Sea of Legends
Sea of Legends Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Overview
Sea of Legends is played in a series of turns over multiple rounds. Players will alternate taking turns, before the mighty Factions will make their move, shaking things up and concluding the round.
During your turn, you'll improve your fame by attempting to collect Notoriety and taking one of these actions:
- Go on an Adventure, where you'll interact with your Lover, Nemesis, and all the wild and crazy peoples of the Caribbean through the Sea of Legends app. You can even forge an alliance with one of the Factions!
- Take a Port Action, where you'll be able to acquire a new Ship, hire Crew, kick back at the Tavern to win some coin, or, as any pirate should, bury your gold in an infamous treasure hoard.
- Declare a Challenge, where you'll cleave through a Faction's Followers, defeat the legendary figures leading the Faction, conquer Ports for your own gain, and even battle other players on the high seas.
Every action you take may help contribute to your overall Notoriety. Will you be known for having the fastest ship or the fiercest crew of cutthroats? Perhaps for ravaging Ports or scuttling Spanish Galleons? Will you seek True Love or carve a swathe of bloody vengeance in pursuit of your Nemesis? The choice is yours!
After each player has taken a turn, the seas tremble as the Factions take their turn. These powerful forces will foil your plans while pursuing their own.
However, you've got to be quick! It's a race to build your legend across the Caribbean and acquire enough Notoriety to win before the Factions or your fellow pirates leave you tragically forgotten.
Game Components
- 1 game board
- Captains
- 4 captain miniatures
- 4 captain adventure tokens
- 4 lover adventure tokens
- 4 nemesis adventure tokens
- 4 secondary lover/nemesis adventure tokens
- 20 captain flags (5 each of 4 colors)
- 4 captain rings
- 4 captain cards
- 20 lover / nemesis cards
- 4 captain dice
- 14 bonus dice
- 1 first player token
- 30 x 5-gold tokens
- 30 x 1-gold tokens
- 10 ship cards (4 class 2, 6 class 3)
- 4 starter ship cards (class 1)
- 40 crew cards
- 12 starter crew cards
- 50 tavern cards
- 40 notoriety tokens
- 30 favor / malice tokens
- 12 NPC strength tokens
- 4 player aid cards
- 5 faction objective aids
Factions
Each Faction — the Spanish Armada, Atlantean Usurpers, British Empire, Children of Tlaloc, and Dread Tide — includes its own set of components:
- Spanish Armada: 1 fort, 1 flag, 8 Spanish Galleon miniatures, 3 Calm Sea cards, 18 Faction deck (Relics), 1 NPC stat card, 6 event cards, 1 corsair's pike
- Atlantean Usurpers: 1 flag, 1 fort, 9 trophies, 3 wound tokens, 4 Seeker miniatures, 1 King Alaran miniature, 3 faction lover/nemesis cards, 29 faction deck (legendary crew and relics), 2 NPC stat cards, 6 event cards
- British Empire: 1 fort, 7 flags, 6 Naval Officer miniatures, 1 Admiral miniature, 3 faction lover/nemesis cards, 21 faction deck (legendary crew and relics), 2 NPC stat cards, 1 royal treasury card, 6 event cards
- Children of Tlaloc: 1 flag, 1 fort, 4 summoning relics, 6 Merfolk Guardian miniatures, 1 Tetzahuitl miniature, 3 faction lover/nemesis cards, 25 faction deck (legendary crew and relics), 2 NPC stat cards, 6 event cards
- Dread Tide: 1 flag, 1 fort, 5 infestation tokens, 6 Undead Soldier miniatures, 1 Skeletal Colossus miniature, 3 faction lover/nemesis cards, 21 faction deck (legendary crew and relics), 2 NPC stat cards, 6 event cards
Component Overview
Symbols
The board and cards use icons for: notoriety, player icon, captain, lover, nemesis, tavern, hiring hall, shipyard, hideout, bonus dice, movement, fort, NPC faction, NPC strength, strength values, gold cost, and gold gained.
Player Components
- Captain Card: shows the player icon, captain icon, starting location, and captain ability.
- Lover Card: shows the lover icon and starting location. A Favor token starts adjacent to the topmost ability; as you gain Favor, move the token down to mark unlocked abilities.
- Nemesis Card: shows the nemesis icon and starting location. A Malice token starts adjacent to the topmost ability; as your Nemesis becomes stronger, move the token down to mark unlocked abilities.
- Adventure Tokens: four types — Captain, Lover, Secondary Lover/Nemesis, and Nemesis.
Card & Component Anatomy
Ship Card: ship name, gold cost, class, bonus dice, crew capacity, movement, and notoriety value.
Crew Card: gold cost and ability.
Tavern Card: has three sections — 1. Tavern Game, 2. Rumor, 3. Item or Relic. A claimed Item or Relic card can be flipped around to its other side.
Objective Aids (Faction Cards): each shows the Faction, and an Objective Resolution flowchart used to resolve an NPC's Evaluate Objective step.
Event Cards: the front shows the Faction symbol and name plus Faction gameplay instructions; all Event card backs look identical. Combine and shuffle this deck before gameplay begins.
NPC Stat Cards: the front shows the NPC name and type, NPC Strength token, NPC levels and stats (Objective, Move, Attack, and Special text at each Strength level), and Rewards. The back shows the NPC's Faction icon.
Other Game Pieces — Dice: Captain dice (blue) show faces for lover, captain, nemesis, "2", "1", and "1". Bonus dice (white) show faces for lover, captain, nemesis, "1", "1", and "1". See Die Faces under Declare a Challenge for what each face does.
Game Setup
Game Setup
Download the Sea of Legends App at www.guildhallstudios.com/downloads. Sea of Legends is an app driven boardgame that uses a digital device or computer to help provide dynamic and interesting storytelling for your pirate adventures.
- Install the Sea of Legends app on a compatible Android, iOS, MacOS, or Windows device.
- Place the game board central to all players.
- Shuffle the Tavern cards to create the Tavern deck.
- Take all Gunner, Navigator and Quartermaster Crew cards and set them aside as the Starter Crew deck. Shuffle the remaining Crew cards to create the Crew deck.
- Take all Class 1 Ship cards and set them aside as the Starter Ship deck. The remaining Ship cards are the Ship deck. Do not shuffle.
- Place the 4 blue Captain dice, 14 white Bonus dice, Gold, Notoriety, NPC Strength, and a few Favor/Malice (double-sided) tokens in the supply.
- Collect and shuffle the Lover/Nemesis cards without a Faction Icon to create the Lover/Nemesis deck.
- In addition to the Spanish Armada, choose two Factions.
- If this is your first time playing, choose: Children of Tlaloc and Dread Tide.
- Check the Faction Guides for additional instructions.
- Perform steps 8a-8f for all three Factions.
- Place the NPC Stat cards and the Faction Objective Aid near the board.
- Take the 3 Event cards for your player count (either 1-2 players or 3+ players) and set them aside. Return the rest to the box.
- Place the Faction deck (Legendary Crew and Relic cards) near the board. Do not shuffle.
- Place the Faction Lover/Nemesis cards near the board (the Spanish Armada does not have Lover/Nemesis cards). Do not shuffle.
- Place the Faction's Fort, Flag, and other tokens in the supply.
- Place the Faction's miniatures in the supply.
- Collect the set aside Event cards (9 in total). Shuffle these together to create the Event deck.
- Randomly determine the first player and place the First Player token in front of them.
Player setup is explained below.
Player Setup
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The first player selects a Captain card and places it in front of them. The Player Icon (top left corner) should be white. Remaining players repeat in clockwise order.
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Each player takes their matching Captain miniature, as well as the Flags and Adventure tokens that match their Player Icon and color.
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Take the Lover/Nemesis deck and deal three cards to each player. Each player selects one card to be their Lover, another card to be their Nemesis, and returns the remaining card to the Lover/Nemesis deck.
