Broadsides & Boarding Parties Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object - Broadsides
• Object - Boarding Parties
• Game Parts
• A Look At Your Large Ship
• A Look At The Gameboard
• Game Setup
• Game Play: Broadsides
• Game Play: Boarding Parties
• How to Win the Game
  • A Broadsides Victory
  • A Boarding Parties Victory

Object - Broadsides

The object of Broadsides is to win the game by inflicting sufficient damage upon the enemy ship to cause it to sink or surrender — OR to win the game by eliminating the Captain and all crewmembers from the enemy ship.

Object - Boarding Parties

The object of Boarding Parties is to eliminate the enemy Captain in hand-to-hand combat.

Game Parts

• 1 gameboard
• 1 instruction booklet
• 1 parts sheet
• 1 token sheet
• 1 dark brown ship (to be assembled)
• 1 light brown ship (to be assembled)
• 1 plastic runner with foremast, main mast, and mizzen mast
• 1 plastic runner with aft mast, bow sprits, and mast supports
• 1 parts bag, containing:
  • 20 cannons
  • 2 small ship pawns
• 1 parts bag, containing:
  • 2 Captains
  • 44 crewmembers
• 1 parts bag, containing:
  • 30 playing cards
  • 2 dice

A Look At Your Large Ship

Throughout this instruction manual, references are made to various parts of the ships. In the diagram below, each section you need to know about is labeled: Bow, Bow Sprit, Foremast, Main Mast, Mizzenmast, Aft Mast, Hull, Mid Section, and Stern.

A Look At The Gameboard

The gameboard (Figure 1) is divided into 3 sections. On the right and left sides are the areas used by the players for large ship and plotting card placement during the Broadsides portion of the game. In the center is the playing grid, which is used in both the Broadsides and Boarding Parties portions of the game.

The playing grid depicts an especially treacherous area in the Caribbean Sea during the 17th century. This was typical pirate territory: small island groups like those shown on the gameboard were perfectly suited for pirates' purposes — not only could they hide out of sight behind them while waiting for victim ships to approach, but they could also bury treasure in secret locations on them when the ship's hold began to overflow.

The dots on the gameboard playing grid are intersected by horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines. Each dot on the playing grid represents a possible ship location. During the Broadsides part of the game, you and your opponent each plot a course for your small ship by moving it forward from dot to dot, or by remaining on a dot and rotating your ship 45° to the left or right (port or starboard) — or by simply remaining on a dot and not moving or rotating at all. No matter what your ship's course is, it is always located on one of the dots.

At each location, your ship will always be intersected by eight lines, as shown in Figure 2.

The lines on the playing grid keep your ship on course at all times; they also direct your cannon fire when you move within firing range (one dot away) from the enemy ship. Depending on which of the lines leads outward from your ship to the enemy ship, you can fire a certain number of your cannons at the ship in an attempt to damage its masts and hull sections, or to eliminate its Captain and crewmembers.

The islands on the playing grid are obstacles to avoid during game play. You must navigate your ship around them, because if you plot movement onto the shore of an island, you pay a penalty!

On the top and bottom of the playing grid (in front of each player) is a picture of a ship in full sail. The large black circle on each of these ships indicates the starting location for each player's small ship.

Game Setup

1. Players sit across from each other and place the gameboard on a flat surface between them.

2. Remove the cannons, crewmembers, Captains, small ships, card deck, and dice from the three parts bags.

3. PLACEMENT OF LARGE SHIPS: Each player chooses a large ship, and places it on one side of the gameboard. The light brown ship is placed on The Royal Isabella; the dark brown ship is placed on The Seahawk. The gameboard should be positioned so that your large ship is to your left.

4. PLACEMENT OF SMALL SHIPS: Each player chooses a small ship, and places it on the large black starting circle on his or her side of the gameboard.

5. PLACEMENT OF CANNONS: Each player takes 10 cannons, and places them on the deck sections of his or her ship where cannon ports appear along the hull. Specifically, a cannon must be placed in each of the following deck sections, as shown in Figure 3: B3 and B5, C3 and C5, D3 and D5, E3 and E5, F3 and F5.

