Aether Captains: Pirates and Traders Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Card and Tile Layout
• Setup
• Play
• Pirate Attack
• Sample Play Example
• Notes on the Source

Components

To play you will need:

• The set of 50 Game Action cards labelled Trade, Assist, Pirates and Weather
• 1 set of 8 Scenario Cards
• 1 set of 8 Captain Role Cards
• 1 set of 8 double sided Zeppelin Tiles
• 10 each of red, orange, yellow and green resource markers (euro cubes do nicely)
• 50 to 60 gold coins or chips
• One 12 sided die (labelled 1d12 in these rules)

See the next page for the general layout of all cards and tiles in the game and their icons.

Card and Tile Layout

The Game Action cards and Scenario cards carry two types of small icons in their action text:

• Square icons alert you to the Resource Numbers you will need to consult during actions on Game Action cards and on Scenario cards. Resource Numbers are used to determine resources won or lost during certain actions. Gold, Goods, Weapons, Crew and Engine each have a Resource Number.
• Circle icons alert you to the Reference Values you will need to consult during actions and in scenarios. Reference Values are the numbers you must roll higher than with your 1d12 to successfully complete an action. The Reference Values are: Pirate Attack number, Pirate Defense number, Crew Command number, Gold value and Engine Speed number. The Gold value is the cost for buying or selling something; it does not need to be rolled for with the 1d12.

Each Game Action card shows an action to be completed, which may involve rolling dice and consulting roll and resource values. These values are always referenced on the "Next" card drawn from the draw pile. Both the current card and the Next card are then discarded.

Some cards contain a Black Cross icon. These icons are used with certain Scenarios; consult the Scenario card for further instructions.

Each Scenario card shows the Scenario story line, the Goal for the Scenario and its possible rewards. If a Scenario states you must keep track of successes during it, for example defeating three pirate cards, place tokens (or extra gold coins) on your Scenario Card to mark your success total.

The Captain Role card contains a bonus for your use during the game in your 1d12 rolls. It may also allow you an extra resource beyond what your Zeppelin Tile sections can usually carry. Bonuses are colour coded for different types of rolls.

Resources are placed on the coloured squares of the Zeppelin Tiles. You may never have more resources than those listed, unless by dispensation of the Emperor or special ability of the Captain.

On a Zeppelin Tile, the Zeppelin Section Number used during setup is shown on the tile, along with the Defense Rating for that section and, in parentheses, a value range for rolling damage during a pirate attack. Special resources are placed in the boxes shown on the tile.

Setup

1. Shuffle the Captain Role cards and randomly choose one. This is the Captain you'll play during the game. He or she can provide bonuses to your rolls and sometimes give you extra resources for your ship.

2. Build your zeppelin by choosing a combination of Zeppelin Tiles.

   There are four parts to your ship:

   • the Engine Room, where you place your green engine resources
   • the Cargo Hold, where you place your orange trade goods resources
   • the Crew Quarters, where you place your yellow crew resources
   • the Fore Gunnery, where you place your red weapon resources

   During setup you have 10 points of zeppelin Section Numbers to allot to the 4 sections of your ship. You may never build a zeppelin with sections adding up to more than 10. The more costly a zeppelin section is, the more resources it can hold and the more defensive capability it has. During the game you may upgrade a section from one level to the next (i.e. a #2 Cargo Hold to a #3). In the example on the rules page, the large coloured numbers of the 4 sections of the zeppelin (3, 3, 2, 2) add up to 10.

   Place your completed zeppelin in front of you and fill the coloured resource squares with matching coloured markers, one resource marker to each empty square on the Zeppelin Tiles. Next, add any bonus markers given to you by your Captain or Scenario cards in the boxes in the lower left of the Zeppelin Tiles.

3. Shuffle the Scenario (which will be your home port) and Game Action (your travels in the Grand Compact) card sets and place each face down above your zeppelin. Give yourself 10 Gold Coins as your initial cache, and have your 1d12 handy.

The diagram on the rules page shows the placement of all cards during a game: the Active Scenario Card and the Scenario Draw Pile under "Your Home Port", and the Active Game Action card, the Game Action Draw Pile, the "Next" card and the Discard Pile under "Your Travels in the Grand Compact".

Play

To win the game you will need to complete 3 Scenarios.

If you ever lose all of 2 kinds of the following resources - engine components, your loyal crew, your weapons or your cache of gold - you have lost the game. Your trade goods will be bought and sold throughout the game allowing you to buy the other resources if you are running low and do not count as a resource towards a game loss. You will also have the opportunity to salvage resources from Air Pirate ships if your attack is successful and you defeat those ships.

Turn over the first Scenario card and read the story, goals and possible rewards for successful completion. Some of the cards will have square resource icons in different colours giving you extra resources or describing combinations of resources you'll need to manage to complete the scenario.

