Sea of Clouds Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Goal
• Game Elements
  • Captain Board
  • Central Board
  • Rum Cards
    • Clarifications of Rum Cards
  • Relic Cards
  • Object Cards
    • Clarifications of Object Cards
  • Pirate Cards
  • Parrot
  • Ship Token
  • Hat Token
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • Divvy Up Shares
    • 1. Take the Share
    • 2. Leave the Share
• Boarding Action
  • Strength of the Crew
  • Resolution of Pirate Effects
• End of the Game and Scoring
• Card Clarifications
• Effect Symbols
• Credits

Contents

• 94 Loot cards
  • 21 Rum cards
  • 23 Relic cards
  • 28 Object cards
  • 22 Pirate cards
• 65 Doubloons (worth 1, 3, and 5)
• 1 Ship token
• 4 Captain boards
• 1 Central board
• 1 Parrot token
• 1 Hat token
• 1 rulebook
• 1 score book

Goal

As captain of a flying pirate ship, collect a cutthroat crew and gain treasure by gathering shares of Loot. Then send your pirates aboard enemy ships to plunder their treasure. But above all, amass the most victory points to rule the Sea of Clouds!

Game Elements

Captain Board

This represents the captain of a pirate ship you're playing as during the game. It shows you where to place your Loot cards — Pirates, Relics, Objects, Rum, and Secrets each have their own row around the Captain board.

Central Board

This shows you the number of turns to play during the game, as well as when Boarding actions occur, ordered by the captains to plunder other ships. Three places are indicated on the Central board to place shares of Loot.

Rum Cards

These cards represent rums of different value. Each Rum card has a name and a value that corresponds to the number of victory points that you score at the end of the game.

Clarifications of Rum Cards

Collector's Rum

The more Collector's Rum you have, the more victory points you score at the end of the game.

Example: This Collector's Rum by itself gives only 1 victory point. As soon as you have more than one, collecting becomes more advantageous: Gain 4 victory points for collecting two, 9 points for collecting three, and so on...

Top-shelf Rum

If you are the player with the most top-shelf rum, each of your Top-shelf Rum cards scores 3 victory points. Otherwise, your Top-shelf Rum cards score 1 victory point each.

Relic Cards

These cards represent legendary relics. Each Relic card has a name and a collection value that corresponds to the number of victory points you score at the end of the game. Like Collector's Rum, the more relics of the same type you have, the more points you score from the collection.

Example: This relic by itself makes you lose 3 victory points at the end of the game. But if you have four relics of this type, you score a total of 6 victory points.

Object Cards

This cards represent objects to plunder from flying islands. Each Object card has a name and an effect that can be permanent, immediate, or secret (hidden until the end of the game).

Clarifications of Object Cards

Most Object cards give you a permanent effect until stolen by another player or discarded by a card effect.

There are two exceptions represented by the following symbols:

• Immediately apply the card effect, then discard it.
• Place Secret cards face-down. Only reveal them during the score count.

Pirate Cards

These cards represent pirates that you send to board other ships. Each Pirate card has a name, a combat strength, and an effect that happens if you win in a Boarding action.

Parrot

The player with the Parrot token is the tiebreaker. Certain Object or Pirate cards can force the Parrot to change hands.

If there is a tie in combat and the player with the Parrot token is involved, he wins. If the player with the Parrot token is not involved, the player closest to him clockwise wins.

The player with the Parrot token also goes first to resolve Boarding actions (see Boarding Action).

Ship Token

The Ship token tracks game progress on the Central board.

Hat Token

The First Player takes the Hat token and keeps it for the entire game. It helps you remember who is the First Player at any moment.

Setup

1. Place the Central board on the table (2-3 player side for 2-3 players, 4-player side for 4 players) and place the Ship token on the starting space.

2. Each player places a Captain board in front of himself.

3. Shuffle all Loot cards to form the deck, and place it in the middle of the table.

   For 2-player games, before you shuffle the Loot cards remove:

   • all Siren's Song Relic cards,
   • 5 random Object cards,
   • 5 random Rum cards,
   • 5 random Pirate cards.

4. Place the first three cards from the deck face-down on the outlined spaces of the Central board to make shares of Loot.