6. PLACEMENT OF CAPTAIN AND CREW: Each player takes 20 crewmembers of the same color as his or her small ship, and places one each on either side of a cannon, as shown in Figure 3. Each player then takes the remaining 2 crewmembers and places them on any section of the deck. The remaining two pieces are the Captains. Each player takes a Captain the same color as his or her crew, and places it on any section of the deck.

7. Punch out the damage markers from the token board. Each player takes a handful of damage markers and places them in front of him or her, off the gameboard.

8. Each player takes 15 cards (half the deck) — 3 of each of the following:

   • Remain In Place
   • Move Forward
   • Turn Starboard
   • Turn Port
   • Mast And/Or Hull Damage

9. Each player takes one die (either the red die or the white die).

Game Play: Broadsides

1. To begin the game, chart the course of your ship toward the enemy ship, to move within firing range of it. To move your ship, choose any 3 plotting cards from your hand, and place them facedown in the desired order in the squares provided on the gameboard (squares 1, 2 and 3) next to your large ship. Your opponent does the same. Plotting is simultaneous — but keep your course a secret! You don't want your opponent to know the direction in which your ship is heading yet!

PLOTTING CARDS: There are 4 types of plotting cards, each allowing you either to keep your ship in its present location, or to move it in a certain direction:

A Remain In Place card allows you to leave your ship in its present location (see Figure 4).

A Move Forward card allows you to move your ship forward to the dot directly in front of it (see Figure 5).

A Turn Starboard card allows you to rotate your ship 45° in a clockwise direction, as shown by the compass symbol on the card. Your ship remains on its present dot, but turns its bow to the right (see Figure 6).

A Turn Port card allows you to rotate your ship 45° in a counterclockwise direction, as shown by the compass symbol on the card. Your ship remains on its present dot, but turns its bow to the left (see Figure 7).

2. Turn over your first plotting card (the card in Square 1 on the gameboard). Your opponent does the same. Then you and your opponent each move your small ships as indicated on the card.

Please Note: if you plot your ship onto the shore of an island (a location on an island where there is no dot to indicate a game space), you lose the rest of your plotted moves on that turn! Keep your ship in its present location — don't actually move it onto the island — and remain there until after your opponent has finished moving his or her ship for that round of play. You may then continue plotting and moving your ship on the next round of play.

EXAMPLE: you turn over your first card: Move Forward. You then move your ship one dot forward on the gameboard, as shown in Figure 8.

At the same time, your opponent turns over his or her first card: Turn Port. His or her ship is then rotated 45° in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in Figure 8.

You and your opponent then turn over your second cards: yours is another Move Forward card; your opponent's is also a Move Forward card. You both move your ships accordingly, as shown in Figure 8.

Each of your third cards is then turned over: yours is a Turn Starboard card; your opponent's is a Remain In Place card — apparently, your opponent wants to know where your ship is heading before making another move! In this case, you move your ship 45° in a clockwise direction, while your opponent's ship remains exactly where it is. After this first round of plotting, your ships are positioned as shown by the black ships in Figure 8.

3. After your 3 cards have been turned over and your ships have been moved — or not moved — accordingly, remove the cards from the gameboard and replace them in your hand. Your opponent does the same.

4. You and your opponent continue plotting your ships' moves by playing 3 cards at a time, turning each one over simultaneously, and moving your ships after a card is turned over. Eventually, your ships will move to within one dot of each other. When this happens, you're within firing range, which means that one or both ships may be able to attack with cannon fire!

IMPORTANT: Cannon fire can occur after any of the 3 plotting cards have been turned over. If your second or third plotting cards haven't been turned over yet, wait until after cannon fire to turn over the next card.

5. HOW TO DETERMINE WHICH CANNONS CAN FIRE: Whenever your ship is located one dot away from your opponent's ship, it's likely that at least one of you will be able to fire your cannons at the enemy ship.

