Plunder: A Pirate's Life Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Setup
• Objective
• Ships
• Sailing Your Fleet
• Beginning the Game
• Turn Overview
• Building Your Fleet
• Types of Islands
• Conquering Islands
• Battling Ships
• Trading
• Threatening
• Bribing
• Treaties
• X-Marks-The-Spot & Treasure Cards
• The Storm
• A Captain Without a Ship
• Two Player Variant
• Team Play Variant
• Tips To Enhance Gameplay
• General Strategy

Components

• 6 Board Tiles
• 10 Grid Borders
• 4 Grid Corners
• 2 Compass Spinners
• 150 Resource Cards
• 56 Plunder Point Cards
• 55 Treasure Cards
• 18 Ships
• 30 Flags
• 6 Reference Guides
• 21 Mast Pegs
• 21 Cannon Pegs
• 36 Life Pegs
• 1 Storm
• 4 X-Marks-The-Spot Tokens
• 1 Attack Die
• 1 Defense Die
• 1 Sailing Die

Game Setup

1. Shuffle and arrange the six board tiles into a 2x3 rectangle to create a unique map.
   • Randomization allows for a different map each time you play.
   • A two-player game uses a smaller board. See Page 12 for setup and rule variations.
2. Place and connect the alphanumeric grid borders alongside the map.
3. Place the compass spinners nearby.
4. Create a stack of ten for each type of Resource card: wood, iron, rum, and gold. Place face up.
5. Shuffle and stack the remaining Resource cards. Place face down.
6. Shuffle and stack the Treasure cards. Place face down.
7. Stack the Plunder Point cards.

Objective

Your goal is to collect ten Plunder Points. The first player to collect ten Plunder Points is immediately declared the winner. Plunder Points are accumulated as follows:

• Each ship currently in your fleet counts as one Plunder Point.
• Each island you currently own counts as one Plunder Point.
• Each Plunder Point card in your possession counts as one Plunder Point. Plunder Point cards are earned as follows:
  • You gain a Plunder Point card by sinking another player's ship in battle.
  • Treasure cards can award you a Plunder Point card.
  • You can exchange five gold resource cards for a Plunder Point card. This is known as burying treasure. You can bury treasure at any point during your turn.

You must clearly place all Plunder Point cards before you so others can see them. You do not need to take Plunder Point cards for your ships or islands, simply add the number to your point total.

Example: If you currently own two islands, and currently have three ships on the map, and have obtained five Plunder Point cards (perhaps from burying treasure twice and sinking three enemy ships in battle), then you have a total of ten Plunder Points.

Ships

Each player starts with one ship. You can build additional ships but cannot have more than three ships in your fleet. Ships can be upgraded by adding cannon, mast, and life pegs.

• Ships start with three lives. You can never have more than three lives per ship.
• Ships do not start with cannons. You can build two cannons per ship.
• Ships do not start with masts. You can build two masts per ship.

You can only upgrade ships in your own fleet. Once a peg is added to a ship, you cannot move that peg to a different ship.

If a life is lost during play, remove the corresponding peg. If you lose all three lives, your ship sinks and is removed from the map. All masts and cannons on the sunken ship are returned to the general supply.

Sailing Your Fleet

The map is divided into square spaces. You roll the sailing die to move your ship(s). The number rolled equals the number of spaces you can move among your entire fleet. (Example: You have two ships and roll a five. You can move a total of five spaces between the two ships.) Ships can also move by way of masts. Each mast allows the ship to move one space.

• You can move your ships in any order, as well as jump back and forth among ships.
• You can move fewer spaces for any reason.
• You cannot move diagonally.
• You cannot sail through a space occupied by another ship. A space on the map can only be occupied by one ship at a time.
• You cannot sail over islands or through land barriers. For a space on the map to be considered traversable, the space must be mostly water.
• You can dock at, or move in and out of, ports. Port spaces are represented by the anchor symbol.

