The 7 Seas Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Player boards
• Action board
• Sea tiles and sea decks
• Sea cards
  • Card types
  • Card activities
  • Card distribution
• Game modes
• Game setup
• How to play
  • Start of the round
  • Player turn
  • End of the round
  • Maintenance phase
  • End of the game
• Main actions
  • Land on an island
  • Dock at a port
  • Renovate your ship
  • Sail at sea
• Encounters
  • Pirate ship (Dangerous encounter, Combat)
  • Sea hazard (Dangerous encounter, Seamanship)
  • Sea giant (Dangerous encounter, Combat)
  • Sea creature (Dangerous encounter, Seamanship and Combat)
  • Merchant ship (Friendly encounter, Trade or Combat)
  • Merchant fleet (Friendly encounter, Trade)
• Key mechanics
  • Succeed an activity
  • Fail an activity
  • Overloaded ship
  • Lose X planks
  • Capsized ship
  • Lose X resources
  • Boost your crew with rum
  • Set your dice with fortune
  • Use a bonus token
• Default actions
• Reduced actions
• Optional actions
• Solo mode: Vagabond
  • Solo game setup
  • How to play Solo mode
  • Encounter the Vagabond
  • Vagabond phase
  • Solo maintenance phase
  • Solo end of the game
• Favors & Curses
  • How to use Favors & Curses
• Quests of The 7 Seas
• Extra modules
  • The flying hen
  • The last fisherman
• Quick reference
  • Main actions
  • Default actions
  • Reduced actions
  • Optional actions

Components

What's in the box:

• 1 action board
• 5 player boards
• 40 upgrade tokens (sails on the front, cannons on the back)
• 35 planks
• 7 sea tiles
• 5 ships
• 5 hideouts
• 5 parrots (free side on the front, caged side on the back)
• 21 bonus tokens
• 10 action tokens (captains and officers, 5 of each)
• 10 dice (exploration dice and combat dice)
• 1 golden marker
• 35 sea gems
• 1 mist tile
• 7 mist tokens
• 2 extra tokens (hen token and hook token)
• 7 sea decks (252 cards)
• 120 resources (30 food, 30 wood, 20 fabric, 20 metal, 20 rum)
• 50 fortune coins
• 25 treasures

Player boards

Your player board is the most important component for your adventure. It represents your ship's status and tracks your progress in The 7 Seas.

1. The mode symbol indicates which side of the board to use when playing in Discovery mode or in Advanced mode. It is also displayed on the action board, sea cards, and hideout tiles.
2. The gem compass provides slots to place your precious sea gems. Collecting these gems is the main way to score glory points, so try to catch 'em all!
3. The treasure cache conceals your hard-earned treasures. They offer no real advantage during the game, but they are often the key to victory at the end.
4. The fortune stock keeps your indispensable fortune coins. You earn these coins through misfortune and can spend them for good fortune. Always have a few to avoid trouble!
5. The upgrade tracks display your ship's current sail and weaponry levels, which are improved by purchasing upgrade tokens. Upgrading is always a good idea: It makes your ship better for the rest of the game and secures points for the end!
6. The ship's hull holds your vital 7 planks, representing its condition. Losing them all doesn't mean game over, but it's still good to avoid that, so keep that hull patched up!
7. The ship's hold stores your valuable resources in 9 specific spaces... no more! They enable most of your interactions in the game, so make sure to spend them wisely.
8. The card tracks are where you place your collected sea cards. The more you collect, the better your adventure goes! In blue is the exploration track, in red the combat track, and in brown the trade track.

Action board

The action board is central to the game, both literally (it's placed in the center) and mechanically (it's where you choose your actions).

1. The mode symbol, like for player boards, indicates which side of the board to use for your chosen game mode (Discovery or Advanced).
2. The golden spaces, each holding one fortune coin at the start of the game, indicate the number of rounds left until the end.
3. The main actions are the core of The 7 Seas' gameplay. They are represented by 4 symbols: Sail at sea, Land on an island, Dock at a port, and Renovate your ship.
4. The action spots are where action tokens (captains and officers) are placed during player turns. Each spot is linked to 2 main actions.
5. The bonus spaces are only used in Advanced mode. When connected to the sea tiles, they form spaces to store bonus tokens.

Sea tiles and sea decks

Each of The 7 Seas is represented by a sea tile and a deck of sea cards (a sea deck). At the start of the game, sea tiles are placed in the different notches around the action board. During the game, players move their ships on these tiles to access different sea cards.

1. The gem icon indicates which sea gem corresponds to that sea. Each player must retrieve their 7 sea gems tokens that are placed on each sea tile during setup.
2. The sea symbol represents the sea. It is present on any component related to that sea, such as: sea cards, sea bonuses, and the sea tile itself!
3. The sea scroll indicates the chances of encountering the different card activities when drawing from the corresponding sea deck. This is explained in more detail under Card distribution below.
4. The bonus space is only used in Advanced mode. When connected to the action board, it forms a space to store the bonus tokens of that sea.

Each sea deck is composed of 18 base cards and 18 advanced cards. A sea symbol is displayed on the back of each card, and reminded on the front.

• Base cards are used in every game mode. They are the core of each deck. These cards are relatively simple to understand, as they only have a single activity: either exploration, combat, or trade.
• Advanced cards are only used in Advanced mode and in Solo mode. They introduce more depth to the game with a greater variety of lands and encounters. But careful! Some of them can inflict you with a powerful negative effect upon failure.

Sea cards

Sea cards bring the world of The 7 Seas to life and feature many of its core mechanics.

1. The card type indicates which action to choose from the action board to be able to interact with the card (perform the card activity).
2. The sea symbol shows which sea the card is associated with. This symbol is also displayed on the card back.
3. The card activity is represented by a colored plank. The various symbols on the plank illustrate its game mechanics.
4. The mode symbol indicates whether the card is a base card or an advanced card.

Card types

Sea cards are divided into 3 distinct types: islands, ports, and sea encounters (also just called "encounters"). These types are important to choose the correct actions during your player turn. To perform the activity of a card, you must choose the action corresponding to its type:

• Land on an island for an island.
• Dock at a port for a port.
• Sail at sea for a sea encounter.

