Port Royal
Port Royal Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- Rulesheet
- 120 cards
Setup
Shuffle all cards and place them face down on the table. This is the draw deck. Each player takes three face-down cards – that is, three coins. Keep them face down, but spread them out so everyone can see how much money you have throughout the game.
Determine a starting player; turns move clockwise. Keep track of who started, because all players must take the same number of turns before you determine the winner.
If the draw deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile – it becomes the new draw deck.
Cards and Coins
The card fronts show various Ships, Characters, Tax Increases, and Missions. The back of each card shows a coin. When you get coins, draw the appropriate number of cards face down from the draw deck. Do not look at the front of a card or show it to other players if you draw it face down as a coin.
Player Turns
Each player, in turn, is the active player. You control trade in the port, deciding what ships to allow into the harbor.
Discovery Phase
Your turn starts with the Discovery phase, in which you draw cards and place them face up in a row to create the harbor display.
Draw one card at a time.
Missions
If the card shows a Mission, place it in a separate row above the harbor area. There it stays until an active player can complete the mission, which may be done at any time during that player's turn.
To complete a Mission, you must have, and discard, Characters with skills matching those shown on the Mission card when you are the active player. You then receive the Mission card, which grants influence points. You also get the payment shown on the card.
Example: Dagmar wants to complete a Mission with two crosses. She is the active player. She discards a Priest and a Jack of All Trades. She receives the Mission card and two coins.
Characters
If the card shows a Character, it stays in the harbor. Each Character has a skill (explained at the end of the rules), a value in influence points (needed to win the game), and a cost to hire. Hiring does not take place until the second (Trade and Hire) phase of the turn.
Ships
If the card shows a Ship, it stays in the harbor (and can be traded with in the second phase) unless it is immediately repelled and discarded. You do not have to repel a Ship; you may choose to keep it even if it is weak. Sometimes this is advantageous.
To repel a Ship, compare its combat strength (crossed sabers) with your own total combat strength (the crossed sabers of the Sailors and Pirates you have hired). If your total is the same or higher, you can repel and discard the Ship.
Only the Ship just played can be repelled. If you choose not to repel a Ship after you play it, you cannot repel it later, even if you have the strength.
Example: Alex wants to repel a Ship with a combat strength of 2. With a Sailor (1) and a Pirate (2) in his personal display, he has a total combat strength of 3. He puts the Ship on the discard pile.
If your total combat strength is lower than the combat strength of the Ship, you can't repel it and it stays in the harbor.
A Ship with a skull symbol can't be repelled at all.
Your Characters' combat strength is not spent when you use it. Use it as often as needed during your turn.
Note: Each Ship card has a small list of possible combat strengths for that nation's ships printed in the upper right corner of the illustration.
Tax Increases
If the card shows a Tax Increase, all players with 12 coins or more discard half of their coins, rounded down (e.g., with 12 or 13 coins, the player loses six coins).
Depending on the Tax Increase drawn, either the player with the most combat strength (swords) or the player with the least victory points gains 1 coin. In case of ties (even if everyone is tied at zero) all tied players get a coin each.
Discard the Tax Increase card when done.
Continuing with Discovery
The Discovery phase continues until either . . .
- the active player decides to stop drawing cards and moves on to the Trade and Hire phase, or
- that player reveals a ship with a flag matching one already in the harbor and does not repel it. In this case, the active player's turn ends immediately. There is no Trade and Hire phase. Start the next player's turn.
Note: Deliberately "busting" by choosing not to repel a ship is an allowable action, but there are not many circumstances where it is a good idea.
Trade and Hire
The active player can now take cards from the harbor to trade with the ships or to hire characters. The number of cards taken depends on the number of different nationalities (flags) represented in the harbor.
- With zero to three flags, you may take one card from the harbor.
- With four flags, you may take two cards from the harbor.
- With five flags, you may take three cards from the harbor.
The cards are taken one at a time, so (for instance) you can use coins you earn from a trade immediately for a hire.
Trade
Take one Ship from the harbor, discard it, and take the number of coins shown on the top of the card.
Example: Klemens takes the British ship from the harbor, puts it on the discard pile, and gets two coins (face-down cards from the draw deck).
Hiring
To hire a Character, pay the appropriate number of coins (shown on the lower part of the card) and put the card in your personal display.
Example: Andrea is hiring the Sailor. She pays three coins and puts the Sailor in her display.
Example: It's Andrea's turn. In the Discovery phase, she revealed seven cards. Because four of them were different flags, she may take two cards from the harbor. First she hires a French Trader. Then she trades with a French Ship, gaining one extra coin because of her new Trader.
Other Players Taking Cards
After the active player has taken one or more cards, each other player (in clockwise order) may take a single card from the harbor, to trade or hire according to the same rules. Anyone who takes a card must pay one coin to the active player. If a player takes a ship, and that player has no gold, the coin owed to the active player may come from the gold provided by that ship.
If the harbor is emptied before your chance comes to take a card . . . too bad!
Example: Five cards are left in the harbor. Alex, the next player, already has two Admirals so he takes four coins before choosing to trade with an American Ship. He then pays one coin to Andrea for the privilege of doing business on her turn.
Example: Four cards are left. Karl, the next player, pays to hire a Settler, discarding four coins. Even though he already has a Priest, he cannot immediately complete a mission. He must wait until he is the active player. He pays Andrea a coin after taking the Settler.
Example: Three cards are left. Dagmar has a Governor and a Mademoiselle. Dagmar takes the Sailor, paying two coins instead of three. She also pays Andrea one coin. Because the Governor allows her to, she then chooses to trade with the Dutch ship. She must again pay Andrea one coin for taking another card on her turn. If it had been possible to hire another character, she could have used the Mademoiselle's discount again.
After all players have had the chance to trade or hire, put the remaining cards from the harbor on the discard pile. (Remember: The harbor may be emptied before every player has the chance to take a card.)
Ending the Game
The game is over at the end of a round when a player has collected 12 influence points or more.
The current round is finished as usual. The player sitting to the right of the starting player is the last one to take a turn. After the last turn, the player who now has the most influence points wins the game. In case of a tie, the player with more coins is the winner.
The Characters and Their Skills
The skill of a Character is pictured in the upper left corner of the card. The influence points are printed in the upper right corner. A player may have more than one of the same Character and may use skills from each one at once. For instance, a player with two Mademoiselles can hire other Characters for two coins less (see below). The cost to hire a Character is noted just above the Character's type.
Priest / Captain / Settler / Jack of All Trades — These Characters are necessary to complete missions. Jack of All Trades is a wild card and can be used instead of a Priest, Captain, or Settler.
Trader — There are Traders for all flags. When you trade with a matching Ship, you gain one coin more.
Jester — You get one coin if either . . .
- it is your turn to enter the Trade and Hire phase and no cards are left in the harbor, or
- there is no Trade and Hire phase in the current turn.
Admiral — If it is your turn to enter the Trade and Hire phase and if at least five cards are in the harbor, you get two coins – even if you are not the active player.
Sailor / Pirate — You use their combat strength (crossed sabers) to repel ships.
Governor — During the Trade and Hire phase, you may take one additional card from the harbor, paying the active player if appropriate.
Mademoiselle — Hiring a Character costs one coin less.