Each ship has 5 cannons per side: 2 forward cannons, 1 midship cannon, and 2 aft cannons. The number of cannons that can fire at the enemy ship depends on the position of each ship in relation to the other ship on the gameboard. Here's how you determine which of your cannons (if any) can fire at the enemy:

No matter where your ship is located, there are three gameboard lines leading outward from the midsection of each side of your ship. Figure 9 shows these lines as A, B and C. Regardless of the position of your enemy ship, if line A intersects it, your 2 forward cannons can fire. If line B intersects the enemy ship, that's a broadside! A broadside shot means that all 5 cannons on the side of your ship facing the enemy ship can fire at it! If line C intersects the enemy ship, your 2 aft cannons can fire at it.

There is only one exception to the rule of cannon fire from one dot away: if either the bow or the stern of your ship faces the enemy, you cannot fire at the enemy ship, even though it may be able to fire at you!

The white ship can fire its 2 forward starboard cannons at the black ship. The black ship has a broadside shot: all 5 of its portside cannons can fire at the white ship!

A broadside for both ships! Each can fire all 5 cannons from its portside.

The white ship can't fire any of its cannons at the black ship. The black ship, however, can fire its 2 aft portside cannons at the white ship.

The black ship can fire its 2 forward portside cannons at the white ship. The white ship can fire its 2 aft starboard cannons at the black ship.

IMPORTANT: the above examples assume that all cannons on both ships are active. Once a ship loses the cannon and crew from a deck section, they are removed from play and can't fire in the next round (see Step 7, "Effects of Cannon Fire," on page 10).

6. CANNON FIRE: once you and your opponent have determined which cannons can fire at the other ship, the battle begins. Basic rules for cannon fire are as follows:

• You can only fire active cannons — that is, cannons actually on board when the battle begins. Cannons hit in a previous round of enemy fire are removed from play, and are not eligible to fire.
• Active cannons are fired by die rolling. The player firing a cannon at the enemy ship declares a deck section on the opponent's ship, then rolls a die in an attempt to "hit" a target — a cannon and crew, a mast, a hull section, or the Captain — in that deck section.
• Cannon fire is simultaneous: that is, if you and your opponent exchange cannon fire, you do so at the same time, even though you take turns firing. The idea of simultaneous cannon fire is important, because even if your opponent rolls the die first and hits one or more of your cannons eligible to fire, you will still be able to fire from it (or them) when your turn comes to roll the die.
• You can only fire the cannons from the side of the ship that faces your opponent's ship — either the port (left) or starboard (right) side. For example, if your aft portside cannons are aimed at the enemy ship, only the aft portside cannons can fire at it.
• Even though you are only able to fire your cannons from your port or starboard side, your cannon fire may land on any declared deck sections of the enemy ship! See "Declaring A Deck Section," below.

DECLARING A DECK SECTION: cannons are fired by die rolling. Before you roll your die, you must declare which deck section of your opponent's large ship you are about to attack: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, or H.

Figure 10 shows a ship deck, and the target or targets in each section as they were placed at the beginning of the game. Notice that the targets are different for many deck sections. Section A has only one target position — A4 — but there are two targets on it: the foremast and a crewmember. Sections B through F have cannons and crewmembers in the 3 and 5 positions (starboard and port), and the main mast in C4 position. Section G has only the mizzen mast, in G4. And Section H has the Captain and the aft mast in H4, and a crewmember in H3. Note: The Captain and extra crewmembers can be placed in any deck section or sections.

Once you've declared your deck section — the section on your opponent's ship to which you'd like to do some damage — you roll your die. The number you roll on the die indicates which target(s), if any, your cannon fire hits. For instance, if you declare deck Section C of the enemy ship, and you roll a "5" on the die, you've hit a target: the cannon and crew on C5!