Card activities

There are 3 main activities, each represented by a colored plank at the bottom of each card:

• Exploration: You explore a location (often an island), by rolling exploration dice, eating food and drinking rum.
• Combat: You fight an opponent (often a pirate), by rolling combat dice using your weaponry and drinking rum.
• Trade: You trade with merchants (often in a port), by exchanging various common and rare resources.

Card distribution

Each sea deck was crafted in a unique way that directly reflects the sea's identity. The chance of getting a card with either exploration, combat, or trade depends on the specific deck you are drawing from. A sea scroll displayed on each sea tile summarizes this distribution. The more planks of a specific color you see, the higher your chance of getting that activity!

• 1 plank: Low chance...
• 2 planks: Medium chance.
• 3 planks: High chance!

Game modes

• Discovery mode: For your first adventure in The 7 Seas, embark on the Discovery mode to learn the basics with family and friends! This pleasant and accessible mode is great for new and casual players and takes about 15-20 mins per player. To play it: Follow the base rules and the Discovery-only rules.
• Advanced mode: Once more familiar with the game, dive deeper into the world of The 7 Seas by playing the Advanced mode! This tactical and captivating adventure offers a more immersive experience and takes about 20-30 mins per player. To play it: Follow the base rules and the Advanced-only rules.
• Solo mode: When you are ready to test your skills, set off on an epic adventure with the Solo mode! This thrilling and challenging expedition goes beyond the previous game modes and takes about 20-30 mins to play. To play it: Follow the Solo mode chapter, by going to page 26.

Game setup

After choosing your game mode (Discovery or Advanced), follow these steps:

1. Place the action board in the center of the table, on the chosen mode side, and place 1 fortune coin in each golden space of the board.

2. Shuffle the 7 sea tiles and place them randomly in the notches of the action board. When placing the tiles, make sure to orient them properly to form the bonus spaces. Place 1/2/3 bonus tokens (for 1-2/3-4/5 players) on each bonus space. Each token must be placed on their respective bonus space, as shown.

3. Prepare the 7 sea decks:

   • Split the 126 base cards into 7 distinct sea decks. Each deck should contain the 18 base cards of the same sea.
   • Split the 126 advanced cards by sea and add them to their sea deck. Each deck should now contain 36 cards of the same sea (18 base and 18 advanced).
   • Shuffle each deck individually and place it next to their sea tile. Make sure to leave a one-card space in-between for revealed cards.

4. Draw the first card from each sea deck and place it in front of their sea tile, as shown. If one or more revealed cards have a treasure icon: Replace these cards with new ones until you get only cards without treasure icons.

5. Each player chooses a player color and takes the following components:

   • The player board of their color, placing it in front of them, on the chosen mode side.
   • 1 hideout, 1 ship, 2 action tokens, and 7 sea gems, of their color.
   • 1 fortune coin, 7 planks, and 5 resources (1 of each).
   • 1 parrot of their color, placing it on the "free" side.

   Then, each player puts each of their sea gems on each corresponding sea tile. Pay attention to the gem icon displayed at the top of each tile, it must match.

After that, the first round can finally start!

How to play

Playing The 7 Seas is like boarding a real sailing ship: It is overwhelming at first, but give it a little while and you'll get the hang of it! Start by learning the ropes (core mechanics), before diving into the specifics of each action, which are detailed in later sections.

Start of the round

Each round consists of 2 cycles of player turns going in clockwise order, starting with the first player (the player holding the golden marker). After each player has taken their 2 turns (one per cycle), it is the End of the round.

For example, with 3 players (A, B and C), that would be: A (1st turn), B (1st turn), C (1st turn), A (2nd turn), B (2nd turn), C (2nd turn), End of the round.

Player turn

1. Patch up your ship

Only follow this step if your ship is capsized (lost all its planks). Against all odds, your crew manage to keep the ship afloat! Right your ship and recover 3 planks.

2. Choose your main actions

You issue your orders. Aye, aye, Captain! Place an action token (your captain or your officer) on any spot of the action board to choose the 2 main actions you want to play: Sail at sea, Land on an island, Dock at a port, and Renovate your ship. You can see that each spot of the action board is linked to 2 main actions. Placing your token on a spot means choosing to perform these 2 linked actions.

Placement rules

• You place only one token per turn: Your captain or officer on your 1st turn, and your remaining token on your 2nd turn.
• You can place your token on a spot already occupied by other players. However, you cannot place it on the same spot as your other token.
• There is no set order: You can place your officer on the 1st turn and your captain on the 2nd turn, or vice versa.

In Discovery mode, your token simply indicates which actions you will perform this turn.

In Advanced mode, there is a difference between tokens: captains outrank officers. Placing your token on a spot occupied by equal or higher rank tokens (a weak spot) causes one of your main actions to be reduced.

Reduced actions: Sail along the coast, Scavenge on an island, Work at the docks, Fix your ship.

When you place your token on a strong spot (an empty spot, or a captain placed on a spot with an officer): You keep your composure and inspire your crew! Your main actions are not reduced. You perform them normally at the next step.

Otherwise, when you place your token on a weak spot (a captain placed on a spot with a captain, or an officer placed on a spot with a token): Your pride is hurt. You fail to motivate your crew... One of your main actions is reduced. You decide which one at the next step.

3. Perform your actions

Time for action! Your crew is carrying out your orders. Perform your 2 main actions, one after the other, in the order of your choice.

If you are unable or unwilling to perform any main action, you must perform a default action instead: Fish for food or Await your fortune.

You can't go back to a previous action once you've started a new one. For example, if you moved your ship with Sail at sea, then explored an island with Land on an island, you can't continue your Sail at sea action.

You may also take one optional action before or after one of your main actions: Trade with a player or Attack a player. Optional actions can't be replaced by default actions. Only main or reduced actions can.

You always take a maximum of 3 actions per turn: 2 main/reduced/default (circle-shaped) and 1 optional (diamond-shaped).

If one of your main actions is reduced: You must decide which one and tell other players before performing it.

If you are unable or unwilling to perform any main action: Instead of a default action, you can perform the corresponding reduced action. For example, if you don't have enough resources to trade at a port with Dock at a port, you can still Work at the docks.

4. End your turn

If your ship is at your hideout: We are at home! Let's repair our ship and collect resources!