5. Give 3 Doubloons to each player and put the rest on the table to make the bank.

6. The last person who drank rum is First Player. Give him the Parrot and the Hat tokens.

Gameplay

In each round of the game, players take turns divvying up shares of Loot to gain Rum, Relics, Objects, and Pirates. In some rounds, when ships are flying close together, they will also clash in a Boarding action, using the effects of any Pirates they picked up to gain Doubloons and plunder Loot.

Divvy Up Shares

Starting with the First Player and playing clockwise, take the first share of Loot (the face-down card(s) on the leftmost 1 Loot space). Look at it secretly. Then, two choices are available:

1. Take the Share

Place all the cards in the share in the appropriate places around your Captain board. Place Rum or Secret cards face-down. Place all other cards face-up. Then draw a card from the deck and place it face-down on the Loot space you just emptied.

If a share of Loot has multiple cards, you must take all cards in the share. You choose the order in which you play them.

Example: If you take a share that has a Beer and a Pirate, you may play the Beer and apply its effect before playing the Pirate around your Captain board.

Note: If a share of Loot is emptied, whether from a player, Object, or Pirate, immediately replenish it with the top card of the deck, face-down.

2. Leave the Share

Place the card(s) you looked at back on the space, and put the top card of the deck on it, face-down. By leaving a share of Loot, you increase its value for the next player, but you can also look at the next share to search for something better.

A share of Loot can have a maximum of three cards. If you would add a fourth card for any reason, place a Doubloon from the bank on it instead.

Note: If the deck is emptied before the game ends, continue adding Doubloons instead of cards.

If you leave share 1, take share 2 and proceed in the same manner as for share 1. If you leave this one too, do the same thing with share 3.

You must look at the shares of Loot in order starting with share 1. You cannot look at share 3 before you leave share 1 and 2.

If no shares interest you, take the top card of the deck. Put it around your Captain board, face-up or face-down according to type, or discard it if it has an immediate effect, after resolving its effect.

Note: You can always look at the card backs on top of the deck to see which card types (Rum, Relic, Object, or Pirate) are coming up.

After you place one or more cards around your Captain board, your turn ends. The next player's turn begins, to look at share 1 of the Loot.

When all players have received at least one Loot card, advance the Ship token one space on the Central board. A new round begins.

Example:

1. You look at the first share of Loot, which has three cards. You decide to leave it and put it back face-down on its space. The share already has three cards, so you add a Doubloon from the bank on the share instead of a new card.
2. You look at the second share of Loot, which has two cards. You also decide to leave it and return it face-down on its space. You add one card from the deck face-down to this share.
3. You look at the third share of Loot, which has two cards. You decide to take it. You place the two cards around your Captain board after resolving any effects, as necessary.
4. You take the top card from the deck and place it on the empty Loot space to make a new share. Now it's the next player's turn.

Boarding Action

If the Ship token is about to leave an island with this symbol, then a Boarding action occurs before you begin the next turn. In a Boarding action, everyone engages in combat with their neighbors to trigger effects on Pirate cards.

Pirate effects are triggered for each victory won against players directly to your right and left, unless there is a 1x on the card. In this case, the effect only triggers once in the action, regardless of the total number of victories.

Note: if you have no Pirates, you cannot win a combat.

Strength of the Crew

To determine the winner of a combat, calculate the strength of your Captain: it is the strength of all your Pirates, and any possible bonuses or penalties. If your strength is greater than one of the two players you battle (to your left and right), you win.

Example: With these three Pirates in your crew and the Rusty Sword, your strength is 7 (4 + 2 + 2 - 1).

Resolution of Pirate Effects

Once you determine who has won combat, resolve pirate effects. Starting with the player who has the Parrot token and continuing clockwise, apply your Pirate effects in the order of your choice for each of your victories. If you have no victories, nothing happens.

When an effect says "Steal", you may only steal from the Captain(s) you beat in combat. If the opponent you pillage has no Doubloons or Rum, nothing happens.

When an effect says "Exchange", you can only exchange with the Captain(s) you beat in combat. If the opponent with whom you exchange has no Objects or Rum, nothing happens.

When an effect says "Gain" Doubloons on a Pirate card, take Doubloons from the bank.

