Plunder Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
• Overview
• Turn
  • Resolve the Encounter
  • Pay the Crew
  • Sail and Explore
  • Action
  • Play an Encounter
• Trade
  • Buying
  • Selling
• First Mate
• Combat
  • Enemies
  • Engagement
  • Broadside
  • Boarding
  • Results of a Combat
  • Attacking Another Captain
• If You Lose Your Ship
• Enemies
• War
• Captured Ships

Setup

• Players take the Captain's Mat and a Ship of a color of their choice, and 5 Silver Pieces. (10 Silver Pieces = 1 Gold Piece)
• Remove the Tortuga card and 4 Open Sea cards from the deck. Then shuffle the deck and place it face down on the table.
• Each Captain draws a card and places it face up in front of them — the player with the highest value becomes the First Captain (tied players keep drawing until one of them draws the highest value). The drawn cards form the starting hand. If a player's hand exceeds 6 cards (due to multiple draws in case of a tie), they must discard the most recently drawn cards in excess, down to 6 cards in hand.
• Place Tortuga with North pointing toward the First Captain. Place the Open Sea cards around it (above, below, to the right, and to the left), facing the same direction as Tortuga.
• Place the Ships on Tortuga.
• The Captain to the left of the First Captain becomes the Treasurer — the one who manages the money.
• The Captain to their left is the Quartermaster — the one who manages the Goods.
• The Captain to the Quartermaster's left is the Herald — the one who manages the Flags.
• The last Captain deals cards to the players until everyone has 6 cards. If anyone is dealt the Storm card, it is discarded and replaced. Once all players have 6 cards in hand, any discarded Storm card is returned to the deck, which is then reshuffled.

Overview

Each player is the Captain of a pirate ship. The goal is to accumulate as much money as possible by legally trading goods or by selling plundered ships and their cargo through boarding actions.

The first Captain to accumulate 60 Silver Pieces wins.

Turn

Starting with the First Captain, each player plays through the phases described below in sequence; then the turn passes clockwise to the next player.

Resolve the Encounter

The First Captain skips this phase on the first turn of the game.

• If the Captain before you played you an Encounter that applies, you must resolve it.
• If the Encounter is a Map card (Port, Coastland, or Open Sea), or it doesn't apply, discard it; otherwise, follow its instructions.
• If you lost your ship on the previous turn, before Resolving the Encounter, draw 6 cards, one at a time.
• If, while drawing, you draw the Storm card, stop drawing the cards you're missing and discard the Encounter.

Pay the Crew

• Pay your crew the amount shown on your Ship card.
• If you have a First Mate, pay them 1 Silver Piece.
• If you forget, when you take up your ship to move it, any other Captain may shout "Mutiny!"
  • Mutiny of the First Mate: remove your First Mate card from your Captain's Mat.
  • Mutiny of the Crew: the crew throws you overboard, and your ship is lost.

Sail and Explore

You may sail in one direction of your choice per turn, with the option to turn ONCE to starboard (right) or port (left), and then continue in that direction.

• You cannot move diagonally.
• Repeat the following steps, in sequence, until you can no longer move or choose to stop:
  • Explore. If there is an empty space adjacent to your ship, you may play a Map card into that space; on the next step, you are not required to move onto that card.
  • Move. If you have fewer than 7 cards in hand, and there is a Map card next to the one your ship currently occupies, in the same direction you are sailing, you may move onto it. If you enter a Port or a Coastland, your movement ends for this turn.
  • Draw. If you moved, you must draw 1 card. If you draw Storm, place it face up on the table so everyone can see it, and follow the card's instructions.

Action

You may take ONE of the following actions.

• Play a card.
  • If the card shows an "Act" entry, and you are in the place named on the card after "Act," you may follow the card's instructions.
• Obtain a Letter of Marque, if you are in a Port of a nation at war.
  • Declare your intention to receive a Letter of Marque.
  • Place, face down on the table in front of you, one of the cards in your hand.
  • Captains who wish to contest you do the same.
  • Turn the cards face up: if your card's number is equal to or greater than all the others, you receive the Letter of Marque.
• Trade: If you are in a Port you may buy and/or sell goods and ships.
  • Captured goods and ships may be sold ONLY in Tortuga or in a Port of the same nationality as your Letter of Marque; or also if you play the Sneak into Port card or the Bottle of Rum card. Proceeds from selling plundered goods and ships are split in half with the crew.
• Attack a Port: If you are in a Port, you may attack it. If the Port is enemy, you MUST attack it, unless you play Bottle of Rum or Sneak into Port.
• Attack a Captain: If you are in the same space as another Captain (but not in a Port), you may attack them.

Play an Encounter

If you have at least one card in hand, you must play one as an Encounter against the player to your left. If it is an Encounter card, and your neighbor is on the same type of Map card named after "Encounter," it will take effect on them at the start of their turn.

Trade

You may buy and sell Goods and Ships while you are in a Port.

Buying

• Each goods token you buy costs the value shown under "Buy" on the Port or Natives card.
• Put the goods tokens you bought into the Traded Cargo space of your Captain's Mat.
• To buy a Ship, you must have its card in hand or have had it played to you as an Encounter; pay its Value, as shown on the card.
• Put the Ship card into the Pinnace space of your Captain's Mat. If the space is occupied by another Ship card, you must sell it immediately. You may NOT buy a Prized Ship — these are only obtained through Combat.

Selling

• Each goods token you sell earns you the value shown under "Sell" on the Port or Natives card.
  • When you sell Traded Cargo or a ship you bought, you keep all the money instead of splitting it with the crew.
• If you sell a Ship captured in Combat, it counts as a Captured Ship even if you put it in the Pinnace space after Combat. If you haven't bought another ship to replace it, you go back to using the Pinnace.
• You MUST sell the Captured Ship and its loot if you enter a Port that allows you to do so.
• Money earned from plundered cargo and ships is split with the crew (half, rounded down).