The following targets are possible whenever you roll a die for cannon fire:

Die Roll	Target
1	Always a miss!
2	A die roll of 2 does hull damage to the enemy ship (see Step 7, "Effects of Cannon Fire").
3	A die roll of 3 hits all targets in the "3" position of the declared deck section.
4	A die roll of 4 hits a mast, if the declared deck section is A, C, G, or H.
5	A die roll of 5 hits all targets in the "5" position of the declared deck section.
6	Always a miss!

A note on targets: if your Captain and/or additional crewmembers occupy the position in the declared deck section that is "hit" by the die roll, they are also considered targets.

For more about the effects of cannon fire, see Step 7, on page 10.

CANNON FIRE EXCHANGE SEQUENCE

A. Determine how many cannons can fire at the enemy ship. This is a predetermined number of shots that does not change during the round of fire, even if your opponent has the first shot and hits one or more of the cannons you're about to fire.

B. Choose a player to fire first, either by a roll of the die or by mutual consent. (Since cannon fire is theoretically simultaneous, there is no advantage in firing first or last).

C. The first player to fire declares a deck section on the enemy ship, then rolls a die. Depending on the number rolled, damage may or may not be done to a part of that deck section. For each cannon the player can fire, he or she declares a deck section, then rolls the die. If a target or targets are "hit," they are removed from play (see Step 7, below).

D. The other player then fires (if he or she can) by declaring an enemy deck section and rolling a die for each cannon eligible to fire. A section of the declared deck is either hit or missed with each roll of the die.

7. EFFECTS OF CANNON FIRE: as explained in Step 6, the number on your enemy's die roll during cannon fire determines the kind of damage (if any) done to your ship. Below is a detailed description of each kind of damage that can be done to your ship, and what happens as a result.

Cannon And Crew Loss: all cannons and crewmembers hit by enemy fire must immediately be removed from the deck. Either or both of your additional crewmembers are also removed from the deck if they are hit. If the cannons hit by enemy fire are active — that is, if they are eligible to fire back — you must remove them from the deck anyway, but keep in mind that you can still roll a die for each of them when your turn comes to fire.

The loss of your Captain is discussed separately in this step.

Mast Damage Or Loss: each large ship begins the game with 4 masts: the foremast, in Section A4; the main mast, in Section C4; the mizzenmast, in Section G4, and the aftmast, in Section H4. When a mast is hit by enemy cannon fire, it is removed from the ship and from play. The main mast must be hit twice to be removed from play: it's the largest mast, and consists of 2 parts. If your main mast is hit once, remove the top part; if it's hit twice, remove both parts.

Whenever one of your masts is hit, you must do the following:

• Remove the mast from play. If the main mast is hit, remove the top part on the first hit, and the bottom part on the second hit.
• For each mast that is removed, you must use a Damaged Mast and/or Hull card in place of one of your plotting cards on each turn afterward. Please Note: the main mast must be hit twice to require the use of a Damaged Mast and/or Hull card. For example, if one mast is removed, you must use one Damaged Mast and/or Hull card and 2 plotting cards during each movement plotting portion of your turn; the removal of 2 masts means that you must use 2 Damaged Mast and/or Hull cards, and 1 plotting card; and the removal of 3 masts means that all 3 of your cards must be Damaged Mast and/or Hull cards.

A Damaged Mast and/or Hull card prevents you from moving or rotating your ship. It acts just like a Remain In Place card.

If you are forced to play 3 Damaged Mast and/or Hull cards on each turn following damage to a third mast, you're considered "dead in the water". You still have cannon fire capability, but you can't move. This is a dangerous position for you, because your opponent can then position his or her ship so that your ship's bow or stern is facing it — your crew can then be annihilated by the enemy, and you won't be able to return the cannon fire! In this case, you may wish to surrender the game, to preserve the lives of your remaining crewmembers.

Hull Damage: each time your enemy rolls a 2 on the die during cannon fire, damage is done to one of your hull sections (the side of your ship facing the cannon fire). There is only one exception: if the bow or stern of your ship is facing your opponent's ship, you do not sustain hull damage if your opponent rolls a 2.