If this is your first time playing, we suggest using:
- Captain Kahina, Lover Magpie & Nemesis Josephine
- Captain Cesare, Lover Clara & Nemesis Axe Fist
- Captain Spell, Lover Mireya & Nemesis Nasir
- Captain Ton, Lover John & Nemesis Olivia
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Each player places their Lover card to the left of their Captain card with a Favor token adjacent to their Lover's topmost ability. Then each player places their Nemesis card to the right of their Captain card with a Malice token adjacent to their Nemesis's topmost ability.
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Each player places their Captain, Lover and Nemesis Adventure tokens on the game board in the region specified under the corresponding card's name. Place your Captain miniature with your Captain Adventure token. Place your Secondary Lover/Nemesis Adventure token with your Flag tokens.
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Each player takes a Class 1 Ship from the Starter Ship deck and places it below their Lover. Each player takes 1 Gunner, 1 Navigator, and 1 Quartermaster from the Starter Crew deck and places them below their Captain and Nemesis cards. Return any remaining cards to the box.
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Each player takes 8 gold from the supply.
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The player to the right of the first player places a Spanish Galleon in a Sea region (a region without a name).
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Open the Sea of Legends app and follow the instructions, making sure to appropriately assign Captains, Lovers, Nemeses, and Factions.
Turn to the Gameplay section for the Prologue!
Captain
Your Captain card represents your pirate character in Sea of Legends. Your Captain card begins the game with the non-Legendary side (white Player Icon) facing up. Every Captain has a special ability that represents their unique skills in combat, sailing, or charisma. As you go on Adventures your Captain will meet interesting characters, encounter dangerous forces, and get powerful rewards. Go on enough Captain Adventures and you may be instructed to flip your Captain card to the Legendary side (gold Player Icon). This boosts your Captain ability and makes you even more powerful.
Lover
Your Lover card represents your companion and partner throughout your Adventures. Lovers offer you unique abilities that will assist you on your high-seas Adventures. If you go on a Lover Adventure, your Lover will grow in affection for you, and you'll move the Favor token one space down their card to indicate that you have unlocked more of their abilities. It is even possible to gain an additional Lover through careful gameplay.
Nemesis
Your Nemesis card represents your sworn enemy. Your Nemesis will try to interfere with your plans. Some Event cards and Tavern cards force you to move your Nemesis' Malice token downward, unlocking more of their troublesome abilities. You can thwart your Nemesis by going on Nemesis Adventures. At the end of each Nemesis Adventure, you'll move the Malice token one space up the card, reducing their abilities. With enough effort and luck, you may even be able to remove your Nemesis's card from play. Careful though! You certainly wouldn't want an additional Nemesis.
Gold
Gold represents the loot your Captain accumulates on their adventures. Hoarding too much gold can make you a target for other enterprising players. You can avoid this, and gain Notoriety, by burying gold.
Flag Tokens
You'll use your Flag tokens to indicate that you have captured a Port. Be careful though! Other players and Factions can also capture Ports and block your access to them. Additionally, Flags may be placed or removed as the result of some Adventures.
Adventure Tokens
Adventure tokens represent the location your app-driven stories will take place. There are 3 Adventure token types: Captain, Lover, and Nemesis. You'll be instructed to move these tokens to different locations on the board. Usually these will be Port locations, but sometimes you'll put your Adventure token on another Player's Captain card. At the end of an Adventure, the app will instruct you to move the relevant token to a new location.
Secondary Lover/Nemesis
During the course of your Adventures, it is possible to acquire a Secondary Lover or Nemesis. This will unlock a fourth Adventure type utilizing the Secondary Lover/Nemesis token. The app will instruct you on how to set this up.
Crew
Your Crew cards represent the first mates, sailors, and other scalawags you are able to put to work on your ship. Each Crew card can be Exhausted to use an ability which can impact Port Actions, dice rolls, and other game mechanics. Make sure to Refresh them by taking a Port Action so that you can use them again! Hiring new (and more expensive) Crew is a good way to earn Notoriety.
Ship
Your Ship card represents your trusty vessel. No pirate worth their powder is going to do much plundering in the Caribbean without a boat. Ships come in three classes, and have important stats representing the power of your cannons, speed of your sails and room in the cabins for crew. Upgrading your Ship is a good way to earn Notoriety.
Gameplay
Captain Prologue
Before the first Game Round begins, players will take turns going through their Prologue Adventure using the app.
Your Prologue is the first story of your Captain Adventure. It offers you a choice that affects the path your Adventures take. To begin a Prologue, the first player takes the device with the app and clicks on their Captain's portrait.
The first player reads their Prologue and makes a choice to learn the results. The player with the app then passes the device to the player on their left, who selects their Captain's portrait and reads through their Prologue. Optionally, any player may have another player read their story aloud.
Repeat until everyone has resolved their Prologue. Then the first Game Round begins. Do not pass the First Player token.
Round Summary
— Round Begins —
Player Turn — Move and take any one Action in any order.
Movement: Move up to the number of regions indicated by your Ship's movement, as well as any additional modifiers from your Tableau.
Player Actions:
- Go on an Adventure — Use the app to go on an Adventure.
- Take a Port Action — First, Refresh all Crew. Then take the action that matches your region's icon:
- Tavern — earn gold, find Rumors and Items
- Hiring Hall — hire Crew
- Shipyard — buy a Ship
- Hideout — bury gold
- Declare a Challenge — Challenge an NPC, Port, or player.
- Must Challenge hostile NPCs in your region.
- Highest Strength wins, challenger wins ties.
Faction Turn — Controlled by first player.
Faction Actions:
- Activate Faction
- A. Activate NPC
- A1. Evaluate Objective
- A2. Move
- A3. Attack
- A4. Special Actions
- B. Repeat steps A1-A4 for all other NPCs in active Faction
- A. Activate NPC
- Repeat step 1 for all other Factions
- End of Faction Turn
- A. Check for Winner
- B. Draw an Event Card
- C. Pass the First Player Token
— Round Ends —
— Win the Game — Repeat rounds until a Faction or player wins.
The Game Round
Each round, every player takes a turn, starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise around the table. After all players have taken a turn, the Faction Turn is resolved, with the first player activating each of the Factions in play, one at a time, in an order of their choosing. At the end of the Faction Turn, an Event card is resolved and the First Player token is passed clockwise to the next player.
Player Turn
Players will move their Captain around the Caribbean, represented by a map on the game board, and take Player Actions in an effort to gain Notoriety. On your turn, you may move once and you may take one Player Action.
Game Board
The game board is divided into Sea and Port regions. Sea regions do not have a name or label. Port regions are identified with a Port Label which includes the Port's name, Port Type icon, Strength banner, and one or more Reward banners.
Ports
Ports represent the various population centers throughout the islands of the Caribbean. Most Player Actions take place in Ports. Each Port has a specific action you can take based on its Port Type icon: Tavern, Hiring Hall, Shipyard, or Hideout. Adventures are usually located in Port regions.
You may even Challenge a Port to Capture it and plant your Flag and gain valuable rewards. Flags are the most common types of token that modify Ports.
Captured Ports: A Captured Port is any Port with a Flag on its Port Label.
- You may not take a Port Action at a Port controlled by another player or Faction.
Player Movement
Your base movement is the number on the Movement banner on your Ship card. This number may be further modified by other cards in your Player Tableau. You may move into any region that is adjacent to your current region. You may move up to your modified movement. All movement must be completed at once, but may come before or after you take a Player Action.
- If you move into a region with a hostile NPC, you must stop and Challenge them.
- You may not move into a region with a hostile NPC unless you have your Player Action available to Declare a Challenge.
- If you start your turn in a region with a hostile NPC, you may move out of the region, but if you choose to stay in the region you must Challenge the NPC.
