The Golden Sails

The Golden Sails Rulebook

Table of Contents

About the Game

Players take the roles of merchants from competing merchant houses. The game lasts 12 rounds. In each round every player acquires a good of one of five kinds: gems, spices, weapons, beasts or spells. At the end of the game the goods earn their owners victory points, with the scoring for each kind of good working in its own way. The winner is the player with the most points.

Components

48 goods cards. Five zones on each card correspond to the five different kinds of goods: spells, spices, gems, beasts, weapons.
4 identical sets of 5 expert cards. Each expert lets you obtain a good of the corresponding kind: Armorer: weapons; Arcanist: spells; Beast Hunter: beasts; Cook: spices; Jeweler: gems.
5 double-sided reference sheets. One side is the spices reference sheet (the same on all sheets); the other side is a beasts reference sheet (different on every sheet).
1 score pad
1 first player card
Rulebook

Setup

Shuffle the goods cards. In a four-player game the whole goods deck is used. In a three-player game count out 36 cards from the deck and return the rest to the box without looking at them. In a two-player game count out 24 cards and return the rest to the box. Place the goods deck in the middle of the table face down.

Deal each player a full set of five different expert cards. Players place these cards in front of them face up. Shuffle the reference sheets, take one at random and place it beasts side up: this sheet shows how beasts will be scored in the current game. Then deal each player one more reference sheet: players place these in front of them spices side up. If there are fewer than four players, put the surplus expert cards and reference sheets back in the box.

Give the first player card to the player who most recently travelled to distant lands.

Principle of the Game

The central game element is the goods cards. Each card consists of five zones: spices, beasts, weapons, spells and gems. This means every card can be acquired as a good of one of five kinds. Which kind of good a card becomes depends on which expert is played on it. For example, if the Jeweler is played on a card, it counts as a gem; if the Beast Hunter, as a beast, and so on.

In each round every player receives one goods card. Players take goods cards after an expert has been played on each of them. So when a player takes a card it is already a specific good, in accordance with the expert played on it.

The player keeps the goods in front of them, each kind of good in a separate pile. The cards in each pile lie face up, with the corresponding zone showing (the exception is gems, which are placed face down). Place new cards on top of old ones in the pile with an offset; the order must not be changed.

Example. In the first round a player took a goods card on which the Cook was played. They place this good in front of them face up, spice side up (I). In the second round the player took a goods card on which the Beast Hunter was played and place it in front of them in a different pile, beast side up (II). In the third round they take a card on which the Cook was played and place it in the same pile as their first spice good, with a small offset so the symbols on all goods in the pile can be seen (III).

Each player may have no more than five piles, one for each kind of good. All these piles except gems lie face up and all players may look at them at any time. Only the owner may look at the cards in the gems pile; opponents, if they wish, may memorize which cards were placed there.

At the end of the game each player scores points for the goods they have collected. Each kind of good has its own scoring principle.

Spices

Spices come in six varieties: anise, mint, pepper, juniper, lotus, cloves.

This is an expensive good with a limited market. It is profitable for merchants to bring many different spices, whereas a large cargo of the same spice will simply find no buyer. At the end of the game the player scores points depending on the number of different spices they have. The number of points is shown on the reference sheet each player receives at the start of the game: 2 points for a single variety of spice, 4 points for two varieties, 8 for three, 12 for four, 20 for five and 30 for six. Duplicates of spices the player already has score nothing, so during the game you should try to take different spices.

Example. A player's spices pile has anise, mint, pepper and another anise. These are three different spices, so the player scores 8 points. The second anise gives nothing.

Gems

Gems come in eight different classes (marked with numbers from 1 to 8). They are used in magic rituals in which a sequence of consecutive classes matters. The longer a sequence a player can make from their gems, the more points they get. At the end of the game the player reveals their gem cards and arranges them into any number of continuous sequences. 1 and 8 count as adjacent, so the sequence 8-1 is also continuous. Each card that is part of a sequence gives as many points as there are cards in that sequence in total. In other words, each sequence earns the square of its length in points. Each card may be part of only one sequence.

