Pirate King (2006) Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective and Victory Conditions
• Components
  • Ship Assembly
• Getting Started
  • Get Started In 8 Easy Steps
• Movement
• Space Designations
• Cards
• Sea Chart
• Fortifications
• Combat
• Parlay
• Great Treasures
• Special Cards
• Advanced and Team Play
• Game Variations
• FAQ
• Index

Objective and Victory Conditions

Achieve 16 Prestige Points through Castles and Great Treasures. (Play to 12 Prestige Points for shorter games.)

Victory Conditions: The first player to achieve 16 Prestige Points wins. Players start at zero points.

Prestige Points are scored as follows:

• 3-cannon castles are worth 1 point
• 4-cannon castles are worth 2 points
• 5-cannon castles are worth 4 points
• Great Treasures are worth 3 points
• Defeating the Commodore is worth 16 points

If a player tears down a castle, or one is attacked and taken down below the castle level, those points are lost. In addition, if a player loses ownership of a Great Treasure, those points are also lost. If all the Smuggling cards have been turned in and no one has reached 16 points, then the player with the highest number of points wins. Keep track of the score using the colored flags with bases on the scoreboard.

Components

• 1 game board 24" x 24"
• 4 Ships with stands
• 16 Ship Cannon Tiles
• 10 six-sided dice
• 1 twelve-sided die
• 2 Sail Markers
• 5 Fully Illustrated Great Treasure Cards
• 40 Crewmen Cards
• 1 Sea Chart
• 48 Fully Illustrated Smuggling Cards
• 50 Fully Illustrated Captain's Log Cards
• 30 Fully Illustrated Pirate Booty Cards
• 72 Fully Illustrated Fortification Tiles
• 5 Treasure Chests
• 65 Glass Gems (5 Diamonds, 10 Rubies, 25 Emeralds, and 25 Gold)
• 30 Pirate King Coins
• 52 Flags (4 flag bases)
• Scoreboard
• Instructions
• Exclusive Pirate King Illustrated Story

Ship Assembly

1. Carefully punch Ships out of cards.
2. Insert Ships into stands.

Getting Started

Shuffle all the cards separately and place them on the corresponding boxes on the map: Cargo cards go in the large square box; Pirate's Booty and Captain's Log cards go in the rectangles. The black treasure chest goes on the X on the map and place one emerald in it.

Designate one player, the most honest and honorable pirate you can find, to be the Merchant. That player will be responsible for giving out and taking away money, cannons and crewmen during the course of the game. Be sure to keep the Merchant money and the player's money, who is acting as the Merchant, separate.

Each player starts with:

• 1 brown treasure chest
• 1 ship with a stand that matches flag color
• 13 colored flags (one with a base for the scoreboard)
• 1000 bronze pieces distributed as:
  • 1 ruby (500 bronze each)
  • 4 emeralds (100 bronze each)
  • 3 gold pieces (25 bronze each)
  • 5 pirate coins (5 bronze each)
  • In addition, there are diamonds available worth 1000 bronze each, but players don't start with diamonds; they must earn them.

Players should place their gems and coins in their chests.

Each player starts the game by rolling the 12-sided die. The player with the highest roll chooses their port of origin by placing their ship on Eleuthera, Santiago, Curacao, or San Juan, facing outwards. A player may choose the Red, Blue, Green, or Orange current to follow. Then the next highest roll selects a port and then in descending order the rest of the players choose. Players must start from different ports.

Each ship begins with one cannon (place round cannon tile color side up in front of you) and one round crewman card (draw one crew card and place it in front of you).

Once the ships are set, each player draws a Cargo Card and places it face up in front of them next to their crewman card (see Cards).

Get Started In 8 Easy Steps

Step 1: Each player starts with 1 ship, 1 stand and 12 flags of same color, 1 cannon, 1 crewman, 1 chest, 1000 bronze.

Step 2: Place ship on one of the starting spaces facing outward:

1. Eleuthera
2. San Juan
3. Santiago
4. Curacao

(see diagram)

Step 3: Draw a Cargo Card.