Beginning the Game

1. Each player selects their own colored set of ships and flags.
   • Feel free to take a Reference guide to assist you during the game.
2. Determine the placements for three X-marks-the-spot tokens by spinning the compasses.
   • Compasses provide alphanumeric coordinates (Example: Row B, Column 5).
   • Spin the compasses and place each X separately.
   • If playing with five or six players, place an additional X.
3. Determine the placement of the storm by spinning the compasses.
   • The center of the storm is placed on the provided coordinate.
   • The storm cannot initially cover the port of a one-skull island. If this occurs, spin the compasses and relocate the storm.
4. Each player picks one island to start from.
   • To determine picking order, each player rolls a die. Highest number is the first to choose. Proceed counter-clockwise.
   • You can only choose among one-skull islands.
   • Plant your colored flag atop the chosen island to show ownership.
5. Each player places a ship on their island's port.
   • Each ship starts with three life pegs.
6. Each player draws three Resource cards.
   • Draw from the facedown resource deck, thus cards will be random.
   • Do not show your hand to the other players.
7. The last player to choose an island is the first player to begin gameplay.
   • Turns proceed clockwise.

Alphanumeric coordinates provide a Row and Column intersection. Example: If the compasses read B-5, locate where Row B and Column 5 intersect on the map.

Turn Overview

1. Start your turn by drawing one resource card from the facedown deck for each island you own. Add these cards to your hand. Resource cards are used for building and upgrading ships. You can build at any point during your turn and build multiple times.

2. Roll the sailing die and move your ship(s) accordingly. As you sail your ship(s) across the map, there are many interactions you might have:

   • Attack and conquer an island.
   • Battle an enemy ship.
   • Conduct trade.
   • Hunt for treasure.

   Having an interaction does not end your turn. (Example: You roll a four. If you move one space and attack, you can still move your remaining three spaces.) You can start off with an interaction before moving and can have multiple interactions during your turn.

3. Your turn can end in the following ways:

   • By instruction of a Treasure card.
   • Your last remaining ship sinks.
   • You've concluded moving ships, are through building, and have no further interactions.

Building Your Fleet

A formidable pirate captain must continually expand and improve their fleet. On your turn, you can exchange Resource cards to build and upgrade ships. Different items cost different amounts of resources. There are four types of resources: wood, iron, rum, and gold.

Announce what you intend to build and place your discarded resources face-up in their individual resource decks. This allows the other players to confirm you have made the proper payment. You may now retrieve the item you've built. Upgrades only apply to a single ship, not your entire fleet. Remember to adhere to your ship's upgrade limits.

SHIP — Resource Cost: 2 Wood, 1 Iron, 2 Gold Ships start with three lives. Place your ship in one of your available ports or in any adjoining ocean space next to one of your other ships. If you build a ship after rolling the sailing die, that ship cannot move until your next turn but can still interact.

MAST — Resource Cost: 1 Wood, 2 Rum Insert a mast peg into your ship. When sailing, each mast allows the ship to move one space. If you build a mast after rolling the sailing die, that mast cannot be used until your next turn.

CANNON — Resource Cost: 2 Iron, 1 Rum, 1 Gold Insert a cannon peg into your ship. When battling, each cannon adds one to your die roll.

LIFE — Resource Cost: 1 Wood, 1 Iron, 1 Rum, 1 Gold Insert a life peg into your ship to restore its health.

Types of Islands

These seas are more than just open water. They contain islands to be exploited and/or avoided. To interact with an island you must have a ship located in the island's port. Port spaces are represented by the anchor symbol. A diagonal anchor symbol means the port can be entered from multiple directions. There are four types of islands:

1. Resource island: Any island marked with skulls. These can be conquered and provide resources to their owner. An island can only have one owner.
2. Merchant island: Any island marked with a barrel. These cannot be owned, but allow for trade.
3. Normal island: These simply occupy space and disrupt your course.
4. Land barrier: These don't occupy space but limit the directions you can move.

Conquering Islands

To control the sea, you must conquer the land. Resource islands can be attacked and conquered. Ownership of islands allows you to receive Resource cards at the start of your turn. You receive one Resource card for every island you own.

Example: If you own two islands, take two Resource cards at the start of your turn.