• Discovery mode: Recover 1 plank, get 1 food and 1 wood.
• Advanced mode: Recover 1 plank. Then, get either 1 food or 1 wood.

If you did not collect a sea card or upgraded your ship this turn: No luck this time, but the tides will turn soon! Get 1 fortune coin as a compensation for your misfortune.

If the player to your left can still play (1+ action token left): Their Player turn begins. Return to the start of this section.

Otherwise: It is the End of the round. Proceed to the next page.

End of the round

Look at the golden spaces of the action board.

• If there is still at least one fortune coin left: The Maintenance phase starts. Continue below.
• Otherwise, if no coins are left: It is the End of the game. Proceed to the next page.

Maintenance phase

1. Remaining encounters disappear. Discard all remaining encounter cards. Place discarded cards on a common discard pile, or directly back under their corresponding deck.

2. New rumors are heard across The 7 Seas... Reveal a new sea card in each sea that does not have one.

3. Your crew awaits your orders. Retrieve your action tokens from the action board.

4. Luck is turning. The 1st player takes 1 fortune coin from the action board and passes the golden marker to the player on their left.

   Make sure not to repeat the same operation by mistake. Sometimes, everyone wants to help, and a step is taken twice!

After completing these steps, a new round begins! Go back to the Start of the round section.

End of the game

Each player counts their glory points to figure out who is titled Legend of The 7 Seas!

Discovery mode

• 1 per sea gem, and 1 bonus if you have all 7 gems.
• 1 per treasure.
• 1 / 3 / 5 for sail level 3/4/5.
• 1 / 3 / 5 for weaponry level 3/4/5.
• 2 if you have 7 planks, 1 if you have 5 or 6 planks.
• 1 per set of 3 resources.
• 2 for 4 or more sea cards in the exploration track.
• 2 for 4 or more sea cards in the combat track.
• 2 for 4 or more sea cards in the trade track.

Advanced mode

• 2 per sea gem, and 2 bonus if you have all 7 gems.
• 2 per treasure.
• 1 per set of 2 fortune coins.
• 1 / 3 / 5 / 7 for sail level 2/3/4/5.
• 1 / 3 / 5 / 7 for weaponry level 2/3/4/5.
• 3 if you have 7 planks, 1 if you have 5 or 6 planks.
• 1 per set of 3 resources.
• 1 per bonus token, whether used or not.
• 2 for the parrot of your color and 1 for each other parrot.

Example (Discovery mode): In the example below, the red player scores: 8 for 7 sea gems (the printed example counts the all-gems bonus in this total), 3 for 3 treasures, 3 for sail level 4, 1 for weapon level 3, 1 for 5 planks, 2 for 6 resources, and 2 for 4 trade cards. In total, that's 20 points.

Sea cards: Make sure to count points separately for each card track. Players with the most cards in each track get points based on their rank:

• 1st place = As many points as the number of players.
• 2nd place = The number of players minus 1 (minimum 0 points).
• 3rd place = The number of players minus 2 (minimum 0 points).

Tied players each receive the points for their rank. For example, with 5 players: A, B, C, D, and E. A and B are tied for 1st place, C is 2nd, D and E are tied for 3rd place. A and B each get 5, C gets 4, D and E each get 3.

Final score tie (Discovery mode): In case of a tie, the winner is determined by the highest number of the following components, in order:

1. Sea gems
2. Treasures
3. Sea cards (all tracks combined)

If there is still a tie: All tied players win!

Final score tie (Advanced mode): Tied players settle the score with a final fight! See the Player combat section, page 25. Each player sets their ship to 7 planks and their weaponry level to 5. Players cannot use rum, fortune, or any other beneficial effects. The player who manages to win the fight either at the Cannon phase or Boarding phase is declared the winner. If there is no winner at the end of the fight: Players keep their hull's condition and fight again until there is a winner. If both players capsize each other at the same time: The third player, if there is one, wins the game instead!

Main actions

Main actions are the heart of The 7 Seas. Master them to become the best adventurer!

Please note that, unless specified otherwise:

• Every component that you get, gain, or collect is taken from the general supply.
• Similarly, every component that you discard, give, spend, pay, or lose goes back to the general supply.
• Dice must be always rolled at the same time, up to a maximum of 5 dice, per die type.
• A success icon on a card simply corresponds to rolling either a cannonball or a boarding with your combat die.

Land on an island

To perform this action, you must be in a sea with an island. Land in sight, Captain! By the stars, it's an island!

• Wild island (Exploration): You prepare an expedition to explore the island. You must roll exploration dice to obtain at least as many stars as indicated on the card. The first die is free and each food you spend grants an additional die to roll. Depending on the outcome: Proceed to Succeed an activity or Fail an activity, page 20. Your crew isn't very motivated at first. Feeding them changes their mind! With full bellies, they're eager to explore every corner of the island!
• Friendly island (Trade or Exploration): Choose whether to trade with the friendly tribe or to explore the island. You trade with the friendly tribe: Follow the Trade steps, next page. You explore the uncharted parts of the island: Follow the Exploration steps. The more stars indicated on the island, the harder it is to explore. Sometimes, it is good to spend more than you initially thought to ensure success!
• Hostile island (Combat or Exploration): Choose whether to fight the hostile tribe or explore the island. You fight the hostile tribe: Roll as many combat dice as your weaponry level to obtain at least as many successes as indicated. Depending on the outcome: Proceed to Succeed an activity or Fail an activity. You explore the uncharted parts of the island: Follow the Exploration steps.

Dock at a port

To perform this action, you must be in a sea with a port and have enough resources to trade there. Port ahead, Captain! Let's see what this harbor has in store!

