North Wind Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
  • Building the Ships
  • Preparing the Sea Card Stacks
  • Further Preparation
  • Your Ship
• Gameplay
• The Sea Cards in Detail
  • 1. Trading Actions
  • 2. Other Actions
  • 3. The Fog
• Fulfilling Contracts
• Bonus Spaces for Victory Point Tokens
  • 1. Bonus for Majority of Fulfilled Contracts
  • 2. Bonus for Supplying All Destination Ports
  • 3. Bonus for Full Crew Strength
• End of the Game
• Game Tip
• The Crew Members and Their Advantages
• Components
• Credits

Setup

A list of the game material can be found on the last page.

Before the first game:

• Carefully punch the cardboard pieces out of their frames.
• Set aside the cannons, the trade letters, the gold coins, the sea cards, and the large scoring board for now.
• The pieces now remaining are needed to build the ships.

Building the Ships

Shown below are all the pieces you need to build a ship: hull, deck, mast, sail, crow's nest.

1. Assemble the hull:

   1. Fold the side walls of the hull upward.
   2. Slide the side tabs of the hull into the long slots of the deck.
   3. Insert the stern tab of the hull into the slot at the stern. To do this you will probably need to lift the deck slightly.
   4. Do the same with the two angled tabs at the bow of the ship.

   Important: After your first game you do not need to take the hulls apart again. In the box's large compartment you can stack 2 hulls (without masts) on top of each other.

2. Insert the mast: Fold the mast together (A) and slide it from below into the slot of the hull (B) and through the slot of the deck. Make sure the notches of the mast (C) point toward the stern.

3. Insert the sail: Slide the sail onto the mast from above, with the sail side toward the bow (A). Let it click into the notch marked with the number "4" (B).

4. Attach the crow's nest: First slide the mounting for the crow's nest from above into the slot of the mast (A). Then set the crow's nest on top (B), with the slot for the lookout facing forward toward the bow.

And the ship is ready.

Preparing the Sea Card Stacks

1. Lay out the scoring board on any side of the game table. The pictures of the 3 destination ports — Northcape, Trutzhaven, and Olesand — should face the middle of the table.
2. Take all 24 sea cards and sort out the 3 destination port cards Northcape, Trutzhaven, and Olesand. Place each destination port card on the matching picture on the scoring board (Northcape on Northcape, and so on).
3. Shuffle the remaining sea cards face down (with the back facing up) and form 3 stacks of 7 cards each. Place 1 of these stacks below each destination port card.
4. Now turn each destination port card face down, one after another, and place it on the stack assigned to it.
5. Now shuffle each card stack (now with 8 cards) by itself and place it back on the same position it was in before. This way, all players always know exactly which stack a given destination port is in. For example, the destination port Northcape is always in the stack that lies below the picture of Northcape on the scoring board.

Further Preparation

• Sort the goods — grain, fish, salt, wood, and wine — as well as the dark blue pirate captains into the 6 compartments of the removable insert. Place the insert on the side of the table opposite the scoring board.
• Lay out the gold coins and the trade letters in front of the insert.
• Set out the white event die and the black combat die.
• Each player takes the following as his personal supply and lays it out in front of him:
  • 5 gold as starting capital
  • 1 trade letter
  • 10 victory point tokens in the color he has chosen (only 8 in a four-player game)
  • 4 light blue crew members
  • 4 cannons

Put any material not needed back in the box.

Your Ship

Each player takes the ship in the color he has chosen (sail) and sets it up in front of him. The deck of each ship is divided into 3 areas:

• The prison is located at the bow. Into the prison's slots you can insert up to 2 captured pirate captains (dark blue figures).
• The cargo hold is located in the middle. The cargo hold's 6 slots give you room for 6 goods. You may store at most 2 goods of the same kind.
• The cabin is located at the stern. Here up to 4 crew members can fit. 1 crew member (the lookout) can also be placed in the crow's nest slot.