Resource islands can only defend, they can never initiate an attack. Each island has a certain number of skull symbols, which represent the strength of the island. The more skulls, the stronger the island and the harder to conquer. To conquer an island, follow these steps:

1. Your ship must first be in the island's port. To engage, roll the attack die.
2. The island must now counterattack by rolling the defense die.
   • If the island is unowned, the player to your left rolls on behalf of the island.
   • If the island is already owned, the owner of the island rolls.
3. Compute your score and your opponent's score.
   • For each cannon on your ship, add one to your roll.
   • For each skull on the island, add one to your opponent's roll.
4. The highest score wins the battle. Ties always go to the attacker.
   • If you conquer the island, place your flag atop the island (and remove previous owner's flag if applicable). Your Plunder Point total has now risen by one.
   • If you lose, remove a life from your ship.
   • If your ship loses its last life, your ship sinks and is removed from the map (and if the island is owned, the owner gains a Plunder Point card).
5. Your battle is now concluded.
   • Your ship cannot attack this island again during your turn.
   • Your ship can move on to attack a different island.
   • You can use another ship in your fleet to attack the same island.

Battling Ships

Ruthless pirates must rid the sea of enemies. Engage opponents in battle to cause damage and sink their ships. In order to attack, your ship must be next to their ship, in adjoining spaces not separated by land. You cannot attack diagonally. You can attack ships docked at port.

You can only attack on your turn. To conduct battle, follow these steps:

1. You roll the attack die.
2. Your opponent rolls the defense die.
3. Compute your score and your opponent's score.
   • For each cannon on your ship, add one to your roll.
   • For each cannon on your opponent's ship, add one to their roll.
4. Highest total score wins the battle. Ties always go to the attacker.
   • If you win, remove a life from your opponent's ship.
   • If your opponent's ship loses its last life, their ship sinks and is removed from the map. You gain a Plunder Point card.
   • If you lose, remove a life from your ship.
   • If your ship loses its last life, your ship sinks and is removed from the map. Your opponent gains a Plunder Point card.
5. Your battle is now concluded.
   • Your ship cannot attack this particular ship again during your turn.
   • Your ship can move on to attack a different ship.
   • You can use another ship in your fleet to attack the same ship.

Trading

Even the most bloodthirsty captain knows when it's best to barter. On your turn, you can make offers to trade Resource cards with other players. You can trade with multiple players and trade multiple times. To conduct a trade, you must be in one of the following positions:

• You can trade with a player if your ships are next to each other, in adjoining spaces not separated by land. You cannot trade diagonally.
• You can trade with a player if you are in their port.
• You can trade with a player who is in your port.
• You can trade with a player who is docked at a Merchant island.
• If you are docked at a Merchant island, you can trade with any player.
• If you are docked at a Merchant island, you can exchange any two Resource cards for one Resource card of your choosing. Discard and take from the individual resource decks.

Trading resources with other players is a very open interaction. When making an offer, you can state a specific proposal or announce what resources you seek/offer. Listen to counteroffers, negotiate, and either accept or reject the deal.

Threatening

Before you attack another player's ship or island, you can choose to threaten that player. Threatening is when you demand resources for free or at little cost, and in exchange you will not attack. (Example: You threaten to attack a weaker ship unless that player hands over two gold.)

You must be in one of the following positions in order to make a threat:

• Your ship is in their port.
• Your ship is next to theirs, in adjoining spaces not separated by land.

Bribing

If your ship or island is about to be attacked, you can offer a bribe in an attempt to avoid battle. A bribe consists of offering resources to your opponent. You can offer however many resources you choose. If the opposing player rejects your offer, you can increase your offer and try again.

You must be in one of the following positions in order to offer a bribe:

• Their ship is in your port.
• Their ship is next to yours, in adjoining spaces not separated by land.

Treaties

If you successfully trade, threaten, or accept a bribe then you have formally entered into a treaty with that player, which will last the rest of your turn. Treaties represent a time of peace. During a treaty, you cannot harm the other player. This means:

• You cannot attack their ships.
• You cannot attack their islands.
• You cannot use a Treasure card to impact that player.