Example: Kahina wants to move 3 regions from Cartagena to Havana. Her Ship has a movement of 2. However, her Navigator Crew card states "Exhaust to gain 1 movement." Kahina Exhausts the Navigator by turning it sideways, increasing her movement to 3. This allows her to complete the distance and arrive at Havana on her turn.
Hostile
Factions in each game maintain an alignment of hostile, neutral, or allied in relationship to other Factions and each player. By default, NPCs are hostile to players and NPCs of other Factions. Players are not hostile to each other. (See Faction Alignment for more information.)
Player Actions
Each turn you may take up to one Player Action. These include:
- Go on an Adventure, where you will use the app to go on Adventure.
- Take a Port Action, where you can visit a Tavern, Hiring Hall, Shipyard, or Hideout.
- Declare a Challenge against an NPC, Port, or player.
Note: You may not take a Player Action, other than a Challenge, in a region with a hostile NPC.
Additionally, you may be able to use other abilities and take Free Actions during your turn. (See Player Turn & Tableau for more details.)
Player Actions
Go on an Adventure
At its heart, Sea of Legends is a storytelling game where your Captain will go on wild (perhaps magical) adventures. To continue your Captain Adventure (the adventure from your Prologue), pursue an Adventure with your Lover, or thwart your Nemesis, you'll take the Go on an Adventure action. Each Adventure you go on is one episode in either your Captain, Lover, or Nemesis story arc.
There are three types of Adventures: Captain, Lover, and Nemesis. To take the Go on an Adventure action, your Captain must be in the same region as the corresponding Adventure token.
Note: You can only take this action if there are no hostile NPCs in the region.
Example: Ton is in Cartagena along with his Lover and Nemesis Adventure tokens. Ton's player chooses to Go on an Adventure and selects Ton's Lover Adventure. Kahina is in Port Royal along with her Captain Adventure token and an Undead Soldier. Kahina's player may not choose to Go on an Adventure in this region because there is a hostile NPC.
When you choose to Go on an Adventure:
- Select your Captain in the Sea of Legends app.
- Select the appropriate Adventure token on the map.
After selecting your Adventure token in the app, we suggest you read the Adventure out loud, letting everyone at the table savor your peril! Optionally, you may have another player read your adventure aloud.
Each Adventure includes an important choice. When prompted, make a choice on which path to follow. Your decision will influence how your Lover, Nemesis, and even the mighty Factions react to your Captain.
While most paths may be freely chosen, some Adventure paths will require that you attempt a Challenge or pay a Cost to choose that option. These additional requirements will be clearly stated before you choose that path. These Costs must be paid immediately for you to select that path (i.e. you cannot select a "Discard 1 Crew" path unless you have a Crew card to Discard).
Example: If a player selects "Maneuver through the trap" they will have to attempt a difficulty 5 Challenge. To select the first response, they must discard 1 Crew. If they cannot or do not wish to discard 1 Crew, they must select the second response.
Results
Adventures have consequences! When you complete an Adventure, the Results section will display the rewards you gain, remind you of any Costs you had to pay (gold, Exhaust/Discard Crew, etc), and instruct you to move your Adventure token to a new region. You may find gold, Crew, Items, Notoriety, or even a Relic on your Adventures. But be careful! You might just lose them too.
Captain Adventure
Captain Adventures are the only way to unlock your Legendary Captain ability. Complete three Captain Adventures and you'll be instructed to flip your Captain card over, allowing you to use your Legendary Captain ability.
Note: The Prologue Adventure counts as your first Captain Adventure.
Captain Adventures also focus on building a relationship with one of the Factions through their representative character. As your relationship improves, they'll have greater rewards to offer you, but they will expect more and more from you.
Faction Results may include:
- Gain a Faction character as a Legendary Crew
- Reveal your Secondary Lover Adventure Arc
- Gain a Faction Ally Relic (for a neutral Alignment with that Faction)
- Place Faction Flag or Fort tokens
Lover Adventure
Lover Adventures focus on improving your relationship with your Lover and unlocking their Lover abilities.
Nemesis Adventure
Your Nemesis Adventures allow you to reduce the strength of your Nemesis by removing their Nemesis abilities. If you complete a Nemesis Adventure Arc (3 episodes), you can even defeat your Nemesis and remove their card from play.
Postscripts
Sometimes the choices you make on an Adventure will affect another player in the game. After a player completes an Adventure, you may see a screen popup that states "Elsewhere in the Caribbean…" These are called Postscripts.
Each Postscript is directed to a specific Captain and usually gives them an opportunity to react to another player's Adventure. Don't forget to read it aloud! Accepting a Postscript from a Faction will alter the course of your next Adventure and give you a chance to improve your relationship with that Faction. Rejecting a Faction's request for help will weaken your relationship with the Faction and may even jeopardize your Legendary Crew or Faction Lover.
Secondary Lover/Nemesis
During your Adventures you may turn a Faction character into a Lover (or Nemesis) for you to pursue! If you gain an additional Lover or Nemesis, you'll use the Secondary Lover/Nemesis Adventure token to track these Adventures on the game board. The app will instruct you when to take a Secondary Lover/Nemesis card and where to place the Secondary Lover/Nemesis Adventure token.
Take a Port Action
There are four Port Types in Sea of Legends: Tavern, Hiring Hall, Shipyard, and Hideout.
Each Port Type icon represents a Port Action you can take. To take a Port Action, a player must be in a Port region. You can only take the type of action indicated by the icon shown at the Port (ex: you can only hire Crew at Ports with the Hiring Hall icon).
Note: You can only take a Port Action if there are no hostile NPCs in the region and the Port is not controlled by another player or Faction.
When you begin any Port Action, first Refresh all of your exhausted Crew.
Tavern Action
At the local Tavern you will find games of chance to test your luck (or guile) and overhear rumors of treasures that are the essence of pirating life. When you take the Tavern action, draw the top card of the Tavern deck and read each section aloud. Each Tavern card has three sections. You will use all three in order.
- Tavern Game. Each Tavern card has a Tavern Game at the top of the card. Pirates cheat, so they never walk away empty handed. You may be prompted to choose between two possible outcomes. After reading this section, immediately gain the reward listed on the card. If the reward is gold, take this gold from the supply.
- Rumor. After a few drinks, the locals may get chatty! Some Tavern cards have a Rumor about a Relic that you can claim by going to the Port region specified on the card. Place the Tavern card, Rumor side up, in your Player Tableau. Other Tavern cards have Items that you claim immediately.
- Item or Relic. Items are single-use cards that have powerful-but-limited effects. Immediately rotate the Tavern card and gain it as an Item by placing it in your Player Tableau.
Relics have special abilities and are worth Notoriety while held. If a player is in the region stated in the Rumor, they may claim the Relic as a Free Action by rotating the Tavern card so that it is Relic side up.
If a Tavern card is revealed and not kept, or if a Tavern card is discarded, place it face up in the Tavern discard pile. If you need to draw a Tavern card and there are none remaining in the Tavern deck, shuffle the Tavern discard pile to create a new Tavern deck and draw a card.
Note: When gaining a Tavern card by any means other than the Tavern Action, skip playing any Tavern Games.
Hiring Hall Action
The Hiring Hall is where you hire the sailors that a pirate such as yourself needs. The pirate life is not without dangers, so you'll need some gold to sink in their pockets before they call you Captain.
When you take the Hiring Hall action, draw the top three cards of the Crew deck. Each Crew card has a gold cost in the top right of the card. You may spend gold to hire as many revealed Crew as you can afford. Return spent gold to the supply. Any Crew revealed but not hired are placed face up in the Crew discard pile.
If you need to draw a Crew card and there are none remaining in the Crew deck, shuffle the Crew discard pile to create a new Crew deck and draw cards until you reach the required amount.
Look under the Crew Capacity icon on your Ship card to see Crew capacity. If you exceed your Crew capacity, you must discard Crew down to your Crew capacity. Discarded Starter Crew are returned to the game box.
