Pirateology: The Game
Pirateology: The Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 5 Pirate Ship Playing Pieces: The Queen Anne's Revenge, The Bold Adventure, The Royal Fortune, Barbary Galley, Chinese Junk
- 5 Pirate Playing Pieces: Arabella Drummond, Kheir-ed-Din, Jack Rackham, Blackbeard, Chang Pao
- 1 Game Board
- 1 Skull Bank
- 1 Compass Spinner
- 6 Skull Dice
- 25 Land Markers
- 50 Gold Coins
- 70 Skull Cards
Set Up
- Place the Skull Bank on the big island at the center of the board.
- Choose your colored land markers, then take the corresponding pirate (color on base) and ship (color on flag). Place your pirate on any Black X space on the board.
- Players each get 7 gold coins to start. Leftover gold coins are placed inside the Skull Bank.
- Shuffle the deck of Skull Cards and deal 3 cards to each player. Place your cards face up in front of you, and place the remaining cards face down next to the Skull Bank.
- Each player rolls one die. The skull has the highest value. The player who rolls the highest goes first, then play continues in a clockwise direction.
Playing The Game
Pirates take turns traveling the high seas, burying and collecting treasure, avoiding hurricanes and sea monsters, and battling other pirates, all in an attempt to become the last pirate standing. The Skull Cards are crucial to collect, as they allow a pirate to win a ship, start a battle, or defend against an enemy. However, the Skull Cards can also be harmful as they can send pirates into the eye of a hurricane, into the arms of a sea monster, or to Castaway Island, which will cost crucial time.
The last pirate standing at the end of the game is the winner!
Moving Around The Board
All players start with a pirate piece as a pawn and roll one die to move around the board. Players must acquire a Crew Card from the Skull Card pile in order to swap their pirate piece for a ship piece. If a player is dealt a Crew Card in the beginning, then that player begins using the ship as a pawn. Once players have a ship piece, they roll two dice to move around the board.
A combination of the die/dice and Compass Spinner is used to move around the board. First, players spin the Compass Spinner to determine the wind direction, and then roll the die/dice to determine the number of spaces traveled:
- If the player wishes to move in the direction of the wind, he/she can move double the number of spaces shown on the die/dice. (Example: Compass is pointing South (down) and the player rolled a 3. If his/her first move is "down," he/she can move a total of 6 spaces, even if a directional change is necessary during the course of the move.)
- If the player wishes to move in any other direction, he/she moves the number of spaces that corresponds to the die/dice.
Note: Like the wind, the Compass Spinner is unpredictable. Sometimes it will end up landing between two directions, making it unclear which way the wind is blowing. Captain William Lubber suggests that those playing the game make a ruling prior to the start of play to determine the cut-off line for each direction.
Each space on the game board counts as one when moving traditionally by rolling the die/dice. Depending on which space you land, there are six possible outcomes:
- Skull - Draw one card from the stack of Skull Cards.
- Coin - Take one coin from the Skull Bank.
- Broken Coin - Put one of your coins into the Skull Bank.
- Hurricane - Lose your next turn.
- Sea Monster - Lose one of your Skull Cards. Choose one of your Skull Cards and place it back on the bottom of the Skull Card pile.
Treasure Spots
There are two types of Treasure Spots, those marked with a Black X and those marked with a Red X:
- Black X - You can bury any amount of your own treasure on any island marked with a Black X. Place the number of coins you wish to bury on the island, and lay your colored marker on top. You can also steal your opponents' buried treasure when landing on these spots by using a Treasure Map card.
- Red X - These surround Skull Island. You may not bury treasure on Skull Island. However, if you have three Treasure Map cards and land on a Red X, you take all of the treasure out of the Skull Bank and add it to your own booty.
While moving around the board after rolling the die/dice, players may stop ("drop anchor") at any point to bury or steal treasure (by dropping anchor on a Black X), or to battle an opponent (by dropping anchor within 3 spaces of the opponent--see Rules of Battle).
Players are allowed to go across an island while moving around the board and complete their roll on the other side, whether they are playing as a pirate or a ship.
Using The Skull Cards
There are 70 Skull Cards in the deck, with nine variations:
- Crew - This card allows you to switch your pawn from a pirate to a ship. Once you are a ship, you can roll two dice to move around the board. Do not discard your Crew Card once you have become a ship. If an opponent steals your Crew Card, you must give up your ship, go back to using your pirate, and roll one die on each turn until you collect another Crew Card.
- Black Spot - This card sends you directly to Castaway Island. Place your colored marker on the spot on the board where you landed and move your pawn to Castaway Island. You must remain there until, using two dice, you roll either a 7 or an 11. You get 3 rolls per turn. If one of your opponents lands on your colored marker while you are on Castaway Island, he/she can take all of the treasure you have in your possession (not buried). Once on Castaway Island, the Black Spot card can be returned to the bottom of the Skull Card pile.
