Wildtails: A Pirate Legacy Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Components
• Campaign Book
• Card Types
  • Empire Card
  • Log Card
  • Character Card
  • Scenario Card
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • Taking a Turn
  • Actions
  • Managing Rounds
• End of the Scenario
• Variants
  • Solo Scenarios
  • (Locked, R2) Post-Campaign Scenarios
• Skill Checks
• Abilities
  • Ability Keywords
• Scenes
• Resources
  • Resource Types
  • Spending Resources
• Objectives
• Threats
  • Capturing Cards
  • Attacking
• Crisis Checks
  • Crisis Effects

Overview

In this cooperative legacy game you will build your own empire by successfully navigating each chapter of the campaign. Your choices will permanently alter the story and the game's components. After the campaign ends, continue playing your customized game with random scenarios.

Note: Disregard rules or components with a lock icon until they are unlocked in the campaign.

Components

1 Empire Card, 1 Log Card, 2 Character Cards, 13 Scenario Cards, and 1 Sleeve with locked components.

Provide your own marker to modify components.

Campaign Book

The Campaign Book is required to play the game's campaign. Access the Campaign Book here: bit.ly/3DGYFae

Card Types

Empire Card

The Empire stores resources and provides abilities that both players can activate.

• A. Resource Storage
• B. Active Side
• C. Abilities

Log Card

The Pirate's Log is a round indicator and quick reference. The Campaign Log on the back is updated throughout the campaign.

• D. Curse Icons
• E. Round Indicator
• F. Turn Sequence
• G. Crisis Effects

Character Card

Characters can hold resources, use skills and abilities, and indicate Objective progress.

• H. Name
• I. Skills
• J. Abilities
• K. Level Numbers

Scenario Card

These are flipped and rotated to represent Scenes, resources, Objectives, and Threats.

Scene Card

• A. Curse Icon
• B. Skill Modifier
• C. Events
• D. Event Numbers

Resource Card

• E. Event Number
• F. Resources

Objective Card

• G. Objective Rewards
• H. Level Indicator
• I. Number and Name
• J. Level-up Cost / Requirements

Threat Card

• K. Number and Name
• L. Base Skill Value
• M. Skill Check Type
• N. Round Numbers
• O. Crisis Effects

Setup

Read the Campaign Book until you reach a new scenario. Set up each scenario as follows:

1. Find the cards corresponding to the scenario's Objectives and Threat, and place these in view of both players.
2. Shuffle all remaining Scenario Cards together, Scene side up, to form a deck (leave room next to it for a discard pile). The top card shows the active Scene. Keep the deck and discard pile Scene side up throughout the game.
3. Find the scenario's capture value. Capture that number of Scenes from the top of the deck (see the Capturing Cards section under Threats).
4. Place the Pirate's Log just below the Threat so that its round indicator lines up with round 1.
5. Each player chooses a different unlocked Character for that scenario and places that Character card face up in front of them. Place the Empire, Stronghold side up, between the Characters.
6. Choose which player plays first.

Gameplay

Each scenario lasts up to 7 rounds. In each round, players take turns as the active player. Both players may also activate abilities at any time.

Taking a Turn

Your turn proceeds through these steps:

1. Check for Crisis: If the Threat triggers a crisis at the active Scene, resolve the resulting crisis effect (see Crisis Checks).
2. Take one Action: Take one action to gain resources, make progress in the scenario, or change the active Scene (see Actions).
3. Store Resources (Optional): Resources held by your Character may be placed under the Empire (stores a maximum of 3 cards).
4. Check for End of Round: If the deck is empty, end the round (see Managing Rounds).

Actions

During your turn, you must take one action:

• Complete a Scene event (see Scenes).
• Gain a level on an Objective (see Objectives).
• Attack the Threat (see Threats).
• Discard the active Scene.

Managing Rounds

If the deck is empty at the end of any turn, the round ends. If it is the 7th round or if the discard pile is empty, the players lose the scenario. Otherwise, start a new round before your partner starts their turn:

1. Shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck.
2. Capture 1 Scene from the top of the deck.
3. Shift the Pirate's Log to the right so that its round indicator moves to the next round.
4. (Locked, R1) If the Empire is Raid side up, flip it to its Stronghold side.

End of the Scenario

If you eliminate the Threat (defeat it after completing both Objectives), you win the scenario! You lose the scenario immediately if:

• There are 5 cards captured by the Threat.
• Any round ends with an empty discard pile.
• The 7th round ends.

Variants

Solo Scenarios

Set up and play as in the base game, except you control both Characters as they take turns.

(Locked, R2) Post-Campaign Scenarios

Set up and play as in the base game, except with 2 Objectives and 1 Threat chosen at random, and a chosen difficulty that sets the initial number of cards captured by the Threat:

• Easy: 0
• Normal: 1
• Hard: 2
• Wild: 3

Skill Checks

Characters use their skills (Savvy, Bravery, and Deception) to perform skill checks for particularly challenging tasks.

Each skill check specifies (1) a target value for (2) a certain skill. To begin a skill check, slide the active Scene off the deck and place it next to the revealed card (now the top card of the deck). You will compare the active Scene to the revealed card to resolve the skill check.

Note: If the active Scene is the only card in the deck, shuffle the discard pile, then use the top card as the revealed card. If there are 0 or 1 cards in the discard pile, you may not take actions that require skill checks.