Example. A player's gems pile has 1, 2, 4, 4 and 8. They form three continuous sequences from these cards: 8-1-2, 4 and 4. The first sequence has 3 cards, each earning 3 points, 9 in total. The second has 1 card, earning 1 point. The third is the same. Total 11 points. If instead of the second 4 the player had a 3, they would build a sequence of five cards, 8-1-2-3-4, and score 25 points for it.

The class of a gem is indicated by a large numeral inside the gemstone. The small numerals next to it serve as a hint, indicating the "neighbouring" classes.

Beasts

Beasts come in four varieties: unicorn, phoenix, giant spider, sea serpent.

Every year the menageries of Laar place a new order for exotic beasts, so the value of different beasts and their combinations changes from game to game. At the start of the game the players randomly choose one of five beast reference sheets, which list different sets of beasts and the points they earn. At the end of the game the player forms the required sets from their collected beast cards and receives the corresponding number of points. Each card may be part of only one set. There are five different beast reference sheets in the game; all are described in detail in the Scoring section below.

Example. At the start of the game the players randomly chose reference sheet IV. At the end of the game a player has in their beasts pile 2 unicorns, 1 spider and 1 phoenix. They can divide these beasts into the required sets in two ways: a pair of unicorns and a set of a spider with a phoenix, or a set of a unicorn, a spider and a phoenix and a set of one unicorn. In the first case they get 6 points for the pair and 4 points for a set of two different beasts, 10 points in total. In the second case, 8 points for a set of three different beasts and 2 points for a set of one beast, also 10 points. But if instead of the spider they had a phoenix, they would have two pairs worth 12 points in total.

Weapons

Weapons come in four types: boomerang, pinga, shuriken, katar.

With them the trading houses arm mercenaries, ensuring their own safety and undermining the operations of competitors. In each weapon zone, besides the type, there are two numbers, from 0 to 2, on the left and the right. These numbers show how many points the player takes away from their neighbours at the end of the game (in other words, the neighbours lose these points and the player gains them). However, the Vaardam customs does not let large batches of weapons into the city. If a player gets a second weapon card of a type they already have, all their cards of that type take no points away (although they still count as weapon cards).

Example. A player's weapons pile has pinga 1-2, boomerang 0-2, shuriken 1-1 and katar 2-0. The player takes from the neighbour on the left 1+0+1+2=4 points, and from the neighbour on the right 2+2+1+0=5 points. They add these points to their own score, and the neighbours lose them. If instead of the katar the player had a second boomerang, both boomerang cards would not work and the player on the left would lose 2 points and the one on the right 3 points. Note also that the neighbours on the left and right will surely have weapons that take points away from the player. In the end the player may even lose more than they gained.

Spells

Spells are needed by merchants to increase the value of their goods, influence the market situation in Vaardam, defend against competitors and so on. Each card in the spells pile has its own property, which brings its owner victory points in its own way. A full description of all spell properties is in the Scoring section below.

Example. A player's spells pile has "2 points for each spell", "4 points for three different beasts" and "+2 to both values of shuriken". The first card earns 6 points (2 for each of the three spells, including itself). The second card gives 4 points for each set of three different beasts the player has. Taking the beasts from the example above, they form one set of three different beasts, so the second spell card earns 4 points. Finally, the third card earns no points by itself but turns the shuriken 1-1 (from the same example) into 3-3.

Course of the Game

The game consists of 12 rounds and ends at the end of the round in which the last goods cards in the deck run out.

Round Structure

Each round consists of five phases:

Appearance of new goods
Assigning experts
Acquiring goods
Return of experts (once every 4 rounds)
Passing the first player card

1. Appearance of New Goods

The inhabitants of the next island on the trade caravan's route prepare for the merchants' arrival and put on the market everything that might interest them.

The first player reveals from the top of the deck as many goods as there are players in the game and places them in any order in the middle of the table face up. For convenience, rotate the cards so that identical zones face the same direction, for example so that all spice zones are on the left.

2. Assigning Experts

The merchants send experts of the five guilds to the market to select the goods they are interested in and prepare a deal.

The first player chooses any of the expert cards lying in front of them and places it next to any goods card revealed this round. In doing so the player determines which good that card will become. Then their neighbour clockwise does the same, and so on, until every player has played one expert. If an expert has already been played on a card, another expert cannot be played on it. For clarity we advise placing expert cards next to the zone to which they relate.