X-Marks-The-Spot & Treasure Cards

Another way to gain resources and other benefits is to hunt for treasure. If your ship sails onto the same space as an X-marks-the-spot token, draw one card from the Treasure card deck. Read aloud in your best pirate voice and immediately do what the card instructs. To discard, place the card at the bottom of the deck.

Each Treasure card carries a title, a story, and instructions.

If the X is located on land, then your ship simply needs to reach an adjoining ocean space to collect the treasure. However, you cannot collect treasure through a land barrier.

While the majority of Treasure cards award you gold, there are some that have undesirable results. When following the instructions, adhere to these rules:

• If you're awarded resources, take cards from the individual resource decks. If you lose resources, discard into those decks.
• If you're rewarded ship upgrades, you must still adhere to the maximum limits of your ship.
• If your ship is relocated onto land (or atop another ship), simply choose any adjoining ocean space to place your ship.
• You do not get a Plunder Point for sinking another ship via Treasure card.
• Some Treasure cards allow you to steal resources from other players. Without showing their resources, the player fans their cards so you can choose.
• If you're unable to completely execute the instructions of a Treasure card, you must still perform the portion you are able to carry out. (Example: If you're instructed to lose specific resources but do not have enough, pay what portion you can and proceed with the remainder of the instructions.)

After discarding the Treasure card, you must immediately relocate the X-marks-the-spot token. Spin the compasses to obtain new coordinates. You can still continue to hunt treasure during the rest of your turn.

• If the X relocates beneath one of your own ships, that counts as finding treasure. Draw a Treasure card and relocate the X again.
• If the X relocates beneath an opponent's ship, that X can only be accessed if you (or a subsequent player) sink the ship first. Otherwise, the opponent will collect the treasure at the start of their turn.
• Multiple Xs can occupy the same space. Deal with one X at a time. The first Treasure card may prevent you from collecting the next X.

You do not have to collect a Treasure card if you do not wish. Perhaps you fear the outcome. You can simply ignore the X and continue sailing.

The Storm

It's what every pirate fears. The storm is a moveable natural disaster plaguing the seas. Sailing into or out of the storm costs you any two of your Resource cards, which are discarded into the individual resource decks. Entering or exiting the storm via Treasure card costs you nothing. Be careful, if you find yourself in the storm with no resources to exit, you will remain trapped until the storm moves or until you gain enough resources.

If the storm covers a port, no trade can be conducted through that port. Once the storm leaves, you can resume trading through that port. This includes both Resource and Merchant islands.

You cannot collect an X, build and place another ship, or interact with other players across the storm border. You can do all these things within the storm, just not across the border. (Example: You can attack if you and the opposing ship are both inside the storm).

The storm can render a Resource island incapable of providing resources. If your island has all of its ports covered by the storm, you cannot collect resources from that island at the start of your turn. The island still counts towards your Plunder Point total and can be conquered by another player.

When it's your turn to move and you roll a one with the sailing die, the storm is relocated.

You must relocate the storm before continuing your turn. Spin the compasses to determine the storm's new coordinates. The center of the storm is placed on the designated space. The storm can be placed on land and hang off the map. After relocating the storm, proceed with your turn using the one as your roll.

A Captain Without a Ship

If you unfortunately find yourself without any ships, do not despair. You are never eliminated from the game. Losing all your ships is a fairly common occurrence. When you're without a ship, conduct your turn as follows:

1. Draw a resource card for every island you own as usual.

   • If you have no islands and no Plunder Point cards, take one resource card of your choosing from the individual resource decks.

2. Roll two dice. If you get doubles, you gain a new ship.

3. If you fail to roll doubles, you can elect to acquire a ship in other ways:

   • If you have the required resources, you can build a ship.
   • You can exchange one Plunder Point card for a ship.
   • You can exchange five gold for a ship.
   • You can disown an island. Remove your flag and gain a ship.

   You can still conduct trade with a player docked in your port or docked at a Merchant island. After trading, you can elect to gain a ship if possible.

