 twelve-sided dice / 1 twenty-sided die
- This rulebook
- 13 Treasure cards
- 83 Mission cards
- 27 Event cards
- 7 Wind/North cards
- 46 PC - NPC cards
- 4 Summary cards (Fame/Reputation)
- 4 Summary cards (PC/NPC)
- 1 War card
- 4 Double-sided PC boards "A-B"
- 24 Map tiles
- 4 Double-sided Market boards "A-B" and 4 market indicators
- 1 Double-sided Scoreboard "A-B"
- 1 Double-sided Reputation board
- 18 Fortress markers
- 2 Fog tiles
- 36 Barrels/Time counters
- 25 Green cubes (tea)
- 25 Gray cubes (silver)
- 25 Pink cubes (cotton)
- 25 White cubes (sugar)
- 25 Wooden cubes (wood)
- 15 Yellow cubes (oil)
- 30 Black cubes (cannon/crew)
- 30 Red cubes (fire)
- 30 Blue cubes (water)
- 20 Green markers
- 20 Blue markers
- 20 Orange markers
- 20 Purple markers
- 4 Delimiters / Keels
- 1 Cargo tower
- 30 Damage and wounds
- 24 Flags
- 62 Doubloons
- 1 Time marker
- 24 NPC bases
- 1 Endgame marker
- 31 Captain cards
- 4 Reward cards
- 1 Tavern and Shipyard board "A-B"
- 4 Oil markers
- 6 Destroyed ship markers
- 1 Cloth bag
- 44 Crew upgrades
- 16 Nation upgrades
- 24 Unexplored zones tiles
- 12 Fishing tokens
- 16 Ammunition upgrades
- 36 Stickers for PC boards
Rules Not Used in Standard Mode
Ignore any rules involving boarding and crew icons in the standard game.
If you draw a card or element with these icons, skip them but apply the rest of the effects.
Unique boarding rewards are not available to players in standard mode.
During setup, remove map tiles 22, 23 and Calm, the Calm card, and all monsters except the Kraken.
These components are optional and slightly change the gameplay.
Some missions might be impossible to complete due to certain conditions—either because they require another player (2 missions of this type), require boarding a ship (1 mission) or involve one of the removed tiles (22 and 23). Drawing one of these missions is simply bad luck, and on this occasion the tavern had further job offers.
Game Setup
Standard mode is the foundation of the game; it provides the basic rules necessary for a correct gameplay. This means you are free to add any rules from expert mode if you wish.
Game board setup
Shuffle the map tiles. Reveal a number of tiles equal to the number of players and place them in the center of the table.
If table space is limited, place the remaining tiles face down around the initial ones.
This layout defines the play area from the start, making it ideal for smaller tables as the map's footprint remains fixed throughout the game.
Dynamic map: an alternative setup is explained under Dynamic Map, below.
North deck
Shuffle the North deck and reveal the top card.
Market boards
Randomly arrange the 4 Market boards, ensuring all boards show the same side (either Side A or Side B). Then, roll a 1D12 for each board to determine the number of goods to be placed on it.
Fill the rows of each board with cubes of the corresponding color, placing them from left to right and top to bottom.
Place all remaining goods aside to form the general supply.
Place the Cargo tower on one side of the table where all players can reach it.
Reputation board
Place the Reputation board on the table with side "A" facing up. The Tavern and Shipyard boards are also located on this side.
Then, place one marker from each player in each of the five spaces in the "0" column of the Reputation board.
If you wish to use the Reputation board on side "B", you also need to add the Tavern and Shipyard board. Place the Tavern and Shipyard board on side "A" or "B" as well.
Shipyard: Place one level 3 Ship card in each designated space, according to the seal on its deck. Then, place the level 2 Ship cards on top of level 3 Ship cards from the matching decks (seals). Make sure not to cover the name, price, or type of the level 3 Ship.
Tavern: Officer and Specialist upgrades: Randomly draw enough upgrades from the bag to fill the 9 officer or specialist upgrade slots. Nation upgrades: Place nation-specific upgrades in the spaces reserved for each nation's flag. These upgrades remain the same in every game.
War card
Place the War card near the reputation board, either on side "A" or side "B" if you wish to customize which nations are at war.
This card shows which nations are at war during the game. NPC attacks other NPC or PC from enemy nations.
Side "A" represents the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. In this setup, England is at war with Spain and France. Additionally, all nations are at war against the Pirates.
Side "B": You can decide which nations are at war by placing their flags on this side. Nations are not required to be in conflict; however, as with Side A, all Nations remain at war with the Pirates.
Scoreboard
Place the Scoreboard on side "A" or side "B".
- Treasure zone: Shuffle the 3 decks separately and place one card from each face down. Return the remaining cards to the game box without looking at them.
- Scoring zone: Each player places a marker of their color on the starting position "0".
Place the endgame marker on the agreed-upon target score. For the first game we recommend 5-7 points.
- Shuffle the Event deck and place it face down here.
- Shuffle the Mission deck and place it face down here.
- Set the time marker on the first Day space.
- Zone for NPC ships.
NPC ships come in four levels — Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4.
- Separate ships by level.
- Shuffle level 3 and level 4 ships into a single deck.
- Shuffle level 2 ships and place them on top of the previous deck.
- Shuffle level 1 ships and place them on top of the previous deck.
Optional: For a better control when revealing new NPC, separate the ships into two decks based on their colored seals (a red seal deck and a gray seal deck).
At the start of the game, the first and third players each draw one ship from the red-seal deck to use as a PC card and another from the gray-seal deck to use as an NPC.
The second and fourth players each draw a ship from the gray-seal deck to use as a PC and another from the red-seal deck to use as an NPC.
Player board
Each player takes:
- One player board with side A facing up (Standard), or a player board with side B facing up (Expert). Players may choose to play with different "A-B" boards, each offering unique advantages and disadvantages.
- One ship miniature of each type. There are 4 different types.
- The PC and NPC bases, numbered 1 through 4 to match the player turn order.
- Each player's ship is shown in the upper right corner of the board.
To use board "B", draw a ship card worth 10,000 doubloons from one of the following options: Nao, Hulk or Carrack. Players 1 and 3 draw from the red-seal deck. Players 2 and 4 draw from the gray-seal deck.
- One random, unrevealed NPC ship card. The NPC card must be drawn from the deck opposite to your ship's deck: Players 1 and 3 draw from the gray-seal deck; Players 2 and 4 draw from the red-seal deck.
After distributing the level 1 cards, shuffle the remainder and place them on top of the level 2 cards on the scoreboard.
- 3,000 doubloons (to be spent at the tavern and shipyard).
- All markers and components in your assigned color.
- Two cannons (black cubes).
- One delimiter/keel.
- Place a marker in your color on the draft track according to your ship type.
- Place a marker in your color on the crew track to indicate your initial crew. All players begin with 3 crew members.
- Choose one of your 3 Captain cards. Adjust the reputation based on the War card, and then return the other cards to the Captain deck.
Player Board "A-B"
For your first games, we recommend using the side "A" (standard). This side has simpler iconography to help you understand the game. It also includes predefined upgrades you can purchase to guide your decisions.
Player markers track acquired upgrades on the standard board, while physical components do so on the expert board.
Players may choose different boards for the game: some may use standard board (A) while others use the expert board (B).
- Cannon upgrade: Tracks the number of improved cannons on your ship.
- Officers: Slots for upgrades. The level requirement must be met to equip them.
- Sails level: The marker increases by 1 each time the sails are upgraded. The maximum number of sails is shown on both the card and on the ship's level.
- Specialists: Space to indicate specialist upgrades. The level requirement must be met.
- PC card position: The board displays the attributes for the 3 available ship models during the game. Below, you find the cost to upgrade to the next available model or level.
On side "B", place your PC card here for easy reference to your ship attributes.
Player card (PC)
- Defense/Life: The ship's ability to block ranged attacks / Damage the ship can take before sinking.
- Crew/Upgrades: Maximum crew capacity / Maximum number of combined officer and specialist upgrades. Ammunition does not count towards this limit.
- Movement/Sails: Number of hexes a ship moves / Number of times this attribute can be upgraded.
- Turning: Penalty based on the ship's orientation at the start of its movement.
- Name/Value: Ship model / Value in shipyard. Ships without a value cannot be purchased or found in the shipyard.
- Level/Draft: Era of the ship and its draft (depth).
- Image: Visual representation of the actual ship.
- Deck: Position indicator for ship cards.
- Officer and Specialist upgrade: This extra slot allows you to place a seventh Officer or Specialist and gain 1 Fame Point.
- Rowboat: Each time you acquire a rowboat, increase this indicator by 1. The limit is indicated by the number of icons visible on the ship.
- Crew: Number of sailors on board. If it reaches 0, the ship is considered destroyed. You may exceed 10/20 crew members by placing a second marker.
- Long-range cannons: It allows you to fire cannons without the penalty for not being adjacent to the target.
- Keel: Used to indicate the ship's dimensions, as shown on the PC card.
- Ship capacity: The area outlined by the keel shows the ship's cargo capacity. Each slot in this area represents the load capacity. Cargo may only be placed in slots that are fully visible. Some ship models partially cover certain slots. All icons within the outlined area indicate the upgrades available for that ship model.
- Ammunition storage: The area reserved for storing the different types of ammunition you acquire.
- Draft: The hull depth, which limits the ship's movement through certain areas on the map.
Iconography printed inside the ship:
- Level icon: Indicates the level requirement needed to acquire that upgrade.
- Gunport: A specific space for placing a cannon. If a cannon is not placed in a Gunport, it cannot fire. You may place cargo in a gunport; in that case, it counts as an occupied space instead of a cannon.
- Cannon: This icon within the area outlined by the keel represents the maximum number of cannons the ship can use to attack.
- Damage: If your ship is destroyed, it reappears with water damage equal to the number of damage icons shown in the outlined area.
- Fame: Reaching a space with this icon grants you 1 Fame Point.
- Crew: The number of sailors on board. The level icon indicates the ship's starting crew.
- Rowboat: This icon within the outlined area shows the maximum number of rowboats that the ship model can carry.
- Cabin: A reserved space for this upgrade. If not acquired, it may be used to store cargo.
Placing the Delimiter or Keel
The keel is used to show the ship model.
Place it according to the level (vertical line) and draft (horizontal line) indicated on the PC card.
Ship weight
For every 5 cubes (of any type), the ship's weight increases, raising the draft by 1.
Cylinders representing upgrades do not add weight to the ship.
Draft
Draft represents how deeply the ship sits in the water.
As the ship becomes heavier with cargo, its draft increases. This may restrict passage through certain zones and reduce movement (as indicated on the Player Board).
Ships with draft levels 2, 5 and 3 already have their first penalty applied to the attributes on the PC card, so no additional penalty applies.
There are 5 types of draft: -1, -1.5, -2, -2.5, -3.
After selecting a ship, place a marker on the draft level indicated by the card.
Base crew
When choosing a ship, you start with as much crew as the level indicated on the card.
Keel placement examples
Example 1: Level 1 and draft 2 (Standard). A level 1 ship with a draft of 2. Within the outlined area, there are 15 cargo slots, 6 of which are gunports. There are also 4 cannon icons, indicating the maximum number of cannons this ship can use. Additionally, there are 2 damage icons. If you are destroyed, you reappear with 2 water damage.
Example 2: Level 3 and draft 3. Within the outlined area, there are 26 cargo slots, 8 of which are gunports. There are also 8 cannon icons, indicating the maximum number of cannons this ship can use, 4 rowboat icons, and 5 cabins. Additionally, there are 6 damage icons. If you are destroyed, you reappear with 6 water damage.
Example 3: Level 2 and draft 1.5. Within the outlined area, there are 13 cargo slots, 7 of which are gunports. There are also 5 cannon icons, indicating the maximum number of cannons this ship can use, 1 rowboat icon, and 2 cabins. Additionally, there are 3 damage icons. If you are destroyed, you reappear with 3 water damage.
Start of the Game
Starting player
The starting player is the person who most recently watched a pirate movie or was the last to drink rum. If there is still a tie, choose the starting player at random.
Initial placement on the game board
- In reverse turn order, each player places a marker in their color on a numbered hex of their choice within the visible map. This is your starting location. Players may now spend as many doubloons as they wish at the neutral shipyard and tavern. Each hex can only be chosen by one player.
- The Starting Player places their ship miniature in their chosen orientation, and the game begins. On their turn, each remaining player replaces their marker with their ship miniature.
This rule is important to balance the turn order.