Whenever one of your hull sections is hit, you must do the following:

• If any of your hull sections is hit once, place a damage marker on the deck, next to the hull section that was hit.
• If any of your hull sections is hit a second time on the same side of your ship (either the port side or the starboard side), place a second damage marker on top of the first marker. For instance, if your opponent declares your C sections and rolls a "2" twice on your port side, it counts as 2 hits to that hull section, and you must place 2 damage markers in the "C5" section of your ship. Two hits to the same hull section means that that section of your hull has been irreparably damaged. After 2 hits to a hull section, you must use a Damaged Mast and/or Hull card in place of one of your plotting cards on each of your following turns (just as you must do for mast damage). Please Note: a third hit to a hull section has no effect. If 2 of your hull sections have taken 2 hits, you must use 2 Damaged Mast and/or Hull cards; and three sections which have been hit twice require you to use 3 Damaged Mast and/or Hull cards.

If you are forced to play 3 Damaged Mast and/or Hull cards as a result of hull damage (rather than mast damage), your ship sinks and you are out of the game!

A note on Damaged Mast and/or Hull cards: if you are forced to use 3 Damaged Mast and/or Hull cards as a result of mast and hull damage (for example, 2 cards represent mast damage, and 1 card represents hull damage), you cannot move or rotate your ship, but you can still fire at the enemy according to the rules of cannon fire.

Loss Of Your Captain: if your Captain is hit by cannon fire, the following rules apply:

• Remove your Captain from your ship.
• You can finish turning over your plotting cards for that round of play, but you cannot play any plotting cards during the next round (your opponent can still play his or her 3 plotting cards). You can, however, fire your cannons during the next round of play, if your opponent moves within firing range.
• At the end of the present round of play (after your 3 plotting cards have been turned over), replace your Captain on your ship deck by switching it with any one of your crewmembers still on board your ship. Just remove the crewmember from the deck (and from play), and put your Captain in its place.

8. You and your opponent continue moving your ships on the gameboard and exchanging cannon fire until any one of the following occurs:

• One player surrenders as a result of mast damage or a combination of mast and hull damage; the other player wins the game!
• One player sinks as a result of hull damage; the other player wins!
• One player loses all cannons, crewmembers, and finally the Captain; the other player wins!
• Your ships collide! In this case, you both move into the Boarding Parties portion of game play!

A Collision: a collision occurs when both ships end a plotting movement (after any of the three cards have been turned over) on the same dot. When your ships collide, the Broadsides portion of the game ends and the Boarding Parties portion begins! Boarding Party rules are explained in the next chapter — but before you board your opponent's ship for hand-to-hand combat, you should do the following things:

• Put the plotting and damage cards aside — including any cards remaining on the gameboard. You won't need them in the Boarding Parties portion of the game.
• Put the damage tokens aside, too — including those remaining on the deck of either large ship.
• Remove the masts from both large ships, if you'd like; they may present mobility problems for your crewmembers during boarding.

Game Play: Boarding Parties

During the Boarding Parties portion of the game, any or all of the crewmembers on your large ship can board the enemy ship and conduct hand-to-hand combat. The object of Boarding Parties is to eliminate the enemy Captain. As in the Broadsides portion of the game, combat is conducted by die rolling: the player rolling the higher number on the die eliminates a member of the enemy crew — or the Captain himself!

1. POSITIONING YOUR LARGE SHIPS ON THE GAMEBOARD: when a collision occurs, the small ships are removed from the gameboard, and the large ships are placed on the gameboard to prepare for boarding. But before you remove the small ships from the board, it's important that you determine the relative position of each ship to the other at the point of collision, so you can place your large ships accordingly.

Placement of large ships for the Boarding Parties portion of the game is critical, because much depends on whether the port side or starboard side of your ship is alongside your opponent's ship, and vice-versa. This is because the crewmembers remaining on the side of your ship closest to your opponent's ship play a major role in combat during this portion of the game, as explained in the rules to follow.

