Port Royal (2000)
Port Royal (2000) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
Each player tries, by the end of the game, to load the greatest booty onto his ship. But you must take care that a ship is not overloaded.
Components
- 49 booty cards: 40 "simple" booty cards (10 of each): ship's biscuit (orange), tobacco (bright green), rum (turquoise), gunpowder (purple), in the values 2 to 10 and 12; plus 9 extra cards (grey). The value and the weight of booty cards are expressed in tons.
- 6 bonus cards (prisoners) with values 1 to 6. They count as much as the corresponding booty cards, but weigh nothing and can go into any ship!
- 35 trick cards in 4 colours (red, blue, green and black - each colour stands for a different Pirate Captain) with values 1 to 8; plus 3 special trick cards (pirates) without colour with values 1, 5 and 7.
- 4 landing boards for the booty cards, with debt scale, trump colours and ship holds.
- 4 debt stones (yellow cubes)
- 1 bid stone (black cube)
- 4 trump stones (red cylinders)
- 12 trick stones (white cylinders)
- 1 pirate stone to mark a booty card (black figure)
- these rules
Setup
- Depending on the number of players (3 or 4), the trick cards with the following values are used:
- With 3 players: all cards in the 4 basic colours with values 1-6, plus the pirate cards 1 and 5.
- With 4 players: all cards in the 4 basic colours with values 1-8, plus the pirate cards 1 and 7.
- The special card "1 card relocate" ("1 kaart verleggen") is sorted out of the booty cards. The rest of the booty cards are thoroughly mixed and laid ready as a face-down pile. The special card "1 card relocate" is now slid under this pile.
- The 6 bonus cards are mixed and likewise laid as a face-down pile.
- Lay the trick cards, pirate stone and bid stone ready.
- Each player receives a game board, which he lays in front of him, 1 debt stone (on space 0 of the debt scale), 1 red trump stone and 3 white trick stones.
Short Overview of a Round
- Lay out booty cards (9 cards)
- Deal trick cards (8 cards each)
- Auction the privileges (swap two cards, determine trump, determine start player)
- Play eight tricks for eight booty cards (repay the bid, distribute the booty over the ships)
Course of the Game
A game lasts 6 rounds. Each round consists of the following steps:
1. Lay Out Booty Cards (9 Cards)
9 booty cards are turned face up and laid in the middle of the table.
2. Deal Trick Cards
For dealing the trick cards a dealer is determined. He shuffles the cards well and gives each player 8. The remaining 2 cards are laid face up.
3. Auction the Privileges
The following privileges are obtained by an auction. The highest bidder obtains three special rights:
- Swap two cards. The player receives the two face-up trick cards and now picks 2 cards out of all his cards, which he lays aside face down. These cards are not used any more during this round.
- Determine trump. He determines the trump colour. All players now lay their red trump stone on the corresponding pirate flag of their game board.
- Determine start player. He determines the start player (himself or another player). The designated start player now chooses one of the 9 open booty cards, for which the first trick will now be played. The booty stone (black playing piece) is placed on that card.
Bidding is done with future booty (at least in steps of 1 ton). Starting with the player to the left of the dealer, all players in turn (clockwise) make an ever higher bid or pass. A player who passes may not bid again.
The player with the highest bid receives the privileges and provisionally marks his bid on the debt scale. The black bid stone is placed on the bid value. The yellow debt stone stays on its previous value. Debts flow as negative amounts from the final reckoning.
Example (figure at the top of page 4): This player made the highest bid. He bid 5 tons. He had no debts yet, so his yellow debt stone stays on "0". He marks his bid (5) with the black bid stone and thus has the three privileges this round.
Nobody may ever make a bid that would go beyond "-19". So a player who already has, for example, 4 tons of debt can bid a maximum of 15 tons.
If nobody makes a bid, the dealer gets the privileges for 0 tons.
4. Play Eight Tricks for Eight Booty Cards
The start player (designated by the player with the privileges) leads the first trick. Each player in turn adds 1 card. The card played first in a trick determines the led colour.
The led colour does not have to be followed. This also applies if the trump colour is played. But: only if you cannot follow may you play trump!
Whoever plays trump must therefore lay a white trick stone on the led colour of his own game board to show that he no longer has that colour in his hand. If it nevertheless turns out that he still holds a card of that colour, he must, as a penalty, give up one of his own booty cards. It goes out of the game. The player to his right determines which booty card the player loses.
The highest card of the trick wins. Trumps are always worth more than cards of the led colour. Cards of the led colour are worth more than discarded cards of another colour.
The player who takes the trick receives as reward the booty card for which the trick was played. He must place it immediately in his ship. He then determines the next start player, who chooses a new booty card for which the next trick will be played.
At the end of the round, after 8 tricks, one booty card remains. The top bonus card is now slid face down under the remaining booty card. Both cards can now be won together during the next round.
The table is filled with 8 new booty cards from the supply. The trick cards are gathered. The right-hand neighbour of the old dealer shuffles and deals the trick cards for a new round. Again an auction follows, and then a new round with 8 tricks.