Note: Legendary Crew do not take up space aboard your ship and may not be discarded unless an Adventure instructs you to do so.
Note: You gain 1 Notoriety for every 10 gold worth of Crew employed aboard your ship.
Shipyard Action
A fearsome Captain without a fearsome Ship isn't much of a pirate. Visit a Port with a Shipyard when you are ready to expand into a vessel that will strike fear into the hearts of mariners and rival pirates.
When you take the Shipyard action, search the entire Ship deck for a Ship of equal or higher Class than your current Ship. You may purchase that Ship for its gold cost. A Ship's gold cost and Class are listed on the top right of the Ship card.
When purchasing a new Ship, you must trade in your old Ship, subtracting the gold cost of your current Ship from the gold cost of the Ship you'd like to buy. Always discard your old Ship card after acquiring a new Ship. Discarded Class 1 Ship cards are returned to the game box. Discarded Class 2 and Class 3 Ship cards are returned to the Ship deck.
Upgrading to a higher Class Ship earns you Notoriety! Whenever you acquire a Ship of a higher Class than your current Ship, you gain the Notoriety listed on the Ship card. Take this Notoriety from the supply and place it on your Captain card.
- Class 2 Ships reward 1 Notoriety
- Class 3 Ships reward 2 Notoriety
Example: A player takes a Shipyard action and purchases a Class 2 Ship. They return 15 gold to the supply and select a Class 2 Ship, the Peggy, from the Ship deck. Their Class 1 Ship is returned to the game box. The player places their new ship in their Player Tableau, and then, because they acquired a higher Class Ship, they take 1 Notoriety and place it on their Captain card.
Later, flush with gold from plunder, they take another Shipyard action. The player selects a Class 3 Ship, the Ironwind, with a cost of 35 gold. They trade in the Peggy and return it to the Ship deck, reducing the cost of their new Ship by 15 gold. They return 20 gold to the supply (35 gold - 15 gold = 20 gold) and place the Ironwind in their Player Tableau. Finally, because they've acquired a higher Class Ship than the one being traded in, they take an additional 2 Notoriety and place them on their Captain card. They've now gained 3 Notoriety from the two Shipyard actions.
Hideout Action
It's dangerous for a pirate to keep their piles of gold on their Ship! Some Ports are the perfect places to secretly stow plunder so it can't be stolen.
When you take the Hideout action, you bury gold to gain Notoriety, gaining 1 Notoriety for every 10 gold buried.
- You can only bury gold in increments of 10. Burying more than 10 gold is considered one action (ex: if you have 25 gold, you can bury 10 for 1 Notoriety, or 20 for 2 Notoriety).
- Notoriety is taken from the supply and placed on your Captain card.
- Buried gold is returned to the supply.
Declare a Challenge
Players may Challenge NPCs, Ports, and other players. The NPC or Port Strength represents the difficulty of a Challenge. Players do not have a Strength stat. Challenges require that the player roll dice to generate Strength. If the challenging player's Strength equals or exceeds the Strength of their target, the target is defeated. A defeated target will provide a player with rewards.
When you Declare a Challenge, you take the following steps to resolve it:
- Declare a Challenge
- Determine your dice pool
- Roll your dice
- Dice assignment and manipulation
- Nemesis abilities
- Player vs player
- Compare Strength
- Outcomes
Note: Use the same steps when resolving an Adventure Challenge.
Die Faces:
- Add 1 to the total Strength of this roll.
- Add 2 to the total Strength of this roll.
- Assign to activate a Captain ability.
- Assign to activate a Lover ability.
- Must activate 1 or more Nemesis abilities.
1. Declare a Challenge
You may Challenge an NPC, Port, or player in your region.
You must Challenge a hostile NPC if:
- You move into a region with a hostile NPC.
- You start your turn in a region with a hostile NPC, and choose to stay in the region.
If you are in a region with one or more hostile NPCs, you must Challenge the NPC with the highest Strength. All allied NPCs in a region fight together as a single NPC. To determine their Strength, take the Strength of the strongest NPC from their NPC Stat card and add to it the Ally bonus of each additional allied NPC in the region to calculate the Challenge difficulty.
Note: NPCs providing an Ally bonus are defeated together with the defending NPC, providing additional rewards.
Challenge a Port: When Challenging a Port, the Challenge difficulty is equal to the Port's Strength, found on the Port Label. Ports never gain an Ally bonus.
Note: You may not Challenge a Port if there is a Fort token in that region.
Challenge a Player: When challenging another player, the player declaring the Challenge is the challenging player, while their target is the defending player.
2. Determine Your Dice Pool
Build your dice pool by starting with the four Captain dice (blue), then add any Bonus dice (white) you have available from Crew, Items, Relics, Lovers, and your Ship.
- You may never roll more than eighteen dice (4 Captain dice + 14 Bonus dice).
- You may only add dice to your pool before you roll, so choose wisely!
3. Roll Your Dice
Once you have determined your total dice pool, roll all the dice. Add together any numerals to determine your base Strength for the Challenge. While the Captain, Lover, and Nemesis icons don't directly modify Strength, they can activate various abilities that will affect your Strength.
4. Dice Assignment and Manipulation
Pirates don't play fair! You can manipulate your dice roll result with abilities from your Player Tableau. You may activate Items, Relics, and the abilities of your Crew, Captain and Lover in any order. While Crew must be exhausted to use their ability, Captain and Lover abilities may be activated multiple times, unless stated otherwise.
Abilities
- Abilities can either be activated when conditions are met or activated by assigning dice.
- If an ability changes a die face, rotate the appropriate die to the new face.
Crew
- Hired Crew arrive Refreshed and may be used immediately.
- Crew may be Exhausted and Refreshed multiple times.
Items and Relics
- Claimed Items and Relics may be used immediately.
Assigned Abilities
To assign icons to activate a Captain or Lover ability:
- Assign a Captain or Lover icon to an ability by placing a die with the corresponding icon next to the ability text.
- Once assigned, a die face may not be changed by any ability.
- Assigned dice are still counted as part of the dice pool.
- You may activate most abilities multiple times.
EXCEPTION: Some abilities allow you to draw from the Crew or Tavern deck. Each icon assigned allows you to draw 1 card, but you may only assign dice and resolve the ability once per Challenge. This does not prevent you from using a similar ability from another source.
Example: Kahina's Legendary Captain ability 'Plunder' states: For every Captain icon assigned, draw 1 Tavern card. Then choose up to 2 of the drawn Items or Rumors to keep. The player in this example has assigned 3 Captain icons to Kahina's 'Plunder' ability. They draw three cards from the Tavern deck, but may only keep up to two total Items or Rumors.
5. Nemesis Abilities
Nemesis abilities are resolved once all dice assignment and manipulation is complete. Remaining dice with Nemesis icons are not assigned, but rather the total establishes a threshold. For each Nemesis you have, activate each of their abilities in descending order until the threshold is reached. Only unlocked abilities are activated, and no ability is activated more than once.
6. Player vs. Player
Repeat steps 2–5 for the defending player.
7. Compare Strength
Add the Ally bonus to your Strength from any allied NPCs in the region. You may only add this bonus if the NPC is hostile to your target. Compare the challenger's Strength to the NPC, Port, or defending player's Strength. Highest Strength wins. The challenger wins ties.
8. Outcomes
Successfully defeating an NPC, Port, or player will earn you rewards. When you defeat an NPC/Player, you also defeat each NPC in the region that provided them with an Ally bonus.
Defeat an NPC
- Gain the Rewards on the NPC's Stat card.
- Gain the NPC's held gold, Notoriety and/or Faction Objective tokens (stacked under their base or on their Stat card).
- Return the defeated NPC to the supply.
Note: Resolve defeated NPC rewards one at a time.
Defeat (Capture) a Port
- Gain the Port reward listed on the Port Label.