The position of your large ships on the gameboard depends on the position of your small ships at the point of collision. Your small ships can collide in either of two ways:

• By simultaneous movement onto the same dot (see Figure 11);

OR

• By one ship moving onto a dot occupied by the other ship (see Figure 12).

Collision By Simultaneous Movement Onto The Same Dot: if your small ships move from different locations onto the same dot, you must consider one ship as the constant — that is, move one of the ships onto the dot first, and then move the other ship into it. It doesn't matter which ship moves first, since the positioning of the large ships will be the same in either case.

Placement of the large ships is then determined by the direction from which the moved ship came into contact with the stationary ship, as shown in Figures 13 and 14 on the following page.

Collision By One Ship Moving Onto A Dot Occupied By The Other Ship: If your ship collides with your opponent's ship by moving onto the dot occupied by it, the stationary ship is the constant. Placement of your large ships is determined, as above, by the direction from which your ship collided with your opponent's ship.

Figures 13 and 14, on the following page, show how each large ship must be placed when your small ships collide in either of the two ways described above.

Colliding With Your Opponent From The Bow Or Stern: if you move onto a dot occupied by your opponent's ship and collide with the bow of the ship, the large ships must be placed as shown in Figure 15.

If your ship collides with the stern of your opponent's ship in this manner, the large ships must be placed as shown in Figure 16.

2. Now that you've determined how to position your large ships on the gameboard, remove the small ships from the gameboard and carefully place the large ships as discussed above. The ships must be positioned so that yours is directly in front of you, and your opponent's is directly in front of him or her. The ships should be directly parallel to one another, so that each deck section of your ship is opposite a corresponding deck section of your opponent's ship (see Figure 10 for deck section layout). If the bow of each ship faces the same direction, deck sections A through H should be directly opposite; if the bow of one ship faces the stern of the other ship, deck section A of each ship should be directly opposite deck section H of the other ship.

3. Before boarding each other's ships, you must exchange one last round of cannon fire. Only the cannons facing your opponent's ship (if any) can fire. A round of cannon fire is then exchanged as detailed in the Broadsides section. Please Note: in this round of fire, mast and hull damage are not effective, since the movement plotting portion of the game is over.

4. After the last round of cannon fire is exchanged and any destroyed cannons and crewmembers are removed from play, boarding of each other's ship begins. Determine which player can board first by rolling one die each. The player with the higher roll boards first.

5. BOARDING YOUR OPPONENT'S SHIP: during your turn, move your crewmembers from deck section to deck section on your own ship, or across to your opponent's ship, or on your opponent's ship. Rules for boarding are as follows:

• You must make 3 movements on your turn. You can move 1 of your crewmembers 3 deck sections, or 3 of your crewmembers 1 deck section each. You can also move 1 crewmember 1 deck section, and 2 crewmembers 1 deck section. Crewmembers can be moved 2 or 3 together onto the same deck section, or they can be moved separately, onto separate deck sections. Any combination is acceptable, as long as 3 movements are made.
• You can move your crewmembers diagonally on your ship or on your opponent's ship, but you cannot board your opponent's ship diagonally: you can only board it from your deck section to the deck section of your opponent's ship directly opposite it.
• No more than 3 of your crewmembers (including your Captain) can occupy a deck section at a time.
• Movement from a lower deck section to a higher deck section — or from a higher deck section to a lower deck section — can be made only from a deck section adjacent to a ladder. Ladders connect the following deck sections only: A4 and B3; A4 and B5; E3 and D3; E5 and D5; H3 and G3; H5 and G5.
• You can move your Captain as well as your crewmembers, either on your own ship or across to your opponent's ship.
• If you wish, you can return any of your crewmembers (or your Captain) to your own ship after boarding your opponent's ship, as long as they abide by the rules of boarding and movement.

6. HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT: whenever any of your crewmembers move onto a deck section occupied by enemy crewmen, you must conduct hand-to-hand combat. The battle (or battles) is conducted after your 3 movements have been made. Combat is resolved by die rolling: each of you rolls a die at the same time — and the higher number eliminates an opposing crewmember. The battle continues until all of your crewmembers, or all of your opponent's crewmembers on that deck section, have been eliminated. The remaining crewmembers stay on the deck section where the battle took place.

IMPORTANT: once a deck section is occupied by the enemy, both sides must fight to the finish — retreating from battle is not allowed!

Before the battle begins, you and your opponent must determine how many of each of your crewmembers are involved in the battle. If you and your opponent have an equal number of crewmembers, the fight is even. If you have more crewmembers in the deck section than your opponent, you will have an advantage in battle: 1 additional crewmember adds 1 to your die roll; 2 additional crewmembers add 2 to your die roll. For instance, if you have three crewmembers in a deck section, and your opponent has only two, you can add 1 to your die roll for as long as the extra crewmember remains in the battle. This means that if you and your opponent both roll a 3, you win the die roll, since you can add 1 to your 3 (3 + 1 = 4). You then eliminate an opposing crewmember. Now your opponent has one crewmember in the battle, and you still have 3. This changes your advantage from 1 on the die roll to 2: you can then add 2 to your next die roll.

If your Captain is involved in the battle, you can automatically add 1 to your die roll. But remember — if you lose your Captain in hand-to-hand combat, you lose the game!

When combat occurs, the sequence is as follows:

• Determine which player, if either, has an advantage in battle (extra crewmember(s)).
• You and your opponent each roll a die. The higher roller eliminates an opposing crewmember from the battle. If the numbers rolled are the same, a crewmember from each side is eliminated.
• Before rolling again, determine whether either player has an advantage as a result of the eliminated crewmember, or if the advantage has changed or been cancelled out.
• You and your opponent then roll a die each. Again, the higher roller eliminates one opposing crewmember.
• The battle continues until one (or both) player has lost all of his or her crewmembers in that deck section. Remember — no retreating is allowed on either side!

A final note on hand-to-hand combat: if your Captain is involved in battle, it cannot be eliminated until all of your other crewmembers in the battle have been destroyed. Your Captain fights to the finish!

Here is an example of a typical combat situation:

A. On your turn, you move 2 crewmembers onto a deck section occupied by 2 opposing crewmembers. Because there is an equal number on both sides, the battle is even: neither player has an advantage.

B. You and your opponent each roll a die. You roll a 5; your opponent rolls a 6. You remove one of your crewmembers from play.

C. Since your opponent still has 2 crewmembers in the battle and you now have only one, your opponent has an advantage of 1.

D. Again, you and your opponent each roll a die. You roll a 4; your opponent rolls a 2. Your opponent adds 1 to his or her die roll (2 + 1 = 3). Even with the advantage, your opponent loses the round. One of his or her crewmembers is removed from play.

E. Now you and your opponent are both down to 1 crewmember each. Your opponent has lost the advantage, so the battle is even.

F. You each roll a die. You roll a 1; your opponent rolls a 1. Both crewmembers are removed from play. No one remains on the deck section; no one wins the battle!

7. The Boarding Parties portion of the game ends when one of you loses your Captain. If both of your Captains are in battle together, and you and your opponent roll an equal number on the dice, roll again until one of the Captains is eliminated!

How to Win the Game

There are several ways to win Broadsides and Boarding Parties. In fact, you can take the wind out of your opponent's sails even before the Boarding Parties get under way, if you can do enough damage to the enemy ship during the Broadsides portion of the game. Here are all the ways you can win:

A Broadsides Victory

• Blast away 3 enemy masts so that your opponent is unable to maneuver, and concedes the game as a result.
• Sink your opponent's ship by hitting 3 hull sections twice.
• Force your enemy to surrender by hitting any combination of masts and hulls, rendering him or her unable to maneuver.
• Eliminate all enemy cannons, crewmembers, and finally the Captain by cannon fire.

A Boarding Parties Victory

• Eliminate the enemy Captain in hand-to-hand combat.