General Game Sequence
The game is played over a series of rounds and ends once a player reaches the Fame Point target set at the start of the game.
Each round consists of the following steps:
- Individual player turn
- A) PC turn
- B) NPC turn
- Advancing the time marker
1. Individual player turn
A) PC turn
You may perform one of the following combinations:
- Movement + Action
- Action + Action
- Action + Movement
Anything that does not involve movement counts as an action. You may perform the same action twice, but you can only move once per turn. You can perform any number of free actions.
B) NPC turn
Each player is assigned 1, 2 or 3 NPC (depending on the number of players), which they must activate during the game.
Just like a PC, an NPC can take up to 2 actions before its activation ends. Once finished, the turn passes to the next NPC or PC.
If a player has multiple NPC to activate, the player must always activate them in the same order in which they entered the game.
2. Advancing the time marker
After all PC and NPC have finished their turns, advance the time marker.
This marker tracks day or night, impacting gameplay. Each time the marker enters a "Day" space, reveal a new Event card. If the marker reaches the final space, it returns to the first space of the track.
- Day: When the marker reaches a space with this icon, draw an Event card. Certain abilities or missions are affected during the day.
- Night: Some abilities or missions are affected during the night.
At the end of each round, rotate all time counters and barrels in play on the map tiles.
Movement
The basic rules to keep in mind for movement are:
- A ship may move a number of hexes up to the limit indicated by its sails. This limit may be affected by turning, wind or draft.
- Sailing over islands (land areas) is not allowed.
- Performing a non-free action ends the ship's movement. Any remaining movement is lost.
- You may not end your movement on a hex occupied by another miniature.
- You may pass through from a hex occupied by another miniature and collect goods.
- If you pass through a hex with an enemy NPC (ship or monster), the NPC attacks you using its cannons or ability.
- If it's a PC, the player may choose whether to fire at you.
- If an NPC has no alternative route and must pass through an enemy hex or PC, it follows the same rules.
Turning
The base of a ship is hexagonal and represents the ship's orientation: front (bow), flanks (starboard and port) and rear (stern).
At the start of its movement, a ship may choose which direction to sail in, applying the corresponding modifier.
The PC card is always oriented toward the ship's bow, regardless of how the miniature is facing on the board.
The six directions relative to the ship are: front bow, port bow, starboard bow, port quarter, starboard quarter, and rear (stern). Port is the left side of the ship, starboard the right side.
Turning the ship is only allowed at the start of the movement. The remaining movement must be made toward one of the three front hexes.
When turning toward one of the 3 rear hexes, the first movement must be in a straight line into the hex the ship is facing.
Poor managing movement can cause the ship to become blocked for that turn.
Wind
Wind is essential for sailing ships, and sailing with or against the wind provides modifiers similar to turning.
Wind shifts throughout the day and only applies at the start of your movement. Check the Wind card and apply the indicated bonus or penalty once (at the beginning of your movement), in your chosen direction.
Note: The Wind card changes with certain events.
Designer's note: Some players prefer to shuffle the Wind card each time it changes to make the game more random.
Calm card
The Calm card may seem to give certain ship models an advantage. It is separated from the others to prevent this misunderstanding until players understand how heavier ships (draft -3) work.
Sandbanks
On the game board, some areas contain shallow waters marked by sandbanks. A ship may not pass through a sandbank if its draft is less than the value indicated.
Example: If a ship's draft is "-3", it cannot pass through sandbanks marked as "-2" or "-1", but it can navigate through sandbanks marked as "-3" or "-5".
If a PC becomes stranded with no possible way out, the player may voluntarily destroy their ship, lose the entire turn and accept the consequences of being destroyed.
Movement example
When starting your movement, you must add:
- The ship's total movement
- Modifiers (upgrades, draft)
- Turn the miniature in the direction you wish to sail (turning)
- Wind
Once this value has been calculated, no further modifiers apply. This is your available movement.
Important: When you move your ship, keep the miniature facing the direction of movement, as shown in the example. Apply modifiers such as wind and turning only once, and always at the start of movement.
Right option (green): Your ship's movement is 8, and you have no upgrades or draft penalties. Since you can always move to the three front hexes without a turning penalty, you apply the +1 movement from the wind, for a total of 9 movement. Movement = 8 + 0 + 0 + 1 = 9.
Left option (orange): Your ship's movement is 8, and you have no upgrades or draft penalties. You decide to rotate your ship 180º and place the bow where the stern previously was. With this maneuver, the ship is penalized with a -2 movement and now the wind imposes an additional -2 movement penalty. The movement calculation is 8 minus both penalties, which gives you a total of 4 movement. Movement = 8 + 0 - 2 - 2 = 4.
Examples of complete movement
Below are examples that include factors such as draft, sandbanks, wind, and barrels.
Your ship is on a mooring, so it does not incur any turning penalty. Your base movement is 7, and you want to reach the mooring on tile 21.
- Right option (red): If you choose this route, your movement reduces to 5 due to the -2 penalty from the wind. You need another turn to reach your destination. Movement = 7 + 0 + 0 - 2 = 5.
- Left option (green): With the +2 wind bonus, your total movement is 9. You pick up the barrel and collect the goods. You have two base cannons and add 3 cargo cubes, for a total of 5 loads. Your draft increases from -3 to -4. Now you cannot cross the sandbank (-3), so you continue and moor in the Dutch port. You need one more turn to reach your final destination. Movement = 7 + 0 + 0 + 2 = 9.
- Central option (blue): You have the same advantages as in the green option. However, you choose not to collect all the cargo from the barrel and leave the wood behind. The ship's weight does not increase, so your draft still allows you to pass through the sandbank (-3) and reach the mooring on tile 21. Movement = 7 + 0 + 0 + 2 = 9.
Actions
The available actions are:
- Explore
- Inaction
- Trade
- Interact
- Fire or Ranged Combat (RC)
- Repair
- Boarding or Melee Combat (MC)
Free Actions:
- Pick Up
- Throw Overboard
- Organize the Ship
- Ramming
- Cornering
- Fishing
Explore
Line of sight
Even though the lookout can observe 360º, there are areas hidden from view.
- Islands block the line of sight.
- Ships or monsters do not block the line of sight.
- A hex containing land is treated as fully occupied, even if the land is not fully depicted in the illustration.
- An element partially concealed by an island is considered hidden, and the line of sight is blocked. To determine visibility, draw a straight line from the center of your hex to the center of the target hex. If the line is interrupted by any element, the target is considered out of line of sight.
- Islands are shown with solid lines; water is shown with dashed lines.
Revealing a map tile
The ship's lookout is always watching the surroundings.
- This action allows you to expand the game board and reveal tiles within line of sight and up to three hexes away from your ship.
- Reveal tiles from the closest hex to the farthest.
- With a single Explore action, you may reveal as many tiles as you wish.
- After revealing a map tile, immediately place any indicated barrels and fortresses.
Barrels
They represent floating wreckage that has not yet sunk. When you reveal a map tile with barrels, place a random barrel face up, showing the number based on the time (day or night), without looking at the underside.
To pick up a barrel, move over it and spend 1 movement point.
Barrels are numbered from 6 to 1, but this numbering is not used in your first games. See "Flotation rules" below.
Flotation rules
Barrels are numbered from 6 to 1. This number indicates how long it takes for the barrel to sink and disappear.
When placing a barrel, set it with the number 6 (Day) or 5 (Night) facing north on the game board.
Each time the time marker advances, rotate all barrels to the right to show how much time remains before they sink.
If a barrel reaches "0", it sinks and is removed from the board.
To confirm that all barrels have been rotated correctly, check that they show even numbers (red - Day) or odd numbers (blue - Night).
Time counter
Some missions and events require a time counter. For that, use a barrel and place a player marker or the specified reward on top.
Barrels used as time counters do not grant the normal barrel reward. They only provide the item placed on them.
Time counters follow the flotation rules.
Dynamic Map
If table space is limited, use the Standard Mode map (all tiles placed at the start, keeping the layout unchanged during the game). The dynamic mode significantly increases the number of available scenarios.
Game setup
At the start of the game, reveal one map tile per player as the initial setup.
Players decide how to place the tiles, but each tile must always be adjacent to at least one other tile.
Explore – Additional rules
- You decide the placement and orientation of the map tile.
- A map tile may not overlap with a tile already in play.
- Place it so that it touches as many hexes as possible.
- It must occupy the closest available hex where it can be placed. If multiple options are available, the player chooses where to place it.
- Spaces between tiles are considered unexplored zones and do not block the line of sight.
Example of dynamic exploration
- You can explore up to 3 hexes away.
- Draw a map tile and place it in the closest available hex to your ship, ensuring it touches the maximum number of already placed hexes. After placing it, if there are still hexes available in range, you may reveal a second map tile if you wish.
- If a candidate position touches fewer hexes of the new tile than an alternative position does, it does not meet the rule of maximum possible contact and is not allowed.
- The correct placement is the one that creates the greatest possible contact between existing hexes and the new map tile. If more than one valid option exists, you may choose which one to use. Hexes that remain within your line of sight but have no room for a new tile stay unexplored.
Unexplored zone tiles
When playing with the dynamic map, gaps may appear, creating interesting routes. However, you always have the option to explore these gaps by placing unexplored zone tiles at random.
These tiles represent areas of the map lost over time because of missing information or pirate secrets.
- To explore these areas, follow the same steps as exploring regular map tiles.
- With a single action, you can explore both map tiles and unexplored zone tiles.
Example 1: Following the placement rule above, some hexes may remain where a standard map tile cannot fit. You can decide to explore these gaps with unexplored zone tiles.
Option 2: You may try to pass through these gaps, but they may be impassable. If so, you suffer water damage equal to the number of hexes moved to reach the revealed hex (including the revealed hex). This counts as a collision with a reef or sandbank, and your movement ends immediately.
Example 2: There is an unexplored hex between two map tiles, so you may attempt to pass through it by moving 6 hexes (including the hex to be revealed). Upon reaching the hex, place the tile face down, and then reveal it. In this particular instance, it turns out to be an island, so you suffer 6 water damage, and your movement ends on the last hex you entered.
Placement
Shuffle all unexplored zone tiles and place the rocky side face up.
To place them, draw a tile and decide which side to explore: on one side, you may find water, sandbanks, barrels, or islands.
If you leave the rocky side up, it creates an impassable zone that does not block line of sight.
Tiles 22, 23, and Calm tile
Tile 22: You have earned a bad reputation with certain nations, and a bounty has been placed on you. Where can you hire crew? Where can you repair your ship? Goods from native villages are running low, so you must venture into uncharted waters. You discover a remote native island with untapped resources.
Tile 23: Strong ocean currents pull your ship to an island with steep cliffs and shipwreck debris. In the distance, you spot another ship with the same intentions as you. Navigate skillfully to gather as much as possible in the shortest time.
Calm tile: There is something strange happening in this area: no wind, no ocean currents, nothing at all. This tile has special rules:
- Wind or events do not affect this tile.
- Moving on the Calm tile costs 2 movement points instead of 1.
- It applies to both PC and NPC.
Inaction
You may choose to take no action, either by choice or due to game conditions.
Trade
When adjacent to another player, you can spend an action to trade goods, missions, and money.
Continue exchanged Missions from the point where the previous owner left off (see Missions).
Interact
Various icons on the map represent interactive points. Your ship must be on the hex to interact with it. If the icon is on land, your ship must be adjacent to it.
- Map tile: The world remains unexplored. Each map tile gradually reveals the game board. The game unfolds on these tiles, along with the events that shape your adventure.
- Mooring: If a hex has a mooring point, place your ship on it to interact with the adjacent port (on land).
- Ports: Ports are interaction points with different nations. Ports grant access to the market, tavern, and shipyard of the nation shown by the flag. With a single action, you may perform all available port options in any order. Port options include: Tavern, Shipyard, Buy Market, Sell Market. Example: If a port has the market and tavern icons, you can buy goods from that nation, select missions, and acquire upgrades for officers and specialists — all with a single action. If a port has no flag, randomly place a nation's flag on it to indicate its affiliation.
- NPC ships: You can see ship icons next to the ports. NPC ships of the controlling nation appear here. They can be merchant, defensive, aggressive, or corsair ships.
- Natives: For all intents and purposes, these act as ports but do not belong to any nation.
- Sandbanks: They are areas of shallow water that block ships with a draft lower than the value indicated on the sandbank.
- Kraken: This is the spawn zone for the Kraken and other sea monsters. If the Kraken card is drawn but its tile is unexplored, the Kraken does not appear.