- Remove any Flag from the Port Label.
- Place your Captain Flag on the Port Label.
- Check Faction Guide for other Faction token interactions.
Defeat a Player
The winning player gains ONE of the following:
- Half of the defeated player's gold (rounded down).
- One of the defeated player's Items or Relics.
- One of the defeated player's Faction Objective tokens.
Failure
The challenging player suffers no consequences if they fail to defeat an NPC or Port. When the challenging player loses to the defending player, the defending player is the winning player and claims the 'Defeat a Player' reward.
Challenge Example
-
Declare a Challenge. The player moves Kahina into Bridgetown and Challenges a Merfolk Guardian. The Merfolk Guardian Stat card is at 8 Strength. This is the Challenge difficulty.
-
Determine your dice pool. The player gathers their dice. They start with four Captain dice. Their Lover, Axe Fist, has unlocked his second ability, Big and Mean, giving them two Bonus dice. The player adds three Bonus dice from their Class 2 Ship and one more Bonus die from their Relic, an Ancient Scythe gained from an earlier Adventure. Ten dice is a great start, but the Merfolk Guardian is tough — Strength 8. The player decides to Exhaust their Gunner for one more Bonus die. Now they have:
- 4 Captain dice
- 2 Bonus dice from Axe Fist's Big and Mean ability
- 3 Bonus dice from the Class 2 Ship
- 1 Bonus die from the Ancient Scythe's ability (1 Bonus die per Relic held)
- 1 Bonus die from Exhausting their Gunner
For a total of 11 dice.
-
Roll your dice. The player rolls all 11 dice at the same time. The player adds up the dice, but they only have a Strength of 5… so far. All is not lost, though. Pirates don't play fair — they can manipulate their dice.
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Dice assignment and manipulation. The player will try to increase their Strength while mitigating the consequences from their Nemesis, Josephine. The player Exhausts their Quartermaster to change a Lover or Nemesis die into a 1, but which die to choose? Kahina has 2 Nemesis icons and 2 Lover icons, but she'll need Axe Fist's abilities to win, so she changes 1 Nemesis icon (+1 Strength). The player assigns the other Nemesis icon to Kahina's Pilfer ability and draws a Rumor of a Mutinous Pistol from the Tavern deck. That will come in handy later, but it can't help them now. They assign the 2 Lover icons to Axe Fist's first Lover ability, Smash-tastic. Each Lover icon assigned now grants the player 1 extra Strength (+2 Strength). The player has increased their Strength from 5 to 8, but they still have those pesky 3 Nemesis icons to deal with before the Challenge ends.
-
Nemesis abilities. The player has 3 Nemesis icons remaining. In descending order, the player activates Josephine's first unlocked Nemesis ability, Sap Resources, and Exhausts their last Crew, the Navigator. The second Nemesis ability, Price of Loyalty, is also unlocked. The player must now lose 2 gold for every Exhausted Crew. They've got three Exhausted Crew, so they lose 6 gold. Ouch! Fortunately for the player, Josephine's last Nemesis ability is still locked, so the player doesn't have to activate it with their third Nemesis icon.
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Player vs. player. If the player declared a Challenge against another player, the defending player would repeat steps 1–5. But in this case, the player is challenging an NPC, so skip forward to step 7.
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Compare Strength. The player's final Strength is 8. The Merfolk Guardian also has 8 Strength. But challenger always wins ties. Fortune favors the bold! The player defeats the Merfolk Guardian.
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Outcomes. The player checks the Merfolk Guardian Stat card. Their reward for victory is 8 gold, which they take from the supply. In addition, the Merfolk Guardian has a Summoning Relic tucked under its base, so the player claims the Summoning Relic as an additional prize. Finally, the defeated Merfolk Guardian is removed from the board and returned to the supply.
Player Turn & Tableau
To be a successful pirate and thrive during your Player Turn, let alone survive a Game Round, you will need to access the abilities of the cards in your Player Tableau. So before diving into the perils of the Faction Turn, here are the details about how to utilize the abilities of your Captain, Lover, Nemesis, Crew, Items and Relics.
Additionally, you will find the basics of how the Alignment system pertains to the Player Turn.
Free Actions
- Free Actions may only be taken during your Player Turn.
- Free Actions do not count as your Player Action.
- There is no limit to the number of Free Actions a player may take during a turn.
- Free Actions may only be taken if there is no hostile NPC in your region.
- Free Actions may be taken before and/or after your move, but not during.
- Each Free Action must be resolved completely before another Free Action may be taken.
- The most common Free Actions are claiming a Relic from a Rumor and picking up Faction Objective tokens.
Abilities
- Abilities can be found on your Captain, Lover, Nemesis, and Crew, as well as on Items and Relics.
- Activating an ability is not an action, but may modify an action.
- Assigned abilities will either require that you assign dice faces with specific icons (Captain/Lover/Nemesis), meaning they can only be used in Challenges.
- Most assigned abilities may be used multiple times.
- Some assigned abilities allow you to draw from the Crew or Tavern deck. Each icon assigned allows you to draw 1 card, but you may only assign dice and resolve the ability once per Challenge. This does not prevent you from using a similar ability from another source.
- Situational abilities will have situational requirements for activation.
- Most abilities will be activated during your player turn or while you're in a Challenge.
- Some abilities may be activated during other player's turns or the Faction Turn.
- The most common way to activate an ability is when you activate a Crew ability by Exhausting a Crew in your Player Tableau.
Player Tableau
Captain
- Captain Abilities are activated by assigning dice with a Captain icon.
- Your Legendary Captain Ability is a more powerful version of the ability.
- Unlock your Legendary Captain Ability by completing three Captain Adventures (including the Prologue).
Lover
- Lovers have three different types of abilities.
- The first and third abilities are assigned abilities, activated by assigning dice with a Lover icon.
- The second is a situational ability.
- The fourth is True Love and awards 1 Notoriety.
- Use the Favor token to track which abilities are unlocked.
- Move the Favor token down the card to indicate your Lover's unlocked abilities.
- The ability marked with the Favor token, and all abilities above it, are unlocked and available to you.
- It is possible to lose Favor with your Lover. You do this by moving the Favor token up the card.
- Completing Lover Adventures is the most common way to increase your Lover's level.
Nemesis
- Nemesis abilities are only activated in Challenges.
- If you roll Nemesis icons, they represent a threshold, and all unlocked Nemesis abilities up to that threshold must be activated.
- Use the Malice token to track which abilities are unlocked.
- Move the Malice token down the card to indicate your Nemesis's unlocked abilities.
- The ability marked with the Malice token, and all abilities above it, are unlocked and affect you.
- It is possible to lose Malice with your Nemesis. You do this by moving the Malice token up the card.
- If you remove the top ability on your Nemesis card, place the Malice token to the side. Your Nemesis will not affect you until it is unlocked again.
- Event cards are the most common way your Nemesis's level will increase.
- Completing Nemesis Adventures is the most common way to decrease your Nemesis's level.
Ship
- You will always have a Ship.
- You may not discard your Ship without replacing it with another Ship.
- Ships have three stats:
- Bonus dice, which you gain in Challenges.
- Movement, which is the number of regions you may move on your turn.
- Crew capacity, which is the max number of Crew you may have.
- Class I/II Ships are identical except for their name.
- Class III Ships have different stats, allowing you to specialize your Ship to your needs.
- Class II/III Ships have a Notoriety value, awarded when upgrading your Ship to this Class.
Crew
- To use the ability of a Crew in your Player Tableau, you must Exhaust the Crew by rotating the card 90 degrees.
- You may not use the ability of an Exhausted Crew.
- When you take any Port Action, all Crew are Refreshed before you resolve the specific Port Action.
- To Refresh a Crew, rotate the card back to an upright position.
- If you hire Crew in excess of your Ship's Crew capacity, you must discard Crew until you no longer exceed your Crew capacity.
