Pirate 21 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Game Setup
• Goal
• Gameplay
  • I. Draw
  • II. Use Ability
  • III. Pass
  • IV. Knock
• Round End
• Game End
• Card Abilities and Clarifications
  • Black Spot - 0
  • Captain - 2, 2, 4, 4, 6, 6
  • Gunner - 4, 4, 6, 6, 8, 8
  • Mate - 3, 3, 5, 5, 6, 6
  • Pirate - 1, 1, 3, 3, 5, 5
  • Princess - 8, 8
  • King - 5, 5
• Example Round
• FAQ
  • Discard Pile
  • Elimination

Game Components

• 29 Game cards (1 Black Spot, 6 each of Captain, Mate, Pirate & Gunner, and 2 each of Princess & King)
• 6 Player reference cards
• 24 Coins

Game Setup

Shuffle all game cards together and deal two to each player.

Each player looks at their cards, chooses one to reveal, and places both cards in front of themselves (one face up, the other face down). Place the remaining cards in the middle of the play area as the deck.

Place the Coins in the middle of the play area as the Bank.

Give one reference card to each player. This is for reference only. Players should familiarize themselves with all the character actions before starting the game.

The player that most looks like a pirate should start the game. If playing your second game, the player that won the last game starts.

Goal

Be the first player to collect 4 Coins. You don't get extra Coins for table talk, but it is highly encouraged.

Gameplay

The game is played in rounds. Each round is played in turns using a clockwise order. Each turn the active player must perform one (and only one) of the following actions:

I. Draw

Draw the top card of the deck and place it face-up in front of you.

II. Use Ability

Use one of the abilities on your face-up or face-down cards. You must have the card to use the ability: there is no bluffing. Do not reveal a face-down card when using its ability.

III. Pass

Pass your turn to the next player and do nothing.

IV. Knock

Declare the end of the round. After Knocking, each player, including the Knocker, gets one final turn, then the round ends. You may not Knock on your first turn of each round.

If the deck is empty, you must Knock. This does not constitute your action for the turn: you Knock, shuffle the discard pile to re-form the deck, and then take an action. Each player, including the Knocker, gets one final turn, then the round ends.

Note: you cannot win the round with a score of over 21, but you don't reveal your cards until the end of the round.

Round End

At the end of the round, all players should reveal their cards.

The player who owns the highest total value of cards that does not exceed 21 wins the round and gains 1 Coin. In the case of a tie, each tied player receives 1 Coin from the Bank.

If the round's sole winner is the player who Knocked, they get 1 additional Coin (i.e. 2 Coins) from the Bank.

If no player has 4 or more Coins, play a new round. Gather all the cards, shuffle and deal two cards to each player. Everyone chooses one card to reveal and places both cards in front of themselves. Place the remaining cards in the middle of the play area as the deck; the start player rotates to the left.

Game End

The game ends at the end of a round in which one player has 4 or more Coins. The player with the most Coins wins.

In case of a tie, all players play additional rounds until one player has the most Coins.

Note: The winner does not have to be one of the tied players.

Card Abilities and Clarifications

Black Spot - 0

You cannot win the round. Gain a Coin if eliminated or you have the lowest total at round's end.

You cannot win the round. If you have the highest total at the end of a round, the player with the next highest total wins the round instead.

If you are tied for the lowest total at the end of a round, you do not gain a Coin.

Captain - 2, 2, 4, 4, 6, 6

Discard any face-up card and replace it with a new card.

The Captain can discard any face-up card in the game, including itself. The Princess is the only exception; the Captain's ability cannot be used to discard the Princess. If you use your Captain to discard another card, you do not discard your Captain: it stays in play.

Gunner - 4, 4, 6, 6, 8, 8

Draw two cards. Keep one (face-up) and discard the other.

Mate - 3, 3, 5, 5, 6, 6

Exchange any two face-down cards between any two players.

You may exchange face-down cards belonging to two opponents or you may exchange your own face-down cards with an opponent's face-down cards. You do not have to exchange your own face-down cards in order to use the Mate's ability.

Pirate - 1, 1, 3, 3, 5, 5

Attack an opponent. If correct, that opponent is eliminated, you gain a Coin, and you immediately Knock.

To attack, guess the number on an opponent's face-down card. The target of the Pirate's ability must respond truthfully.

If the Pirate guesses correctly, they gain a Coin from the Bank.