- "X" on the board: Every good map hides a treasure beneath an "X," waiting to be discovered.
- Barrels: Area where the barrels appear.
- Whales: Whales are interaction points for various NPC and missions.
- Fortresses: The game includes 3 fortresses: two controlled by random nations (on tiles 5 and 6) and one pirate fortress (on tile 14). If a fortress without a flag appears, assign a random nation's flag, indicating its affinity. If a fortress shares an island with a port, it belongs to the nation that controls the port.
Fortresses are heavily defended areas, and entering their defense zone may have consequences. A fortress rolls a number of dice equal to the value indicated on the adjacent hexes.
The game level is determined by the number of sails on the ship with the most sails, whether currently or previously in play (PC or NPC).
Example: If the game is at level two and the fortress icon shows 4 dice, entering the hex (including a port) while hostile to the fortress's nation triggers a firing attack of 4 dice, each with a +2 bonus.
- Moving into another marked hex causes the fortress to fire again.
Ranged Combat (RC)
This action allows you to attack another ship by firing your cannons. It consists of 5 steps and applies to both PC and NPC.
1. Designate a valid target
The following conditions must be met to consider a target valid:
- The target ship must be within your line of sight.
- The target ship must be on either side (flank) of your ship. Ships cannot fire from the front (bow) or the rear (stern).
- A ship cannot fire if it is moored.
2. Determine attack value and ammunition
After designating a valid target, the attacker rolls a number of D12 dice equal to the number of cannons placed in the ship's gunports.
- Apply any relevant modifiers before rolling. If multiple modifiers apply to dice, roll separately or use different colored dice to distinguish them.
Ammunition: Choose the type of ammunition for all cannons before rolling. All cannons must use the same type of ammunition.
Ship, officer, and specialist upgrades: Apply all modifiers from any upgrades the ship has.
3. Target defense
Defense is the value that must be exceeded to damage the target. It is the sum of the following values:
- Base defense: Indicated on the target ship's card.
- Upgrades: Add any modifiers the defender has.
- Distance: If the ships are not adjacent, add +1 to the defense for each hex between them (1 hex +1, 3 hexes +3…).
- Defender position: If the defender is attacked from the bow or stern, then add +1 to its defense, as it is a smaller target and harder to hit. In this game, the rear of a ship is not more vulnerable.
- Mooring: Moored ships gain +1 to defense, unless the attacker is a fortress.
4. Calculate damage
Any roll exceeding the target's defense value causes damage. Damage equals the difference between the roll and the defense, with a maximum of 4 damage points per die.
Natural "12" in Fire or Ranged Combat: In ranged combat, whenever you roll a natural 12 (without modifiers), one crew member on the target ship dies. This applies to all types of ammunition.
5. Types of damage
Water damage:
- Unspecified impacts cause water leaks in the hull.
- Water damage on a PC is placed from right to left and from bottom to top.
- If water damage reaches cargo, the cargo falls through the hull breach and is placed in the ship's current hex.
Fire damage:
- Fire damage on a PC is placed from left to right and from top to bottom.
- Any cargo in a slot affected by fire is burned and returned to the supply.
- Spread: A ship takes 1 additional fire damage for every 3 fire damage it has at the end of its turn (e.g., 6 fire damage causes 2 additional fire damage).
- Oil: If a hit reaches an oil cube, it immediately causes two additional fire damage.
Common to both types of damage:
- Damage affects the ship's weight.
- Damage to cannons is placed on them, blocking them and preventing rearrangement. Additionally, damaged cannons weigh twice as much: 1 for the damage and 1 for the cannon itself. A cannon damaged by water or fire weighs 2 instead of 1.
- Cannons are not removed when damaged.
- A ship's life is shown on its card and is tracked separately for each type of damage.
- For NPC, combine all damage types for easier tracking.
- When a cabin is damaged, you do not lose crew or upgrades, but you need to restore the maximum crew capacity. For example: If your crew is 8 when the cabin takes damage, it does not drop to 6 because of that damage alone.
Resolving combat outcomes
Ship not destroyed: If the ship has not taken as much damage as its life, it can continue sailing.
Ship destroyed (collapse): When a ship suffers both fire and water damage and no space remains in the cargo area, the ship is destroyed. If the final damage is water, the ship is considered sunk. If the final damage is fire, the ship is considered burned.
Ship destroyed by water (sunk): If a ship takes damage equal to or greater than its life, and most of it is water damage, the ship is considered sunk.
When a ship destroys another by sinking, it receives:
- All doubloons from the bounty (NPC card).
- All doubloons on top of the NPC card.
- Half of all the different goods the ship was carrying (rounded down; minimum of one per item type). For example: 3 / 2 = 1 (the minimum is always 1).
- 1 Fame Point.
- Adjustments to reputation.
Ship destroyed by fire (burned): If a ship takes damage equal to or greater than its life, and most of it is fire damage, the ship is considered burned.
When a ship destroys another by fire, it receives:
- All doubloons from the bounty (NPC card).
- All doubloons on top of the NPC card.
- You do not receive any goods, as they have been burned.
- 1 Fame Point.
- Adjustments to reputation.
If a ship burns due to fire spread, the last PC or NPC to inflict damage receives the Fame Point.
If a PC sets fire to multiple ships, the player only receives the bounty from the last ship attacked. Mark such an action with a marker in your color.
Ship destroyed:
NPC:
- Return the card of the destroyed NPC to the box, and draw a new NPC without revealing the NPC side.
- NPC side remains hidden until first activated.
PC:
- If an NPC or PC from a nation destroys your ship, your reputation with that nation increases by +1. This only happens if your reputation is below 0.
- You lose all goods you carry.
- You lose all unfinished missions (both hidden and revealed).
- You retain cannons, upgrades, and doubloons acquired before being destroyed.
- Your crew resets to "0".
- To reappear, roll a D20 on your next turn. The outcome determines the map tile for reappearance. If the tile has not been revealed, you reappear on the map tile with the number immediately lower than the outcome (treat 20 as lower than 1).
- You reappear with the amount of water damage indicated on your player board. Such amount varies depending on the ship model. (In the example on the player board, two damage icons mean that upon reappearing, your ship already has 2 water damage.)
- You receive a destroyed ship marker.
- Your crew will be equal to your ship's level plus any upgrades (e.g., rowboat).
Destroyed ship marker: If your ship is destroyed, place a destroyed ship marker on your PC card (on the player board). If your ship is destroyed a second time, flip the marker to show the x2 side. If it is destroyed a third time, remove the marker and lose 1 Fame Point.
Example of Ranged Combat
- Designate a valid target. It is the green player's turn, and their ship is preparing to attack. The blue player's ship is outside the firing arc, so it is not a valid target. The Dutch ship is partially blocked, so it is also an invalid target. The French ship is a valid option because it is visible and within the firing zone.
- Determine attack value. The attacker is a galleon with 5 cannons, each upgraded with a +2 bonus, and it fires explosive ammunition, adding an extra +1. Adding up the modifiers results in a +3 to each die. The attacker rolls a number of dice equal to the ship's cannons (5 in this case). The final results are: 4, 9, 9, 11, and 12. After applying the +3 modifier, the final results are 7, 12, 12, 14, 15.
- Determine attack defense. The French ship is a Nao with a defense of "9". It has no upgrades providing extra defense (+0), but it is 2 hexes away (+2), is being attacked from the side (+0), and is moored (+1). After adding all modifiers, the total defense value is 12.
- Calculate damage. The orange ship takes damage equal to the difference between the roll and its defense value: 7-12=0, 12-12=0, 12-12=0, 14-12=2 and 15-12=3 (for a total of 5 damage).
- Resolving combat outcomes. After calculating damage, determine if the defending ship is destroyed (collapse, sunk, or burned) or if it can keep sailing.
Repair
A repair action allows you to repair Damage equal to the amount of wood spent that turn, following these conditions:
If you are moored at a shipyard, each wood discarded repairs up to 4 damage (fire, water, or sail). You may buy wood and use it to repair in the same turn (1 wood = 4 damage).
If you are at sea and carry wood, during your turn you can repair 2 damage (fire, water, or sail damage) for each wood discarded (1 wood = 2 damage).
Cargo tower
At the start of the game, players decide whether to use the cargo tower. This tower adds a minor gameplay variation.
Drop all cargo damaged by water or from a sunken ship (PC or NPC) through the cargo tower. The result depends on where it lands:
- Barrel side: The cargo stays afloat in the hex where the damage or sinking happened.
- Empty side: The cargo is lost and returns to the reserve.
Boarding or Melee Combat (MC)
This action allows you to attack another ship using your crew. A ship moored at a port cannot initiate a boarding action.
Boarding consists of 5 steps and applies to both PC and NPC.
1. Designate a valid target
The valid target must be adjacent to the attacker, specifically on either the port or starboard side.
2. Determine the attacking crew
The attacker may use as much crew as desired, minus the ship's draft. This is the minimum crew needed to control the ship and prevent it from drifting.
Example: If you have 8 crew members and your ship's draft (as shown on the NPC card) is 2, you can board with a maximum of 6 crew members, as 2 of them must stay behind to keep the ship under control.
The attacker also adds all officer and specialist upgrades, increasing the number of dice and modifiers for the roll.
NPC boarding: An NPC rolls the number of dice indicated for the boarding action, minus any dead crew members on board. Apply any crew modifiers during boarding combat.
3. Determine the defense crew
- The defender uses their full crew for defense.
- It must also add up all officer and specialist upgrades, increasing the number of dice and modifiers for the roll.
- Boarding in ports: A moored ship can be boarded, but its defense increases by +1.
4. Determine the success of boarding
- Both ships simultaneously roll as many D12 dice as there are crew members involved in the combat. Each result equal to or higher than 11 causes a casualty to the opponent.
- To succeed in boarding, the attacker must have at least 3 times the crew of the defender, or the defender must have no crew left. Multiply the defender's remaining crew by 3. If the result is equal to or less than the attacker's crew, the boarding succeeds.
- If the above condition is not met, the boarding fails, and the action ends.
Example 1: A PC with a draft of 2 and 8 crew members boards another ship with 6 crew members. The combat is 6 vs. 5. Each ship rolls as many dice as there are crew members involved. The attacker rolls 6, 8, 8, 11, 11, 12, while the defender rolls 4, 4, 6, 7, 11. After the roll, the attacker has 5 crew members left alive, while the defender has only 2 members. The boarding fails because 2 x 3 = 6, which is greater than 5.
Example 2: A PC with a draft of 2 and 8 crew members boards another ship with 5 crew members. The combat is 6 vs. 5. Each ship rolls as many dice as there are crew members involved. The attacker rolls 5, 6, 11, 11, 11, 12, while the defender rolls 4, 4, 6, 7, 8. After the roll, the attacker has all 6 crew members left alive, while the defender has only 2 members. The boarding is successful because 2 x 3 = 6, matching the attacker's remaining crew. The attacker recruits any surviving crew (bringing their crew total to 10) and claims the remaining boarding rewards.
5. Determine the boarding reward
If the boarded ship is an NPC:
- After a successful boarding, the attacker receives 1,000 doubloons, and any surviving NPC crew members join the attacker's crew.
- You can exchange your ship for the boarded one if it is the same level or up to one level higher than yours. With a level 1 ship, you may exchange it for a level 1 or 2 ship, but not for a level 3 or 4.
- Any damage on the boarded ship remains, but you do not keep its upgrades or cannons. However, you may keep the upgrades you previously acquired.
If the boarded ship is a PC:
- After a successful boarding, the attacker takes all cargo and rewards from the boarded ship, and any surviving crew members from the PC join their crew.
- If you board a PC, you cannot exchange your ship for the boarded one. However, you may take a ship of the same type from the discard pile or NPC deck.
- Additionally, you can take any unfinished missions the other player had and continue them from where they left off.
Free actions
Free actions are optional, do not end your movement, and can be performed at any time during your turn, either before or after any other action.
Organize the ship
You can rearrange your cargo during your turn.
Damage (water or fire) in any slot cannot be moved.
Cannons affected by damage (water or fire) cannot fire or be repositioned.
Pick Up / Movement
When passing through a hex with an interaction element (such as barrels, goods, or certain missions), you can spend an additional movement point to interact.
With this additional movement, you can:
- Pick up all goods in the current hex.
- Start or complete a mission that requires visiting or retrieving something from the sea.