- Crew have a gold cost which represents the gold that must be spent to hire them with a Hiring Hall action.
- Crew can also provide you with Notoriety: for every 10 gold cost of employed Crew you gain 1 Notoriety.
- Legendary Crew work just like regular Crew, except they do not take up Crew capacity, do not have a gold cost, and cannot be discarded unless instructed to by an Adventure.
Items and Relics
- There is no limit to the number of Items, Relics, and Rumors you may have in your Player Tableau.
- Items are single use and must be discarded to activate their ability.
- Relic abilities can be activated during your Player Turn, a Challenge, or when its conditions are met.
- Relics are worth Notoriety while held.
Player Tokens
- Gold and Notoriety are not limited resources. If you run out of tokens, use a proxy.
Flags
- Players may capture a Port by Declaring a Challenge against the Port. If successful, the player will remove any other Flag and place their Captain Flag.
- Players earn 2 gold for each Port they control at the end of their turn.
- Flags are limited resources. If you have placed 5 Captain Flags and need to place a new Flag, you must remove a Flag from your lowest Strength Port and place it on the newly captured Port.
Captured Ports
- Any Port with a Flag is a Captured Port.
- Players may not take a Port Action in a Captured Port controlled by another player or Faction (unless allied).
- Players may still Declare a Challenge in a region with, or against, a Captured Port.
- Players may still Go on an Adventure in a region with a Captured Port.
Player Alignment
- Players have an alignment in relation to the Factions in play.
- Players do not have an alignment in relation to other players.
- All Faction NPCs are hostile with players by default, unless their Faction Rules explicitly state otherwise.
| Situation | Hostile | Neutral | Allied |
|---|---|---|---|
| May Challenge | Yes | No | No |
| Move Into | No | Yes | Yes |
| Free Action | No | Yes | Yes |
| Use Captured Port | No | No | Yes |
| Ally Bonus | No | No | Yes |
| Win with Faction | No | No | Yes |
Faction Overview
Your rival players and pirates are not your only competition in the Caribbean. The mighty Factions each have their own plans for the Sea of Legends. During the Faction Turn, the Factions will strike back. In order to survive, a pirate needs to know what they're up against. Before diving into the details of the Faction Turn, here is a brief overview of the components that make up a Faction.
Faction Guides
In the Captain & Faction Guides rulebook, each Faction has a detailed Faction Guide covering their own unique rules and objectives. There you will learn how that Faction operates, including how its NPCs, both Followers and Leaders, evaluate their objectives, move, attack, and any special actions they perform.
Faction NPCs
There are two types of NPCs, Followers and Leaders. Some Factions, like the Spanish Armada, only have one type of NPC.
- Placing an NPC refers to that NPC's miniature.
- Defeated NPCs are returned to the supply and may be placed again.
NPC Stat Cards
Each NPC has an NPC Stat card for quick reference to its stats, activation steps, and special abilities that other NPCs may interact with during their turn.
- Name and Type: Defines the NPC as a Follower or Leader.
- STR (Strength): Used to determine stronger/weaker and to set Challenge difficulty. Sometimes tracked with an NPC Strength Token to denote the NPC's level.
- Ally: The Strength bonus the NPC provides to Allies in their region.
- Movement: How many regions the NPC may move on their turn.
- Rewards: What another NPC or player gains when defeating this NPC.
Faction Objective Aid
Each Faction has an Objective Aid card. The Objective Aid will remind you how the NPCs of that Faction function during their activation. They are intended as quick references and when in doubt a player should always reference and use the rules in the Rulebooks and Faction Guides.
Faction Deck
The Faction deck contains a Faction's powerful Relics and Legendary Crew. Relics are usually gained from Adventures, but some are gained through unique Faction mechanics. Legendary Crew are only found through Adventures.
Example Relics: A Sturdy Helmet (once per Challenge, negate the effects of 1 Nemesis icon; +1 Notoriety while held) and a Summoning Relic (discard it to place Tetzahuitl in this region and give her the Summoning Relic token; gain 1 Notoriety; +1 Notoriety while held).
Example Legendary Crew: Bones — Exhaust after you take a Tavern action and Exhaust 1 other Crew to gain their cost in gold.
Lover/Nemesis Cards
Faction Lover/Nemesis cards represent the evolving relationship with a Legendary Crew that joined you on your Adventures. You'll be able to use/be affected by their abilities primarily during Challenges, like other Lover/Nemesis characters.
Faction Tokens
Each Faction also has Faction tokens that affect gameplay. All Factions have one or more Flags and a Fort. Some Factions have Faction Objective tokens and/or other Faction tokens. The Faction Guides detail the specific rules for each Faction token.
Flags: Faction Flag tokens are placed on a Port Label to indicate a Faction controls a Captured Port. Most Factions only place a Flag as an Adventure Result. Some Factions, such as the British Empire, have additional ways to place and/or remove Flags.
Forts: Fort tokens are placed in a Port region as a result of specific Adventures. A Port region with a Fort token cannot be Captured or Dominated.
- A Faction's Fort does not interfere with its own actions and Objectives.
- An NPC attempting to Capture or Dominate a Port will ignore a Port with a Fort.
- An NPC targeting a Port region to place certain Faction tokens will ignore a Port with a Fort.
- NPCs that do not target a Port region are unaffected by Forts.
- When a Fort token is placed, Captain Flags, other Faction Flags, and some special Faction tokens are removed from that Port region.
- While a Fort token is present, Captain Flags, other Faction Flags, and some special Faction tokens may not be placed in that Port region.
Faction Objective Tokens: Faction Objective tokens are a specific category of Faction token that can be picked up and interacted with by both NPCs and players. An NPC interacts with Faction Objective tokens through their special actions, while a player can usually acquire a Faction Objective token by defeating an NPC carrying one or directly picking it up as a Free Action.
Other Faction Tokens: Faction Tokens can be used to track a Faction's progress toward its Win Condition, or as a reminder/modifier to a region. NPCs will often place or interact with these tokens through their special actions, but they can never be acquired by a player.
Examples: the Wound token (used to track King Alaran's Wounds) and the Infestation token (used to mark Infested Ports).
Faction Alignment
Each Faction in the game has an alignment of hostile, neutral, or allied in relationship to other Factions and each player. That alignment affects how you interact with the Faction.
By default, all NPCs are hostile to players and to NPCs of other Factions, unless their Faction Guide specifically states otherwise or an ability changes that alignment. The most common way for a Faction's alignment to change is when a player acquires an Ally Relic. These Relics can be acquired on Adventures. A player with a single Ally Relic is neutral to that Faction, with a second Ally Relic they are allied.
All NPCs are allied to NPCs of their own Faction, unless their Faction Guide specifically states otherwise or an ability changes that alignment.
Note: Players do not have an alignment in relation to other players.
- Attack/Challenge: An NPC/Player may Attack/Challenge hostile NPCs/Players.
- Move Into: An NPC/Player may not move into a region with a hostile NPC/Player without Attacking or Challenging them.
- Free Action: A player may not take a Free Action in a region with a hostile NPC.
- Use Captured Port: A player may take a Port Action in a Captured Port of an allied Faction.
- Ally Bonus: A player may gain the Ally bonus from allied NPCs in their region.
- Win with Faction: A player allied with a Faction wins the game if that Faction wins the game.
| Active | Situation | Hostile | Neutral | Allied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPC | May Attack | Yes | No | No |
| NPC | Move Into | No | Yes | Yes |
| Player | May Challenge | Yes | No | No |
| Player | Move Into | No | Yes | Yes |
| Player | Free Action | No | Yes | Yes |
| Player | Use Captured Port | No | No | Yes |
| Player | Ally Bonus | No | No | Yes |
| Player | Win with Faction | No | No | Yes |
Faction Turn
The Faction Turn is the second phase of the Game Round and requires special attention from an enterprising pirate. During the Faction Turn, the first player activates all NPCs on the board, one Faction at a time. A cunning player may even use the Factions against each other, or their fellow pirates. However, the first player does not have free rein to do as they wish! The Factions have Objectives and rules that guide how they may be used.