Step 4: Place sail marker 1 to 5 spaces ahead of your ship.

Step 5: Roll 12-sided die.

Step 6: Consult the wind die chart on the board, adjust for wind, and place ship down on the appropriate space.

Step 7: If you passed your Cargo destination, collect reward and draw another Cargo card.

Step 8: Depending on which space you land on, do what that space demands.

Movement

The player who had the highest roll goes first and places the sail marker 1 to 5 spaces ahead of their ship.

You must follow the colored current lines and continue in the direction your ship is headed. You may not turn at will. There will be opportunities to change direction through Secret Passages, Turn Abouts, Crosswinds, and cards.

Next roll the 12-sided Wind die to get a number from 1 to 12. Consult the wind die conversion chart on the board to determine the wind adjustment to the ship's movement.

Note: the full conversion chart for the Wind die is printed on the game board, not in the rules text. The rules give the following examples.

From the sail marker make the adjustment rolled by the Wind die. So if a player rolls:

• 9, then the wind adjustment is +1. So the player places the ship one space ahead of the sail marker.
• 4, then the wind adjustment is -4. So the player places the ship 4 spaces behind the sail marker. Note: It is possible to move backwards. If a player places the sail marker just one space ahead and rolls a 4, they will end up 3 spaces behind where they started. However they do remain pointed in the same direction.
• 5, 6, 7, or 8, then the adjustment is 0, so they land exactly where they had intended.

Depending on where the player lands, the player must do what the space demands (see Space Designations). Then going clockwise each player takes a turn.

When a player comes back around to where the colored current lines intersect at the Crosswinds, the player must continue in the direction following the color of the path that the player is currently on. For example, if you are traveling the green path you must continue following the green line through the intersection, unless the player lands directly on the Crosswinds space (see Crosswinds).

Space Designations

There are 9 different types of spaces: Territory, Pirate's Booty, Captain's Log, Secret Passages, Turn About, Commodore, Mutiny, Buried Treasure, and Crosswinds.

Territory: Territories are all the settlements in the Caribbean that a Pirate Captain can capture and build fortifications on in becoming the Pirate King.

• When a player lands on an unclaimed territory, that territory is available for capture. In order to claim it the player must pay a "capture price" (see Sea Chart). The capture price is paid to the Merchant.
• However, if a player lands on a territory that is already owned by another player, the player must pay the Dock Fee or fight (see Combat). Once a player owns a territory, they may collect a Dock Fee from any other players' ships that land on their territory (see Sea Chart for values).
• If an adjacent territory of the same color is acquired by the same player, then the player has established a Trade Route.
• Trade Route: Once a Trade Route has been created between the two territories, the player has the ability to build fortifications (see Sea Chart for costs and values). Fortifications increase the docking fees substantially and enable the purchase of ship cannons and crewmen (see Fortifications). Players are limited to owning a maximum of 12 territories at one time (24 in two player games).

Pirate's Booty: When a player lands on a Pirate's Booty space, the player must draw a Pirate's Booty Card and do whatever the card states. Sometimes it will be good fortune, but not always. Ye never knows what lies in dark places. The Pirate's Booty cards are the only way to acquire the Great Treasures of the Caribbean (see Great Treasures).

Captain's Log: When a player lands on a Captain's Log space the player must draw a Captain's Log Card and do whatever the card states. Good and bad awaits ye at sea. So beware!

Secret Passages: When a player lands on a Secret Passage space the player may choose to go to any other secret passage space and may choose any direction to face. The player may choose to stay the course and not move at all. Or simply turn around.

Turn Abouts: When a player lands on a Turn About space, the player must turn the ship in the opposite direction and on the next turn move in that direction. Pay close attention to the direction your ship is facing on the board. This indicates which direction a ship must move.

Commodore: When a player lands on the Commodore space, the Commodore seizes their cargo (cargo card) and takes one cannon.