- Pick up a barrel. To do so: flip the barrel to claim its reward and keep it near your board until you collect enough barrels to earn 1 Fame Point.
If you do not have enough space for the goods, leave any excess items in the hex. You can either swap them with cargo already on your ship or leave them in the sea.
Throwing cargo overboard
At any point during your turn, you may toss cargo overboard to reduce your ship's weight.
Place the discarded cargo in your current hex.
If your ship is full when picking up new goods, you can throw any excess cargo overboard and replace it with new goods.
You cannot pick up the discarded cargo in the same turn you threw it overboard.
Ramming / Movement
During your movement, you may choose to collide with another ship. This is ramming.
Ramming is an attack that uses up all remaining movement.
Damage to the attacker: The attacker takes water damage equal to the difference between the defender's defense and the attacker's defense, plus the number of hexes moved in a straight line.
- Damage to the attacker = (defender's defense) - (attacker's defense) + (attacker's movement)
Damage to the defender: The defender takes water damage equal to the difference between the attacker's defense and the defender's defense, plus the number of hexes the attacker moved in a straight line.
- Damage to the defender = (attacker's defense) - (defender's defense) + (attacker's movement)
Determining the outcome: If the defender or both ships are destroyed, the attacker earns 1 Fame Point, but no other rewards are granted. It is possible to become famous for suicidal acts. If only the attacker is destroyed, no one gains a reward.
Example: Your ship has a defense of 10, and you decide to ram the pirate ship with a defense of 9. You move a total of 5 hexes (4 hexes plus the one occupied by the pirate ship), with 3 of those hexes in a straight line, which determines the damage to both ships. The attacker suffers: 9-10+3 = 2 damage. The defender suffers: 10-9+3 = 4 damage.
Cornering
When two or more allied ships or ships from the same nation (PC or NPC) are positioned adjacent to an enemy, that enemy is considered cornered.
Shooting: When firing at a cornered ship, you may reroll 1 die for every 3 cannons the allies have. This rule also applies to NPC from the same nation or allied corsairs.
Example: It is the English NPC's turn, and it fires at the green player. In the roll, three of its cannons miss, but the allied English corsair NPC has 6 cannons, so it may reroll up to 2 dice.
Any ship equipped with long-range cannons is considered adjacent to a target as long as it is within cannon range.
Boarding: When boarding a cornered ship, you may reroll 1 die for every 4 crew members the allies have.
Fishing / Movement
Fish by moving over a hex with a whale icon while carrying at least 1 rowboat and its crew.
Spend 1 movement point to perform the fishing action and use as many rowboats as desired.
For each rowboat used, draw a fishing token and apply the effect shown on its underside.
Finally, return the drawn tokens to the supply and shuffle them.
Possible outcomes: nothing happens, 1 oil, or -1 / -2 crew.
Whalers: Whaler ships have a special ability. They draw one extra token each time they perform a fishing action. They also gain +1 defense against the White Whale if it is in play.
NPC or Non-Player Characters
What are NPC?
Non-Player Characters (NPC) are ships or creatures that appear throughout the game. They do not belong to any player, and their actions follow their assigned role.
Players may be assigned one or more NPC and are responsible for activating them to perform their tasks.
NPC roles
Each NPC has a role that defines its function in the game. There are 4 types: Aggressive, Defensive, Merchant, and Special.
NPC card
- Role: NPC's function in the game.
- Defense/Life: Ability to block ranged attacks / Damage the ship can take before sinking.
- Crew/Upgrade: Maximum crew capacity / Passive ship upgrades.
- Movement: Number of hexes it can move.
- Boarding/Upgrade: Number of dice it rolls / Crew upgrade.
- Cannons/Upgrade: Number of dice it rolls / Modifiers to each die.
- Ship/Captain: Name of the ship and its historical captain.
- Nation: Indicates the ship's affinity (flag or dual flag).
- Mission Target: Certain missions make the NPC a specific target.
- Map Tile: Location and number where the NPC appears.
- Reward for boarding: If you successfully board the ship, you receive all rewards plus those marked by the sword.
- Reward: The reward for sinking it.
- Draft: Depth of the hull, which limits movement through certain map areas.
NPC miniatures
Each miniature represents a type of NPC ship on the board.
- Schooner: Player ship (PC)
- Brigantine: Aggressive ship
- Caravel: Merchant ship
- Ship of the line: Defensive ship
NPC nations (flags and bases)
Once a miniature is assigned, place an NPC base on it to indicate its nation and the player responsible for activating it (marked by a number). The game includes 5 nations, each represented by its unique flag: Netherlands, Spain, England, France, Pirates. Each nation also has a corresponding corsair flag.
Note: Some pirate or corsair ships are represented by their historical flags. If the historical flag is unknown, they are represented by the Jolly Roger. For that reason, you may encounter different flags representing the Pirates.
Corsair: A corsair is essentially a pirate ship, but it neither attacks nor is attacked by pirates or ships from its nation. They are considered allies. Corsairs are identified by their split flag: one half a nation's flag, the other half a pirate's.
Legends: Some ships or monsters have no nation. They act freely and are at war with all nations.
NPC activation
- An NPC can perform up to two actions per turn, following the pennants in descending order.
- If no action is possible, place a time counter on position "3".
- If an NPC leaves the game for any reason, it is considered destroyed.
NPC appearance and placement
If the NPC has not been revealed yet, flip the PC card to show which NPC appears on that turn.
Place the miniature with the correct base to represent the NPC. Check the map tile indicated on the NPC card for its appearance.
- If the tile has not been revealed: Place a time counter on "3" on the NPC card, then move to the next NPC or PC's turn.
- If the tile has been revealed: Place the NPC ship on the hex specified by the icon.
- If the hex is occupied: Place the NPC ship on an adjacent hex. Then continue with the actions.
NPC time counter
When an NPC appears or takes an action, remove the time counter from its card.
If an NPC has a time counter and cannot perform any action on its turn, reduce the time counter by 1. The NPC's turn ends.
If the time counter reaches "0", remove the NPC card and draw a new one. Reveal the new NPC next turn.
NPC actions (pennants)
- The first two pennants are common attributes to all NPC: "Defense/Life" and "Crew/Upgrade". They are not actions.
- The other pennants indicate the NPC's actions.
- Each action is only activated once per turn and only if it can be performed.
- If the NPC has already fulfilled the required action, move on to the next action. For example: If the action is to move towards a ship, but the NPC is already adjacent to the target, skip this action and proceed to the next one.
- If an action is skipped for any reason, it cannot be reactivated for that turn.
- After the NPC completes its second action, its turn ends, and the next NPC or PC takes their turn.
- If an NPC is activated but performs no action that turn (movement - attack), place a time counter on "3".
- If an NPC blocks a mooring hex and has no destination, it must clear the mooring hex and move to an adjacent hex chosen by the player.
NPC movement
An NPC is unaffected by wind or turning, but is affected by sandbanks and events.
- A turning counts as a movement action.
- Whenever possible, an NPC avoids passing through hexes belonging to nations, such as moorings, fortresses, or enemy PC or NPC.
- If an NPC must be placed on an occupied hex, it ends its movement on an adjacent hex, without entering the occupied hex.
If there are multiple routes of equal distance, the player activating the NPC decides which route to take, always favoring the NPC's best interest.
NPC attack
An NPC only fires when it is adjacent to other ships, unless it has a special passive ability that indicates otherwise.
An NPC never attacks a ship moored at its own nation's port, so the NPC keeps looking for another target. If no valid targets are found, set a time counter to "3".
Example: A Spanish NPC does not attack a ship (either PC or NPC) moored at a Spanish port, but it attacks if the ship is moored at a port of a different nation.
Aggressive - Defensive
Steps to follow:
1. Designate a target
The first available action is usually a movement. To do so, you must designate a target. For this, the player selects the target according to the NPC's role and preferences.
- Ships attack enemy ships that are both in sight and within movement range.
- If no enemy is in sight, the ship moves toward the nearest enemy within its movement range.
- If there is still no enemy in sight or within range, it moves toward the nearest enemy.
- If none of these options are possible, place a time counter on "3".
What happens if there are multiple targets?
If more than one target is available, the NPC prioritizes based on its role — whether aggressive or defensive.
Aggressive: If an aggressive NPC has multiple targets, it prioritizes them in this order:
- PC
- Enemy merchant
- Enemy aggressive
It does not move toward a defensive NPC, but it attacks it if it is adjacent.
Defensive: If a defensive NPC has multiple targets, it prioritizes them in this order:
- PC
- Enemy defensive
- Enemy aggressive
- Enemy merchant
2. Movement
If an NPC is adjacent to its target or within range of long-range fire upgrade, it skips the movement action and proceeds with the next available action (it still has two actions available).
If it is not adjacent, it uses its full movement to get as close as possible to the designated target.
It always follows the fastest path, avoiding hexes protected by fortresses, enemy nation moorings, or moving over enemy PC or NPC.
The player must always take the most favorable option for the NPC.
Attack
An NPC adjacent to a valid target or within range of its "long-range fire" upgrade activates its first attack action.
4. Are more actions available?
An NPC must be activated twice. If it has only been activated once, it performs the second available action following the defined order.
- An NPC may not activate at all or may only perform one action during its turn.
5. Rewards
An NPC that destroys another NPC ship claims the reward money and any coins held by the destroyed ship's card.
Additionally, it takes 1,000 doubloons from the reserve as a reward. Place this amount on the attacking NPC card, increasing its bounty.
Merchants
Steps to follow:
1. Attack
Some merchant NPC have an attack as their first option. If the merchant NPC is adjacent to an enemy PC or NPC, it chooses a valid target and attacks.
2. Movement
Each merchant NPC has a predetermined route indicating two or more locations between which it moves.
The player controlling the merchant NPC places a marker in their color on the number within a double circle.
Following the arrows, the merchant NPC's destination is the visible numbered tile. The destination on each tile is indicated by the icon shown on the route.
A merchant NPC ship moves its full movement along its predetermined route.
It always takes the fastest path available while avoiding hexes protected by fortresses, moorings, or hexes occupied by an enemy PC or NPC. The player must always take the most favorable option for the NPC.
3. Destination
When a merchant NPC arrives at its destination, it stops and loses any remaining movement. The marker then advances to cover the current destination. Now the arrow points to a new destination. This process repeats cyclically.
Each time the ship reaches its objective, it earns the reward shown next to the route. This reward is placed on the merchant NPC card and becomes part of its cargo.
In some cases, the merchant NPC gains the reward when it reaches a specific hex adjacent to its destination.
Example A: The merchant NPC moves cyclically between the moorings on tile 10 and tile 4. Each time it reaches a mooring, it gains 1,000 doubloons.
Example B: The merchant NPC moves cyclically between whale icons on tiles 17, 11, and 12. Each time it reaches the whale on tile 12, it gains 1 oil token.
Special Ships
These are unique merchant, aggressive, or defensive ships with different behavior patterns.
For example, the Urca de Lima is a special merchant that exits the game upon completing the final destination of its route. Additionally, this merchant moves to the tile number instead of an icon.
NPC summary card
An NPC can perform up to two actions per turn, following the pennants in descending order.
If no action is possible, place a time counter on position "3".
An NPC never attacks a ship moored at its nation's port. It also avoids moving through enemy hexes, which include ships, moorings, and fortresses.
- Merchant: It follows a predetermined route and receives a reward each time it reaches its destination.
- Vision: An aggressive or defensive NPC first aims at targets in its line of sight. If no targets are available, it chooses the closest objective outside its line of sight, following the established order.
- An aggressive ship attacks PC, merchant ships, and other aggressive ships. It only defends against defensive ships but does not attack them.
- A defensive ship attacks PC, defensive, aggressive and other merchant ships.
Summary Diagram: Aggressive NPC / Defensive NPC
Each NPC's turn follows this decision procedure (aggressive and defensive NPC use the same procedure, only their target priority order differs — see "What happens if there are multiple targets?" above):
- Are there adjacent enemies? If yes, skip to step 4 (target selection among adjacent enemies). If no, continue.
- Are there enemies (anywhere)? If no, place a time counter x3 on the NPC and end its turn. If yes, continue.
- Check sight and range, then whether the target is hidden. If there is only one target, the NPC moves toward it. If there is more than one target, apply the role's priority order (Aggressive: 1. PC, 2. merchant, 3. aggressive; Defensive: 1. PC, 2. defensive, 3. aggressive, 4. merchant), breaking further ties by 1. worst reputation, 2. closest, 3. next to activate — then the NPC moves towards the chosen target.