Note: There are often multiple valid choices or no clear Objective dictated for an NPC. If this is the case, the first player should make a final decision for their own benefit.
Faction Turn Order
- Activate Faction
- a. Activate NPC
- a1. Evaluate Objective
- a2. Move
- a3. Attack
- a4. Special Actions
- b. Repeat steps a1-a4 for all other NPCs in active Faction
- a. Activate NPC
- Repeat step 1 for all other Factions
- End of Faction Turn
- a. Check for winner
- b. Draw an Event card
- c. Pass the First Player token
1. Activate Faction
Each Faction with NPCs in play must be activated by the first player. The first player may choose the order in which they activate Factions, but must complete the following steps for all NPCs from that Faction before activating another Faction.
a. Activate NPC
Each NPC must be activated. The first player selects an NPC and completes the following steps, repeating until each NPC from the active Faction has been activated:
- Evaluate Objective
- Move
- Attack
- Special Actions
a1. Evaluate Objective
Each NPC has one or more Objectives that affect their movement, attacks, and special actions. An Objective will designate a target for the active NPC and establish the NPC's behavior, either Cautious or Reckless.
- An NPC may target NPCs/Players, Faction Objective tokens, or even specific regions.
- If an NPC targets NPCs/Players to defeat, the target must be hostile.
- An NPC will always target the nearest valid Objective.
- The nearest valid Objective is determined by counting the number of regions that separate the active NPC and its potential Objective. NPCs will always choose the path with the fewest number of regions.
- An NPC is either Cautious or Reckless.
- Cautious: A Cautious NPC will only target Objectives they can achieve without being defeated. When evaluating their Objective and moving, a Cautious NPC will ignore any region in which they would be defeated, unless no other path to an Objective exists.
- Reckless: A Reckless NPC will target the nearest Objective, even if they would move into a region with an NPC they cannot defeat.
- An NPC may be Solitary in addition to being Cautious or Reckless.
- Solitary: When evaluating their Objective and moving, a Solitary NPC will ignore any region with another NPC of the same type, unless they have no other valid Objective.
When an NPC ignores an NPC/Player/Region, they treat that NPC/Player/Region as though it does not exist.
- If an Objective contains multiple conditions, all the conditions must be met for the Objective to be valid.
- It is possible that an NPC does not have a valid Objective.
Objectiveless NPC: If an NPC does not have a valid Objective, the first player must move the NPC their full movement, or until they enter a region with a hostile NPC/Player. The first player may decide where to move the NPC, but must follow the NPC's keywords (Cautious/Reckless/Solitary) as normal. The NPC attacks as normal, then ends its turn.
Evaluate Objective Examples
Cautious Example — Spanish Galleon's Objective: A Spanish Galleon will Cautiously target a Captured Port they can Dominate for the Spanish Armada. If there are none, the Galleon will Cautiously target an NPC or player to defeat.
- The Cautious Spanish Galleon (STR 5) in Skull Point must target the nearest Captured Port it can Dominate, so it targets the Captured Port Claw Bay as its Objective.
- When determining the shortest path, the Spanish Galleon ignores the Sea region with the Merfolk Guardian (STR 6) as the Galleon would be defeated.
- So, the shortest path to Claw Bay is through Havana with an Undead Soldier (STR 3), then Port Royal, and finally Claw Bay.
Solitary Example — Merfolk Guardian's Objective: A Solitary Merfolk Guardian will Recklessly target Summoning Relics to Recover them. If they hold a Summoning Relic, they will Return it to Tetzahuitl, Summoning her in Tortuga if necessary.
- The Solitary and Reckless Merfolk Guardian (STR 6) in Tortuga does not currently hold a Summoning Relic, so it targets the nearest Summoning Relic.
- There are Summoning Relics in Skull Point and Claw Bay, which are both 2 regions from Tortuga (Tortuga → Havana → Skull Point, or Tortuga → Port Royal → Claw Bay).
- However, because the Merfolk Guardian is Solitary, it must ignore Port Royal as a valid path because there is another Merfolk Guardian in the region.
- So, the path to the Summoning Relic in Claw Bay is actually 3 regions since the Merfolk Guardian must ignore Port Royal.
- Because the Summoning Relic in Skull Point is the nearest, the Merfolk Guardian must target it.
Reckless Example — Undead Soldier's Objective: An Undead Soldier will Recklessly form a Horde by Uniting with other Undead Soldiers.
- The Reckless Undead Soldier (STR 3) in Claw Bay targets the Undead Soldier in Havana to Unite.
- The paths to Havana, through Port Royal or through the Sea region with the Merfolk Guardian (STR 6), are equal in length.
- Even though Port Royal is safe, because the Undead Soldier is Reckless, the first player may move it into the Sea region with the stronger Merfolk Guardian.
a2. Move
An NPC must move during their turn, unless they are in a region where they can achieve their Objective. An NPC moves along the shortest path (passes through the fewest regions) toward a region where they may achieve their Objective.
- A Reckless NPC will always move along the shortest path toward their Objective.
- A Cautious or Solitary NPC will follow the path toward their Objective defined when they evaluated their Objective.
Note: An Objectiveless NPC moves their full movement, or until they enter a region with a hostile NPC/Player. The first player may decide where to move the NPC, but must follow the NPC's keywords (Cautious/Reckless/Solitary) as normal.
Example (continuing the Reckless Undead Soldier example above): The Reckless Undead Soldier (STR 3) in Claw Bay is targeting the Undead Soldier in Havana to Unite. The paths to Havana, through Port Royal or through the Sea region with the Merfolk Guardian (STR 6), are equal in length. Even though Port Royal is safe, because the Undead Soldier is Reckless, the first player may move it into the Sea region with the stronger Merfolk Guardian where the Undead Soldier will be defeated.
When an NPC moves into a region with a hostile NPC/Player, they must attack. However, if an NPC is placed in a region through other means outside their activation, it is not a move and therefore they do not make an attack. For example, some abilities and Event cards will instruct you to place an NPC in a region. These are not moves and do not require or allow the NPC to make an attack unless the ability specifically instructs you to do so.
a3. Attack
If an NPC moves into a region with a hostile NPC/Player, the active NPC completes its move and makes an attack against that hostile NPC/Player. If there are multiple targets in the region, the active NPC must attack the strongest hostile NPC.
- An NPC always targets the strongest hostile NPC/Player.
- Include applicable Ally bonuses for NPCs when deciding which is the strongest.
- An NPC treats players as having a Strength of 0 for deciding the strongest NPC/Player.
Example: Merfolk Guardian (STR 7) moves into Smuggler's Cove. They must attack the Spanish Galleon (STR 7) as it is stronger than the Undead Soldier (STR 5) or Captain Cesare, who is treated as having a Strength of 0.
Although all attacks are made against a single target, the outcome of the attack may affect all NPCs/Players in the region.
- Attack: Target the strongest hostile NPC, or a hostile player if there is no hostile NPC. Attack outcome only affects the targeted NPC or player.
- Region Attack: Target the strongest hostile NPC. Region attack outcome affects all hostile NPCs and all hostile players in the region.
Example: Spanish Galleon (STR 7) moves into Smuggler's Cove. They must attack the Merfolk Guardian (STR 7) as it is stronger than the Undead Soldier (STR 5) or Captain Cesare. However, because the Galleon has a region attack, the Undead Soldier and Captain Cesare will also be defeated.
NPC vs. NPC
When an NPC attacks a hostile NPC, they compare Strength scores.
- Calculate total NPC Strength: Take the base Strength of the attacking NPC and add any modifiers from allied NPCs in the region. Do the same for the defender.
