Buccaneer Bones
Buccaneer Bones Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 4 Player maps
- 24 Ship markers in 4 colors
- 6 Bones (dice)
- 4 First mate pawns
- 12 Treasures
- Rules in four languages
Setup
Each player takes a Map, 6 Ships, and 1 First Mate in the same color. Place the Ships on the six Port spaces. Put the dice and Treasures in the center of the table. The player who can say "ARRRR!" in the best pirate voice will be the first player.
Game Play
On your turn, perform steps 1 through 5 in order.
1) Roll Them Bones
Roll 4 dice. If you have a Ship on Island one or six, roll 5 dice. If you have Ships on both Islands (one and six), roll all 6 dice.
2) Reload and Roll Again
Pick up some or all of the dice you rolled (as many as you wish), and reroll them. You get 1 reroll if you have no Ships on Island three or four. You get 2 rerolls if you have a Ship on Island three or four, and three rerolls if you have Ships on both these Islands. Rerolls are optional.
3) Change Sea Lanes
(Only with Ships on Islands two and five.)
If you have a Ship on Island two or five, you may change a die by adding or subtracting one from the number. If you have Ships on both Islands, you may do this twice, either to 2 different dice, or twice to the same die. Changing the die number is optional.
Example 1: The green player rolled 2 ones, 2 fours, and a five. He has a Ship on island number two, so he can subtract one from the five to make 3 fours.
4) Sail and Plunder
You may sail if the dice show a pair or 3 of a kind. The Ship you sail is given by the number shown on the dice. A Ship always stays in its own lane. With a pair, you may sail one space toward the Island (Port to Sea space, or Sea space to Island). With 3 of a kind, you sail all the way to the Island.
Example 2: The green player has 2 ones and 3 fours. He moves ship one 1 space, and ship four 2 spaces.
You may plunder if your Ship is on an Island and you roll 3 of a kind for that Ship. Take a Treasure from the stock, and move the plundering Ship back to Port.
Example 3: The red player rolled 3 threes, and has a Ship on island number three. She plunders the island, takes a treasure, and moves Ship three back to port.
You may do multiple sail and plunder actions on the same turn, if the dice allow it. However, each die can only be used once per turn, so each set of dice (pair or trio) can only give you one action.
5) First Mate Mission: Scout, Thief, or Defender
Scout: If you could not sail or plunder this turn (due to bad die rolls), then you may send your First Mate to one of the Islands as a Scout.
Place your First Mate on any Island where you don't have a Ship. On your next turn, you may use the special ability of that Island (extra die, add or subtract one, extra reroll) as if you had a Ship there. Whether you use this ability or not, the First Mate is removed from the Island at the end of the turn.
Example 4: The blue player can't move or plunder with this roll. She places her First Mate on island six, so she will get to roll 5 dice next turn.
Thief: Alternatively, you could use your First Mate as a Thief, trying to steal Treasure from another pirate. Place your First Mate on top of a Treasure belonging to another player. (NOTE: You may not try to steal a Treasure if the person you are stealing from has fewer Treasures than you.)
On your next turn, if you roll any 3 of a kind, you steal the Treasure your First Mate is sitting on. (NOTE: You use those three dice to steal a treasure instead of using them to move or plunder.) If you don't roll 3 of a kind, your First Mate comes back empty handed.
Example 5: The red player can't move or plunder with this roll. She uses her First Mate as a Thief, placing it on the blue player's treasure. If the red player rolls 3 of a kind on her next turn, she may use those 3 dice to steal the blue treasure.
Defender: If another player has his First Mate on one of your Treasures, and your roll does not let you sail or plunder, you have a third option for your First Mate. You may use your First Mate as a Defender, removing the other player's Thief from your Treasure. If you do this, you may not use your First Mate as a Scout or Thief this turn.
Example 6: The blue player can't move or plunder with this roll. She uses her First Mate as a Defender to chase away the red Thief.
Game End
The game will end when a player has three treasures. First you must finish the round, so each player has had the same number of turns. Then determine who wins.
If only one player has three treasures, that player wins.
If more than one player has three treasures, then the tie is broken by sailing points: 3 points for each Ship on an Island, 1 point for each Ship in a Sea space, and 0 points for a Ship in Port.
Example 7: The red player has 2 Ships on Islands (lanes one and five), and 1 Ship at sea (lane four). She has 3 + 3 + 1 = 7 sailing points.
It is possible for a player to have four treasures, by gaining two treasures on the last turn. After the round is over if there is only one player who has four treasures, that player wins. If more than one has four treasures, the tie is broken by sailing points.
Variants
Family Friendly Version: To make the game more friendly, remove the Thief and Defender options from the First Mate abilities. A First Mate may only be used as a Scout.
Scurvy Pirate Version: The First Mate has the option to steal a Treasure from anyone, no matter how few they have.
Party Version: Get a second copy of 'Buccaneer Bones' and play with up to 8 Players at once.
Solo Game: Keep track of how many turns it takes you to get three Treasures. You may use Ship counters of a different color to keep track of the number of turns you take.
- 12 + Turns: Landlubber
- 10-11 Turns: Cabin Boy
- 9 Turns: Able Bodied Sailor
- 8 Turns: First Mate
- 7 Turns: Mates, we have a new Captain!
- 6 Turns: The Pirate King!!
- 5 Turns: Blackbeard himself couldn't do better!!!
It is possible to do it in just four turns, but that would be such an extraordinary feat, we would have to hear from you. Tell us how you did it!