- Target selection among adjacent enemies: If there is only one adjacent target, it attacks. If there is more than one, apply the role's priority order (Aggressive: 1. PC, 2. merchant, 3. aggressive, 4. defensive; Defensive: 1. PC, 2. defensive, 3. aggressive, 4. merchant), breaking ties by 1. worst reputation, 2. closest, 3. next to activate — then it attacks.
- Any attack actions left? If yes, check again whether there are adjacent enemies and repeat the attack selection. If no, end of turn.
Example 1 (Merchant): The first two pennants are the attributes Resistance 10 (Life 15) and Crew 11, so it only has one action — moving 6 hexes towards the designated mooring. If it reaches a mooring, it stops moving and gains the specified reward.
Example 2 (Aggressive NPC away from its target): The first two pennants are the attributes Resistance 10 (Life 9) and Crew 11 (+2 in MC).
3rd pennant: Movement, following the aggressive NPC diagram. Is it adjacent to an enemy? No. Are there enemies in the game? Yes. Are there targets in sight? Yes. Is there only one target? No. Is it a PC? Yes. Is there a PC with the worst reputation? Yes. It moves towards the PC with the worst reputation.
4th pennant: Boarding. Any attack actions left? Yes. Is it adjacent to an enemy? Yes. Is there only one target? Yes. It attacks.
5th pennant: Firing. Having already completed two actions (move and board), it cannot activate the fifth pennant, and its turn ends. Any attack actions left? No. End of turn.
Example 3 (Defender adjacent to a target): The first two pennants are the attributes Resistance 12 (Life 15) and Crew 17. It is adjacent to a target, so it attacks as its first action (rolling 6 dice with +3 each). Since it did not use its movement, it still has one action and may fire again following the pennant order. If it destroys the initial target, it may aim the second attack at a different target (adjacent or within cannon range).
NPC Passive Abilities
The passive abilities of each NPC appear in red to the right of the pennants. These abilities are always active:
- Ship's life: Total damage the ship can take before being destroyed.
- Cannon bonus: All dice gain a bonus equal to the specified value when firing.
- Fire ammunition: Cannons cause fire damage.
- Long-range fire: The ship does not need to be adjacent to perform a range combat. It can instead attack 1 or 2 hexes away (as specified by the upgrade) and the enemy does not apply defense modifiers due to distance.
- Scatter ammunition: Cannons cause crew damage. (Normal damage in the standard mode.)
- Crew bonus: Add the value of the "X" to dice rolls when boarding or being boarded.
- Crew defense: Penalty applied to opponents' rolls when boarding a ship with this ability.
- Recruit: Always active. At the end of its turn, restore the number of crew indicated by "X". The adjacent pennant action is not required to recover the specified crew.
NPC iconography
- Secret mission: Marks the ship as a target for specific missions.
- Reward: The ship becomes target for specific missions.
- Spawn tile: Indicates the map tile where the ship appears.
- Route: Displays the path the ship follows. If an arrow on the route does not lead to a specific location, the ship exits the game once the route ends.
- Doubloons: The reward for destroying the ship.
- Cargo: Specifies the type and amount of goods onboard.
- Ship's draft: Indicates where the ship can or cannot navigate.
- Additional boarding reward: Reward gained for successfully boarding the ship.
Reputation
What is reputation?
Reputation reflects how much favor or hostility you have earned with each nation during the game. Gaining reputation can bring benefits, while losing it may lead to conflicts, as shown on the reputation board.
Reputation board
To adjust your reputation with a nation, find its row on the left.
If your reputation increases, move your marker to the right. If your reputation decreases, move it to the left.
Nations
The game features 5 nations, each offering unique perks:
- Netherlands: Masters of trade.
- Spain: Commands the largest fleet.
- England: Famous for their highly skilled crews.
- France: Known for top-notch shipyards.
- Pirates/Corsairs: Experts in boarding and reputation tactics.
All nations follow the same rules, with slight differences for the Pirates.
Reputation points
Your reputation goes up or down based on certain actions. Move your PC marker to the right to show an increase or to the left to show a decrease in reputation.
- Attacking a ship: -1 with the target nation. If you attack the same nation twice in a turn, the penalty is still -1.
- Sinking a ship: -1 with the affected nation.
- Attacking a ship in a port: -2 with the nation that owns the port.
- Selling 3 identical goods as contraband: -1 with the producing nation (except for wood). (1, 2 = 0; 3, 4, 5 = -1; 6, 7, 8 = -2; and so on.)
- Selling 3 identical goods legally: +1 with the buying nation. (6 = +2, 9 = +3; and so on.)
- Wood does not affect reputation.
- Oil acts as a wildcard, letting you choose the good it represents. Example: Selling 2 units of cotton and 1 oil can count as selling 3 units of cotton.
- Sinking a ship of a nation at war grants +1 with one of its enemies.
Example 1: Destroying a pirate ship increases your reputation by 1 with a nation of your choice, but reduces your reputation by 1 with the Pirates.
Example 2: Sinking an English ship at war with Spain and France increases your reputation by 1 with a nation of your choice (Spain, France, or Pirates), but reduces your reputation by 1 with England.
Reputation advantages and disadvantages
Starting from the "0" column, advantages or disadvantages are cumulative. This means that if you are in the "-2" column, you receive the disadvantages for both "-2" and "-1". Likewise, if you are in the "3" column, you gain the advantages from "0, 1, 2, and 3".
- Contempt: Ships from this nation attack you.
- Distrust: Fortresses from this nation attack you.
- Trade treaty: You cannot buy or sell in this nation's legal market.
- Persona non grata: You cannot moor at ports of that nation.
- At war: When an enemy nation attacks you, it receives a "+1" modifier (including fortresses). Decide at the start of the game if you want to use this rule, as it adds a significant difficulty.
- Prestige: Grants 1 Fame Point.
- Who are you? This does not grant fame.
- Reputation lock: Your marker is locked in this position, preventing further increases or decreases in reputation. Warning! Pirates can still increase their reputation up to the "N" column.
- Access to upgrades: The higher your reputation with a nation, the more upgrades you can access at the tavern and shipyard.
- Captains: If you have enough points, you may acquire a second captain (see Captains).
- Reappearance at port: If your ship is destroyed, you can reappear at a port of your chosen nation. This option is not available if you roll for random reappearance.
- Respected: Pirates no longer attack you.
Nation Advantage: Each nation offers a unique bonus:
- Netherlands: Your draft limit increases to 6=-1 instead of 5=-1.
- Spain: You reappear with a rowboat and one less damage.
- England: You gain space for 2 additional officer and specialist upgrades.
- France: Shipyard purchases cost 1,000 doubloons less. The minimum cost is 1,000.
Nationality "N": Reaching the "N" position on the reputation board means you can immediately become part of that nation.
- Moving to this position is optional, and you can decide whether to use the reputation point when you earn it. If you choose not to use the reputation point to advance to "N", it is lost.
- However, this does not prevent you from advancing to "N" on a future turn if you earn another reputation point.
- You can only belong to one nation at a time. If you already belong to one, you can become a corsair by moving to the pirate "N" position.
- Moving to a nation's "N" position puts you at war (reputation "-4") with the rival nations shown on the War card, except for the Pirates, as your reputation with them does not decrease.
- Attacking a PC belonging to a nation counts as attacking that nation, reducing your reputation with them accordingly.
- If you hold "N" status and attack that nation, it declares war on you, your reputation drops to "-4" and you lose the Fame Point.
Tavern and Shipyard "A-B"
Tavern and shipyard upgrades
Upgrades include all components that enhance the ship's performance. The types of upgrades are:
- Ammunition: Select the type of ammunition before each attack. You may use only one type that you have acquired.
- Ship upgrades: Improvements to ship features (e.g., number of cannons, sail upgrades, rowboats).
- Officers and specialists: Crew benefits that provide various advantages. The icon indicates a combination of Officers and Specialists.
- Unique: Upgrades marked with a "U" can only be owned once.
Buying from the tavern and shipyard
To buy upgrades or ships, you must be at a port with a tavern or shipyard.
The upgrades available depend on your reputation with the nation that owns the port. Some upgrades have no reputation requirement and can be purchased at any port with a tavern or shipyard.
For example: To buy a new ship, you must be moored at a port with a shipyard and have a reputation of at least "2" with the nation that owns the port.
Buying officers and specialists: On your turn, you may buy as many officers and specialists as you like, but you may only replenish the supply after your turn ends. At the end of your turn, move any remaining level 2 and 3 upgrades to the left to fill empty spaces. Draw new upgrades from the bag and place them in the level 3 slots. There should always be 9 upgrades available.
Tavern
At ports with a tavern icon, you can:
No reputation requirement:
- Gain 1 Fame Point for 8,000 doubloons.
- Missions: Draw 3 missions, choose 1, and discard the other two. (If the deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile.) IMPORTANT: Starting or completing a mission in this port prevents you from taking new missions here. You can only draw missions once per port per turn. This action cannot be repeated until you leave the port where a mission was drawn, activated, or completed.
- In any tavern, you can hire 2 crew members for 1,000 doubloons.
With Reputation 1:
- Purchase an officer or specialist with a maximum reputation level of 1 by paying the cost.
With Reputation 2:
- Purchase an officer or specialist with a maximum reputation level of 2 by paying the cost.
- Hire 5 crew members for 2,000 doubloons.
With Reputation 3:
- Purchase an officer or specialist with a maximum reputation level of 3 by paying the cost.
- Hire 3 crew members for 1,000 doubloons.
With Reputation 4:
- You can buy unique officer and specialist upgrades specific to that nation by paying the cost.
- You may also draw a second captain if you have 9 Fame Points.
Recruitment/Enlistment: At a tavern, you can recruit crew members for free if you meet these requirements:
- You have fewer crew members than you started with.
- You have at least Reputation 3 with the Pirates or Reputation 4 with the nation controlling the port.
This allows you to recruit crew members for free until you reach your initial crew.
For example: You have Reputation 4 with France and command a level 3 ship with only 1 crew member. You sail to a French port with a tavern, where you can recruit crew members until you have 5.
Shipyard
At ports with a shipyard icon, you can:
No reputation requirement:
- Buy ship upgrades.
- Buy a type of ammunition.
- Buy and sell 2 units of wood at a fixed price of 1,000 doubloons.
- Repair up to 4 damage per unit of wood used. There is no repair limit, so in a single action, you can repair as much damage as you have wood for or buy additional wood.
With Reputation 2:
- Buy a new ship. This requires at least 2 reputation with a nation. Pirates do not sell ships.
French Port: It is a French port. If you are at a French port, you need at least Reputation 2 with France to buy there. NOTE: The French port's ship remains available as long as no other purchase options are present at other ports.
With Reputation 4:
- Buy the unique officer upgrade specific to France.
Tavern and Shipyard "B": On the "B" side, the shipyard changes so that your reputation affects what you can buy.
- Ships are specific to nations, meaning you can only buy them at their respective nation's ports.
- Buying a new ship requires at least Reputation 2 with the nation owning the ship.
- Buying a level 3 ship requires at least Reputation 3 with the nation that owns the ship.
- By paying an additional 1,000 doubloons, you may buy a new ship from another nation. However, French ships cannot be bought this way.
For example, you are at a Spanish port with Reputation 2 with Spain. You want to buy a ship, but are not interested in the Brigantine available there. By paying 14,000 doubloons instead of 13,000 you can buy the Fluyt from the Dutch port, or for 13,000 instead of 12,000 you could acquire the English Whaler. However, you cannot buy the French Galleon without having affinity with that nation.
- For each level of reputation above the requirement, you get a discount of 1,000 doubloons.
Example: You have Reputation 4 with Spain and a level 1 ship. You can buy the Brigantine for 9,000 doubloons instead of 11,000.
Ship Upgrades (Shipyard)
In a shipyard without a reputation requirement, you can buy:
On the "B" side of the tavern and shipyard board, you must meet the reputation requirement to make purchases from the shipyard.
- Wood: Sold and bought only in sets of 2 for a fixed price of 1,000 doubloons (individual units cannot be traded). With the same action, you can buy wood and repair the ship.
- Cannon: Buy or sell a cannon (1D12).
- Upgraded sails: Each upgrade increases movement by 1.
- Cannon upgrade: Provides a bonus modifier to one cannon. The modifier equals the number of sails on your ship. Use different colored dice to differentiate (e.g., red for upgraded cannons, black for standard cannons).
