Scalawag! Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Object of the Game
• Setup
• Play
• Player Turn
• Captain's Order Declaration
• Captain's Orders
  • Trim Sails
  • Fire Cannons
  • Close and Board
  • Muster Crew
  • Steal the Wind
  • Call for Mutiny
  • On Watch
• Crew
  • Pilot
  • Lookout
• Scalawag!
• Reveal Crew Cards
• Scalawag Penalty
• Player Elimination
• Prizes of War
  • Ship Damage
  • Crew Loss
• End of the Game
• Special Rules for 3 Player Games
  • Fog of War
  • Fog of War Die
• Strategy Advice
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Crew Card Distribution Chart

Contents

• 46 Cards
  • 30 Crew Cards (6 Sailor, 6 Gunner, 6 Marine, 4 Pilot, 4 Mutineer, 4 Lookout)
  • 8 Allegiance Cards (2 English, 2 French, 2 Spanish, 2 Pirate)
  • 8 Ship Flag Cards (Crown, Eagle, Griffon, Lion, Snake, Unicorn, Crossed Keys, Crossed Swords)
• 8 Ship Mats (Crown, Eagle, Griffon, Lion, Snake, Unicorn, Crossed Keys, Crossed Swords)
• 120 Tokens
• 80 Compass Point Tokens
• 40 Ship Damage Tokens
• 1 Fog of War Die
• 1 Rulebook
• 2 Plastic Bags

Object of the Game

Scalawag! is a competitive card game for 3-8 players. Each player is the captain of their own warship with the goal of eliminating all other players (or teams during Allegiance Play). A player is eliminated when their ship has 5 Ship Damage Tokens OR when they lose their last Crew Card.

Play proceeds clockwise, beginning with the first player (determined during the SETUP). On their Turn, a player will issue one Captain's Order; often with the declaration of one or more Crew Cards that support the order. Because a player's Crew Cards are kept hidden from others and bluffing is allowed, knowing when to bluff and when to call a bluff (by declaring "Scalawag!") is an important element to successful play.

Setup

1. Place around the play area as many Ship Mats as there are players. Choose one of the Ship Mats to be the first player position.

2. Shuffle the Ship Flag Cards corresponding to the chosen Ship Mats (matching the flag symbols) and deal one to each player. Players then seat themselves at the Ship Mat that matches their Ship Flag Card.

3. Take the number of Crew Cards indicated by the CREW CARD DISTRIBUTION CHART (see back of rulebook) and shuffle them, dealing 3 Crew Cards face down to each player. Place the remaining Crew Cards face down in a scattered pile in the center of the play area to form the Port area.

4. Place the Compass Point and Ship Damage Tokens near the center of the play area. Each player takes 2 Compass Points and places them along the top of their Ship Mat. Compass Point totals for each player are openly displayed during the game.

5. (3 player games) The first player takes the Fog of War Die (see SPECIAL RULES FOR 3 PLAYER GAMES on page 12).

6. (Optional) For games that include 6 or 8 players, Allegiance Play may be chosen to establish hidden teams of two players. Shuffle 3 or 4 of the Allegiance Card pairs (for 6 or 8 players, respectively) and deal one face down to each player. After all players secretly review their Allegiance Card, all players must close their eyes. The first player should then perform the following sequence for each Allegiance in the game: a. "[English, French, Spanish, or Pirate] players, open your eyes." b. Wait three seconds c. "All players, close your eyes."

   Once all of the Allegiances have been secretly determined, all players open their eyes. A team wins if either or both players on the team are the only surviving players.

Play

Play begins with the first player and proceeds clockwise around the play area, with each non-eliminated player taking a Turn until the game ends.

Players are considered adjacent (used for valid target determination) if they immediately precede or follow in Turn order.

In a 3 player game, the first player will roll the Fog of War die prior to their Turn (see SPECIAL RULES FOR 3 PLAYER GAMES on page 12).