• If the player only has one cannon, then only the Cargo card is taken.
• If the player has neither, then the Commodore lets you go and nothing happens.
• The Commodore can be negated by certain cards.
• However, the player may choose to challenge the Commodore and if victorious they gain 16 points and win the game. If they lose, the normal defeat conditions apply.
• The Commodore has 11 crewmen and 5 cannons. He loses cannons at the standard ship rate but keeps 2 cannons to the last man. Opponents choose who will roll against the challenger. The Commodore's crew and cannons are completely restored after every challenge.

Mutiny: When a player lands on the Mutiny space, the player's crew has become disgruntled and is uprising against their Captain, which is you.

• The player (Captain) can fight off the mutiny by rolling three 6-sided dice against the other players in the game.
• Divide three 6-sided dice between the other players and roll. If the sum total of the Captain's dice are higher than the sum total of the other players' then that Captain has quelled the Mutiny.
• However, if the other players' sum total is higher than the Captain, then the Captain must force one of his own mutinous men to walk the plank to get back the fear and respect of the crew thereby losing one crewman and the Cargo card.
• If the Captain only has one crewman they only lose their cargo. If the player has neither then nothing happens.

Buried Treasure: When a player lands on the Buried Treasure space, the player gets everything in the Buried Treasure chest. The game begins with one emerald (worth 100 bronze) in the Buried Treasure Chest. After each time the chest is emptied, replenish it with 100 bronze from the Merchant. All fines from the Pirate's Booty and Captain's Log cards (unless otherwise stated on the card) go into the Buried Treasure chest.

Crosswinds: When a player lands directly on the Crosswinds, the player may choose one of three directions. They may go left, right, or straight, but may not turn around completely. If two ships land on the Crosswinds at the same time, the two ships must fight. The loser pays the winner a bounty of 500 bronze (see Bounty). There is no parlay on these spots (see Parlay).

Cards

There are three different card stacks: Cargo, Captain's Log, and Pirate's Booty.

Cargo: Smuggling missions are the primary source of income for players.

• Players begin each game with a Cargo card.
• Each Cargo card has a Territory, a Commodity, and a Price.
• The object is to pass by that Territory to collect the value stated on that card. You do not have to land on it exactly; however, if the player does land exactly on the territory destination, the player collects an additional 100 bronze.
• In addition to the value on the card the player also gains a Crewman or a Cannon for completing the smuggling mission. The player may choose one of the two to add to their ship. Although cannons can only be chosen if the player has the appropriate number of crewmen to man it (see Ship Cannon Capacity under Combat).
• Once a ship has the maximum crewmen (10) and maximum cannons (4) the player does not get a crewman or cannon for completing smuggling missions.
• Once a smuggling mission is completed, the player discards the old Cargo card and draws a new one. The player does not draw the next card until their ship stops moving so that a player cannot collect two smuggling missions in one movement.
• The Cargo cards can be affected by other cards. For example, if a player draws a Captain's Log card that states a storm hit and you lost half your cargo, place that card on the Cargo card until it is completed or lost. If completed, the player only collects half the value stated on the card.
• Finally, a player can lose their cargo in a number of different ways. If a player does lose their Cargo, then they can only pick up a new Cargo card once they pass a friendly territory or capture one.

Captain's Log: The Caribbean is very unpredictable. Many good and bad things can happen to Captains and their ships. Do whatever the card states. Some cards the player holds. All fines are paid to the Buried Treasure chest unless otherwise stated.

Pirate's Booty: Treasure is abound in the Caribbean. Players will happen upon good and bad treasures. Do whatever the card states. Some cards the player holds and they can be used at another time. All fines are paid to the Buried Treasure chest unless otherwise stated.

Sea Chart

The Sea Chart is a quick reference guide to all the territories and their attributes. Many territories have different attributes so pay close attention to the chart for availability of crewmen and ship cannons. In the columns under the territories, the chart is highlighted. At these upgraded levels crewmen and cannons become available for purchase at 200 bronze each. Also different territories acquire defenses (crewmen and cannons) at different rates and costs so keep an eye out matey. Additional Sea Charts can be downloaded and printed for free at www.templegames.com/product/pirate_king.