One by one you will turn over Game Action cards and resolve the actions. There are 4 types of cards:

• Trade - Often helpful. You will visit the cities of the Grand Compact, trading goods for gold and buying resources.
• Assist - These cards allow you to repair your ship, re-stock it with weapons and hire on new crew.
• Pirates - Battle Air Pirates in skirmishes. You may have a chance to salvage resources if successful.
• Weather - The fickle winds of Arkady are a natural force to be dealt with.

Some Game Action cards may have more than one kind of action.

If an action states "You may", you have a choice whether or not you complete this action. You may skip it if you wish. Otherwise you must complete that action (Air Pirates will always attack you, though you may have a choice to attack in return or retreat after their attack).

Some cards state an "or" choice. In this case you will choose one of these actions or the other, not both.

When resolving an action you will need to turn the next card from the draw pile over onto the discard pile to reference these values and numbers. Match the colour and shape of the small icons on the current Game Action card to the larger numbers in the lower half of the next card. You will always use the next card from the draw deck to resolve any actions. When the action is finished, discard the current action card and the "next" card you used when resolving the action.

Go through the Game Action cards as you progress through each scenario. If the Game Action Draw Pile is ever empty, shuffle all cards in the Discard Pile and turn them face down again to make the new Draw Pile. Once a Scenario has been successfully completed, receive your reward if there is one, and proceed to the next Scenario.

Pirate Attack

For all pirate attack, defense and damage skirmish calculations, draw the next card from the Game Action Draw Pile for use with your current Game Action card. You will use the red (Pirate Attack) and blue (Pirate Defense) numbers on that card to determine all Reference Values during this action.

Follow these steps to resolve an Air Pirate attack:

1. Air Pirate Attack: Air Pirates always attack first. Roll 1d12 and compare it to the red Pirate Attack number on the next card. If it is higher than the red Pirate Attack number, the Air Pirate attack succeeded; proceed to step 2. If it is lower or equal to the red Pirate Attack number, proceed to step 3.

2. Assess Damage: Roll the 1d12 again and compare it to the blue Defense Rating of your zeppelin. This number is the sum of your four zeppelin Defense Rating numbers, plus any blue Captain bonus you may have. If this number is higher than your blue Defense Rating, then you have incurred damage. Roll the 1d12 to see what zeppelin section will lose one resource: reference this 1d12 number against the smaller set of numbers below the blue Defense Rating on your zeppelin sections, and remove that resource. If the zeppelin section chosen has no remaining resources, then you have incurred no damage in that section. If the number is lower or equal to your blue Defense Rating, then you have not incurred any damage. In either case, proceed to step 3 after assessing damage.

3. Now you have 2 options:

   A. Retreat from the Skirmish. You cannot retreat if you do not have any green engine resources left in your Engine Room. Otherwise you must remove one green engine resource from your Engine Room. You may then discard the active Game Action card as well as the current "next" card used to determine all Reference Values, and draw the next Game Action card.

   B. Attack the Air Pirate Ship. You cannot attack if you do not have any red attack resources left in your Fore Gunnery. Otherwise, roll the 1d12 again (adding in any red Captain bonus you may have) and compare it to the blue Pirate Defense number on the next card. If it is lower or equal to the blue Pirate Defense number, the attack was not successful and you should proceed back to step 1. If it is higher than the Reference Value, you have succeeded in your attack and the pirate ship is defeated. In either case, you must remove one red attack resource from your Fore Gunnery.

You may continue the skirmish, following steps 1 to 3, until the Air Pirate is defeated or you choose to retreat.

If at any time during this skirmish you run out of both green and red resource markers, you have lost the game.

Some Game Action cards allow you to salvage resources from the defeated pirate ship. The number of resources to be salvaged is shown in the small coloured square icons on the card you use for all Reference Values and Resource Numbers. Refer to the Game Action card for further salvage information.

Your total Defense Rating for your zeppelin is the sum of your four individual Defense Rating numbers, shown on the Zeppelin Tiles. Each section's Defense Rating is shown beside a value range (for example 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12) used when rolling for damage location.

Sample Play Example

The rules print a sample play example showing a current Pirate Game Action card, the "Next" card turned face up on the discard pile that is used to determine all Reference Values, and the Zeppelin Tiles used to calculate your Defense Rating and damage location. The example's values are shown as diagram labels on the printed page; the rules above are the written procedure it illustrates.

Notes on the Source

• The printed rules name the resources inconsistently. The card layout section lists the Resource Numbers as "Gold, Goods, Armor, Crew, Engine", while the Play section lists them as "Gold, Goods, Weapons, Crew, Engine". The introduction names "Gold, Weapons, Crew, and Engine". The same resources are meant in each place; the wording is transcribed as printed.