Ship Ahoy
Ship Ahoy Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Core Game Components
- 4 Harbours
- 5 Mountains
- 4 Towers with standees
- 12 Ships with standees
- 2 Special dice
- 1 Cannon
- 5 Cannonball tokens
- 1 Rope with knots
Game Setup
First, punch all the components out of the punchboards. Play as you prefer, on the floor or on a table.
With 2 or 4 players, place the 4 harbours in a square with an average distance of 1 m between 2 harbours (if you're playing on a table, make a smaller square, but still as big as possible).
With 3 players, place 3 harbours in a triangle with an average distance of 1 m between 2 harbours.
Place the mountains behind the harbours and place the big mountain in the middle. Place a tower in each harbour (on its picture).
Each player selects a harbour and places their 3 ships on it. With 2 players, each player controls 2 harbours and 6 ships.
FAQ: How big is the playing area? Where can I move with my ships? In Ship Ahoy, there are no borders except the edge of the table or, for example, a wardrobe. You may move your fleet anywhere you want (but ask your parents first)!
Game Sequence
The game is played in clockwise order by starting with the player who last saw a real pirate. In case of doubt, randomly choose a player to start.
In your turn, you perform the following actions in this order:
- Shooting
- Moving
- Close combat
Shooting
Place the cannon next to one of your ships or next to your tower. Important: Do not select any ship/tower which is in close combat. Place a cannonball token into the barrel of the cannon and shoot it in the direction of an enemy target (ship or tower).
Hint: You may hold the cannon firmly with your other free hand to prevent that the cannon moves while shooting. If you manage to topple the enemy ship/tower, it is destroyed. Remove it from the playing area and keep it as a trophy.
If you missed or if you just hit the target without toppling it, the shooting is nevertheless over. You get only one shot per turn.
Important: A valid shot is counted when the cannonball left the barrel of the cannon. If this is not the case, you can try again.
If any of the islands or towers is shifted (but does not topple) as a result of your shot, put them back in their original position. If any of the ships is shifted this way, it will remain in its new position.
(Illustrations: "Enemy ship", "Your ship", "Place the cannon next to the shooting ship. Put a cannonball into the barrel and shoot it.", "Your shot is successful when the target is toppled.")
Moving
Roll the die with numbers. The result indicates how many knots you can move. You decide how to divide the knots between your ships.
Thus, with 3 points, you can:
- Move your 3 ships one knot each.
- Move 1 ship two knots and 1 ship one knot.
- Move 1 ship three knots.
Important: Damaged (= flat) ships and ships which are in close combat cannot move. Towers cannot move either.
You may move fewer knots than indicated by the die.
Use the rope with knots to measure the right distance. Put the rope with the first knot next to your ship. Then, lay down the rope in the direction that you want to move, making curves as you wish. Finally, move the ship next to the right knot according to your speed:
- 1 point: second knot
- 2 points: third knot
- 3 points: fourth knot.
(Illustration: "Moving 3 knots")
Close Combat
When you move (or are standing) next to an enemy target (ship or tower), you can attack it in close combat.
Important: The ships (or tower) don't have to touch to be next to each other, the distance just has to be smaller than the size (height) of a ship.
(Illustration: "When arriving next to each other, you can start close combat." "The red ship enters the blue harbour and can attack the tower.")
Roll the die with symbols.
- Any flag symbol indicates that the enemy surrenders. Remove the target from play and take it to keep as a trophy.
- Any crossed swords symbol indicates that close combat continues in the next round.
Each turn you must resolve each close combat you are involved in.
End of the Game
When you have lost all your ships and your tower, you are out of the game and have lost.
The game ends as soon as one player is out of the game.
The other players count their trophies. Each captured ship counts as 1 point. Each captured tower counts as 2 points. The player with the most points wins the game. In case of a tie, the player with the most towers wins the game.
Team Play
With 4 players, you can choose to engage in combat in teams of 2 players instead of each on their own. The game ends as soon as one player is out of the game. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Advanced Rules
Use the advanced rules after mastering the basic rules to add extra fun.
- Shooting: When toppling down an enemy ship/tower, the ship/tower is just damaged, not destroyed. Leave it temporarily flat on the playing area. Flat ships or towers cannot shoot.
- Moving: Flat ships cannot move.
- Close combat: Flat ships/towers cannot attack.
- Repairing ships/towers: At the end of your turn, you can repair all your damaged ships/tower. Raise any ship/tower on its side back up.
To capture a flat ship or tower as a trophy, the player must engage it in close combat. This close combat is automatically successful.
(Illustration: "To repair your ship, raise your ship back up.")
Scenarios (Optional)
Six scenarios add extra variation to the game. When setting up the game, you can choose a scenario by common agreement.
Treasure Island
Setup: Replace the central mountain with the treasure island. Place a chest on it.
When you reach the island, you pick up the chest with gold. Place the counter next to your ship.
If your ship surrenders in close combat, you lose the chest to the winner (If you don't play with the advanced rules and the ship carrying the treasure chest is destroyed by shooting, return the chest to the island).
At the end of the game, the chest is worth 3 points.
Pirate Ship
Setup: Place the pirate ship on the treasure island, next to the central mountain.
Instead of moving one of your ships, you can move the pirate ship. The pirate moves and attacks like any other ship. However, any ship that surrenders to the pirate is lost for all players. The pirate ship can be defeated and taken as a trophy like any other ship.
Sea Monster
Setup: Replace the central mountain with the sea monster.
Instead of moving one of your ships, you can move the sea monster. You can hit a sea monster by shooting, but you may not attack a sea monster in close combat. On the other hand, the sea monster can only attack in close combat. Any ship that surrenders to the sea monster is lost for all players.
A sea monster has 2 life points. The players must topple it twice to kill it. Indicate the first toppling by adding the damage token to the monster. The sea monster cannot be claimed as a trophy.
Heavy Wind
Setup: Place the wind tile under the central mountain.
When your ship is within rope space of the wind tile (ca. 30 cm), you get one extra movement step.
For one movement step, you may also move the wind tile 1 knot in a direction of your choice (once per turn).
Merchant
Setup: Place 1 barrel counter at each harbour randomly. The colour of the barrel must be different from the colour of the harbour.
When moving a ship, you can transport the barrel. Place the counter next to your ship. Now you must try to bring the barrel to the destination harbour. You get 2 points if you succeed – keep the barrel aside to indicate that you have earned those points.
Attention: A transport ship cannot attack, not by shooting, not in close combat.
Kraken
Setup: Place the kraken under the central mountain.
Instead of moving one of your ships, you can move the kraken. When the kraken is under a ship, it entangles it and prevents it from moving. You cannot attack a kraken by shooting, only in close combat. If you win, the kraken loses its grip and releases your ship. Additionally, you may move a kraken up to 3 knots in a direction of your choice.