Player Turn

On each player's Turn, they perform two steps in sequence:

1. Issue one Captain's Order
2. Collect 2 Compass Points

At no time may a player's Compass Points supply exceed 10. If an action would cause a player to possess more than 10, the excess is immediately discarded.

Captain's Order Declaration

A player first declares their choice of Captain's Order, followed by any Crew that support (or are required) for the order.

EXAMPLES:

• "I Trim Sails with one Sailor."
• "I Fire Cannons with two Gunners."
• "I Close and Board." (no Marines are declared)
• "I Steal the Wind with a Pilot."

After the Captain's Order declaration, if any Crew were declared the player must pause a few seconds to allow other players to call out "Scalawag!" (see SCALAWAG! on page 9) before proceeding. Both the Pilot and Lookout Crew have secondary order support capabilities (see CREW on page 8), which would be declared now with a new pause allowing for a call of "Scalawag!". Finally, if the order requires a target, the player declares the target(s).

IMPORTANT: Once a player has made a new Crew declaration, or declared their target(s), "Scalawag!" can no longer be called on any previous declarations.

EXAMPLE OF FULL ORDER DECLARATION (Steve's Turn):

• "I Fire Cannons with one Gunner." (pause for "Scalawag!" call against Gunner)
• "I issue a second Fire Cannons order with a Pilot." (pause for "Scalawag!" call against the Pilot only)
• "I am now adjacent to all players with a Lookout." (pause for "Scalawag!" call against the Lookout only)
• "I am firing at Alex and Kim." ("Scalawag!" cannot be declared at this point, the order is complete)

Steve pays the proper Compass Point costs and Alex and Kim each take 1 Ship Damage.

Captain's Orders

Trim Sails

Earn 1 Compass Point, taken from the central token pile.

Trim Sails can be supported by declaring one or more Sailors, which increase the earnings by 1 for each Sailor declared.

EXAMPLE: "I Trim Sails with two Sailors." (earns 1 + 2 = 3 Compass Points)

Fire Cannons

Spend 5 Compass Points to deliver 1 Ship Damage to an adjacent player, or spend 8 Compass Points to deliver 1 Ship Damage to a non-adjacent player.

Fire Cannons can be supported by declaring one or more Gunners, which reduce the cost by 1 Compass Point for each Gunner declared.

EXAMPLE: "I Fire Cannons with three Gunners." (costs 5 - 3 = 2 Compass Points)

A second Fire Cannons order may be issued by declaring a Pilot (see CREW on page 8). When a player takes 1 Ship Damage they place a Ship Damage Token onto their Ship Mat, covering the highest-numbered damage slot still visible. If all five damage slots on their Ship Mat are covered, they are eliminated from the game (see PLAYER ELIMINATION on page 11).

Close and Board

Spend 10 Compass Points (the default Boarding Cost) to deliver 1 Crew Loss to an adjacent player.

The actual Boarding Cost is determined by the highest-numbered damage slot still visible on the target ship.

EXAMPLE: A ship with one Ship Damage Token (covering the 10) would have a Boarding Cost of 8

Close and Board can be supported by declaring one or more Marines, which reduce the Boarding Cost by 1 Compass Point for each Marine declared.

EXAMPLE: "I Close and Board with two Marines." (costs 10 - 2 = 8 Compass Points by default)

When a player suffers 1 Crew Loss, they choose one of their Crew Cards to discard face up into the Davy Jones' Locker area. The Crew Cards sent to Davy Jones' Locker are out of play, thus reducing the likelihood of that type of card appearing in the game. If a player has lost all of their Crew Cards, they are eliminated from the game (see PLAYER ELIMINATION on page 11).

Muster Crew

Draw three Crew Cards from Port, then return any three Crew Cards from your hand to Port, face down. Mix the Crew Cards in Port.

Using the Muster Crew order not only allows you to replace some or all of your Crew Cards, it also gives you information about what is currently in Port (and not in other players' hands). After using a Muster Crew order, you are better equipped both to bluff and to call "Scalawag!" on other players.