Each column of the chart is one group of territories. The territories in a column share the same values. Each cell lists the Cannons and the Dock Fee (in bronze) at that fortification level. The rows are the crewmen levels: Settlement (2 crewmen), Tavern (4), Fort (6), Rampart (8), Citadel (10), and Castle (11).

Territories (in one column group)	Settlement (2)	Tavern (4)	Fort (6)	Rampart (8)	Citadel (10)	Castle (11)	Upgrade	Capture Price	Prestige
San Juan, Curacao, Santiago, Eleuthera	1 / 5	1 / 50	1 / 100	1 / 150	2 / 200	3 / 300	50	30	1 point for castle
Antigua, Caracus, Port Royale, Nassau	1 / 10	1 / 80	1 / 150	1 / 200	2 / 250	3 / 400	50	60	1 point for castle

Note: the Sea Chart prints its territory names in colored bands (orange, blue, green, orange, from top to bottom) in the first five column groups. The last two groups (Petit Goave/Tortuga and Santo Domingo/Port-de-Paix) are printed on black bands and show only two names each.

Example: what is the Dock Fee for a Rampart on Campeche? Find the column with Campeche. Below the territories the column is broken up into two sub-columns: Cannons and Dock Fee. Find the row with the Rampart. Where the row and column intersect is the Dock Fee. So the Dock Fee for Campeche with a Rampart is 350 bronze.

Fortifications

Once a territory is captured the player places a fortification tile on the territory with the picture of a Settlement facing up then inserts their flag through the hole in the middle of the tile and into the hole in the board.

• All territories start as a settlement and all settlements have 2 crewmen and one cannon (see Combat). Once a Trade Route (two adjacent territories of the same color) has been established the fortifications can be increased up to five levels as dictated by the Sea Chart.
• The fortification levels are: Tavern, Fort, Rampart, Citadel, and Castle.
• To upgrade a fortification the player must pay the upgrade price located on the Sea Chart to the Merchant. Players can upgrade at anytime during their turn and as many times as they can afford.
• When a territory is upgraded, turn or place the tile to the corresponding picture so it is facing up.
• Each level of fortification increases the territory by 2 crewmen except for the castle level which only increases by 1 crewman to a maximum of 11 (See Sea Chart).
• All territories grow in crewmen at the same rate but cannons increase at different rates.
• During combat, simply flip or remove the tiles as you are damaged and lose crewmen. For odd numbers pivot the tile askew to the mark on the board to indicate that level is damaged.
• If combat ends with a fortification on an odd number, that fortification is automatically repaired up to the closest level for free.
• Once a player has built a fortification they can only tear it down and redeem its full value if they owe money. Players cannot take down fortifications at will.
• Ship Cannons and Crewmen: Once a territory is upgraded to the highlighted levels on the Sea Chart, cannons and crewmen may be purchased for a player's ship when that ship lands on an upgraded territory at a cost of 200 each. For example, cannons and crewmen for the ships may be purchased at the Tavern level on Barbados while on San Juan they cannot be purchased until the Citadel level. Only one crewman maybe added per time a ship lands there and as many cannons permitted by the number of crewmen may be also added.

Combat

When do we fight? Pirates love to fight! There are three ways to initiate combat.

1. Two players are on the Crosswinds at the same time.
2. A player lands on another player's territory and chooses to fight rather than pay the Dock Fees. Only the player with the ship can choose to fight or pay, not the territory owner. However, if the owner of the territory also has their ship on that space then the attacking player must fight the enemy ship first and then the fortification if they choose not to pay.
3. A player has the Golden Monkey Head and uses the Forced Negotiations ability (see Great Treasures).

Crewmen and Cannons: Territories and ships can gain Crewmen and Cannons. Territories gain them at a set rate dictated by the Sea Chart. Ships can gain them at different rates and in different ways.