Important: figures may only be inserted in the area intended for them. So, for example, it is not allowed to place a good in the crow's nest or prison, or a pirate captain in the cabin.

Get your ship ready to sail:

• Each player takes 1 cannon from his supply and inserts it into one of the 4 cannon slots.
• At the start of the game every ship has sail level "4" (sail in notch 4).

Gameplay

The youngest player begins. On your turn, carry out the actions given below, in the order stated:

1. Gold income for the poor: If you have no gold at the start of your turn, take 1 gold from the supply.

2. Trading voyage: Choose one of the 3 sea card stacks that you want to "sail into." From the chosen stack, reveal one sea card after another and lay them out in a row, face up. In total you reveal at most as many sea cards as your ship has sail levels (at the start of the game, therefore, 4 sea cards). This is your ship's range.

After revealing each sea card you must react to it before you reveal the next sea card.

• If you have revealed a fog card ("E" = event), you must roll for 1 event.
• If you have revealed an action card (a card with an "A" in the corner), you decide whether you want to carry out the action.
• Only after that do you reveal the next card.

Which actions you may carry out with the individual cards, or which events you may encounter, is explained further below in the chapter "The Sea Cards in Detail."

Two actions per voyage: When you reveal an action card, you may freely decide whether or not you want to carry out the card's action. If you use an action card, this counts as 1 action. You may carry out up to 2 actions during your voyage. Once you have carried out 2 actions, your voyage ends immediately — even if your range would still let you reveal further cards. When you have used an action card, indicate this by turning the card 45 degrees.

Receiving a trade letter: Once you have ended your trading voyage, you receive 1 trade letter if both of the following conditions are met:

• You carried out no action, or only 1 action, on your trading voyage.
• You have no trade letter, or only 1 trade letter, laid out in front of you, since you may not own more than 2 trade letters.

3. Shuffle the cards: Once your voyage has ended, shuffle all the cards of the stack you chose, face down, and then place the stack back in its position.

Then it is the next player's turn, in clockwise order. If your fellow player wishes, he may "cut" the deck before his trading voyage. "Cutting" means he may take any number of cards from the top of the chosen sea card stack (without looking at them!) and slide them under the remaining cards.

The Sea Cards in Detail

1. Trading Actions

Action "Trading Port": A "Trading Port" card gives you the opportunity to buy or sell up to 2 units of the pictured good at the stated price. If you buy goods, insert them into the slots of the cargo hold and return the required gold coins to the supply. If you sell goods, return them to the supply and take the corresponding gold coins. Please note:

• You may store at most 2 goods of the same kind.
• If all 6 slots of your cargo hold are occupied, you may not buy any further goods, unless you make room by throwing goods overboard and returning them to the supply.

Action "Outfitting Port": An Outfitting Port card gives you the opportunity, in exchange for handing over the pictured gold, to further outfit your ship. You may acquire either 1 sail level, 1 cannon, or 1 crew member.

• If you have acquired 1 sail level for 2 gold, move the sail up to the next-higher notch of the mast. The higher sail level extends your ship's range still within the same turn.
• If you have bought 1 cannon, insert it into a free cannon slot.
• If you have hired 1 crew member, place 1 light blue figure from your supply into a free slot of the cabin or into the crow's nest.

You can find an overview of the crew members' advantages on the last page of the rules.

Action "Merchant": Depending on the merchant, you may buy or sell 1 good of your choice for 2 or 3 gold.

The use of trade letters: At Trading Ports and Outfitting Ports, as well as at the Merchant, the "A" is underlined. If you use such a card — that is, you buy or sell something (and only then) — each of your fellow players may, in turn order, also use the possibilities of this card, if he returns 1 trade letter to the supply for it. He does not have to buy or sell the same thing as you. For example, if you hired 1 crew member at an Outfitting Port, your fellow player may instead buy 1 cannon. Or if you sold grain at a grain Trading Port, your fellow player may instead buy grain.

2. Other Actions

Action "Destination Port": If you have revealed a destination port (Northcape, Trutzhaven, or Olesand), you may — if you meet the requirements — carry out a contract of this destination port (see "Fulfilling Contracts" below).