Example 1: If you have 3 cannon upgrades, 5 cannons, and a ship with 1 sail. Therefore: 3 cannons have a +1 modifier each, and 2 have no modifier.
Example 2: If you have 3 cannon upgrades, 2 cannons and a ship with 3 sails. Result: Each cannon gets a +3 modifier, but the third modifier is lost without a third cannon to use it on.
- Long-range cannons: If the target ship is within the cannon's upgrade range (2-4 hexes), no distance defense modifier applies. However, if the target is beyond this range, apply the normal distance defense modifier starting from 0.
- Rowboat: Each time you reappear, you gain one extra crew member for each rowboat you own. Rowboats do not add weight or count as cargo. Additionally, they allow interaction with otherwise inaccessible ports by positioning adjacent to the mooring hex. You may perform one port action for each rowboat you own.
- Cabin: Increases the maximum crew capacity by 2 and the officer and specialist upgrades by 1.
Ammunition
Standard ammunition: This is the default ammunition for all PC and NPC ships. Roll 1D12 for each cannon on the ship. The resulting damage is water damage.
Special ammunition:
- Fire: This ammunition causes fire damage.
- Explosive: Adds +1 damage to all cannons (in addition to other modifiers).
- Grapeshot: Increases the target's defense by 1. Instead of damaging the ship, each hit eliminates one crew member.
- Chain shot: Increases the target's defense by 2. For each point of damage that exceeds the target's defense, the target ship loses 1 movement until repaired. A ship can lose a maximum of 5 movement points this way.
Place a damage token on the sail upgrade on the player board or to the left of the NPC card to track this damage. This token does not count toward the ship's weight or total damage.
Crew Upgrades (Tavern)
These upgrades are available at taverns and improve your ship's performance.
Officers:
- Carpenter (x3): Reduces damage by 1 per carpenter.
- Gunner (x6): Lets you reroll 1D12 when firing.
- Expert Gunner (x1): Lets you reroll 2D12 when firing.
- Second Gunner (x3), unique: Adds +1 to all cannons when firing (in addition to other upgrades).
- Helmsman (x2), unique: Increases movement by +1.
- Expert Helmsman (x1): Increases movement by +1.
- Instructor (x2), unique (x2): Lets you fire and board.
- Harpooner (x2), unique: When boarding, the target ship cannot move on its next turn unless it destroys your ship. To use this upgrade, you must be positioned adjacent to the target's side. The upgrade cannot be used on consecutive turns.
- Overloaded (x2), unique: Lets you roll 2 dice per cannon instead of 1. For each roll of 1 and 2: destroys one of your cannons; adds 1 or 2 fire damage based on the die result.
French nation:
- Reinforced (x2), unique: Increases the ship's defense by 1 while equipped. Additionally, the ship is considered to carry 5 extra cargo, affecting its weight.
Specialists:
- Reinforced: Increases the ship's defense by 1. This upgrade adds weight equivalent to 5 extra cargo.
- Informer (x3): Draw 1 additional mission when drawing missions. The mission hand limit increases by 1 as well.
- Pistol (x3): Adds 1 extra die in melee combat.
- Sabers (x3), unique: +1 to all dice in melee combat.
- Swords (x6): Lets you reroll 1 die in melee combat.
- Doctor (x3): Each doctor reduces crew losses by 1.
- Scimitar (x1): Adds 2 extra dice in melee combat.
- Bomb (x3): You may roll 2D12 before boarding: on a 1 or 2, you lose 1 crew member; on a 9, 10, 11 or 12, you eliminate 1 of the opponent's crew members.
Nation specialists:
- Netherlands - Merchant (x2), unique: Grants +1 Fame Point for every 3 identical goods sold (instead of every 4).
- Spain - Armor (x6): Increases crew defense by 1 during boarding.
- England - Lieutenant (x2), unique: Copies the ability of another specialist when used.
- England - Sniper (x2): Lets you roll 1 die with applicable modifiers before boarding.
- Pirates - Mercenary (x2), unique: Adds +1 to all dice in melee combat (in addition to other upgrades).
The Market
The market is where you can buy or sell goods collected during your adventure. With the right timing, you can make substantial profits.
Goods
Goods are limited in supply. If none are available for restocking or drawing, they cannot be replaced.
Goods are divided into primary and secondary types.
Primary goods
There are 4 primary goods, each associated with a specific nation:
- Tea (Netherlands)
- Silver (Spain)
- Cotton (England)
- Sugar (France)
Secondary goods
There are 2 types of secondary goods:
- Oil: Acts as a wildcard and can replace any primary good. When selling, you decide which primary good it represents.
- Wood: Unlike other goods, wood is bought and sold in shipyards. It does not grant Fame Points.
Interacting with the market
To interact with the market, position your ship at a port's mooring with these options:
- Port of purchase: Allows you to purchase both legal and contraband goods.
- Port of sales: Allows you to sell both legal and contraband goods.
Market board
Parts of the market "A":
- Flag of the port's nation.
- Primary goods specific to the nation.
- Legal goods area where the nation sells goods (pink). Column-based pricing (for both legal and contraband): Sales / Purchase.
- Contraband goods area for smuggling (brown).
Parts of the market "B": The "B" side of the market functions like the "A" side, but with different prices for legal and contraband goods: legal sales price, contraband sales price.
Purchase (legal and contraband)
Legal purchase
- Purchases are made from the market of the nation where you are currently located.
- Purchases are always done from right to left.
- You pay the price indicated by the column in which the goods are positioned.
Example 1, Legal: You are at a French port and want to legally buy 5 units of sugar. Buying from right to left, you take 2 units of sugar from the third column for 500 doubloons each, 2 units from the second column for 1,000 each, and 1 more unit from the first column also for 1,000. In total, you pay 4,000 doubloons to purchase 5 units of sugar.
Contraband purchase
- Contraband purchases are made by acquiring goods from the nation listed at the top of the contraband section.
- Purchases are always done from right to left.
- You pay the price indicated by the column in which the goods are positioned.
Example 2, Contraband: You are at a French port and want to buy contraband cotton from the English nation. Buying from right to left, you take 2 units of cotton from the second column for 1,000 doubloons each, and 2 units from the first column for 1,000 each. In total, you pay 4,000 doubloons to purchase 4 units of cotton.
From the English port, you can buy contraband silver from the Spanish market.
| Nation | Legal sale | Contraband sale |
|---|---|---|
| England | Cotton | Silver |
| France | Sugar | Cotton |
| Netherlands | Tea | Sugar |
| Spain | Silver | Tea |
Example 3, Legal & Contraband: You are at a Dutch port. Here you can legally buy up to 3 units of tea and up to 5 units of sugar as contraband from the French nation. In the same action, you choose to buy 3 units of tea legally and the 5 units of sugar as contraband. For the tea, you pay 3,000 doubloons, and for the sugar, you pay 5,000. The total cost for the goods is 8,000 doubloons. (The actual price is 4,500, but without 500-doubloon coins, you must round up to the less favorable amount. In this case: 5,000 doubloons.)
Important: For all practical purposes, treat the upper nation's market as if it were below the lower nation's market, and vice versa.
Sales (legal and contraband)
Legal sale
- Sales are made at the market of the nation where you are currently located.
- The sales price is determined by the first available slot starting from the left in the legal goods row.
- All goods are sold at the same price.
Example 1, Legal: You are at the English port and sell 5 units of cotton legally. The first available slot in the legal goods row is in the third column, setting the price at 1,000 doubloons. You earn a total of 5,000 doubloons for selling the 5 units of cotton.
Contraband sale
- Contraband sales are made in the contraband row of the nation listed above the port's nation where you are currently located.
- The sales price is determined by the first available slot in the contraband row.
- All goods are sold at the same price.
Example 2, Contraband: You are at a French port and sell 3 units of cotton as contraband. Since there are no open slots in the contraband row, you use the lowest possible contraband price, which is at the end of the third column. The sales price for each unit is 1,000 doubloons, so you earn a total of 3,000 doubloons.
Pirate sale
At a pirate port, you can sell any goods in the corresponding contraband row for that type of good.
Example 3, Pirate Contraband: You are at a pirate port and sell 3 units of cotton and 2 units of sugar as contraband. The first available slot in the cotton contraband row is in the third column, so each unit sells for 1,000. You earn a total of 3,000 doubloons for the cotton. For the sugar, the first available slot in the contraband row is in the second column, also priced at 1,000 per unit. You earn a total of 2,000 doubloons for the sugar.
Where do the sold goods go?
Place sold goods in the reserve. Then apply the following:
- For legal sales, replenish the lower nation's legal market with half the goods sold.
- For contraband sales, replenish the lower nation's contraband market with half the goods sold.
- If there are not enough available slots, do not replenish the goods.
- If the reserve has limited goods, place only those available.
Example: You sell 4 units of sugar as contraband in the Dutch port of sales. Divide the goods by 2. Since the sale was made in the French contraband row, replenish the Dutch contraband market with 2 units of tea.
You sell 5 units of tea in the legal market of the Dutch port of sales. Divide the goods by 2. Since the sale was made in the Dutch legal row, replenish the Spanish legal market with 2 units of silver.
End of Game
The first player to reach or go over the agreed-upon score becomes the "most famous captain" and wins the game.
Scoreboard "A" and "B"
- Treasure cards: These cards provide different clues to locate the hidden treasure (see The Treasure).
- Scoring zone: Displays the Fame Points earned by PC during the game.
- Event deck space: Top draw deck, bottom discard pile (see Events).
- Time marker zone (see Advancing the time marker, under General Game Sequence).
- Mission area: Top draw deck, bottom discard pile (see Missions).
- Bottom draw deck (see NPC roles, under NPC or Non-Player Characters).
Iconography:
- Discard level 1 ships: Reaching this point triggers an era change. Remove all level 1 cards from the draw deck. Introduce level 2 NPC into the game.
- Discard level 2 ships: Reaching this point triggers another era change. Remove all level 2 cards from the draw deck. Introduce level 3 and 4 ships. Note: If all level 3 and 4 ship cards are used up, reshuffle the discarded level 3 and 4 to form a new draw deck.
- Tavern: When a player reaches this point, officer and specialist upgrades are changed. Discard all level 1 upgrades. Move all level 2 and 3 upgrades one space to the left. Refill the level 3 slots with new upgrades from the bag.
- Captains: If captains are in play, you may draw a second captain once you reach this score (see Second captain).
Missions
Mission cards
- Public or secret: Indicates if the mission is visible to all players or kept hidden in your hand.
- Mission type: The game includes 4 types of missions: Transport, Rescue, Combat, and Personal.
- Mission objective (center): Requirements to begin the mission. Some missions offer multiple options.
- Mission marker: Some missions require placing a PC marker to show the mission's start or destination.
- Mission end location and reward (bottom): Some missions offer multiple ways to complete them, each with different outcomes.
- Mission card number.
Public or secret missions
Drawn missions may be public or secret:
- Place public missions beside your player board and visible to all players.
- Hold secret missions in your hand.
- Some missions may change from secret to public during the game (as in examples 2 and 3, below).
Starting a mission
- Some missions begin at a specific location by spending one action.
- If a mission begins in the same port where you acquired it, it starts automatically.
- You may start and complete multiple missions with the same destination using a single action.
Completing a mission
- Each PC keeps its completed missions. Completed missions cannot be stolen or lost — they represent accomplishments already achieved.
- Each completed mission grants 1 Fame Point, plus any reward specified on the card.
- If you discard 4 completed missions of the same type, you earn 1 Fame Point.
Acquiring new missions
Missions can be acquired in any port with a tavern:
- To acquire missions, draw 3 cards, choose one, and discard the rest.
- If you have already started, completed, or drawn missions at a port, you cannot draw new missions from that tavern until you leave the port and return.
- You may hold a maximum of three Mission cards (not including completed ones).
- You may continue to draw missions even if you are at the maximum, but if you choose a new mission, you must discard one of your current missions.
Some missions may be impossible to complete due to game conditions, such as the target being unavailable, playing in standard mode without boarding actions, etc.
If you draw such a mission, it's bad luck. Discard the card without drawing a new one!
Mission examples
Example 1: Transport mission (secret). To start the mission, go to the mooring on tile 18 (natives). Once there, reveal the mission and acquire 3 units of silver. To complete the mission, choose one of the following options:
- Option 1: Head to the mooring on tile 7 (Spanish port), and sell at least 3 units of silver on the legal market. This grants you 1 Fame Point for completing the mission, plus any profits from the sale.
