Shipwrights of the North Sea Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Ship Construction
• Player Board Layout
• Setup
• Gameplay Overview
• Playing the Game
  • Morning Phase - Planning
  • Afternoon Phase - Working
    • Buy Goods
    • Buy a Tool
    • Hire a Craftsman
    • Call on Townsfolk
    • Begin Constructing a Ship
    • Finish Constructing a Ship
    • Construct a Building
  • End of the Afternoon Phase
  • Evening Phase - Resting
  • End of the Evening
• End of the Game

Components

• 1 Pioneer Token
• 5 VP Markers
• 5 Gold Ships
• 50 Workers
• 5 Player Boards
• 25 Oak
• 25 Wool
• 25 Iron
• 128 Cards
• 5 Player Reference Cards

Ship Construction

Each Ship card shows:

• Ship's name
• Modifiers — these take effect immediately after a Ship has been constructed:
  • Mill icon (up/down): increase/decrease Mill capacity by 1
  • Worker icon (up/down): increase/decrease Workers received each day by 1
  • Gold icon: receive 1 Gold each day
• Craftsmen required for construction
• Victory Points
• Military Points — the player(s) with the most Military Points at the game's end receive a VP Marker, worth an additional 3 Victory Points. Nonmilitant Ships have no Military Points; these have a blue flag.
• Gold, Workers & Goods required for construction

Player Board Layout

• Shoreline — players move their Gold Ship across here to keep account of their Gold.
• Workshops A & B — players must place Ships in either Workshop to begin construction.
• Mill — players may only store up to 8 Goods overnight (between rounds). The Mill's capacity can be modified by some Ships.
• Village — players may house up to 8 Workers overnight.

Setup

To setup Shipwrights of the North Sea, follow these steps:

1. Shuffle all 128 cards into 1 deck and place within reach of all players. This forms the Main Draw Pile.
2. Alongside this, place all Goods (Oak, Wool and Iron) and Workers. These form the Main Supply.
3. Each player receives and places in front of them:
   • 1 Player Board and Reference Card
   • 1 Gold Ship — placed on number 5 on the Shoreline
   • 3 Workers from the Main Supply — placed in the Village
   • 2 Goods of their choice from the Main Supply — placed in the Mill
4. Randomly select a starting player. They receive the Pioneer Token.

Gameplay Overview

Shipwrights of the North Sea is played over a series of days (rounds). Each day follows the same pattern:

• Morning Phase - Planning — Each player receives 3 cards
• Afternoon Phase - Working — Players take actions and play or discard their 3 cards
• Evening Phase - Resting — Players receive Gold and Workers for the next day

Playing the Game

Morning Phase - Planning

Every Morning, players receive 3 cards each. These are selected from 3 separate sets of cards. Players should follow these steps:

1. The starting player draws cards from the Main Draw Pile, equal to players + 1. If the Main Draw Pile is ever depleted, shuffle all discards to form a new pile.
2. They secretly select 1 card to keep and pass the remainder to the next player, in a clockwise fashion.
3. Each player continues to take 1 card, and pass the remainder clockwise. The last player to receive cards will have 2 to choose from. They choose 1 and discard the other face-down to the side of their board. Only at the end of the Afternoon Phase should the 3 discards be placed in the Main Discard Pile. This is the only time cards should be discarded face-down. All other discards throughout the game are placed face-up in the Main Discard Pile (alongside the Main Draw Pile).
4. Repeat steps 1-3 twice more. All players should hold 3 cards before proceeding to the Afternoon Phase.

Afternoon Phase - Working

Proceeding clockwise from the starting player, each player takes their turn in full.

There are numerous actions available each turn. However, regardless of what actions they take, players must always play or discard all 3 cards. There is no limit to how many actions may be taken, or how many times the same action may be taken.

These actions are:

• Buy Goods
• Buy a Tool
• Hire a Craftsman
• Call on Townsfolk
• Begin constructing a Ship
• Finish constructing a Ship
• Construct a building

Buy Goods

On their turn, players may purchase Goods from the Main Supply. The purchase cost is always the same, however, the return will vary. This is governed by the top-most card on the Main Draw Pile.

To buy goods, players always pay 2 Gold and 2 Workers.

Gold is deducted from the current player's supply. Move their Gold Ship 2 spaces down the shoreline. The 2 Workers are removed from the current player's Village and placed back in the Main Supply. If they do not have 2 Gold or 2 Workers available, they cannot make a purchase.

They then receive either Oak, Wool or Iron in return. The amount they receive is shown on the back of the top-most card on the Main Draw Pile. For example, a card might give a return of either 2 Oak, 3 Wool or 1 Iron.

