CoverUp: Drakkard Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Components
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • Phase 1: Reinforce
  • Phase 2: Move
  • Phase 3: Raid
• Game End
• Victory
• Fair Play
• Suggested Setups
• Example of Gameplay

Overview

Command a mighty Viking fleet in DRAKKARD, a tactical clash of wits and warfare on the high seas.

• Build the largest fleet over the course of the game or strand your opponent for a decisive victory.
• Overlap Reinforcement cards to grow your naval power while sinking your opponent.
• Raid enemy vessels and call on Sea Monsters to trap the enemy Flagship and protect your own.

Fast to learn and fierce to master, a strategic duel of skill and cunning awaits you, Steed of the Sea...

Will you claim glorious dominance of the waves, or will your fate be left to the briny deep?

Components

• 12x Raid tokens
• 2x Clan cards
• 18x identical Reinforcement cards (Sea Monster on one side and only ships on the other)
• 2x Flagship figures
• First Player coin
• Rules sheet

Setup

1. Decide First Player Flip the coin to decide who will be the First Player and give them the First Player coin.

2. Set up the Battlefield The First Player takes two Reinforcement cards and arranges them between both players in any orientation they choose (see the Suggested Setups section on the flip side of this document for some inspiration). The Starting cards should not overlap each other.

   For a balanced fight, we recommend the Assail the Sails configuration. If you create your own battlefield, keep in mind that the Second Player chooses their colour first.

3. Prepare the Reinforcement deck

   • Divide the remaining 16 Reinforcement cards to form two equal piles. Ensure that one pile has cards showing ships and the other pile showing Sea Monsters.
   • Shuffle the piles together to form the Reinforcement deck, being careful not to flip any cards over in the process, then place the deck within reach of both players.

4. Choose your Team colour

   • The Second Player now chooses the Team colour they want to play (red or green) and each player takes their respective colour Clan card, Flagship figure, and 6 Raid tokens.
   • Starting with the Second Player, both players place their Flagship figure on any ship of their own colour, ensuring to cover the white dot at the centre.

You are now ready to play!

Gameplay

The First Player takes the first turn, during which they place Reinforcements on the battlefield, move their Flagship, and then Raid neighbouring ships. Then, the Second Player takes a turn. Play continues back and forth until either the Reinforcement deck is depleted or the current player is unable to Reinforce or Move their Flagship figure.

Unless one player becomes stranded, immediately losing them the game, the player with the most uncovered ships on the battlefield at the end of the game is the winner!

Each turn consists of three sequential phases: Reinforce, Move, and Raid.

Phase 1: Reinforce

"Fresh longship keels carve the waves, hungry to claim the seaway."

Take the top card of the Reinforcement deck (do not flip the card over) and place it anywhere on the battlefield following these restrictions:

• Cards must completely cover at least one centre of a ship (allied or enemy).
• Cards cannot cover any part of an Obstacle (Sea Monster, Flagship figure, or Raid token). Obstacles CANNOT be covered with Reinforcement cards.
• Cards may be placed so that they completely cover another card.

The centre of a ship is the white dot in the middle.

Once a Reinforcement card has been placed, it cannot be moved or repositioned. If a card ever gets nudged out of place, try to put it back to where it was originally.

Phase 2: Move

"With cunning strokes of oar, flagships stand tall to guard claimed waves."

You must move your Flagship figure to another allied ship, whose centre is visible. You must move to either:

1. An allied ship on the same Reinforcement card. OR
2. An allied ship on a neighbouring Reinforcement card (one which is over / underlapping).

Note: The two Starting cards are not neighbouring each other.

When you move your Flagship, ensure that you completely cover the centre of the ship you are moving to.

Some effects increase your Move value (e.g., Move 2). You may perform up to that many Move 1's, but may not end your Move where you started your turn, and you must move at least once.

Be careful! If you are unable to place a Reinforcement card or Move your Flagship figure, you will become stranded and lose the game!

Phase 3: Raid

"Gunwale to gunwale, grapple and board, raid their ships to seize the tide!"

You may Raid another ship. To do so, choose a ship (allied or enemy) that is on the same Reinforcement card as your Flagship figure.

The centre of your chosen ship must be completely visible. Then, place one of your unplaced Raid tokens on that ship, completely covering the centre. Once a Raid token has been placed, it cannot be moved or repositioned.

Note: Raiding is optional. Each player has 8 turns in the game and only 6 Raid tokens. You may decide to keep your Raid tokens for later turns if you choose.

Game End

"The broken fleet scatters, its captain cast adrift o'er fathomless tides."

If a player is unable to place a Reinforcement card or Move their Flagship figure when required to, they become stranded and lose the game immediately.

Otherwise, at the end of any turn when the Reinforcement deck is empty, the game ends.

Victory

Each player counts the number of ships they have left in the battle. A ship is counted if the centre is visible. If the centre is fully covered by a card, token, or figure, it is not counted.

The player with the most ships of their colour left in the battle wins.

Tiebreakers:

• If both players have the same number of ships left in the battle, the player with the most unplaced Raid tokens takes the victory.
• If still tied, the First Player wins (the one with the coin).

Fair Play

DRAKKARD is a game where precise placement makes all the difference. If you are ever unsure if a centre is covered, check with your opponent and agree as you go. When scoring, make sure to point as you count so both players can follow along. And if something's clearly been nudged, put it back where it was, fair play keeps the game fun.

Suggested Setups

DRAKKARD can be played with any two Reinforcement cards as the starting battlefield, but for the fairest fight we recommend "Assail the Sails". However there are many wild shores to explore, so why not create your own!

Just remember, whoever sets up the battlefield chooses their team colour second, so try to make the sea favourable for all.

The suggested setups on the rules sheet are: Assail the Sails (recommended), Longboat Launch, and Sea Monster Struggle.

Accounting for Sea Legs: If you are playing with young or inexperienced players, feel free to provide an advantage by overlapping the Starting cards to cover some ship spaces from the outset. In this case, the two cards are neighbouring.

Example of Gameplay

A. Reinforce: The red player takes the top card of the deck and positions it covering 3 enemy ships and 1 of their own.

B. Move: The red player Moves their Flagship to the newly-placed card to protect their cluster of 3 ships from being covered.

C. Raid: The red player chooses to Raid. They cover a green ship on the same card as their Flagship, to protect that card from being covered by their opponent.