Special Situations
The Three Special Trick Cards (Pirates)
Because you do not have to follow suit, you can also always play such a "colourless" pirate card in the trick.
When this happens, all cards played up to then during this trick lose their colour. Trumps lose their trump property. Cards in the trump colour may now also be played, even if you still have the led colour in your hand. No trick stone is placed, because during a trick with pirate cards no trump colour applies. Only the value on the card matters. The card with the highest value decides the trick.
If several cards with the same highest value are played, the last played highest card wins.
Repaying the Bid
To repay the debts that arose from a bid, there is only one possibility:
During each round only the player with the privileges may, once, use a won booty card to repay his bid. He hands in the obtained booty card instead of placing it on his ship. He moves his bid stone back to the left by the corresponding number of spaces and replaces it with his yellow debt stone.
Example (bottom of page 5): A player had a debt of 6 tons from previous rounds. He bid 8 tons during this round and was thereby the highest bidder. He obtains the black bid stone and places it on -14 (6+8). During the round he uses an acquired card, value 5 tons, to move his bid stone 5 places to the left and replace it with the yellow debt stone. Because he may use only one card per round to pay off his debt, his debt stone now stays on -9. The bid stone is taken off the game board.
Take note of the following:
- If the booty card exceeds the amount of the bid, the rest is forfeited.
- Debts may only be reduced as far as the yellow debt stone.
- The debt stone may never be moved to the left!
At the end of the game, after 6 rounds, the debts (indicated by the yellow debt stone) are reckoned against the combined value of the booty and bonus cards.
Distributing the Booty Over the Ships
Every won booty card must immediately be placed on the own game board at a suitable ship.
- The simple booty cards (gunpowder, ship's biscuit, rum and tobacco) must be laid in the matching ship's hold. The grey extra cards can be laid in any ship.
- Bonus cards (prisoners) are placed face down on a ship of choice.
All cards that have once been laid in a ship in principle stay there. They can no longer be swapped or removed. There are, however, two exceptions by means of 2 extra cards ("1 card swap" and "1 card remove").
Limited Ship's Hold
Each ship has a maximum capacity and can carry only a maximum number of tons:
- in a game with 3 players: maximum 24 tons
- in a game with 4 players: maximum 18 tons
If a ship has more weight on board than the maximum it can carry, it sinks after the 6th round. The player then receives no points at all for this ship. Bonus cards that lay on that ship also vanish into the deep.
Tip: Sometimes sinking can be prevented by playing the right extra card at the right moment (-5, -10, max +5). The cards "1 card relocate" or "1 card remove" can also be of service here.
Scoring and End of the Game
After the 6th round, the reckoning is made and the winner is determined. No more play takes place for the last booty card and the attached bonus card.
Each player adds up the sum of all his booty and bonus cards on his non-sunken ships. The credit, indicated by the yellow debt stone, is subtracted from this. The player with the highest value wins the game.
Meaning of the Bonus and Extra Cards
The Bonus Cards
From the second round on, a bonus card is added face down to the remaining booty card (9 lay there, 8 tricks were played). Several bonus cards may also be attached to the same booty card.
The bonus card(s) go to the player who wins the associated booty card with a trick. This player may look at the value of the bonus card before placing it in a particular ship.
Bonus cards have no weight, only a value. They are therefore fiercely desired. They get their value on condition that the ship they lie in does not sink.
The Extra Cards
They are (except for the last two) assigned to a ship by placing them on the game board at a particular ship. Their function applies only to the ship to which they are assigned.
"+8" and "+6" They increase the weight of the ship by 8 or 6 tons. They can also be used to repay a bid.
"-10" and "-5" They decrease the weight of the ship by 10 or 5 tons. If a ship was overloaded, the ship can be protected against sinking by these cards. If at the end of the game this ship has a negative total weight, the cargo is considered to have weight 0. Bonus cards (prisoners) are not booty cards. Their value is retained. They cannot be used to repay a bid.
"Max +5" and "Max -5" These cards raise or lower the maximum weight that a ship can carry (e.g. from 24 tons to 29 tons). They cannot be used to repay a bid.
"x2" This card doubles the total weight of all booty cards on a ship. Negative values are also doubled. Bonus cards are not doubled. It cannot be used to repay a bid.
"1 card remove" This card offers two possibilities: a) The card is handed in directly after being obtained. You may now take any card from one of your ships and remove it from the game. b) The card is kept and laid next to your own game board. At any later moment you can remove an acquired booty card from the game instead of having to use it. The extra card is of course also removed. The card cannot be used to repay a bid.
"1 card relocate" This card lies at the bottom of the pile of booty cards and therefore comes into play only during the last round. Directly after obtaining it, you may lay an already won extra card or bonus card onto another ship of your own. Simple booty cards must stay where they are. If at that moment you have no extra or bonus cards, this extra card lapses and is simply removed from the game. The card cannot be used to repay a bid.