Action "Search Shipwreck": If you carry out this action, take 2 gold from the supply.

Please note: no trade letter may be used for "Other Actions."

3. The Fog

If you have revealed a fog card, you either encounter a pirate ship or find 1 treasure. Which event occurs is decided by a roll of the white event die.

(a) Pirate Ship

The "Pirate Ship" event occurs when the roll of the event die shows 1, 2, or 3 skulls. The pirate ship's strength equals the number of skulls rolled. You now have the choice:

• Either you pay 1 gold into the supply and (if your range is not yet exhausted) continue sailing (reveal the next card), or
• You engage in combat.

Combat: Every cannon your ship is equipped with allows you 1 roll with the black combat die. If this die shows 1 silver ball, you have scored a hit. To win the combat, you must score at least as many hits as the pirate ship is strong. For example, if you have 2 cannons, you may roll the combat die twice. If the event die shows 2 skulls, you must roll 1 silver ball both times to win the combat.

The blue double ball counts as a hit only if you have a gunner; more on this under the rule for the gunner on the last page.

• Victory: you may take 1 pirate captain from the supply and insert it into a free slot of the prison at the bow.
• Defeat: your voyage ends immediately.

Please note:

• Should you encounter a pirate and neither pay gold nor own enough cannons to be able to win the combat, this counts immediately as a defeat.
• Should you have defeated a pirate and your prison is already occupied by 2 pirate captains, you receive 1 gold instead.
• Regardless of which event the die roll shows, fog cards never count as an action.

(b) Treasure Find

The "Treasure Find" event occurs when the event die shows 1 gold coin. You may then take 1 gold from the supply.

Example of a trading voyage: You own 1 wine on your ship and want to fulfill the first contract of Northcape (how contracts are fulfilled is explained in the next section). You therefore choose the stack in which the destination port Northcape lies. You reveal the top card of the stack and find your ship caught in a fog bank (1). You roll the event die for 1 treasure and take 1 gold. With the next card you reveal, you have reached a salt Trading Port (2). You buy 2 salt for 2 gold, turn the card 45 degrees since you carried out an action, and continue your voyage. With the third card you reveal 1 more salt Trading Port (3). You don't want to pass up this deal, so you sell 2 salt for 6 gold. Since you have carried out 2 actions, your voyage ends early. You have not reached your destination Northcape — that is, you have not revealed the Northcape card — but instead you now have 5 more gold than at the start of your voyage.

Fulfilling Contracts

On the scoring board, a contract column with 9 contract spaces is shown for each of the 3 destination ports. Northcape calls for wine and/or gold, to get its idle trade moving again. Trutzhaven requires that the captured pirate captains be brought to its dungeon there. In addition, Trutzhaven calls for wine or gold. Olesand was burned down by the pirates and needs the goods wood, fish, salt, and grain for its reconstruction.

In each contract column, the contracts must be fulfilled one after another, from bottom to top, in the direction of the brown arrows. At the start of the game the first 3 contracts are: bring 1 wine to Northcape, deliver 1 pirate captain to Trutzhaven, and supply Olesand with 1 salt and 1 fish.

If, on your trading voyage, you reveal a destination port card and possess the goods pictured on the current (lowest, unoccupied) contract space of that destination port, you may fulfill the contract. Then return the required goods to the supply and place 1 of your victory point tokens on the contract space. Each contract space may only be occupied by 1 victory point token.

Important: on each turn you may only ever fulfill the current contract. If you also possess the things needed for the following contract, you can only try to fulfill it on your next turn.

In the illustration, players Yellow and Red have each fulfilled 2 contracts. Currently there are these 3 open contracts: 3 gold for Northcape, 1 wine and 1 pirate captain for Trutzhaven, as well as 1 grain and 1 salt for Olesand.