Steal the Wind

Steal up to 2 Compass Points from an adjacent player then discard 1 Compass Point to the supply.

This order requires the declaration of a Pilot.

While this order does increase your Compass Point supply, its true value is in potentially denying another player the chance to attack.

EXAMPLE: Using Steal the Wind against a player with 5 Compass Points would leave them with 3, preventing them from issuing the Fire Cannons order unless they declare at least two Gunners.

Call for Mutiny

Steal up to 2 Crew Cards at random from any single player and allow them to replace the stolen Crew Cards from Port. After they have replaced their lost cards, you will follow by discarding a number of Crew Cards equal to those stolen (either the stolen cards or any from your hand) face down to Port.

This order requires the declaration of a Mutineer.

This order allows you the chance to steal desired Crew Cards from an opponent. It is especially effective if the opponent has declared two or three of the same crew (e.g., three Sailors) and you believe they are not bluffing.

On Watch

Attacks against you cost 2 additional Compass Points for this Round. In addition, players that are adjacent to you are now also considered adjacent to each other (as if you had been eliminated from the game). To indicate that you are On Watch, turn your Crew Cards horizontal and move them to the top of your Ship Mat.

This order requires the declaration of a Lookout.

EXAMPLE: "I am On Watch with a Lookout."

Not only does this order make you an unattractive target with the increase in attack cost, the new adjacency offers up an additional target to attack in your place.

Crew

The majority of Crew Cards support or are a requirement for a Captain's Order described in the previous section. The two crew listed here have secondary support usage, which is now described in more detail.

Pilot

After declaring a Fire Cannons order (and pausing for calls of "Scalawag!" if any Gunners were declared), you may issue a second Fire Cannons order by declaring a Pilot in your crew. In essence, you pilot your ship between two opponents and open fire in both directions.

EXAMPLE: "I issue a second Fire Cannons order with a Pilot."

The two Fire Cannons orders may not target the same player, and each attack must pay the Compass Point cost separately. Any Gunners declared during the first Fire Cannons order reduce the cost of both Fire Cannons orders.

EXAMPLE OF FULL ORDER DECLARATION (Michelle's turn):

• "I Fire Cannons with two Gunners." (pause for "Scalawag!" call against Gunners)
• "I issue a second Fire Cannons order with a Pilot." (pause for "Scalawag!" call against Pilot)
• "I am firing at Steve and Alex." (Steve is adjacent, Alex is non-adjacent)

Michelle pays 3 Compass Points to fire at Steve (5 - 2 = 3) and 6 Compass Points to fire at Alex (8 - 2 = 6), for a total of 9 Compass Points.

Lookout

Prior to declaring the target(s) of an attack that involves adjacency (Fire Cannons, Close and Board, or Steal the Wind), you may declare that you have a Lookout in your crew.

EXAMPLE: "I am now adjacent to all players with a Lookout."

After pausing to allow for a call of "Scalawag!" against your Lookout, you then proceed to declare the target(s).

Scalawag!

After a player makes a declaration that involves Crew Cards, any non-eliminated player may challenge that declaration by calling out, "Scalawag!" The challenged player must either reveal the declared Crew Cards and continue with their Turn or pay the Scalawag Penalty and forfeit their Captain's Order.

It is important to note that a call of "Scalawag!" may only challenge the LAST declaration of crew made. Once a player has progressed to a new declaration, their previous statements are considered accepted by all players.

EXAMPLE OF VALID "SCALAWAG!" CHALLENGE TIMING (Kim's Turn):

Kim declares "I Fire Cannons with two Gunners" (pause for "Scalawag!" call against Gunners)

Kim declares "I am now adjacent to all players with a Lookout" (Kim's declaration of two Gunners is now accepted; any call of "Scalawag!" now would only challenge her declaration of having a Lookout)

EXAMPLE OF SUCCESSFUL "SCALAWAG!" CALL (Kim's Turn):

Kim declares "I Fire Cannons with two Gunners."