- Treasure Map - If you land on a Black X where an opponent's treasure is buried, this card allows you to steal the treasure. Three Treasure Map cards allow you to take all of the booty in the Skull Bank if you land on a Red X. Once you have used the card, return it to the bottom of the Skull Card pile.
- Pillage - This card allows you to take the Skull Card of your choice from one of your opponents. Playing this card counts as your turn. Once you have used the card, return it to the bottom of the Skull Card pile.
- Hurricane - This card sends you directly to the nearest Hurricane spot on the board, causing you to lose your next turn. If you are dealt this card at the start of game play, you must go directly to the nearest Hurricane spot and you lose your first turn. The card is then returned to the bottom of the Skull Card pile.
- Sea Monster - This card sends you directly to the nearest Sea Monster spot on the board where you must give up one of your Skull Cards. Once you have used the Sea Monster Card, return it to the bottom of the Skull Card pile. If you are dealt this card at the start of game play, you must go directly to the nearest Sea Monster spot and discard both the Sea Monster Card and another Skull Card.
Weapons
There are three variations of these cards that can be used during battle:
- Type 1: Boarding Axe, Cutlass, Powder Horn, Knife, or Blade Cards - When in battle and using any of these weapons, you roll one die and must be no more than 1 space away from an opponent to initiate an attack.
- Type 2: Musket or Pistol Cards - When battling with either of these weapons, you roll two dice and must be no more than 2 spaces away from an opponent to initiate an attack.
- Type 3: Cannon Card - When battling with cannons, you roll three dice and must be no more than 3 spaces away from an opponent to initiate an attack.
After the battle, the Weapon Cards are returned to the bottom of the Skull Card pile.
Rules Of Battle
When a ship lands on or near the same spot as another ship or pirate, a battle can be waged by playing a Weapon Card. You must have a ship as a pawn and a Weapon Card in order to initiate a battle. The winner will receive a predetermined amount of gold coins from the loser.
If you land no more than 3 spaces away from your opponent, you can battle with the Cannon Card. If you land no more than 2 spaces away from your opponent, you can battle with a Musket or Pistol card. If you land no more than 1 space from your opponent, you can battle with a Boarding Axe, Cutlass, Powder Horn, Knife, or Blade Card.
Ship vs Ship
The number of dice to be used in a battle is indicated on the top of each Weapon Card (either 1, 2, or 3 die/dice). The challenging player announces the amount of coins and/or cards that he/she wants to wager on the battle (excluding buried treasure). The opponent must match the wager, placing the same amount of coins and cards in front of him/her. Each player rolls the number of dice that appear on his/her highest-ranked Weapon Card. The player who rolls the highest total of the dice wins the booty. The used Weapon Cards are then returned to the Skull Card pile.
- If the player being attacked does not have a Weapon Card, then he/she does not roll. The attacking player rolls one die and wins the number of gold coins shown on the die. If the losing player does not have enough gold coins to pay, he/she must pay a combination of coins and Skull Cards. If the losing player does not have enough booty, the winner must accept whatever booty the pirate has (not including buried treasure). If the player gives up all of his/her booty and does not have anything buried, then he/she is eliminated from the game.
- If one of the players rolls a skull, he/she automatically wins the battle. If both players roll skulls, the total of each player's remaining die/dice determines the winner.
- If a player is using a Cannon Card and rolls three skulls, the opponent loses all of his/her booty (treasure and cards) and, unless he/she has treasure buried somewhere, is out of the game.
Ship vs Pirate
A ship can attack a pirate, but a pirate cannot attack a ship. The attacking player rolls one die and, since the pirate does not roll, the attacking player wins the number of coins shown by the die. This does not include any buried treasure, so if the losing pirate does not have enough gold coins to pay, he/she must pay a combination of coins and Skull Cards. If the losing pirate does not have enough booty, the winner must accept whatever the pirate has. If the pirate gives up all of his/her booty and does not have anything buried, then he/she is eliminated from the game.
If the attacking ship rolls a skull, the player takes all of the attacked pirate's coins and cards (except for any buried treasure). If the pirate does not have any treasure buried, then he/she is eliminated from the game.
Winning The Game
The last pirate standing, once all of the other players have been eliminated, wins the game!
Pirate & Pirate Ship Playing Pieces with Land Markers
Each pirate and ship pair is matched with a land marker bearing the pirate's flag:
- Arabella Drummond (pirate) and The Bold Adventure (ship) - skull and crossed swords flag marker.
- Blackbeard (pirate) and The Queen Anne's Revenge (ship) - skeleton with axes flag marker.
- Kheir-ed-Din (pirate) and Barbary Galley (ship) - three crescents flag marker.
- Chang Pao (pirate) and Chinese Junk (ship) - dragon flag marker.
- Jack Rackham (pirate) and The Royal Fortune (ship) - skull and crossbones flag marker.