Trade Fleet
Trade Fleet Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
The game contains 87 cards.
Set Up
Deal five cards to each player. Set the remaining cards in the center of the table as the draw pile.
The Three Card Types
- Port - Played to the table in front of the player, to be used on a later turn. Each player may only have one Port in play at a time. If a player plays a new Port card while they already have one on the table, the existing Port is discarded.
- Goods - Played when redeeming a Port that is already in play. If redeeming more than one of the same, they are worth one less gold than the first. The value of any good cannot go below 1 gold.
- Happenings - Events and actions that can be played at different times. The card text explains when each card can be played.
Play
On their turn a player must take one of the following actions; then at the end of their turn, draw back up to a hand of 5 cards. Players only draw back up to 5 cards at the end of their turn.
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Play a card - Play a Port card to the table or play a Happenings card.
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Redeem goods at a port - If the player has a Port card already in play they can redeem the goods they have in their hand. The first good of each type redeemed at a port is done so for the value listed on that Port card. All subsequent goods are worth one less gold. For example: Tobacco has a Value of 3 and the player redeems 3 Tobacco giving them 3+2+2 for a total of 7 gold. Sugar has a Value of 2 and the player redeems 3 Sugar giving them 2+1+1 for 4 gold. A good will never be worth less than 1 gold. All redeemed Goods and the Port card are discarded. The player then collects his gold in the form of cards from the discard pile and sets them aside to become his stash. If no cards are in the discard pile, use the draw pile.
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Discard two or three cards - Discard two or three cards from the player's hand to the discard pile.
Winning
When the draw pile runs out, play continues until all players are unable to play. Do not reshuffle the draw pile. Once all players have had their final turn they count up the number of cards in their gold stash. The player with the most gold wins the game.
Happenings Card Clarifications
ISLAND: Played on your turn, after playing collect 3 gold.
REPAIRS: Played on your turn to another player, after playing the chosen player discards 3 gold.
PIRATES: Played on your turn to another player, after playing the chosen player discards 2 Goods cards of their choice from their hand.
LOST: Played on your turn, after playing select any two ports in play and swap them.
ESCORT: Played at any time to cancel the effect of another Happenings card as it is played.
DOCK FEE: Played when another player plays a Port Card. When goods are redeemed at that port they all have their values reduced by 1. Goods can not be worth less than 1 gold. If the port this card is played to gets discarded, so does Dock Fee. Do not draw a card to replace Dock Fee until the end of your next turn.
SMUGGLE: Played when you play a Port Card. When you redeem goods at that port, you choose one of the goods to have double its listed value. If the port this card is played to gets discarded, so does Smuggle.
TAXATION: Played on your turn. After playing, all other players give you one gold.
Play Example
Player 1 plays the Port Royale port card to his play area; as he does, player 3 plays the Happenings card Dock Fee on that port. Player 1 then draws one card to bring his hand back up to five.
Player 2 discards 2 cards then draws two cards to bring his hand back up to five.
Player 3 plays the Happenings card Island. He takes 3 cards from the discard pile and adds them to his gold stash, then draws two cards to bring his hand back up to five.
Player 1 redeems 2 Rum and 1 Hemp (Goods cards) at his port, Port Royale.
Using the values on the Port card, and taking into account the penalty incurred by Dock Fee, the goods are redeemed as follows:
- first Rum - 2 gold
- second Rum - 1 gold
- Hemp - 1 gold (goods can never be worth less than 1 gold)
Player 1 collects a total of 3 gold.
Transcriber's note: the booklet prints a total of 3 gold for this example, but the itemised values above it (2 + 1 + 1) sum to 4. The printed text is reproduced as published; the discrepancy is in the source booklet.