• Ordinary port (Trade): You trade resources with merchants. You must pay the requested resources as indicated on the left side of the trade arrow. You can also replace any requested resource with either 1 rum or 2 resources of any type. This can be done even if you have some or all the requested resources. Each "substitute resource" can be of any type, even the same as ones you will receive. When you are ready to receive your rewards: Proceed to Succeed an activity, page 20. Merchants will always take rum for anything! Whether they drink it or sell it is still a mystery though... Haha!
• Perilous port (Seamanship and Trade): You steer your ship through perilous waters, trying to reach the port unscathed. Roll as many exploration dice as your sail level to obtain at least as many stars as indicated. Unlike a regular exploration, you can only spend 1 food to roll 1 additional die. If you obtain less stars than indicated: Captain, we've struck something! Lose as many planks as missing stars. See the Lose X Planks section, page 22. If your ship still has planks: You reach the port successfully! Follow the Trade steps. Otherwise: You fail to reach the port and do not trade. Proceed to Fail an activity.
• Infamous port (Combat and Trade): You fight the outlaws trying to secure your trade at the port. Roll as many combat dice as your weaponry level to obtain at least as many successes as indicated. If you obtain at least as many successes: The outlaws leave you alone. Follow the Trade steps normally. Otherwise: The outlaws manage to steal some of your trade goods. Follow the Trade steps but receive a number of resources reduced by the number of missing successes.

Renovate your ship

To perform this action, you must have enough resources to upgrade your ship, or your ship must be damaged (missing planks). Choose whether to Upgrade or Repair your ship. You can't do both unless you spend 1 rum.

• Upgrade your ship: Choose what track to upgrade, either sails or weapons. Pay the resource cost indicated on the leftmost empty spot of the chosen upgrade track of your player board. Place an upgrade token on this spot, on the correct side. You can only purchase 1 upgrade maximum at a time, even if you already have resources for multiple upgrades.
• Repair your ship: Recover 1 plank for free (put it back in your ship's hull area). Then, recover as many planks as wood you decide to spend. For example, if you spend 2 wood, you repair 3 planks in total. You can also spend fabric or metal, instead of wood.

Sail at sea

All hands on deck, loose these lines, and weigh anchor! You start this action with as many movement points as your sail level. Each movement point lets you either Move your ship or Explore the current sea.

Move your ship

You set sail for adventure! Spend 1 movement point to move your ship toward an adjacent space, either a sea tile or your hideout. There is no limit to the number of ships that can be on the same sea tile. On the other hand, hideouts are only accessible by their respective players.

• Entering a sea without any revealed card: You must Reveal a new sea card.
• Entering a sea with an island or a port: Nothing more happens. You may Reveal a new sea card.
• Entering a sea with an encounter: You must Resolve the encounter.

To track your remaining movement points, simply remember how many you have left after each sub-action. For example, if you start with 3 movement points, and perform one sub-action, you have 2 points left.

Explore the current sea

To perform this sub-action, you must be in a sea without an encounter. You venture further into the open sea. Spend 1 movement point to Reveal a new sea card in your current sea.

Special case: Encounter on your starting sea. Sometimes an encounter is already revealed on your sea at the start of your Sail at sea action. When that happens, you must directly Resolve the encounter before doing anything else.

End your action

Your Sail at sea action ends if any of the following cases occur:

• Successful encounter: After collecting the card and rewards, as explained in the Succeed an activity section.
• No movement points: When you no longer have any movement points to start another sub-action.
• No planks: When your ship becomes capsized, as explained in the Fail an activity section.
• Player choice: When you no longer want to move your ship or discover new cards.

Reveal a new sea card

You discover something! Simply draw a new sea card from the corresponding sea deck (where your ship is) and place it on top of the pile of already revealed cards. If you reveal an encounter: You must also Resolve the encounter.

Note that it is not possible to reveal a new sea card if an encounter is already present. When you enter a sea with an encounter, or start your action with one, you must resolve it first.

Resolve the encounter

First, determine the nature of your encounter, Friendly or Dangerous, by consulting the section corresponding to your card on the next pages. Then, choose whether you want to Handle or Avoid the encounter. Note that if you can't avoid a dangerous encounter, you must handle it!

• Friendly encounter (You sense a peaceful presence.)
  • Avoid the friend: You steer away from them. Discard the encounter card for free and return to your navigation action. Most of the time, this is Sail at sea.
  • Handle the encounter: You face your destiny. Proceed to the next page, following the section corresponding to your card.
• Dangerous encounter (You sense an incoming threat.)
  • Avoid danger: Pay 1 fortune coin. You toss a coin overboard to appease the gods. Discard the encounter card and return to your navigation action.
  • Handle the encounter: You face your destiny. Proceed to the next page, following the section corresponding to your card.

Encounters

Each encounter card is resolved with the section below that matches its name.

Pirate ship (Dangerous encounter, Combat)

Upon sighting the enemy, crews brace themselves for battle.

1. Dice roll phase. The pirate's combat roll is indicated on the card by cannonball and boarding faces. Cannonball faces damage planks of the other ship at the Cannon phase. Boarding faces represent the crew strength at the Boarding phase. If there are any unknown faces on the pirate's roll: Another player (usually the one to your left) rolls as many combat dice as unknown faces. These faces are added to the ones already indicated on the card to complete the pirate's roll. Then, you roll as many combat dice as your weaponry level to make your own combat roll!
2. Cannon phase. Once within range, cannons tear holes into hulls. Both ships lose as many planks as the number of cannonball faces the other has. See the Lose X Planks section, page 22. For the pirate, we don't keep track of the number of lost planks. We simply compare your number of cannonballs with their number of planks. If your number is greater or equal: They lose all their planks! Otherwise: They still have planks.
   • If the pirate no longer has planks, but you still have: You win the fight! Proceed to Succeed an activity.
   • If your ship is capsized (regardless of the pirate): You lose the fight. Proceed to Fail an activity.
   • Otherwise: The fight continues… The Boarding phase begins.
3. Boarding phase. Ships ram each other, launching boarding parties into a brutal melee.
   • If you have strictly more boarding faces than the pirate: You win the fight! Proceed to Succeed an activity.
   • Otherwise, if you have less or as many boarding faces: You lose the fight. The pirate steals 1 resource per excess boarding face they have over you. For example, if the pirate has 3 and you have 1, they steal 2 resources (3-1). See the Lose X resources section, page 22. Then, proceed to Fail an activity.

Sea hazard (Dangerous encounter, Seamanship)

You maneuver your ship to overcome the sea hazard. Roll as many exploration dice as your sail level to obtain at least as many stars as indicated. Unlike a regular exploration, you can only spend 1 food to roll 1 additional die. Depending on the outcome: Proceed to Succeed an activity or Fail an activity.

Rest assured, the frequent taste of salty water and imminent danger are all the motivation your crew needs. No buffet on the ship! It's time for seamanship!