• Crewmen are like hit points. They determine how many times your ship can be hit before it is sunk. When your ship reaches zero then you are sunk. They also determine how many cannons a ship can use. All ships start with one crewman and one cannon. The ship cannon capacity is as follows:

  Cannon Capacity (printed graphic on page 5):

  • 1-2 Crewmen can hold 1 Cannon
  • 3-4 Crewmen can hold 2 Cannons
  • 5-6 Crewmen can hold 3 Cannons
  • 7-10 Crewmen can hold 4 Cannons

  For the ships use the round cards to keep track of Crewmen. To keep track of cannons use the round cannon tiles.

• For each cannon a ship has, the player may roll one attack die up to a maximum of four dice. When players drop below the previously mentioned number of crew to maintain a cannon during combat they lose the use of that cannon and the attack die associated with it. Flip the cannon tile over to the black and white side to designate it unmanned. Once a player gains back enough crew the tile is flipped back over to the color side and is now active. Cannons can become unmanned caused by Mutiny or any of the cards.

How do we fight?

• When combat begins both players roll one 6-sided die for each cannon they have equipped and manned.
• The players then match up their dice in descending order. In each match up of dice, the player with the lower number loses a crewman (use of cannons when applicable). Tied dice have no effect.
• If one of the players has more cannons or attack dice than the other player, then the player with the cannon advantage uses only their highest dice. So if one player rolls four dice and the other player rolls two, then the player with four dice removes the lowest two dice.

Win a Battle:

• If the attacking ship wins they capture the territory from the other player and the territory is now theirs. The newly acquired territory starts as a settlement (2 crewmen and 1 cannon) and the winner plants their flag.
• If the fight occurred between two ships then the loser removes their ship and must follow the losing conditions below.

Lose a Battle: If a ship loses a battle they must pay their Bounty to get back into the game. Once the bounty is paid in full they place their ship facing either direction on any of the four highlighted ports of origin: San Juan, Curacao, Santiago, Eleuthera. The player does not have to pay any Dock Fees to start there if already owned.

Bounty: After a loss, in order to get a new ship a player must pay their bounty, which is the final Dock Fee of the territory they attacked. This amount is paid to the defender.

• Ship vs. Territory: If the attacked territory started with a Castle but finished with a Fort the attacker's bounty is the Dock Fee for the Fort not the Castle.
• Bounties have a minimum of 500 bronze. If the docking fee is less than 500 bronze then the defeated attacker pays the Dock Fee to the defending player then pays the difference to the Buried Treasure.
• Ship vs. Ship: If a player is sunk in the open sea from a ship to ship battle, they just pay 500 to the player that sank them.
• A player must expend all cash down to their last 50 bronze before tearing down fortifications and redeeming their full value. Fortifications can only be taken down when money is owed to another player or Buried Treasure and it is redeemed at full value.
• Great Treasures do not need to be sold before tearing down fortifications.
• If a player cannot pay their bounty and has already torn down all fortifications and sold all Great Treasures, then the Merchant will pay the difference and the player that defeated them gets to take one of their territories of choice.

Parlay

If two players land on the same spot where there is no combat taking place (not a Crosswind or a player has paid the Dock Fees rather than choosing to fight), then these two players may Parlay or negotiate for each other's territories, items, cards, etc. This is the only time trading is permitted in the game. Parlay is active as long as the two ships share one space. As many ships that are on the space together may parlay so it is not limited to two.

Great Treasures

There are five Great Treasures of the Caribbean: Jewel Encrusted Sword, Golden Monkey Head, Black Sails, Royal Crown, and Diamond Necklace.

In order for a player to own one and use it, they must first find the map in the Pirate's Booty Cards. Then it may be purchased for 500 Bronze. Once the map has been found, a player can buy the item at anytime during the game on their turn unless someone else has already bought it. Great Treasures may be sold back to the Merchant at anytime, but cannot be bought back until the map is found again.