The Pirate's ability supersedes the rule that prevents you from Knocking on your first turn.

Princess - 8, 8

Cancel a Pirate attack. The Pirate's player pays you a Coin. Princess cannot be the target of the Captain's ability.

A face-up or face-down Princess protects her owner from the Pirate's ability. If your Princess is face down when you are targeted by a Pirate, reveal her and then turn her face down again.

When a Pirate player targets you while you have a Princess, that player must pay you one of their Coins (not a Coin from the Bank) and the Pirate's Knock ability does not trigger, even if the Pirate guessed correctly. If the Pirate player has no Coins, no payment is made.

You are allowed to use your Pirate to deliberately target a player with a face-up (or face-down) Princess if you want to give that player a Coin.

You cannot retroactively apply the ability of a face-up or face-down Princess if you forget to use it when targeted by a Pirate.

King - 5, 5

If you win the round outright with exactly 21, you win the game.

If your card total is exactly 21 at the end of a round, you have a King, and no other player also has a total of 21, you immediately win the game. The number of Coins owned by players no longer matters. You win!

Example Round

Jack looks most like a pirate and takes the first turn, starting with a face-up Captain (6) and face-down Gunner (6). Jack declares that he is using his Gunner to draw two cards and keep one. He places the Gunner (8) in front of him, discarding face up the other card he drew, a Pirate (1). His total is 20. Jack looks excited that he has a high total.

Beth has a face-up Pirate (5) and a face-down Black Spot (0). She deduces that Jack's face-down card gives him a high score - and knows it's a Gunner - it probably is a 6. Beth declares that she is going to use her Pirate to guess Jack's face-down card. She guesses 6, and is correct. Beth gains a Coin from the Bank, Knocks (the round will end after Beth's next turn), and Jack is eliminated for the rest of this round. Beth's total is 5.

Will is next. He has a face-up Mate (7) and a face-down Princess (8). Will uses his Mate to switch Angelica's face-down card with Beth's face-down card. Beth has a face-up Pirate, and now knows what card Angelica has down. In his best pirate voice, Will encourages Beth to use her Pirate and eliminate Angelica. Will's total is 15.

It is now Angelica's turn. She has a face-up Captain (6) and the face-down Black Spot (0). Despite Will's best efforts to subvert her, she is not worried about being eliminated by Beth's Pirate - the face-down Black Spot means she would gain a Coin if she were eliminated. Angelica decides to get revenge on Will, so she uses her face-up Captain to discard Will's Mate (7) and replace it with a new card, a Pirate (3). Will isn't happy anymore: he doesn't think he can win the round with a score of 10. Angelica has a low total of 6 and the Black Spot which rewards the lowest score.

Dave takes his turn next, with a face-up Princess (8) and face-down Captain (6). He realizes that his friends are so busy backstabbing each other he might be able to draw into the high score for the round. He places the top card of the deck, a Gunner (8), face up in front of him. His total is 22, and since it's greater than 21 he can't win the round unless someone switches one of his cards.

Jack has been eliminated, and doesn't get another turn this round.

Finally, Beth gets one last turn as she was the player who Knocked. She decides to use her Pirate against Will. She guesses that Will's face-down card is a 5. Will reveals a Princess (8) that cancels Beth's attack. Beth pays Will her Coin.

The round is now over, players reveal their face-down cards and total their scores. Jack's total is not calculated as he was eliminated from the round. Angelica's total is 6: Black Spot (0) & Captain (6). Will's total is 11: Princess (8) & Pirate (3). Beth's total is 12: Mate (7) & Pirate (5). Dave's total is 22: Princess (8), Gunner (8) & Captain (6).

Angelica gains a Coin from the Bank because she had the Black Spot and the lowest total score.

Beth wins the round with 12 points, the highest total not over 21. She gets 2 Coins from the Bank (1 for the highest total, and an additional 1 because she Knocked and won the round). Because Dave's total was 22 (greater than 21) he couldn't win the round.

Beth will be the start player for the second round. She shuffles all the cards, and deals two to each player (including Jack) to start the next round.

FAQ

Discard Pile

The discard pile is kept face up. It may be freely examined by any player at any time.

Elimination

When a player is eliminated, they are out for the rest of that round. Discard all cards in that player's possession.

True pirates never abandon an opportunity to harass their mates, so stay at the table and have some fun! Eliminated players rejoin the game at the start of the next round.