- Option 2: Head to the mooring on tile 15 (pirate port), sell at least 3 units of silver on the contraband market. This grants you 1 Fame Point for completing the mission, plus any profits from the sale.
Example 2: Rescue mission (secret). You have two ways to start:
- Option 1: Position your ship adjacent to a PC with an active mission (public or secret) or to an NPC with one of the required icons. Roll 1D12 (+1 at night) and check the outcome: 1-6: Discard the mission and lose 1 reputation point with the target nation. 7-12: The mission succeeds and becomes public.
- Option 2: Successfully board a ship with an active mission (public or secret).
If you complete either option above, deliver the mission to a port belonging to a different nation than the affected nation. You can use the affected nation's flag to mark the mission. (If the affected party was a PC, complete the mission at any port that does not belong to a Nation.)
Upon delivery, you earn 1 Fame Point for the card, increase your reputation by 1 with the port's nation, and receive 4,000 doubloons.
Example 3: Combat mission (secret). Destroy a PC with an active mission (public or secret) or an NPC with the required icons. Once the target is destroyed, you earn 1 Fame Point and receive 1,000 doubloons.
Example 4: Transport mission (public). Sail to the natives' mooring (tile 19, 21, or 22) that is farthest from your ship when you activate the card. When you reach the mooring, the mission begins. To claim the reward, go to any nation's port. You receive 1 Fame Point, increase your reputation by 1 with that nation, and gain 3,000 doubloons.
Example 5: Personal mission (public). You must destroy 3 PC or NPC from 3 different nations. Place a marker on the nation's flag to track each destroyed ship. Once all 3 targets are destroyed, you earn 2 Fame Points plus 1 additional Fame Point for completing the mission.
Mission iconography
- Represents any nation, chosen by the player.
- Nation that meets the requirements or objective.
- Nation opposed to the objective.
- Different from.
- Choose an officer/specialist from the tavern from the available options. Keep in mind your reputation with that nation.
- Purchase an officer/specialist from the tavern with a maximum cost of 3,000 doubloons.
- Purchase a ship upgrade from the shipyard with a maximum cost of 3,000 doubloons.
- Reward in doubloons.
- Increase or decrease reputation with a nation.
- Public mission: Placed on the table, visible to all.
- Secret mission: Kept in your hand without revealing it.
Remember: Each completed mission grants 1 Fame Point, plus any reward specified on the card. Discarding 4 completed missions of the same type grants 1 additional Fame Point.
Mission card reference
Combat missions: These missions demand the destruction of a ship while fulfilling each card's specific goal.
- 1, 2, 3: Destroy a ship on a mission (PC or NPC).
- 4: Destroy a PC on an active combat mission (20, 21, 22 or 23).
- 5, 6, 7, 8: Destroy the PC indicated by the number of arrows.
- 9: Destroy the leading PC, or if tied, destroy either one.
- 10, 11: Destroy a defensive ship and hand it over to a nation different from the one that owned the destroyed ship.
- 12, 13, 14: Destroy a defensive ship.
- 15, 16: Destroy a merchant ship.
- 17: Destroy a pirate ship.
- 18, 19: Destroy an aggressive ship.
- 20, 21, 22, 23: Destroy a ship with a reward (PC/NPC).
Rescue missions: Roll 1D20 and place a time counter with a color marker on it. That becomes your objective, and only you can retrieve it.
- 4, 5, 6: Move adjacent to a ship with an active mission. Take the risk, or board it.
- 7, 8, 9, 10: Move adjacent to the designated fortress. Roll 1D12 and apply the result.
- 11-21: Move to the indicated mooring. Roll 1D12 and apply the result.
Transport missions:
- 1-8: Head to the indicated mooring to pick up the objective.
- 9-22: Head to the indicated mooring to load up the cargo.
- 23, 24, 25: Head to the indicated location to collect the objective.
Personal missions: These missions challenge players with tasks such as raiding, sabotaging missions, and completing unique objectives.
- 1: Position yourself next to a ship (PC or NPC) with clues to the hidden treasure.
- 2: "The most wanted." Survive 4 days and 4 nights to earn the reward. Each time the time marker advances, move your color marker on this card. If another player sinks you, they will take over the mission from where you left off.
- 3: Destroy a ship on a transport mission.
- 4: Board a ship successfully without taking its cargo.
- 5: Board a ship successfully.
- 6: Destroy two ships with fire. After destroying the first one, reveal this mission.
- 7: Destroy a ship on a combat mission.
- 8: Destroy a ship on a rescue mission.
- 9: Destroy a ship through collapse (fire and water).
- 10: Destroy a ship on a rescue mission.
- 11: Complete the route to claim your reward.
- 12: Destroy 3 ships, each from a different nation.
- 13: Place 4 oil tokens on this card. Collect one by reaching a designated hex and spending one movement point.
- 14: Amass 2,000 doubloons.
Events
These effects alter the game for a specified duration.
Event cards
- Immediate effect: Displays an icon that must be resolved immediately.
- Illustration
- Card effects: Events that impact gameplay.
- Event card number
Iconography
- Wind change: Draw a new card from the Wind/North deck to replace the current one. If the deck runs out, reshuffle to form a new deck.
- Draw a new Event card: Resolve the card's effects, then draw an additional one, combining its effects with the current event.
Temporary events
These are the most common events, with effects that are either immediate or last for a full day (day-night).
Circumstantial events: They remain active until a specified condition is met. For example, in the Kraken event, it remains active until the Kraken destroys a ship.
Permanent events: These events are marked by the infinity symbol. They remain active for the rest of the game, altering its rules.
All events
Below are detailed explanations for all the effects of the Event cards.
Temporary events:
- 1-4 Calm: Nothing happens.
- 5- Ship lost: The lowest-level NPC ship sinks. If unclear, refer to the lowest number on the ship card.
- 6- Storm 1: Ships move at half speed. Each additional movement inflicts 1 damage.
- 7- Storm 2: Ships move at half speed. For each additional movement point, they suffer damage equal to 1D20 minus the ship's defense.
- 8- Fog: Place the fog tile over map tile 21, aligning the "north icon" with the tile number. The fog moves one hex in the direction of the wind at the end of each turn and remains active until it drifts off the map. Ships and fortresses within the fog cannot attack or be attacked. They are considered "absent" from the game.
- 9- Sunken whaler 1: At the start of the first player's turn, roll 1D20 and place two oil tokens on the resulting hex. If you are using the flotation rule, place barrels with a time counter.
- 10- Sunken whaler 2: At the start of the second player's turn, roll 1D20 and place two oil tokens on the resulting hex. If you are using the flotation rule, place barrels with a time counter.
- 11- Sunken ship 3: At the start of the third player's turn, roll 1D20 and place a barrel on the resulting hex.
- 12- Sunken ship 4: At the start of the fourth player's turn, roll 1D20 and place a barrel on the resulting hex.
- 13- Plague 1: Roll 1D12, the resulting nation loses half its legal goods and half its contraband goods.
- 14- Plague 2: The nation with the most goods loses half its legal goods and half its contraband goods.
- 15- Plague 3: All nations lose two goods: two from the legal market and two from the contraband market.
- 16- Abundance: The market with the fewest goods increases its quantity by 1D12.
- 17- Stowaway: If, on your turn, you are at a mooring or interact with a port, you lose 1 crew member for each active mission you have.
- 20- Assault 5: The fortress on tile 5 changes ownership. Roll 1D12 to assign a new nation.
- 21- Assault 6: The fortress on tile 6 changes ownership. Roll 1D12 to assign a new nation.
- 22- Rising tide: All sandbanks decrease by one level (-1 to -2 / -2 to -3 / -3 to -4 / -5 to -6).
- 23- Falling tide: All sandbanks increase by one level (-1 to land / -2 to -1 / -3 to -2 / -5 to -4).
Kraken events
If this is the first time a Kraken event appears, first check if its appearance tile (tile 11) has been revealed. If it has not, the event has no effect. If the tile has already been revealed, place the Kraken miniature on its icon on tile 11 and align the card to point northward.
If the Kraken is already in play and more Kraken cards show up, place each new card beside the first one.
- 24, 25, 26- Kraken, conditional: At the end of the round, roll 1D12 (red) to determine the Kraken's direction and another 1D12 for its movement (note: the Kraken cannot cross islands). If, during its movement, the Kraken crosses one or more ships, those ships are destroyed and removed from the game. Then, discard the Kraken card that triggered this effect. Activate the Kraken once for each card in play.
- 27- Colossal Kraken, permanent: This card extends the Kraken's attack range to all adjacent hexes, destroying any miniature that enters, crosses, or is adjacent to these hexes.
Fortress events
- 18- Fortress 1: All fortresses now roll an additional 1D12 and gain +1 on each die.
- 19- Fortress 2: All fortresses now have an increased firing range of 1 hex, but can only fire with 3 dice. If "Fortress 1" is in play, its effects are combined with these.
Fortress markers can be used as reminders for Event cards 18 and 19 at active fortresses.
The Treasure
During the game, you have the chance to hunt for a legendary hidden treasure, rumored to hold a great fortune.
You only have one chance to find the treasure. If you fail, there will not be another opportunity.
Treasure clues
The Treasure cards are divided into three groups, numbered 1 to 3.
- Cards 1 and 2 provide clues about the treasure's location.
- Card 3 reveals the reward.
The Treasure cards remain hidden for the entire game.
Clues are scattered in various places: missions, ships, barrels, and even captains. You do not need the clues to attempt a search, but they help you narrow down the exact location.
Discovering the treasure
To search for the treasure, position yourself next to the "X" on the map tile and take a discover action. Secretly review clues 1 and 2 to confirm the location. Two things can happen:
- Success: You are in the correct spot. Reveal cards 1 and 2 to verify it and claim the reward of card 3.
- Failure: You are in the wrong location. Place a marker in your color on card 3. You stop searching for the treasure and cannot attempt it again.
Discovering clues
When you acquire the first clue, place your color marker on card 1. When you gain the second clue, move your marker to card 2. You may consult your gathered clues as often as needed but in secret.
Interpreting the map
To pinpoint the treasure's location, you must combine cards 1 and 2. The matching "X" on both cards indicates the treasure's exact position.
Locate the map tile with the "X" in the exact spot shown on the cards — it may not be revealed yet.
Example: One clue. Card 1 is revealed, showing 7 hexes marked with an "X" as possible treasure locations. Using tiles 16 and 21, as examples, you find three possible treasure locations.
Example: Two clues. With the second clue card revealed, only one "X" matches on both cards. This "X" marks the precise treasure's location on the board. Locate the hex on the map that matches the "X" position on both cards. In this example, two possible locations appear, but you can discard one because it does not match the hex shared by both cards. Now you know exactly where the treasure is.
Each game has only one correct treasure location and only one treasure. Both clues and treasure are shared among all players.
The "White Whale" card
Where does it appear?
The White Whale is an NPC that can appear behind a whaler-type ship.
Oil token: If you collect oil or attack the White Whale at any time during the game, place the oil token visibly near your player board. This token serves as a reminder that you are now a target of the White Whale for the rest of the game.
Movement
The White Whale acts as a special merchant (see Merchants).
Following the flags, its first action is always to move along its route (it never attacks during this movement).
For its second action, it moves toward the target, which can be either a PC or NPC.
White Whale's target
The White Whale targets PC or NPC ships within range in the following order:
- PC with oil token
- Merchant NPC
- The next player in turn order
If no ships of this type are within range, the White Whale moves towards the closest one, following the same order.
White Whale's attack
If, during its second movement, the White Whale reaches its target, it rams the ship, dealing water damage equal to the number of hexes it moved to reach it (including the hex where the target is located).
Each time the White Whale sinks a ship, its reward increases by 1,000 doubloons.
Example: The White Whale moves 2 hexes towards the whale icon on hex 19. On its second movement, if it reaches its target, it rams it and deals water damage equal to the number of hexes moved (including the hex where the target is located). In this case, the PC is 5 hexes away, so the White Whale moves 5 hexes and deals 5 water damage.
The White Whale continues moving along its route even after reaching its destination. It can pass through occupied hexes like any other ship but cannot be attacked.
Attacking the White Whale
There are two ways to attack the White Whale:
- Boarding the White Whale: Position yourself next to the White Whale and initiate a boarding action. The White Whale does not defend itself. For every 3 wounds you inflict, you gain 1 oil.
- Fishing the White Whale: Use the fishing action targeting the White Whale. For each oil result, the White Whale suffers 3 crew wounds, and you gain 1 oil.
Bounty card
This card represents the bounty placed on your head by one or more nations.