Sea giant (Dangerous encounter, Combat)

You fight tooth and nail to fend off this monster. Roll as many combat dice as your weaponry level to obtain at least the combination of faces indicated on the card. In the example on the card, you must obtain at least 2 cannonballs and 1 boarding. Depending on the outcome: Proceed to Succeed an activity or Fail an activity.

Handling dangerous encounters is risky but often yields good rewards. Make sure to avoid the ones that seem too dangerous for you!

Sea creature (Dangerous encounter, Seamanship and Combat)

You maneuver your ship and fight the sea creatures. Roll as many exploration dice as your sail level and combat dice as your weaponry level, to obtain at least as many stars and the combination of faces indicated. Unlike a regular exploration, you can only spend 1 food to roll 1 additional die. In the example on the card, you must obtain at least 1 star, 1 cannonball and 1 boarding. Depending on the outcome: Proceed to Succeed an activity or Fail an activity.

Merchant ship (Friendly encounter, Trade or Combat)

Choose whether to trade with the merchants or to attack them.

• You trade with the merchants: Follow the Trade steps, page 15.
• You attack the merchants and try to steal their resources: Roll as many combat dice as your weaponry level to obtain at least as many successes as indicated. Depending on the outcome: Proceed to Succeed an activity or Fail an activity.

Merchant fleet (Friendly encounter, Trade)

You trade with the protected merchants. Attacking them would result in your own demise. Follow the Trade steps, page 15.

Sometimes, it is possible to collect two cards of the same activity during the same turn. For example, you could trade in a port and then sail toward a merchant ship for another trade!

Key mechanics

The following mechanics are fundamental to understand, as the actions often reference them.

Succeed an activity

We did it boys! Let's get our loot!

1. Collect your card. Place the card either in the exploration track, combat track, or trade track to the right side of your player board, matching the activity displayed at the bottom of your card.

   • If you chose between 2 activities on a card (2 different planks): Place the card in the track of the activity you chose.
   • If you performed 2 activities on a card (plank with 2 colors): Place the card in the track of either activity you performed.

2. Receive your rewards. Receive the reward shown on the card you just collected. If there is a resource icon with multiple colors, you choose which one you get. For example, with a food-wood icon, you get either food or wood. If you end up with more than 9 resources: Your ship is overloaded! See the Overloaded ship section, page 22.

   After that, receive your additional reward, based on how many cards you have already collected from this sea:

   • If this is the 1st card you collect from this sea: A sea gem! A fine prize indeed! Collect the gem of that sea with the base matching your color, and place it in the right slot on your gem compass.
   • If this is the 2nd one: Captain! The locals have a gift for us. Collect the bonus token of that sea (if any remain) and place it above your player board, face "effect" up.
   • If this is the 3rd one or more: Captain, our friends are here again! Refresh your bonus token of that sea (if you have it) by turning it back to its "effect" face.

3. End your action. Finally, your action is over. Proceed either to your next action or to the End your turn step.

Fail an activity

Better luck next time…

1. Receive your compensation. Get 1 fortune coin to compensate for your misfortune. Sometimes, luck isn't on your side... But no worries, matey! Fortune coins can turn the tides in your favor!

2. Suffer the negative effect. Only follow this step if the card has a powerful negative effect (grey plank). Your ship suffers the negative effect displayed on the card. Examples of negative effects:

   • Lose 3 resources.
   • Lose 3 planks.
   • Lose 1 plank per resource on your ship.
   • Lose 1 plank per weaponry level of your ship.
   • You can no longer perform any action this turn.
   • You can no longer perform these actions this turn.
   • Lose 1 plank and 1 sail upgrade.
   • Lose 4 food, and lose as many planks as food you are missing to discard.

   If your ship loses resources and/or planks: See the Lose X resources and Lose X planks sections, below.

3. Handle the card. If this card is an encounter: Discard the card. Otherwise: Leave the card in its place. You can place discarded cards on a common discard pile or directly put them back under their corresponding deck.

4. Check your status.

   • If your ship is capsized: Your turn ends immediately. Proceed to the End your turn step.
   • If you still have movement points left: You can continue to sail. Return to your navigation action.

Overloaded ship

Your ship is overloaded. You must lighten your load! When you have more than 9 resources on your ship, you must get rid of the excess before the game can continue. Choose 9 resources to keep and discard the rest. The resources you discard don't have to be the ones you just received. Keep the ones that are the most valuable for your future actions.

Lose X planks

Your ship is damaged. Move X planks from your ship's hull to the top of your player board. All planks placed there are temporarily lost. If you have no plank left: Continue to the Capsized ship section, just below.

You can repair your planks with the Renovate your ship action, or by ending your turn with your ship at your hideout.

Capsized ship

Your ship is in bad shape! When you no longer have any planks left, your ship is capsized. Lay your ship on the side to symbolize this state. No player can interact with you as long as your ship is in this position.

Captain, we're taking on water fast, we must lighten our load! Lose half of your resources (rounded down). Continue to the Lose X resources section, just below.

Lose X resources

You lose resources from your ship. Take all your resources and throw them on the table, in front of you. Discard X resources, starting with the ones furthest away from you. Then, recover the remaining resources, if there are any left!

If another player capsized your ship during player combat: Lost resources are given to the other player instead of being discarded!

Boost your crew with rum

You share rum with your crew. Their morale is boosted! Before your dice roll: You can spend 1 rum to have an additional die to roll. You can only spend one rum maximum per dice roll. Note that this limitation only applies when you spend rum for a dice roll, not when you trade resources.

Set your dice with fortune

You toss fortune coins into the sea, praying the sea gods to help you for the upcoming challenge. Before your dice roll: You can spend fortune coins to set the sides of your dice, instead of rolling them. The cost depends on each side you choose:

• 1 fortune coin: set the die to 1 star (exploration die) or 1 cannonball (combat die).
• 2 fortune coins: set the die to 2 stars (exploration die) or 1 boarding (combat die).

Note that you can't purchase dice with fortune coins, you only set the sides of the ones you already have. You must pay for each die whose side you set. You cannot set any side after your dice roll. After that, if you have any die left to roll: Roll your remaining dice normally.