(3) Compare the curse icons of the active Scene and the revealed card. If they match, you automatically fail (or "autofail") the skill check.

If the icons do not match, (4) add the skill modifier of the revealed card to (5) your Character's skill value. If the final total is greater than or equal to the target value, you succeed in the skill check.

If you succeed in an event, gain the resources for that event. If you succeed in an attack, discard the active Scene and all captured cards. If you fail the skill check, discard the active Scene.

Abilities

You may normally activate abilities shown on your Character or the Empire at any time on any turn, but many abilities have restrictions:

• (Empire side icon): May be used only if the Empire is that side up.
• MAX: May be used only so many times per turn.
• ROUND: May be used only during some rounds.
• (Character icon): Applies only to the Character that activates the ability. The effects are not shared.

If you aren't restricted from performing an ability, pay its costs if any, and gain its benefit. (An ability is laid out as Benefit, Restriction, and Cost, for example Benefit "BUFF +2", Restriction "MAX 1", Cost "1 sword".)

Ability Keywords

• Smuggle: Take any amount of resources from the Empire and tuck them under your Character.
• Buff: Give the active player a temporary increase to their skill check total. This may be used after revealing the skill modifier.
• Conspire: Switch who the active player is. They complete the current turn where the previous player left off. Then the other player starts their turn as normal. (If playing solo, switch which character is currently active that turn.)

Scenes

Each Scene has 4 events. Complete any one of the events on the active Scene to gain the resources shown. There are three event types:

• Gain a resource for free.
• Pay a resource to gain resources.
• Succeed in a skill check for resources.

If you complete an event, use its number (I / II / III / IV) to locate the corresponding reward on one of the card edges. Orient the card so those resources are at the top, then tuck it under your Character with those resources shown. Your Character now holds those resources.

Resources

Characters can hold any number of resource cards, and the Empire can store a maximum of three. Resources can be spent, stored, and smuggled.

Resource Types

Different resources each have their own icons:

• Basic (barrel / sword / coin)
• Cannon
• Gem: A gem may be spent to pay for any one basic resource or a gem, but not a cannon. When a gem is shown in a cost, it must be paid with a gem.
• Any: This icon is only used in costs; each may be paid using any resource.
• Permanent (barrel / sword / coin): Some Objective rewards and abilities grant a permanent resource (marked with a star). They may only be spent once a turn and only during your turn. They are not discarded when spent.

Spending Resources

Abilities, events, and Objectives often have costs. These must be paid using only your Character's resources.

If you spend only some of a card's resources, set it aside: you may spend its remaining resources until the end of the turn. If you spend all of a card's resources, immediately discard it.

At the end of each turn, discard all cards that were set aside by either player. Unspent resources on those cards are lost.

Example:

1. Anna has one resource card at the start of her turn (two swords and a barrel).
2. She spends 1 barrel to use her Smuggle ability to take one stored resource card from the Empire (gem, gem, cannon).
3. For her action, she spends 2 swords and 2 gems to level-up an Objective that costs 3 swords and 1 barrel.
4. At the end of Anna's turn, both cards are discarded. The unused cannon is lost.

Objectives

Each Objective has four levels. After you complete both Objectives, you can attempt to eliminate the Threat and win the scenario.

To gain a level, you must pay its level-up cost (some Objectives also require the Empire to be a certain side up to level up). When you gain the first level, align the Objective's level indicator with level 1 on your Character. On subsequent levels, shift the Objective to the right so its level indicator moves to the next level. Your Character can level up only their Objective.

Objectives grant rewards with each level gained, such as (1) a +1 bonus or (2) a +2 bonus to the indicated skill, (3) permanent resources, and (4) half of the requirement to eliminate the Threat.

Threats

The Threat is your adversary, and must be eliminated for you to win the scenario.

Capturing Cards

When the Threat captures cards, take that number of Scenes from the specified location and tuck them under the Threat so that all of the captured cards' curse icons are visible.

Attacking

When you attack the Threat, perform a skill check to see if you defeat them. The target value is the sum of the Threat's base skill value plus the number of captured cards.

After attacking, always discard the active Scene regardless of the outcome.

If you defeat the Threat, you set them back temporarily: discard all captured cards. If both Objectives are complete when you defeat the Threat, you eliminate them and win the scenario.

Crisis Checks

At the beginning of your turn, check for a crisis. First, find the curse icon on the active Scene. If that icon is present on the Pirate's Log and lines up with a crisis effect icon on the Threat Card, that crisis effect is triggered. If the curse icon isn't present, or it doesn't line up with a crisis effect, or the crisis effect cannot be resolved, then nothing happens.

Crisis Effects

• No Effect
• Capture Top Card from Discard Pile
• Discard Bottom Card from Scene Deck: If the active Scene is the only card in the deck, nothing happens.
• Discard 1 Resource Card: The active player discards 1 resource card.
• +2 Difficulty to Skill Checks: All skill check target values increase by +2 this turn.
• (Locked, R3) Can't Use Abilities: Neither player may perform any abilities until the next turn. Note that players may perform abilities before this goes into effect.
• - OR -
• (Locked, R4) Downgrade 1 Resource Card: Choose one of your resource cards labeled I, II, III, or IV and convert it to the I resource on that card.
• (Locked, R5) Discard All Resources: The active player must discard all of their resources.
• - OR -
• (Locked, R6) Discard Active Scene: If it was the last card of the deck, start a new round, but continue your turn. Do not perform another crisis check this turn.