• Jewel Encrusted Sword: Re-roll one attack die each round of combat. However the player is stuck with the second roll even if it is lower.
• Golden Monkey Head: Give any negative card to any other player plus Forced Negotiations: A player with the Golden Monkey Head may attack another player's ship anywhere on the board when the two ships share the same space. Although if any sort of parlay agreement is made then they may not attack.
• Royal Crown: Add 50% to all docking fees collected plus immunity to Commodore.
• Diamond Necklace: Subtract 50% from all docking fees paid (including any bounty) plus immunity to Mutiny.
• Black Sails: Player may re-roll the Wind die once per turn. However the player is stuck with the second roll even if it is worse.

Special Cards

• Mega Tsunami/Earthquake: In the Captain's Log cards, a mega tsunami or earthquake does one level of damage to every developed territory in that color region. Settlements take no damage.
• Man of War: In the Captain's Log cards, a captain may choose to fight a ship of equal cannon and crewmen value as the ship that pulled the card. If they lose, normal defeat conditions apply. If they win they get one cannon, one crewman, and 500 bronze.
• Duel: In the Captain's Log cards, a captain chooses any one player to duel against. Each player rolls one 6-sided die. The higher roll gains a crewman and the lower roll loses a crewman. If the roll is a tie, then they both roll again.

Advanced and Team Play

Advanced Play: In Advanced play, one player controls two ships. The only thing that is different is that the player uses two sail markers. Simply place down one sail marker for each ship then roll the 12-sided "wind" die. Adjust the ships accordingly. Then collect any smuggling missions (if applicable), draw any cards if needed, then pay any Dock Fees or start any combats if the player has landed in enemy territory. Make sure to keep the smuggling missions and crewmen cards separate for each ship and mark them with a corresponding colored flag.

Team Play: In Team Play, players on the same team may share money and upgrade on each other's territories. Otherwise play normally.

Game Variations

• 1 v 1: Two player two ship free for all
• 1 v 1 double ship*: One player with two ships versus one player with two ships
• 1 v 1 v 1: One player with one ship versus one player with one ship versus one player with one ship
• 1 v 1 v 1 v 1: Four players four ship free for all
• 2 v 2 team play*: Two players versus two players with one ship each
• For short games all variations can be played to 12 Prestige Points.

*Asterisks as printed; the Advanced and Team Play rules are described above.

FAQ

If I have one crewman or one cannon and a drawn card tells me that I lost one, what do I do? You are safe. Nothing happens.

If a player gains a cannon from a drawn card but does not have the crewmen to support it, does the player still get the cannon? The player may keep the card and use it once they have the men to support it.

If a player draws a card that gives them a free crewman or cannon, but has a full ship, can they keep it? Yes, and it can be used on that ship whenever needed except during combat.

Where the sailing paths intersect at the Crosswinds may I go any direction I want? No, you must remain sailing in the same direction following the color of the path you are on. So if you are traveling the red path you must continue following the red line unless you land directly on the Crosswinds.

What do you do with odd numbers of crewmen on a fortification? While a fortification is at an odd number and in between levels it still retains the values of the higher level. So a fortification with seven crewmen is still considered a Rampart and retains all values described on the Sea Chart. After combat an odd numbered fortification is automatically repaired back up to an even number.

How do I use the Royal Decree? When a player lands on the Commodore spot this card may be used by the player to negate the Commodore's effects. However, once used the player must turn it in. The same goes with life raft, lock pick and other such cards.

Are two territories adjacent if there are Captain's Log or Pirate's Booty spots in between them? Yes, for example, Cumana is considered to be adjacent to Margarita even though there is a Captain's Log and Pirate's Booty spot in between them. So a trade route may be established between the two.

When a player turns in the last smuggling card, when exactly is the game over? The game is not over until the player finishes that turn including any battles or cards.

Can the owner of the Golden Monkey Head send movement cards at other players? Yes, for example if a player just moved a total of 5 spaces and draws the repeat movement from last roll then the player can force another player to move that number of spaces too or keep it for themselves.

Index

• Scoring: page 1 (top)
• Movement: page 2 (left side)
• Spaces: page 2 (right side) and page 3 (left side)
• Cards: page 3 (right side)
• Sea Chart: page 4 (top)
• Fortifications: page 4 (bottom)
• Combat: page 5
• Great Treasures: page 6