First Mate

• You can only find a First Mate in a Port.
• Each First Mate gives you a different ability.
• You may have only one First Mate, and you may let them go whenever you want.

Combat

Combat consists of 4 steps.

Enemies

If you attack a port or a ship belonging to a nation that is not yet your enemy, place one of its flags in the Enemies space of your Captain's Mat. If you hold a Letter of Marque from that nation, you lose it.

• All Treasure Fleets belong to Spain.

From this point on, you must win each step to continue to the next!!

Engagement

If you are attacking a Port, skip this step. First, check whether you can reach the enemy ship or, if attacked, whether you can outdistance it.

• Attack
  • If your enemy's speed is higher than your ship's (any Captured Ship accompanying you does not count), it manages to flee (except for Pirates, who always attack). To catch up to it, you may play a card of yours and add its value to the lower speed between your ship and any Captured Ship accompanying you. If the total is not equal to or greater than the enemy's speed, it escapes — discard its card. Combat ends here.
  • If the total is at least equal to your enemy's, you've caught up to it. Move on to Broadside.
• Flee
  • If an enemy attacks you and you decide to flee, compare its speed with the lower speed between your ship and any Captured Ship accompanying you. You may play a card to increase your speed. If you have a Captured Ship slowing you down, you may choose to abandon it — discard its card and all goods that exceed your ship's cargo capacity. If your total is equal to or greater than its, you manage to escape — discard the enemy's card. Combat ends here.
  • If its total is greater than yours, it catches up to you. Move on to Broadside.

Broadside

Natives skip this step because they have no cannons.

• Compare your enemy's Cannon value with yours (the Captured Ship does not count). If its value is higher, you may add a card. If it is still higher, the enemy sinks your ship. Combat ends here.
• If your value is at least equal to its, you may choose to sink its ship or board it (ties always favor the attacker). If you sink its ship, discard the enemy's card. Combat ends here.

Boarding

• Compare your ship's Crew value (the Captured Ship does not count) with your enemy's (Garrison or Warriors in the case of Ports or Natives). If its value is higher, you may add a card of yours. If your total is still not at least equal to its value, you have lost the Combat — discard the enemy's card.
• If your Crew is equal to or greater than its, you have won the Combat!

Results of a Combat

• They escaped: discard the enemy's card — Combat ends here.
• You sank them: discard the enemy's card — Combat ends here.
• You lost the Combat: your ship is sunk.
• You won the Combat: now you get to plunder!

If the enemy was a ship, you may take it as a Captured Ship. You also take its cargo — turn over the top card of the deck to reveal the nature of the loot. The icon shows the type of cargo, the number indicates the quantity. However, the quantity cannot exceed the Cargo value of the Captured Ship. Furthermore, the maximum amount of cargo you can carry is given by the sum of the cargo values of your ship and the Captured Ship. Put the captured cargo into the Loot space of your Captain's Mat.

Attacking Another Captain

If you and another Captain are in the same space (not in a Port), you may attack them.

• Whenever you may play a card from your hand, your opponent may do the same. Cards are placed face down on the table and revealed simultaneously. In case of a tie, the attacker wins.
• If the defender abandons their Captured Ship, the attacker may forgo Combat to take possession of it. The attacker also takes possession of the cargo the defender left on the abandoned ship.
• If neither ship fled or was sunk, the winner of the Combat captures the opponent's ship (except for the Pinnace) and all its cargo.

If You Lose Your Ship

If your ship is sunk, you've lost your crew, you've been thrown overboard by mutineers, or another Captain has taken your ship, here's what happens:

• If another Captain has captured your ship and your cargo, hand them over. Otherwise, return your cargo to the Quartermaster and discard your ships (next turn you start over with a Pinnace).
• Discard your First Mate, if any.
• Discard all the cards in your hand.
• Place your ship in Tortuga (you start over from there).
• If it is your turn, it ends immediately.

Enemies

• If you attack anyone who isn't a Pirate or a Native, their nation becomes your enemy — place a flag of that nationality in the Enemies space of your Captain's Mat.
• A Treasure Fleet is always Spanish.
• If a nation is your enemy, you cannot enter any Port of that nationality, except to attack it, or by playing the Bottle of Rum and Sneak into Port cards.
• If you hold a Letter of Marque and attack a Ship or Port of that nation, you lose the Letter.

War

The War is Declared card starts a war between the nation on the card and another nation of the choice of the Captain who plays the card.

• The Herald holds the War is Declared card in front of them and places a flag of the other warring nation on it.
• You may obtain a Letter of Marque from either of the two warring nations, if you are not already its enemy.
• If you hold a Letter of Marque from a nation at war, the other nation automatically becomes your enemy.
• If you hold more than one Letter, you must choose; the other becomes your enemy.

War between two nations ends when the A Treaty is Signed card is played. Discard both the War is Declared and A Treaty is Signed cards. If a player holds a Letter of Marque from one of the two nations, the other nation is no longer their enemy.

Captured Ships

When you capture a ship, you may exchange it for the one you own. Put it in the Pinnace space. If the space is already occupied by another ship, you may discard the latter, or put it in the Captured Ship space.

• You may abandon a Captured Ship whenever you want, but you cannot abandon the ship in the Pinnace space.
• If a Captured Ship is accompanying you (that is, you are not using it as your personal ship) when you enter a Port, you MUST sell it before setting off again.
• You cannot use the cannons and crew of a Captured Ship.
• If the speed of the Captured Ship accompanying you is lower than the speed of your personal ship, you must use that speed for all comparisons.