4. You can only acquire one ship through this process. Your ship starts with three lives but does not start with any masts or cannons. Place your newly acquired ship in one of your available ports. If you have no ports available, spin the compasses to determine the ship's new location. Should the compasses place your ship on land (or atop another ship), choose any adjoining ocean space to place your ship.

5. Now that you have a ship in play, your turn proceeds like any normal turn. You can sail, build, and have interactions.

6. If you do not acquire a new ship, repeat this process on your next turn. Remember, other players can still interact with you on their turns:

   • Your islands can be threatened.
   • Your islands can be attacked.
   • You can offer bribes.
   • You can trade.
   • You can be impacted by a Treasure card.

Two Player Variant

Face off against a single swashbuckler in one-on-one play. You only need to modify the board and alter the rules slightly.

• The board is modified by omitting the two tiles that contain Merchant islands. Only use the remaining four tiles to create a 2x2 square map. You will no longer need the 13-18 numbered grid borders. If during gameplay you spin the compasses and get the numbers 13-18, spin again.
• Only two X-marks-the-spot tokens are placed on the map.

Team Play Variant

A most disagreeable captain can still be a valuable ally. During team play you still operate as an individual player with your own colored set of ships and flags, but you and your ally(s) will scheme toward the same goal. Teams can be configured in three ways:

1. Two teams of two players. (Play to sixteen Plunder Points).
2. Two teams of three players. (Play to sixteen Plunder Points).
3. Three teams of two players. (Play to fourteen Plunder Points).

Teams, and players within a team, alternate turns. Make sure players are positioned accordingly. Team point totals are determined by the sum of each teammate's Plunder Point total. (Example: If you have eight Plunder Points and your teammate has three Plunder Points, your team collectively has eleven total Plunder Points.)

You can openly strategize with your teammate(s), but you can only command your own fleet.

• You cannot move or upgrade your teammate's ships.
• You cannot attack your own teammate.
• You must keep your Plunder Point cards separate.

Modified rules for team play are as follows:

• Normal trading rules apply, however, you can only trade each teammate once per turn. Trading between teammates can never result in more than a one resource gain. (Example: If you want to give your teammate three resources, you must receive two in return.)
• Treaties still last for only one turn, but apply to teams as a whole. (Example: If you enter into a treaty with an opponent, you cannot attack their teammate(s) either.)
• If your ship is in your teammate's port, your teammate can disown and gift their island to you. Swap out their flag for yours.

Tips To Enhance Gameplay

To make your gaming experience more fun and efficient, here are some suggestions:

• If you have multiple ships but used your entire sailing die roll on a single ship, remember to check if your other ships have masts. They are still able to move.
• Moving multiple ships can be troublesome when masts are involved. You may lose your count in the process. To solve this issue, always count the mast movement first and then your die roll movement. (Example: You have two ships, each with a mast, and you roll a five. When moving the first ship go: mast, one, two. Then when moving the next ship go: mast, three, four, five.)
• Do not use the designated sailing die for battle, you might not remember how many spaces you can move afterwards. The sailing die will always serve as a reminder of what you rolled.
• If the facedown resource deck runs low, restock from the individual resource decks. Leave ten cards per individual resource and shuffle the rest into your facedown deck.
• While a standard game is played to ten Plunder Points, the scoring system is fully adjustable. Feel free to play to a different point total or simply set a timer and whoever has the most points when time expires wins.

General Strategy

To help you get started on your quest to rule the seas, here are some helpful hints:

• Using your resources to buy a life is not always the best investment. Be sure to check your ship's surroundings to see if you're in danger of being attacked that round.
• Building a mast after you've rolled the sailing die is not an effective use of resources. Consider saving those resources until the start of your next turn.
• Even if you have remaining spaces to sail, consider ending your turn with your ship docked at a Merchant island. This way you will be able to trade during the entire round.
• If you think someone will attack and sink your ship on their upcoming turn, consider attacking first while you still have the advantage of breaking ties.
• When you're without a ship and electing to acquire a new one, consider disowning an island if your opponent is about to conquer it.
• Obtaining Plunder Point cards is a safer way to insure your total score, since your islands and ships can be conquered and sunk by your opponents.