Example. In a three-player game three goods cards are laid out in the middle of the table. Alexei decides to play the Armorer on the middle goods card, and this good becomes a weapon. Then Boris, sitting to his left, plays the Beast Hunter on the right goods card, and this good turns into a beast. Finally Viktor plays the Cook on the last remaining goods card. Now this good is a spice.

3. Acquiring Goods

When the experts have selected goods to buy, the merchants make deals. But not everyone gets in this phase what they would like to acquire.

Now the players, in reverse order, starting with the last and continuing counterclockwise, each take one of the goods revealed this round. On their turn a player chooses one of the goods cards not yet taken, places it in front of them in the appropriate pile (in accordance with the expert card played on it), and sends the expert lying next to it to the discard pile.

A player may take any good, regardless of who played an expert on it. However, you cannot refuse to take a good, even if it is unfavourable to the player.

The first player (who gets the last card) has the right to change the kind of good on this card. If they decide to use this right, they take the expert from the last goods card and play on that card another expert from those they have left. The kind of good changes to the one corresponding to the new expert. Then the first player takes the good into the corresponding pile and the new expert goes to the discard pile. If the player does not want to use this right, they take the good as usual.

When a player takes a good into the gems pile, they must announce the class of the gem they have just taken. If they do not, opponents have the right to demand that they show the card just taken. Naturally, it is forbidden to look at other players' gem cards taken in previous rounds.

Example. The first to choose a good is the player who played an expert last, that is Viktor. He decides that he needs a weapon more, takes the middle card and lays it in front of him weapon side up, and discards the Armorer. Then Boris decides to take a beast (and, accordingly, discards the Beast Hunter). Alexei has little choice: only a spice. However, he does not need a spice, and by the rules he may play a different expert. Alexei does exactly that: he takes the Cook to himself and plays the Jeweler instead. Now this good is not a spice but a gem. Alexei takes the gem, announces its class to everyone and places the gem in front of him face down. The Jeweler card goes to the discard pile.

4. Return of Experts

After the completed deal the experts take a few days of rest but soon get back to work. This happens twice before returning to Vaardam.

When every player has taken a goods card, the players look at how many experts they have left. If each player has only one expert left (this happens at the end of the fourth and eighth rounds), the players take the discarded expert cards and distribute them among themselves so that each again has a set of five different experts, as at the start of the game.

After the twelfth round (when the goods deck has run out) the players do not take the experts back but go straight to final scoring.

5. Passing the First Player Card

During the transition to the next island the leader of the caravan changes.

If the game has not ended, pass the first player card to the neighbour on the left. Then a new round begins.

Exception: if you are playing with four players, then in the fourth and eighth rounds (immediately after the return of experts) the first player card is passed to the left past one player (two seats). This avoids the situation where the same player becomes first in all rounds in which they have five experts in hand.

Scoring

After the twelfth round players count the points they have gained. It is most convenient to do so using the score pad. Points are awarded in the order shown in the pad: first write down each player's points for spells, then for gems, spices, beasts and weapons.

Before counting points, players check whether they have any universal goods in their spells piles. If there are such cards, they may move them to any of their other piles (or leave them in the spells pile). When moving a card, the player turns it to the required side up and places it on top of the other cards in the pile. For example, if a player moved a universal good card to the spices pile, they turn it spice side up and place it on top of the last spice card acquired during the game. If a player has several universal goods, they may move them in any order.

Spells

Then players proceed to scoring. First each counts points for their spells. Here is what the symbols in this zone mean:

1 point for each good of the indicated kind (gems, spices, beasts or weapons) the player has; in other words, 1 point for each card in the pile of the indicated good.
2 points for each spell the player has, including this card itself.
2 points for each of the indicated beast the player has (in the beasts pile).
4 points for each set of two of the indicated spices the player has (in the spices pile).
4 points for each set of five goods of different kinds the player has, counting this card itself (in other words, 4 points if the player has goods of all kinds, or 8 points if they have two goods of each kind).
4 points for each set of three different beasts the player has (in the beasts pile).