Use a bonus token

Each bonus token has a unique effect that can only be used once. After using a token: Flip it face down to indicate that it has been used. You can regain its use by collecting a new sea card of its corresponding sea, as explained in the Succeed an activity section.

List of the different effects:

• During your navigation: Gain 1 extra movement point.
• Before your combat dice roll: Gain one extra combat die to roll.
• Before your exploration dice roll: Set the side of 1 of your dice to 2 stars.
• After your trade (only with a card activity): Get an extra resource of the same type as one you received.
• When spending rum: Use this bonus token instead of spending 1 rum.
• When recovering planks: Recover 2 extra planks for free.
• When spending fortune coin(s): Use this bonus token instead of spending 1 coin.

Note that bonus tokens that can be used "instead of" can't be used to gain the corresponding element on your ship.

Default actions

When you are unable or unwilling to perform any main or reduced action, you must perform a default action instead.

• Fish for food: Boredom settles over the ship, and everyone starts fishing. You wrestle with the line, eventually landing a decent catch. Get 1 food.
• Await your fortune: You stroll across the main deck, when suddenly, a wave crashes over the ship. As the water recedes, a glint catches your eye, a fortune coin! Get 1 fortune coin.

Reduced actions

When you place your action token on a weak spot of the action board, one of your main actions becomes reduced.

• Sail along the coast: Despite great efforts, you only make little progress… Perform the Sail at sea action with only 1 movement point, regardless of your sail level.
• Scavenge on an island: To perform this action, you must be in a sea with an island. A hasty search of the beach only provides some basic supplies… Get 1 of the resources (food or wood) indicated on the exploration activity of the card. You cannot get treasures and must leave the sea card in place.
• Work at the docks: To perform this action, you must be in a sea with a port. A few hours spent working at the docks only earns you a handful of goods. Get 1 of the resources indicated on the right side of the trade arrow. You cannot get treasures and must leave the sea card in place.
• Fix your ship: To perform this action, your ship must be damaged (missing planks). A quick patch job is all you can manage… Recover 1 plank for free. You cannot spend resources to recover extra planks or upgrade your ship.

Optional actions

You can perform one optional action per turn, either before or after one of your main/reduced actions.

Trade with a player

Choose a player in the same sea as you to trade with.

• If they accept: You trade with the other Captain. You freely exchange resources, fortune coins, treasures, and parrots. There is no limit to the number of elements you can exchange. Your action is over. Proceed to your next action or to the End your turn step.
• If they refuse: The other Captain isn't interested. This action is aborted. You can trade with another player in the same sea, or perform another optional action instead.

Attack a player

Choose a player in the same sea as you to attack, they are your "opponent".

1. Escape attempt. Only follow this step if your opponent wants to escape. Your opponent rolls as many exploration dice as their sail level. They can't spend resources to roll additional dice.

   • If they obtain strictly more stars than your sail level: Your opponent successfully flees, avoiding confrontation. Your action is over. Proceed either to your next action or to the End your turn step.
   • Otherwise: Your opponent fails to distance you. Get ready for battle! Continue to the next step.

2. Player combat. A combat between players is similar to a combat against a pirate. See the Combat section, page 18, for reference.

   1. Dice roll phase. Roll as many combat dice as your weaponry level to make your combat roll. Then, your opponent does the same with their weaponry level. In case there is not enough available dice to roll, remember your combat roll and let your opponent roll their own dice. Dice are not "limited" in that sense.
   2. Cannon phase. Both players lose as many planks as the number of cannonball faces the other has. See the Lose X Planks section, page 22.
      • If one ship is capsized and the other is not: One Captain is victorious! The loser gets 1 fortune coin. The winner steals 1 parrot and the loser's lost resources, as explained in the Lose X resources section. Parrots stolen to other players are always placed on the "caged" side.
      • If both ships are capsized: No one wins. Each player gets 1 fortune coin.
      • Otherwise: The fight continues… The Boarding phase begins.
   3. Boarding phase.
      • If one player has strictly more boarding faces than the other: One Captain is victorious! The loser gets 1 fortune coin. The winner steals 1 parrot, and steals resources/treasures based on the excess boarding faces they have over the loser. Each excess boarding face is only used once. Stealing 1 resource costs 1 face, and 1 treasure costs 2 faces. For example, if the winner has 2 excess faces, they can steal either 2 resources or 1 treasure.

Solo mode: Vagabond

Rumors speak of a mysterious Vagabond, obsessed with fortune coins, relentlessly roaming the seas. Every sailor who dared to defy him are said to have vanished without a trace… Legends paint him as the first captain who ever sailed across all of The 7 Seas... centuries ago... Some claim that he never stopped sailing, insisting that uncharted waters were still left to explore, deep within the Mists. Who is the Vagabond? What drives his obsession? How is he still alive? Perhaps you will uncover the truth behind these tales...

The Solo mode uses the same rules and components as the Advanced mode, but with some adjustments. Since you are the only player in the game, you don't need the golden marker, nor the parrots. You must ignore all rule points related to these components during setup and throughout the game.

Solo game setup

Start by following the instructions of the Advanced mode setup until step 6, but do not put the remaining material back in the box yet. Then, finish the setup like this:

7. Take 1 fortune coin from the action board. Even if you are the only player, you still collect 1 fortune coin from the action board now and at the end of each round.
8. Place your hideout in an unoccupied space between two seas, on the Advanced side, and place your ship on your hideout.
9. Choose a player color for the Vagabond of the Mists, and place his ship in the sea opposite to your hideout.
10. Place the mist tile with 1 fortune coin in any unoccupied space between two seas. Its position doesn't matter.
11. Keep his action tokens aside, for now.

Lastly, place the remaining material back into the box.

How to play Solo mode

Like in the other game modes, you set sail across The 7 Seas to score glory points at the end. However in this mode, the Vagabond won't leave you alone… Anytime your ships cross path, you encounter the Vagabond. There are 2 different cases where this can happen:

• During your Player turn, when your ship enters the sea where the Vagabond is.
• During the Vagabond phase, when both ships end up on the same sea.

Intensity level. The number of fortune coins on the mist tile represents the Vagabond's intensity level. The more fortune coins there are, the more tumultuous your next encounter with him will be. If the Vagabond doesn't encounter you during his phase, his intensity level raises, becoming more dangerous.