Bonus Spaces for Victory Point Tokens

1. Bonus for Majority of Fulfilled Contracts

If you have placed the most victory point tokens in the contract column of a destination port, you may place 1 further victory point token on the bonus space of that destination port. Should another player have placed the same number of victory point tokens in the contract column of this destination port, you must remove your victory point token from the bonus space again.

Please note: if you are the first player to place 1 victory point token in the contract column of a destination port, you already have the most victory point tokens and may place 1 victory point token on the bonus space.

In the illustration above, player Red has fulfilled the first contract of the destination port "Northcape" and may place 1 victory point token on the bonus space.

2. Bonus for Supplying All Destination Ports

If you have placed at least 1 victory point token in each of the 3 contract columns, you may place 1 further victory point token of your player color on the supply bonus space.

3. Bonus for Full Crew Strength

If you have equipped your ship with 4 crew members, you may likewise place 1 further victory point token of your player color on the "Full Crew Strength" bonus space.

End of the Game

In a game with two or three players, whoever is on turn and has placed 10 victory point tokens on the scoring board wins the game. With four players, whoever is on turn and has placed 8 victory point tokens wins.

Example: in a three-player game, player White wins with 10 victory points. He has placed 7 victory point tokens in the 3 contract columns of the destination ports. In addition, he was able to place 3 more victory point tokens on bonus spaces: the first for the majority of victory point tokens in the Northcape column, the second because he placed 1 victory point token in each of the 3 contract columns, and the third because he has 4 crew members aboard.

Game Tip

Please read aloud to all players!

You should try to always have enough gold to be able to react as flexibly as possible to offers of goods and to pirates. It's true that you receive 1 gold if you have no gold at the start of your turn. But this meager emergency income certainly isn't enough to reach your game goal.

You can earn additional gold by buying goods for 1 gold and selling them again at the merchant or a corresponding trading port for 3 gold. If you know which stack a shipwreck lies in, you can seek out this stack repeatedly, and you receive 2 gold as a gift every time you decide on the action "Search Shipwreck."

Also interesting is the bookkeeper, since with every sale of 1 or 2 goods you receive 1 additional gold.

Do not underestimate the boatswain. He allows you to exchange 1 good at the merchant. This way you can, for example, exchange 1 cheap wood for 1 urgently needed wine. If you also have a bookkeeper, you receive 1 gold with every exchange.

The Crew Members and Their Advantages

If you hire 1 crew member and have decided on a slot, you may not move the crew member afterward. Next to each slot is a small icon. This symbolizes the advantage you may use when you have filled this slot with a crew member.

• Boatswain — When you use a merchant card, you may either buy up to 2 goods or sell up to 2 goods. Alternatively, you may also buy 1 good and sell 1 other good.
• Bookkeeper — With every sale of 1 or 2 goods, you receive 1 additional gold.
• Gunner — When the combat die shows a blue double ball, you have scored 2 hits at once.
• Treasurer — More gold for the poor: if you have no gold at the start of your turn, you receive 2 gold instead of 1.
• Lookout — You may look at the top card of the sea card stack you have chosen for a trading voyage. If you don't like the card, slide it under the stack. The card then does not count for your trading voyage.

Components

64 wooden figures, consisting of:

• 16 crew members, light blue
• 8 pirate captains, dark blue
• 8 salt sacks, white
• 8 grain, yellow
• 8 grapes, purple
• 8 trees, green
• 8 fish, gray

1 event die, white 1 combat die, black 40 victory point tokens, 10 per player color 8 punch-out sheets with:

• 4 ships (consisting of hull, deck, mast, crow's nest from 2 parts, sail)
• 16 cannons
• 8 trade letters
• 24 sea cards
• 30 gold coins, value 1
• 12 gold coins, value 5

1 scoring board

Credits

Design: Klaus Teuber. Illustration: Franz Vohwinkel. Graphics: Imelda and Franz Vohwinkel. Editing: W. Lüdtke, R. Müller, P. Neugebauer, B. Teuber, K. Teuber. Published by Kosmos (Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG), 2014. Licensed by Catan GmbH.