Some spells modify scoring in other piles. Take them into account when scoring the other kinds of goods:

+1/-1 to the class of any gem: the player may change the class of any one of their gems by 1. An 8 may be turned into a 1 and vice versa.
+2 to both values of the indicated weapon. If the player has this weapon, they may add 2 to both of its numbers, left and right.
Protection from weapons of any one type. The player chooses one weapon type, and the numbers directed towards them on cards of that weapon type count as zeros (regardless of boosts).

Players enter the points gained for spells on the pad and proceed to scoring gems.

Gems

Each player reveals their gem cards and arranges them into sequences, trying to make the longest possible continuous chains. Remember that 8 and 1 are considered adjacent, and do not forget to use modifiers from spells if you have them.

Each sequence is scored separately. The player counts the number of cards in the sequence and squares it. These are the points the player gets for the sequence.

Spices

After entering the points for gems on the pad, players count points for spices. Each player looks at how many different spices are in their pile and gets points according to the reference sheet: 1 variety: 2 points; 2: 4 points; 3: 8 points; 4: 12 points; 5: 20 points; 6: 30 points.

Beasts

Then points for beasts. This depends on the reference sheet chosen at the start of the game. In most cases players must divide their beasts into the sets shown on the reference sheet and get the indicated points. Each card may be part of only one set. A player may have any number of identical sets and gets the listed points for each. If the cards can be divided into sets in different ways, the player has the right to choose the most advantageous option.

Reference sheet I

1 unicorn: 1 point
2 unicorns: 6 points
3 unicorns: 12 points
1 phoenix: 2 points
sea serpent + phoenix: 6 points
phoenix + spider: 6 points
unicorn + spider + sea serpent: 9 points

Reference sheet II

1 sea serpent: 1 point
2 sea serpents: 6 points
3 sea serpents: 12 points
1 spider: 2 points
unicorn + spider: 6 points
spider + phoenix: 6 points
sea serpent + phoenix + unicorn: 9 points

Reference sheet III

spider + spider + sea serpent: 10 points
phoenix + phoenix + spider: 10 points
unicorn + unicorn + phoenix: 10 points
sea serpent + sea serpent + unicorn: 10 points
any two beasts (not necessarily identical): 5 points. Single beasts that are not part of sets earn no points at all.

Reference sheet IV

2 spiders: 6 points
2 phoenixes: 6 points
2 unicorns: 6 points
2 sea serpents: 6 points
a set of 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 different beasts: 2 / 4 / 8 / 12 points.
(For a set of two identical beasts you get 6 points.)

Reference sheet V

This is a special reference sheet in which points are earned not by sets but by the sequence in which the player took the beast cards. For each beast the player gets 3, 4 or 5 points depending on which beast they took next. The last beast earns no points. The sheet is a table: each column is a beast (the beast in question) and each row is the beast taken next; the value where they cross is the points for the beast in the column.

Next beast taken (row) \ Beast (column)	Phoenix	Sea serpent	Spider	Unicorn
Phoenix	3	5	4	3
Sea serpent	3	3	5	4
Spider	4	3	3	5
Unicorn	5	4	3	3

Example. A player has in their beasts pile a phoenix, a spider, a unicorn, a unicorn and a serpent (in exactly that order). To find how many points the phoenix earns, the player finds in the table the column with this beast and the row with the next beast, the spider. At their crossing the value of the phoenix is given: 4 points. Then it is the spider's turn: at the crossing of the spider's column and the unicorn's row it says 3 points. Then the first of the unicorns: at the crossing of the unicorn column and unicorn row, also 3 points. Finally the second unicorn brings the player 4 points (crossing of the unicorn column with the serpent row), and the serpent brings nothing. In total the player gets 14 points for their five beasts.

Weapons

Finally, players score points for weapons. First the player checks whether their weapons pile has two or more weapons of the same type. If there are such cards, none of them are counted in scoring; consider them to have zeros on them, even if you have a boosting spell.

If the player has a boosting spell and a weapon card of the matching type, they add 2 to both values on that card. If the player has a spell protecting against one weapon type, they now must choose against which type of weapon this spell will work. If the neighbours have weapons of that type, the numbers directed towards the player on those cards become zero, despite boosts. Protection does not affect the player's own cards. Do not forget to check whether your neighbours have protective spells when you count points for weapons.