Alex calls "Scalawag!"

Kim does not have two Gunners and must pay the Scalawag Penalty. Kim chooses to take 1 Ship Damage as her Scalawag Penalty and forfeits her Captain's Order.

Kim takes 2 Compass Points and ends her Turn.

Reveal Crew Cards

If a challenged player reveals all declared Crew Cards, the challenger who called "Scalawag!" must immediately pay the Scalawag Penalty. If this results in the challenger being eliminated, it is the challenged player who makes the penalty choice and receives the Prize of War for eliminating a player.

Once the challenger has paid the Scalawag Penalty, the revealed Crew Cards are mixed into Port face down, and the challenged player draws an equal number of replacement Crew Cards. Play then resumes with the challenged player's Turn.

EXAMPLE OF MULTIPLE UNSUCCESSFUL "SCALAWAG!" CALLS (Kim's Turn):

Kim declares, "I Fire Cannons with two Gunners."

Alex calls, "Scalawag!"

Kim turns two of her Crew Cards face up, revealing two Gunners. Alex must now pay the Scalawag Penalty and chooses to suffer 1 Crew Loss. Kim discards her two Gunners into Port, mixes the card pile, and draws two replacements.

Kim continues her Captain's Order by declaring, "I issue a second Fire Cannons order with a Pilot."

Steve calls, "Scalawag!"

Kim turns over one Crew Card face up, revealing a Pilot.

Steve must now pay the Scalawag Penalty but will be eliminated by making either choice. Kim chooses for Steve to suffer 1 Crew Loss, receiving the Prize of War for eliminating a player's Crew.

Kim discards her Pilot into Port, mixes the card pile and draws one replacement.

Kim completes her Captain's Order by declaring, "I am firing at Alex and Michelle."

Scalawag Penalty

The player who pays the Scalawag Penalty must either take 1 Ship Damage or suffer 1 Crew Loss. A player may not intentionally eliminate themselves from the game with their penalty choice.

Example: A player with 1 Crew Card and 2 Ship Damage MUST choose the 1 Ship Damage penalty, as suffering 1 Crew Loss would eliminate them from the game.

If a player will be eliminated by making either penalty choice (i.e. they have only one Crew Card and 4 Ship Damage), the opponent player involved in the "Scalawag!" challenge makes the choice for them, because it will determine the Prize of War (see PRIZES OF WAR on page 11) that they receive for eliminating a player.

Player Elimination

A player is eliminated from the game when either of two conditions is met:

1. Receive their fifth Ship Damage Token
2. Lose their last Crew Card

The player to cause another player's elimination, by either a Captain's Order or a Scalawag Penalty, receives a Prize of War (see PRIZES OF WAR on page 11). The Prize of War depends on which condition was met for elimination, Ship Damage or Crew Loss.

After awarding the Prize of War, the eliminated player places all of their remaining Crew Cards face up into Davy Jones' Locker, returns their Compass Point and Ship Damage tokens to the central supplies, and returns their Ship Mat to the box to indicate that they are out of the game.

When a player is eliminated, they no longer receive a Turn during a game Round. This new Turn order will create new adjacency situations for the remaining players.

Prizes of War

When a player eliminates another player from the game, they receive a Prize of War. The Prize of War depends on the type of elimination that occurs, Ship Damage or Crew Loss.

Ship Damage

If a player eliminates another player by causing them to receive their fifth Ship Damage Token, they gain one Crew Card chosen at random from the eliminated player.

Should gaining this card cause the player to have four Crew Cards, they must choose one to place face up into Davy Jones' Locker.

Crew Loss

If a player eliminates another player by causing them to lose their last Crew Card, the eliminating player removes a Ship Damage Token from the lowest-numbered damage slot on their Ship Mat.

Should this player already have a Ship Mat without Ship Damage Tokens, they do not receive any other prize.