Note: You cannot have more than two victories in a round, since you only compare strength against your neighbors directly to your left and right. However, you can have just one victory (if your strength is greater than one opponent and less than the other) or no victories at all.

At the end of the Boarding action, discard all Pirates and begin a new round.

Boarding with Two Players

In 2-player games, you can only have one victory in a Boarding action.

Example: With your three Pirates, you have a total strength of 6. Sara has a strength of 4. Timm has a strength of 2. And with no Pirates, Jeff has a strength of 0.

You win your two combats. Sara beats Timm. Timm beats Jeff. Jeff is just embarrassed.

Now Pirate effects trigger, starting with Jeff, since he has the Parrot token. With no Pirates, nothing happens for Jeff.

With Rachel Cruz, you steal Doubloons from each opponent you beat (Jeff and Sara), for a total of Doubloons. A Steward lets you take a Doubloon from the bank one time only (1x), even though you won twice. Finally, the Cook lets you seize the Parrot token from Jeff and put it in front of you. All your Pirate effects are done.

Sara lost to you, but she beat Timm. Thanks to Monsieur Plume, Timm must discard an Object card of his choice.

Finally, Timm's Boatswain collects a Doubloon from the bank. All players discard all pirates, and begin a new round.

End of the Game and Scoring

When the ship token reaches the last island on the Central board, play the last round normally, carry out a final Boarding action, and the game ends.

Count your victory points to determine who is the most famous Pirate of the air by adding:

• the value of your Doubloons (each Doubloon is worth one victory point),
• the value of your Rum,
• the value of your Relic collections,
• the value of your Secrets,
• the value of your Object bonuses.

The Captain with the most victory points wins the game and is hailed Pirate King! In case of tie, the player with the Parrot wins. Otherwise, the player with the most Doubloons wins. If it is still a tie, the player with the most Rum cards wins.

Card Clarifications

Chest

If you lose one combat, you must give the Chest and all Doubloons on it to the player who beat you. When he takes the chest, he takes one Doubloon from the bank and puts it on his Captain board. If you lose both combats, the player with the higher strength takes the Chest. The player who has the Chest at the end of the game receives all remaining Doubloons on it.

Lookout

If you win a combat with the Lookout, choose any card in any Loot share, without looking at it. You may choose based on the card back (Rum, Relic, Object, or Pirate), but you cannot look at the front until you take it. Play this card around your Captain board.

Monsieur Plume

If you won with Monsieur Plume, choose a player you defeated. This player chooses an Object card face-up in front of him and discards it.

Effect Symbols

• Object
• Relic
• Rum
• Pirate
• Discard After Use
• 1 Doubloon
• 3 Doubloons
• 5 Doubloons
• 1x — One Use Only
• Two Victory Points
• Secret
• Most Rum
• Most Relics
• Most Top-shelf Rum
• Collector's Rum
• Most Doubloons

Credits

Designer: Théo Rivière Artist: Miguel Coimbra Project Manager: Ludovic Papaïs Translator: Danni Loe-Sterphone Product Manager US: Jeff Quick

©2016 IELLO USA LLC. IELLO, SEA OF CLOUDS, and their logos are trademarks of IELLO USA LLC.

The designer wishes to thank all the playtesters of the game. Special thanks to: my parents, LOR + M, Élodie, Eli Frot, Antoine Bauza, Bruno Cathala, Ludovic Maublanc, Corentin Lebrat, Nicolas Normandon, La Cafetière, Gabriel Durnerin, Sébastien Dujardin, la cuisine du CNJ, Matthieu Lanvin, Matthieu Bonin, Nicolas Sato, Masumi Sato, Judith Brustlein, Virginie Papaïs (comme le maïs), Miguel "légendaire" Coimbra, Florian Deshayes, Chloé Deshayes, Ann Pichot, Alexis VanderBruck, Yann Barthelheimer and all the Cool Games team, Benoît Forget, Alain Balaÿ, Mathieu Rivero, Samuel Colin, Maxime Rambourg, Timothée Simonot, Virginie Gilson, Vincent Vogel, Karoline Piccin and all the people that I forgot (sorry!).

A special thank you to Ludovic Papais for his confidence, sympathy, and professionalism. Without you, we would not be here, coconut.