When the player has accounted for everything above, they add up the numbers on the left sides and on the right sides of their weapon cards (each side separately). These are the points they must take from their neighbours on the left and on the right respectively. Then they calculate the difference between the points they must take from each neighbour and the points that this neighbour must take from them. This difference (positive or negative) is written on the pad.

Exception: in a two-player game each player chooses only one side (right or left) of all cards in their weapons pile, which will take points from the opponent. All numbers on the other side are annulled. The choice is made for the whole pile at once, not for each card.

Example. By the end of the game the players had collected, among other things, the following goods (Alexei, Viktor, Boris).

Alexei has two katar cards. Their values differ, but they are the same type, so they are not counted in scoring. Viktor has two boosting spells: one boosts the katar, the other the pinga. Since he has no katars, the first boost does not work, but the pinga is boosted by +2 on each side. Boris has a spell protecting against any one type of weapon. The most dangerous weapon for him is his left neighbour's pinga, so Boris decides to protect himself from exactly that weapon.

Now each player counts how many points they take from their neighbours and how many the neighbours take from them. It is most convenient to do this by calculating the difference in weapon strength for each pair of neighbours. Alexei and Boris take nothing from each other, so both write 0 points. Alexei takes 2 points from Viktor, and Viktor takes 3 points from Alexei; Alexei writes -1 point and Viktor 1 point. Viktor takes 0 points from Boris, and Boris takes 4 points from Viktor; Viktor writes -4 points and Boris 4 points. In total, for weapons Alexei lost 1 point, Boris gained 4 points, and Viktor lost 3 points.

Determining the Winner

Then each player totals the points they have gained. The player with the most points wins. If several contenders for victory have the same number of points, the one who received fewer points from the weapons pile wins. If there is still a tie, the one with fewer cards in their weapons pile wins. If there is still a tie, the players draw.

Variants

The Golden Sails is a game with almost no hidden information. You can always look at which goods your opponents have collected (except for gems) and which experts they have left. In some groups this may lead to long deliberation over every move, while others, on the contrary, dislike memorizing opponents' gem cards. Depending on the preferences of your group, you can try the following variants.

More open variant. All players place the gems they receive in an open pile (like the other goods), arranging the cards with a corner showing. Players may look at which cards lie in others' gem piles. This variant is recommended for experienced players who like to calculate the possible moves of their opponents.

More closed variant. All players keep their expert cards in hand, without showing them to opponents. An expert card is revealed only when the player places it next to a goods card. The experts' discard pile also lies face down. This variant is recommended for players who are bothered by an excess of available game information.

Frequently Asked Questions

I have 2 cards "+1/-1 to any gem" in my spells pile. Can I apply both effects to the same card, for example turn a 1 into a 3? Yes, you can do that.

I have 2 cards "4 points for three different beasts" in my spells pile, and 5 cards in my beasts pile: 2 unicorns, 2 phoenixes and 1 spider. How many points will the spell cards earn? You will get 8 points, since from all your beasts you can make only one set containing three different beasts, and each of the two cards in the spells pile earns 4 points for this set. If you had one more beast, for example a spider or a serpent, you could make two sets of three different beasts, thereby getting 16 points in total from the two spell cards. Whereas one more unicorn or phoenix would not help you score that many, because from such a combination of six beasts it is impossible to make two different sets in each of which no beast repeats.

If several players argue about who distributes their universal goods first, who should do it first? The player who went first in the last round distributes universal goods first (and makes other decisions during scoring), and then the others in clockwise order.

I have the cards "4 points for mint and cloves" and "4 points for mint and anise" in my spells pile, and in my spices pile mint, cloves, another cloves and anise. How many points will the spell cards earn? Each card in the spells pile earns points independently of the others. So if you have the three needed spices in your spices pile, you get 4 points for each of the mentioned cards in the spells pile. It is important to understand that for each card in the spells pile each spice is counted only once, and a pair of cloves will not bring you additional points. However, if you had another mint in your spices pile, then for one card in the spells pile you would get 8 points (for two independent pairs of mint and cloves) and for the other 4 points (only one pair of mint and anise), 12 points in total.