Encounter the Vagabond

You must resolve the encounter before doing anything else. For example, if you enter a sea with the Vagabond and a pirate, you resolve the Vagabond encounter first.

Note that, during your turn, you only encounter the Vagabond when you enter the sea where he is. You do not encounter him if you start your turn or movement on the same sea.

Resolution. An ominous figure climbs on your main deck and begs for fortune coins… It is the Vagabond! You feel shivers travelling along your spine. Your crew is terrified.

Discard as many fortune coins as the intensity level.

• If you do not have enough fortune coins to give him: You test the Vagabond's patience. The smell of rot instantly overwhelms your senses. He demands resources as compensation for your lack of fortune. Lose as many resources as fortune coins you are missing to discard. See the Lose X resources section, page 22.
  • If you do not have enough resources to give him either: The Vagabond becomes furious and takes out his anger on your ship's hull. On top of being badly broken, spots he bashed seem to have instantly putrefied. Lose as many planks as resources you are missing to discard. See the Lose X planks section, page 22.

The Vagabond is appeased, but for how long? He leaves your ship without a word and sails away quietly. Your crew is relieved... Remove fortune coins from the mist tile, until only one remains, to bring back his intensity level to 1.

Example. The intensity is at level 5 (5 fortune coins). This means that he wants to take 5 elements from you. You have 2 fortune coins, 1 food, and 6 planks. Discard your 2 fortune coins, your food, and lose 2 planks. Then, remove 4 fortune coins from the mist tile, to bring back his intensity level to 1.

Vagabond phase

This phase occurs just before the Maintenance phase and at the End of the game.

1. Move the Vagabond's ship.

   • If your ship is at a sea: The Vagabond senses your presence and sails toward you. Roll as many exploration dice as the intensity level, up to a maximum of 5 dice. Move the Vagabond toward your ship, space by space, taking the shortest path, for as many spaces as stars indicated on the dice roll. He stops on you if he reaches you.
   • If your ship is at your hideout: The Vagabond is unable to sense your presence. Nothing happens. The Vagabond remains where he is.

2. Discard components on his path. The Vagabond troubles the water. Even if he hasn't moved:

   • Discard all revealed sea cards from his starting sea to his current sea.
   • Discard the bonus token of his current sea, if there is still one.

3. Check if you encounter him.

   • If both ships are on the same sea, and your ship is not capsized: You encounter the Vagabond. Proceed to the Encounter the Vagabond section.
   • Otherwise: The Vagabond grows impatient. Add 1 fortune coin to the mist tile.

4. Move his action tokens. The Vagabond haunts your thoughts. Move his captain token to the spot of the action board where your captain token is. Move his officer token to the spot of the action board where your officer token is.

   The Vagabond's tokens impede the placement of your own tokens, as if it were another player. When placing your action token on a weak spot, one of your main actions is reduced.

Solo maintenance phase

1. Discard all remaining encounter cards.
2. Reveal a new sea card in each sea that does not have one.
3. Retrieve your action tokens from the action board. However, leave the Vagabond's action tokens where they are.
4. Take 1 fortune coin from the action board.

After that, a new round begins! Go back to the Start of the round section.

Solo end of the game

Perform the Vagabond phase one last time. Then, count your glory points as in Advanced mode, but count your sea cards differently.

For each card track (exploration, combat, and trade):

• Get as many points as the number of cards you have in that track minus 2 points, with a minimum of 0 points.
• Get 1 point bonus per set of 5 cards collected.

The following table summarizes the different values:

Cards	0-2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	...
Points	-	1	2	3+1	4+1	5+1	6+1	7+1	8+2	9+2	...

Your final score indicates how well you did on your solo adventure:

• 24 or less: Misadventure...
• 25-29: Simple stroll..
• 30-34: Promising excursion.
• 35-39: Admirable journey
• 40-44: Formidable adventure!
• 45-49: Exceptional expedition!!
• 50 or more: Legendary odyssey!!!

Are you struggling? Don't let the barnacles get you down, Captain! Haha! Take a moment to drink, and another to think! Did you spend your resources well? Pick the right battles? I'm sure you will master these waters before they get the best of you!

Favors & Curses

If you are looking for a helping hand, or on the contrary, for a greater challenge, you can add favors and/or curses to your game.

• Favors ease your adventure by providing bonuses at the start. Use them if you have a hard time against the Vagabond.
• Curses hinder your adventure by imposing maluses at the start, and by altering certain game mechanics until the end.

Each of The 7 Seas is associated with a favor and a curse, for a total of 7 favors and 7 curses. These effects are displayed on each side of the 7 mist tokens, and summarized in the following table:

Sea	Favors	Curses
Frozen Sea	+1 food at the start; +1 coin at the start	-1 fortune coin / plank / resource at the start. Sail at sea: -1 movement point (always have 1 min.)
Wild Sea	+1 food at the start; +1 wood at the start	-1 fortune coin / plank / resource at the start. Exploration: Roll -1 exploration die (always 1 min. rolled)
Azure Sea	+1 rum at the start; +1 coin at the start	-1 fortune coin / plank / resource at the start. Encounter the Vagabond: The intensity goes down by 1, instead of to 1
Cursed Sea	+1 wood at the start; +1 coin at the start	-1 fortune coin / plank / resource at the start. Set your dice with fortune: Only 1 die side maximum can be set per dice roll
Burning Sea	+1 fabric at the start; +1 metal at the start	-1 fortune coin / plank / resource at the start. Combat: Roll -1 combat die (always 1 min. rolled)
Plentiful Sea	+1 food at the start; +1 fabric at the start	-1 fortune coin / plank / resource at the start. Trade: Receive -1 resource (always 1 min. received)

How to use Favors & Curses

After setup, follow the instructions below.

1. Choose your difficulty level. For a better experience, start at level 0 and adjust it after each game:

   • Level 0: 2 favors.
   • Level 1: 1 favor and 1 curse.
   • Level 2: 2 curses.
   • Level 3: 3 curses.
   • ...
   • Level 7: 7 curses.

   After each game: 35 points or more: Increase the difficulty by one level. 25-34 points: Try again at the same level. 24 points or less: Lower the difficulty by one level.