- Compare Strengths: If the attacker's Strength is greater than or equal to the defender's, the attacker wins. If the defender has the higher Strength, the attacker loses.
- Outcome: The losing NPC is defeated along with any allied NPCs in the region providing them an Ally bonus. If the attacker is making a Region Attack, instead defeat all hostile NPCs in the region and check the attacker's Stat card. Apply the effects of the Attack to any hostile players in the region.
- Gain Rewards:
- The winning NPC gains the Rewards from each defeated NPC's Stat card.
- The winning NPC gains all of each defeated NPC's held gold, Notoriety, and/or Faction Objective tokens.
- Stack these tokens under the winning NPC's miniature.
- Return the defeated NPC to the supply.
NPC vs. Player
When an NPC attacks a hostile player, there is no need to compare Strength. NPCs automatically win when they attack hostile players. Look at the NPC Stat card and apply the effects under Attack to the hostile player. If the NPC is making a Region Attack, instead apply the effects to all hostile players in the region.
Note: If there is more than one hostile player and the NPC's Objective does not dictate the target, the first player chooses the target. This absolutely should be used to the first player's advantage.
Any Faction Objective tokens that the NPC takes from a player should be stacked under the base of the NPC or placed on the NPC Stat card, as appropriate.
Flee
When an NPC or player is forced to flee, place the fleeing miniature in an adjacent region.
- Fleeing is not a move.
- Fleeing NPCs/Players may be placed in a region with an NPC/Player hostile to them and does not require or allow them to make an Attack/Challenge.
- The fleeing player chooses into which region they flee.
- The first player chooses into which region an NPC flees.
a4. Special Actions
Many NPCs have special actions that they must take at the end of their turn if certain conditions are met. These special actions are directly tied to their Objectives and detailed in their Faction Guide and on their Objective Aid.
Example: Merfolk Guardian recovers the Summoning Relic from Claw Bay.
NPC vs. Port
While most NPCs do not interact with Ports, some will target Ports as their Objective and interact with them as their special action. Often, this is to place or remove a Flag from the Port.
- An NPC can only target a Port to place or remove a Flag if their Strength equals or exceeds the Port's Strength.
- The Port must not be controlled by the NPC's Faction.
- An NPC that interacts with Ports will ignore any region with a hostile Faction's Fort as they will be unable to interact with Faction tokens in that region.
Example: Spanish Galleon (STR 6) cannot Dominate the Captured Port in San Juan (STR 7) so it must target the Captured Port in St. John (STR 6).
b. Repeat steps (a1-a4) for all other NPCs in the activated Faction.
Note: During a Faction's turn, if its Win Condition (found on the Leader's Objective Aid and in the Faction Guide) is achieved, the game immediately ends. That Faction and its allies win the game.
2. Repeat Step 1 for Each Faction
Repeat step 1 for each Faction until all Factions with NPCs in play have activated.
3. End of Faction Turn
a. Check for winner
At the end of the Faction Turn, if no Faction has won the game, players check their Notoriety. If any player has 10 or more Notoriety, the game ends (see Winning the Game). If no Faction has won and no player has gained 10 or more Notoriety, proceed.
b. Draw an Event card
Event cards represent the conditions changing and the power of different factions in the Caribbean increasing. It is important for any pirate to pay attention to the shifts in the balance of power across the sea as Event cards will determine which NPCs increase in Strength, where NPCs and tokens are placed on the game board, and any other effects for the following round. An Event card consists of two sets of instructions that affect the Faction named at the top of the card.
The first player draws the top card from the Event deck.
Note: If there are no Event cards remaining, shuffle the discard pile to create a new Event deck.
First, check the top of the Event card to see which Faction the drawn Event affects. Then proceed to the set of instructions located just below the Faction name. These instructions usually detail an increase in Strength for a specific NPC and/or another effect that will impact the specified Faction. The first player adjusts the corresponding NPC's NPC Strength token and carries out any additional effects in these instructions.
Typically, the second set of instructions is subdivided to correspond to the Strength shown on the NPC Stat card which was just modified. These instructions are cumulative and are resolved in descending order until you reach a Strength exceeding the Strength shown on the NPC's Stat card. The stronger the NPC, the more instructions from the Event card you will carry out.
Example: First, the Spanish Galleon increases in level. Move the NPC Strength token down one space. Then carry out the Strength 5 instructions on the Event card. (Only the first 2 instructions apply.)
Example: The Spanish Galleon increases in level. Move the token from Strength 6 to 7. The first player must carry out the Strength 5, 6, and 7 instructions on the Event card. Start from the top and resolve them in descending order. (All instructions apply, in descending order.)
A common effect of an Event card is to place additional NPCs in a particular Port region or Sea region.
When placing NPCs in Sea regions, the first player must avoid placing the NPC in a region with another NPC or player unless there are no such Sea regions.
Note: If the supply is out of a type of NPC miniature, that NPC cannot be placed on the board.
When an NPC is placed by an Event card, the NPC will not take any action this turn.
Finally, some Event cards will include instructions preceded by the phrase "Next round." These effects will be in place until the next Event card is revealed at the end of the following round.
After the Event card has been resolved, place it in the discard pile next to the Event deck.
c. Pass the first player token
The first player passes the First Player token in a clockwise direction to the next player.
You are now ready to start a new Game Round!
Winning the Game
Notoriety
Notoriety is the measure of your success as a pirate. Nothing matters so much as your terrible reputation, or your reputation for being terrible.
Players need Notoriety to win the game. Each player will be racing to gain 10 Notoriety before their fellow players and before the Factions can complete their Win Conditions.
Notoriety is tracked using Notoriety tokens. Each token is worth 1 Notoriety.
These are ways players can potentially acquire Notoriety:
- Going on an Adventure
- Upgrading your Ship at a Shipyard
- Burying gold in increments of 10 at a Hideout
- Defeating NPCs, particularly Leaders
- Capturing a Port with a red Reward banner
Note: Going on an Adventure will not always award Notoriety.
When you're awarded Notoriety for completing one of these actions or achievements, place the appropriate number of Notoriety tokens on your Captain card.
Some Notoriety depends on employing Crew members, holding Relics, or unlocking a Lover's True Love ability. Additionally, some Faction Objective tokens are worth Notoriety while held.
- Crew: +1 Notoriety for every 10 gold worth of Crew employed.
- Relic: +1 Notoriety while held.
- True Love: Gain 1 Notoriety while unlocked.
- Check the Faction Guide to see if any Faction Objective tokens are worth Notoriety while held.
When you gain Notoriety from one of these sources, place the gained Notoriety token beside your Crew, or on the card for a Relic or your Lover. If you lose these cards, tokens, or abilities, you will also lose the Notoriety they provide you.
Winning the Game
Any player or Faction, other than the Spanish Armada, is able to win a game of Sea of Legends. It's even possible for a player to win the game along with a Faction!
Faction Wins
For a Faction to win, it must achieve its Win Condition, which can be found in the Faction Guide or on the Leader's Objective Aid card. If a Faction achieves its Win Condition during the Faction Turn, the game ends immediately. That Faction and all players allied with it win the game.
Player Wins
For a Player to win, they must acquire 10 or more Notoriety. Unlike with Factions, a player cannot win the game until after the Faction Turn, allowing both other players and the Factions to interfere with their plans. At the end of the Faction Turn, if any player has 10 or more Notoriety, the player with the most Notoriety wins the game. In the event of a tie, the player with the most gold wins.
Notoriety Count
When counting your Notoriety, count all the Notoriety tokens on your Captain card. Then check for additional Notoriety tokens for Crew employed, Relics held, and True Love unlocked. Don't forget that some Faction Objective tokens also award Notoriety while held!
First Mate's Tip: "Don't give up too quickly, Cap'n! If the round isn't over, then you might still have a shot at stealing a Relic from a player and nabbing their Notoriety along with it."
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