End of the Game

The game ends when only one player (or team of players in Allegiance Play) remains in the game. The remaining player or team has won the game!

Special Rules for 3 Player Games

When playing with three players, a Fog of War mechanic is added to the game to prevent two players from immediately "ganging up" on the third.

Fog of War

An unused Ship Mat is placed face down to represent the Fog of War.

The Fog of War breaks adjacency when placed between two player positions around the play area. The position of the Fog of War moves prior to the first player's Turn each Round, based on the roll of the Fog of War Die.

Once a player has been eliminated, return the Fog of War Die and unused Ship Mat to the box for the remainder of the game.

Fog of War Die

The first player rolls the Fog of War Die prior to their Turn.

The symbols on the Fog of War Die indicate how the Fog of War should be positioned between the players. These symbols are applied differently depending on whether the Fog of War is currently in or out of play.

If the Fog of War is currently out of play (i.e. game start or if removed during play):

• (first wave symbol on the die) Place the Fog of War to the left of the first player in clockwise order
• (second wave symbol on the die) Place the Fog of War to the left of the second player in clockwise order
• (blank green face on the die) Place the Fog of War to the left of the third player in clockwise order

If the Fog of War is currently in play:

• (first wave symbol on the die) Advance the Fog of War one player position in clockwise order
• (second wave symbol on the die) Advance the Fog of War two player positions in clockwise order
• (blank green face on the die) Remove the Fog of War from the play area

Strategy Advice

Scalawag! can be played (and won) without making a single bluff, but a player who can successfully bluff on occasion will have a significant advantage in declaring Crew Cards to support their Captain's Orders.

Non-adjacent players should consider themselves momentary allies, as they have a common foe positioned between them.

While the On Watch Captain's Order is a direct method of defense, there are a few more subtle ways to play defensively: Using Steal the Wind to steal 2 Compass Points can deny an adjacent player's opportunity to attack, or simply using Fire Cannons on another player can make them a more vulnerable (and hence attractive) target.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Compass Points can I have in my supply?

10 is the maximum. If any action would cause a player to have more than 10 Compass Points, the excess is immediately discarded.

How many Crew Cards can I have on my Ship Mat?

Three is the maximum. If a player gains a Crew Card as a Prize of War when they already have three Crew Cards, it does not increase this maximum capacity; the player collects the prize card and chooses one from among their four Crew Cards to be placed face up in Davy Jones' Locker.

What happens if more than one player calls out "Scalawag!" at the same time?

The players who called out "Scalawag!" must decide amongst themselves who will be the sole challenger. If a decision cannot be reached, no "Scalawag!" challenge is issued, and play continues.

What happens if someone steals a Crew Card from a player who is "On Watch"?

The player remains "On Watch". They allow a Crew Card to be stolen, replace it from Port, and then return their Crew Cards in a horizontal position to the top of their Ship Mat.

Must I always verbally declare the Crew for Captain's Orders where the Crew is required (i.e. "I am On Watch with a Lookout")? It seems redundant.

Once all players are more familiar with the game and the Captain's Orders, you may shorten the orders to verbally omit the Crew for Steal the Wind, Call for Mutiny, and On Watch, with the understanding that the required Crew (i.e. Pilot, Mutineer, Lookout) are still "declared" and vulnerable to a call of "Scalawag!".

What's the difference between Davy Jones' Locker and Port?

Davy Jones' Locker contains "dead" Crew Cards, which have been removed from the game via Crew Loss from a successful Close and Board Captain's Order, Scalawag Penalty, or player elimination. These cards are always face up and cannot be brought back into play. Port is an available resource of replacement Crew Cards that can be primarily accessed via the Muster Crew Captain's Order.

Crew Card Distribution Chart

Crew Card	8 Players	7 Players	6 Players	5 Players	4 Players	3 Players
Sailor	6	5	5	4	4	3
Gunner	6	5	5	4	4	3
Marine	6	5	5	4	4	3
Pilot	4	4