2. Determine your favors/curses. Shuffle the 7 mist tokens on the table. Draw mist tokens randomly, one at a time, and place each drawn token above your player board, on the correct side, according to your chosen difficulty. Each visible side of drawn tokens represent your favors and curses for the game. Tokens are placed above your player board as a reminder. Feel free to place them on any other spot that is easier for you.

   For example:

   • At level 0: Draw 2 tokens and place them both on the favor side.
   • At level 1: Draw 2 tokens, place the first one on the favor side, and the second one on the curse side.
   • At level 5: Draw 5 tokens and place them all on the curse side.

3. Apply the starting effects. Apply starting bonuses and maluses of your chosen favors/curses. For example, if you play with the Azure Sea favor and the Burning Sea curse: Get 1 rum and 1 fortune coin. Discard 1 element of their choice (fortune coin, plank, or resource).

Quests of The 7 Seas

Quests are various objectives to test your skills in a different way than curses. The following tables summarize them. Each row has its own checkbox in the printed tables.

Title	Description
Exploration master (Collect exploration cards)	6+ exploration cards; 7+ exploration cards; 8+ exploration cards; 9+ exploration cards; 10+ exploration cards
Combat master (Collect combat cards)	6+ combat cards; 7+ combat cards; 8+ combat cards; 9+ combat cards; 10+ combat cards
Trade master (Collect trade cards)	6+ trade cards; 7+ trade cards; 8+ trade cards; 9+ trade cards; 10+ trade cards
Monster hunter (Collect sea giants)	Kraken (Frozen); Giant whale (Wild); Megalodon (Azure); Tribal chief (Cursed); Leviathan (Burning); Giant crocodile (Plentiful)
Weather tamer (Collect sea hazards)	Maelstrom (Frozen); Stormy sea (Wild); Tropical storm (Azure); Calm sea (Cursed); Thunderstorm (Plentiful); Rogue wave (Jade)
Gem catcher (Collect sea gems)	7 gems in 7 rounds; 7 gems in 6 rounds; 7 gems in 5 rounds; 7 gems in 4 rounds
Great sailor (Upgrade your sails)	Sails at level 3; Sails at level 4; Sails at level 5
Famous fighter (Upgrade your weapons)	Weapons at level 3; Weapons at level 4; Weapons at level 5
Prudent adventurer (Keep your ship intact)

A quest is considered completed when you finish it during a single game and score at least 35 glory points (Admirable journey). The first time you complete a quest, mark its checkbox in the corresponding table.

Are you done with quests? Try the ultimate challenge, by combining curses and quests together! Make sure to share your results with us online, and challenge your friends as well!

Extra modules

The following modules can be added together or independently, in Discovery mode or Advanced mode.

• The flying hen helps struggling players to get back on track quicker. Add this module when you have players known for their legendary bad luck.
• The last fisherman makes default actions stronger and changes how the golden marker is transferred. Add this module to have more strategic options during the game and to shuffle player order each round.

The flying hen

Captain Coco's hen has decided to go on an adventure... Flying away with the Captain's purse, full of fortune coins!

• After setup: The last player claims the hen token.
• When you Fail an activity: The hen flies to you, the unluckiest Captain. Claim the hen token.
• During the Maintenance phase: The hen drops something shiny at your feet. The hen token's owner receives 1 fortune coin.
• At the End of the game: The hen flies back to Captain Coco, leaving a surprise behind. The hen token's owner receives 1 glory point.

The last fisherman

Leisure activities seem to be particularly profitable and quite invigorating this season!

• After setup: The player who last ate fish claims the hook token.
• When you perform a default action and don't have the hook token: Your crew is very motivated today. Claim the hook token and receive the reward of your action again. For example, if you Fish for food, receive 2 food instead of 1.
• During the Maintenance phase: One crew is already at their stations, ready for their Captain's orders. Pass the golden marker to the hook token's owner.
• At the End of the game: The hook token isn't worth any point.

Quick reference

Main actions

Sail at sea: Movement points = your sail level. Each point lets you either Move your ship or Explore the current sea.

• Explore: Spend 1 point to reveal a new sea card. Revealing a new sea card simply corresponds to drawing a card from the sea deck where your ship is located.
• Move: Spend 1 point to move your ship to an adjacent space.
• You must reveal a new sea card when entering a sea without any. You may reveal a new sea card when entering a sea with a port or island.
• When you enter a sea with an encounter, reveal an encounter, or start your action on an encounter, you must resolve it. To do that, first determine its nature: Friendly or Dangerous. Then, choose whether to Handle or Avoid it. Avoid: Avoiding a Friend is free, but a Danger costs 1 fortune coin. Handle: This usually leads to Combat (see page 18).

Land on an island

• Exploration: Roll exploration dice to obtain at least as many stars as indicated. Each food you spend allows 1 extra die.

Dock at a port

• Trade: Pay the requested resources as indicated. You can replace any resource with 1 rum or 2 resources of any type.

Renovate your ship: Choose to Upgrade or Repair your ship. Pay 1 rum to do both.

• Upgrade: Choose between sails or weapons. Pay the resource cost indicated on your player board and place a corresponding upgrade token on the spot.
• Repair: Recover 1 plank for free, and 1 plank per wood you spend. You can also spend fabric or metal, instead of wood.

Default actions

When you are unable or unwilling to perform a main or reduced action, you must perform a default action instead.

• Fish for food: Get 1 food.
• Await your fortune: Get 1 fortune coin.

Reduced actions

One of your main actions is reduced when placing your action token on a weak spot of the action board (with tokens of equal or higher rank).

• Sail along the coast: Perform the Sail at sea action with only 1 movement point.
• Scavenge on an island: Get 1 of the resources indicated on the exploration activity.
• Work at the docks: Get 1 of the resources indicated on the right side of the trade arrow.
• Fix your ship: Recover 1 plank for free.

Optional actions

You can perform one optional action per turn.

• Trade with a player: Exchange any number of resources, fortune coins, treasures, and parrots with a player in the same sea as you.
• Attack a player: Target a player in the same sea as you. They are your "opponent". Your opponent can try to escape if they want. To do that, they must roll exploration dice. If your opponent obtains strictly more stars than your sail level, they escape. If they don't want to escape or fail their roll, player combat happens (see page 25).