Setup
Each player places the bounty card matching their color and number next to their board.
Function in the game
When you destroy a ship from a nation (not a pirate):
- Place a PC marker on the corresponding nation.
- The bounty on the card increases by 1,000.
If a nation marks you and your reputation with that nation reaches to 1 or higher, remove the nation's marker from the Bounty card.
If this leaves no other nations marking you, remove any bounty on the card as well.
Destroyed a ship with a bounty
- For an NPC: They collect the bounty shown on the card, adding that amount to their own bounty.
- For a PC: They collect the bounty shown on the card and gain 1 reputation point with one of the nations that marked you.
- Lastly, remove all markers from the card.
Captains
At the beginning of the game, each player is dealt 3 Captain cards. Choose one and return the other two to the reserve.
Each captain provides a unique ability.
Note: Some captains can only be used with the "B" side of the player board because they refer to components that require crew, such as boarding actions, rowboats, cabins, etc.
When choosing your captain, note the nation they belong to and:
- Increase your reputation by 1 point with that nation.
- Decrease your reputation by 1 point with any nation at war with them, as shown on the War card.
Example: The purple player chooses Anne Bonny, a pirate captain. Therefore, the player gains 1 reputation point with the Pirates, but loses 1 with all other nations, as indicated by the War card. The orange player chooses Hannah Snell, an English captain. The player gains 1 reputation point with England, but loses 1 with Spain, France, and Pirates, as indicated by the War card. (The orange player's reputation with the Netherlands remains unaffected because England is not at war with the Netherlands.)
Second captain
To acquire a second captain, you must:
- Have at least 9 Fame Points.
- Go to a tavern in a port belonging to a nation with which you have at least Reputation 4.
- Select one of the captains from that nation.
From now on, you can use the abilities of both captains, even if they come from different nations.
Example: The purple player now has more than 9 Fame Points and a Reputation 4 with Spain. The purple player heads to a Spanish port with a tavern and chooses a second captain from the remaining Spanish captains: Antonio Barceló. From now on, the abilities of both Anne Bonny and Antonio Barceló can be used for the rest of the game.
Captain abilities
Pirates:
- Edward Teach "Blackbeard": You start with fire ammunition but cannot use any other type of ammunition. If you already own a level 3 ship with a draft of 2, you can purchase his ship — the Queen Anne's Revenge — for 7,000 doubloons.
- Dog Head: +1 when boarding ships carrying goods.
- Henry Every: You start with a treasure clue.
- Grace O'Malley: The -5 reputation grants you 1 extra Fame Point, but you are not blocked.
- Malika Fadel (Spanish corsair): Gain 1 reputation with Spain and with Pirates. When selling 3 contraband goods, you earn an additional 1,000 doubloons.
- Samuel Bellamy: If your ship has a draft of 2 or less, you gain an additional 1,000 doubloons when sinking a ship.
- Bartholomew Roberts: After rolling the dice in a boarding action, you can turn two failed rolls into successes (only once per roll).
- Anne Bonny: When boarding, roll an extra 1D12, and if you also control Mary Read, you can reroll one boarding die.
- Mary Read: When boarding, roll an extra 1D12, and if you also control Anne Bonny, you can reroll one boarding die.
- Jack Rackham "Calico Jack": Draw two upgrades randomly from the bag and keep one. (If the chosen upgrade is unique, you cannot buy it later.)
Spain:
- Fernando de Magallanes: You do not spend movement points to pick up goods, missions, or barrels.
- Zenón de Somodevilla: Every time you sell 3 identical goods on the legal market, you earn an additional 1,000 doubloons.
- Blas de Lezo: You can take on 3 crew wounds on his card. If your ship is destroyed or you recruit the required crew, remove the wounds from the card.
- Antonio Barceló: You start with two hammocks. Place one marker on the card and another in a hammock slot within your ship's designated area.
- Vicente de Tofiño: Negative wind effects do not affect you.
- Ana María de Soto y Alhama: Remove your marker from the reputation track of one nation, except the Pirates. From now on, you can only use the neutral tavern and shipyard at ports belonging to that nation. If you attack a ship or port of that nation, mark it with a token in your color. From that point forward, your reputation with that nation or port becomes "-5".
England:
- George Duff: When attacked (close combat or ranged), you may reroll one of your opponent's dice.
- Hannah Snell: You can take on two damage tokens (fire/water) on her card.
- Christopher Myngs: When a privateer ship appears, it is under your control. These ships are considered yours, but they cannot carry goods or acquire missions. They may be repaired at any shipyard.
- John Byron: You start with two rowboats. Place one marker on the card and another in the designated slot on your player board.
- Robert Maynard: You gain +1 in ranged combat against the Pirates.
Netherlands:
- Cornelis Tromp: When selling, you may discard two goods to choose any item you want from the reserve.
- Piet Hein: At the start of the game, gain +1 additional reputation with a nation other than the Netherlands. You may also increase reputation with any nation upon reaching 7 or 9 Fame Points, and again at 15.
- Gerard Callenburgh: You begin with 1 unit of wood and have 3 wood slots on the card.
- Philips van Almonde: Gain +1 in ranged combat against Spain.
- Johan Evertsen: Gain +1 in both melee and ranged combat against privateers. When destroying a privateer, you double the goods and rewards obtained. (If using the cargo tower, double what remains afloat.)
France:
- Jeanne Barret: You suffer one fewer wound when losing crew members.
- Jean-Françoise de la Pérouse: You gain +1 movement during the day.
- Albin Roussin: When trading contraband, choose which nation to increase your reputation with. It must differ from the affected nation.
- Louise-René Levassor: You gain +1 movement at night.
- Claude Annebault: When completing a French or English mission, you can choose to increase reputation with either France or England.
Solo Mode
You have made some powerful enemies — will they succeed in erasing your place in history?
Game setup
Set up the game as usual with these modifications:
- Choose the number of enemy nations. You can select them directly or randomly.
- Place a flag for each enemy nation on the score track and reduce your reputation with each to -5 (without gaining a Fame Point).
- Set the endgame marker at 21 points, then subtract the number of enemy nations. For example: If you are up against 2 nations, you need 19 Fame Points to win.
- Draw 3 NPC without revealing them and use the bases for NPC 1, 2 and 3 to manage their activation order.
Rule changes
Tavern: When buying at the tavern, discard any unique upgrades you already own or just acquired (as these cannot be duplicated). Refill the empty slots at the end of your turn.
For missions that typically require defeating a specific PC, the target will be an NPC.
Some missions may be impossible to complete due to game conditions, such as the target being unavailable, playing in standard mode without boarding actions, etc. If you draw such a mission, it's bad luck. Discard the card without drawing a new one!
NPC Turn: NPC are revealed ONE by ONE in the following order: NPC 1, NPC 2 and NPC 3. On the first turn, only NPC 1 is activated. On the second turn, NPC 1 and NPC 2 are activated. From the third turn onward, NPC 3 is activated.
Captains: Grace O'Malley: In solo mode, she does not give an extra Fame Point for reaching Reputation -5. Instead, the Fame Points needed to win are reduced by 1.
How do enemy nations gain fame?
Enemy nations gain 1 Fame Point when:
- A full day (day and night) ends with unexplored map tiles remaining (applies to all enemy nations).
- Two barrels sink (applies to all enemy nations).
- A ship sinks (only the responsible nation gains 1 Fame Point).
- A trade route is completed (only the responsible nation gains 1 Fame Point).
- A special route is completed (the responsible nation gains 2 Fame Points).
Each nation loses 1 Fame Point when:
- One of its ships is destroyed by another NPC or PC (in close or ranged combat).
End of the game
The game ends when you reach the endgame marker or when any nation reaches 21 points.
To increase the challenge, you can raise the Fame Points required for your victory. However, enemy nations will always win if they reach 21 points.
How to Increase Difficulty?
- Add more enemy nations.
- A full day (day and night) passes with unexplored map tiles remaining (applies to all enemy nations).
- Or, have enemy nations score points each day and night instead of once per full day.
- Lose 1 Fame Point after dying twice instead of three times.
- Lose 1 Fame Point every time you die.
- Use the standard deployment mode (pre-set).
- Include the three optional map pieces and the Calm card.
- Increase the required Fame Points to 25 to win.
- Maximum damage per cannon is 3.
- Boarding actions now require a roll of 12+ (instead of 11+).
Cooperative Mode
Similar to a two-player game, each player activates two NPC.
They share reputation and scores. Use only one player's marker to track this.
Missions
Missions are shared, with a maximum of 3 allowed between both players.
Public missions must be completed by the player who owns them. Secret missions can be started by either player. Once a secret mission is started and made public, the player who activated it becomes its owner and places it beside their player board.
Barrels
Each time 2 barrels sink, all nations at war gain 2 Fame Points.
Each player scores their barrels separately, and barrels cannot be exchanged.
2 vs. 2 Cooperative Mode
In a 4-player game, you can choose to play in a 2 vs. 2 format, following the standard game rules.
Player turn order: Team 1 plays first and last. Team 2 plays second and third.
Solo Game Scoring
The game is meant to be an engaging experience rather than a score-chasing activity. However, if you wish to score your solo game, use the following method:
Losing the game
Bad luck — consider lowering the difficulty or give it another shot.
Winning the game
Subtract the leading nation's score from your own.
Multiply this difference by the number of nations you decided to oppose at the start of the game. Refer to the tables below to add or subtract the indicated values.
Table 1: Add the base values of each opposed nation (first row). Check the War card chosen (side A or B) and subtract points if enemy nations are at war with each other (second row).
Table 2: Values based on selected difficulty:
- Nations score during the day (1) (mandatory).
- Nations also score each night (1).
- Losing 1 Fame Point after two deaths (1).
- Losing 1 Fame Point each time you die (2).
- Map is pre-deployed (1).
- Using the 3 optional map pieces and the Calm card (1).
- Increasing required Fame Points to win (1).
Final score
After calculating the values from both tables, add or subtract any necessary point values for the final score.
To calculate your final score, multiply the result from Table 1 by the result from Table 2 and then by the difference between the leading nation's score and your own.
Example
Table 1: You are playing against Spain and France. From the first row, you add 4 points for Spain and 2 points for France. This gives a total of 6 points.
Next, check for nations at war with Spain and France. Spain and France are both at war with England. Since England is at war with at least one of your enemies, you subtract one point. England is also at war with the Pirates, but this does not result in a penalty. Total: -1. Adding these values together: 6-1 = 5 points.
Table 2: Nations score during the day (+1, mandatory), each death costs you 1 Fame Point (2), the map is pre-deployed (1) and you set the victory requirement at 25 Fame Points. Adding these values together: 1+2+1 = 4 points.
End of the game: You win the game with 25 points, while France is in second place with 19 points. The difference is: 25-19 = 6 points.
Multiply the results from the two tables by the point difference: Your total score for this game is: 5 x 4 x 6 = 120 points.
Iconography
The rulebook uses pictogram icons throughout for the following terms: Damage (ship) / RC, Cannon, Ship destroyed, Water damage, Fire damage, Boarding / Melee Combat, Crew, Crew defense, Successful boarding, Wound (crew), Netherlands, Spain, England, France, Pirate, Corsair, Tea, Silver, Cotton, Sugar, Wood, Oil, Purchase (you), Sales (you), Legal, Contraband, Tavern, Shipyard, Mooring, Port, Natives, Fortress, Barrel placement, Sandbank, Whales, Kraken deployment, NPC appearance area, Treasure, Barrel token, Fame, Player marker, Advance upgrades, Discard deck N1, Discard deck N2, Available captain, Day, Night, Flip event, Public Mission, Secret Mission, Treasure clue, Pick Up, D12, D20, Price, Less than or equal to value, Any nation, Target nation, Nation other than X, Different from, Remove a card, Draw a card, Reward/Bounty, Time counter, Next PC left/right, Controlled player, Uncontrolled player, Merchant, Aggressive, Defensive, Corsair, Special, Map tile, Seal 1 (ship), Seal 2 (ship), PC marker slot, Boarding reward, Route (direction), Movement, Officer upgrade, Specialist upgrade, Officer/Specialist upgrade wildcard, Ship upgrade, Ranged cannon, Hammock, Rowboat, Reputation (- / +), Reputation lock, Reappearance mooring, Level requirement, Draw Event card, Wind shifts, Front/Rear defense, Success, Optional, Level 1 through Level 4, Draft 1, Draft 1.5, Draft 2, Draft 2.5, Draft 3.