Buy a Tool

If a player holds a Tool (yellow card) in their hand, they may purchase it with Gold. This cost is shown on the bottom of each Tool. If they do not have enough Gold, they must discard the Tool card.

Tools are stored to the left of player's boards. Players may only hold 1 Tool. If they wish to buy a new Tool, they must first discard their current one. All Tools must be discarded once used. However, players may choose to discard a Tool at any time without action.

3 of the 4 Tools allow players to build a Ship without 1 type of Good. These are the Bow Saw, Spindle Whorl and Smelting Furnace. The 4th Tool is the Trade Cart. This is used when buying Goods. The Trade Cart comes ready with 1 of each Good (see card). When buying Goods, players may (if they choose) move 1 Good from the Trade Cart to their Mill. This can only be of the same type they just purchased. Once all 3 Goods have been moved to the player's Mill, the Trade Cart is discarded.

For example, a player has just paid 2 Gold and 2 Workers to purchase 2 Oak. Their Trade Cart has 1 Oak available. After receiving their 2 Oak, they also choose to move the Oak from their Trade Cart, into their Mill.

Hire a Craftsman

Craftsmen (red cards) are required when constructing Ships. However, it can be hard to collect all the right Craftsmen during the Morning Phase. Therefore, players may hire Craftsmen for use on a later day.

From their hand, players may place up to 4 Craftsmen below their boards. There are 7 different Craftsmen. If they wish, players may hire more than 1 of the same Craftsman.

When constructing a Ship, players may use Craftsmen from below their board, or from their hand. Craftsmen can only be removed during Ship construction or by an Assassin or Conspirator.

Call on Townsfolk

If a player holds a Townsfolk (grey card) in their hand, they must play or discard it. Townsfolk cannot be kept for use on a later day.

Each Townsfolk has a unique action. These are shown on the bottom of each card. Townsfolk cards are discarded once used. Except for the Pioneer and Watchman.

• Assassin & Barbarian — These 2 Townsfolk remove Craftsmen or Ships from player boards. They may be used against a player's own board. The targeted Craftsman or Ship is discarded to the Main Discard Pile.
• Conspirator — This Townsfolk moves 1 Craftsman from an opponent's board, to the current player's board. Players must have an empty space available below their board to use the Conspirator.
• Pioneer — When played, this Townsfolk makes the current player the new starting player for the next day. This card should be placed in front of the current player until the next day begins. At which point, it must be discarded.
• Mercenary — This Townsfolk has 2 functions. Firstly, the current player gains 2 Gold. Secondly, all their opponents lose 2 Gold. If an opponent has only 1 Gold, they still lose 1. Likewise, if a player already has 12 Gold, they cannot receive more.
• Raider — This Townsfolk allows players to pillage their opponents Gold supply. The targeted player must lose 1 Gold per Good currently in their Mill. The attacking player has no direct gain from the Raider.
• Berserker — This Townsfolk allows players to pay 5 gold to destroy an opponents Tool. The targeted Tool is discarded.
• Thief — This Townsfolk allows players to take any 1 Good from an opponent's Mill, and place it in their own.
• Watchman — This Townsfolk provides players with protection from all Assassins, Barbarians, Conspirators, Mercenaries, Raiders and Thieves. The Watchman card should be placed in front of the current player, in clear view of their opponents. The Watchman remains until the start of the current player's next turn. At which point, it must be discarded and no longer has any effect.
• Chieftain & Sage — These Townsfolk allow players to draw new cards from the Main Draw Pile. The Sage requires players to first discard 1 or 2 cards from their hand. New cards are added to the current player's hand and must be played or discarded by the end of their turn.
• Beggar, Labourer, Merchant & Trader — These Townsfolk all involve receiving or exchanging Goods and Workers between player's boards and the Main Supply.
• King, Queen & Navigator — These Townsfolk all award players with Gold. If players have too much Gold to receive the full amount, they only receive what they can. Gold received by the Navigator varies, based on how many players have gone before the current player that day.

Begin Constructing a Ship

Before constructing a Ship, players must first place the Ship card in 1 of their 2 Workshops. If both Workshops are full, players must discard any Ships from their hand. There is no cost when placing a Ship in a Workshop. However, the only way to remove an unbuilt Ship is by finishing its construction or removing it with a Barbarian.

Finish Constructing a Ship

Constructing a Ship can take anywhere from 1 day to over a week to complete. To finish construction, players will need all the required Gold, Workers, Goods and Craftsmen.

If they wish, players may construct multiples of the same Ship.

To finish construction, follow these steps:

1. Deduct the required Gold from the current player's board. Move their Gold Ship down the Shoreline.
2. Remove required Workers from current player's Village and return them to the Main Supply.
3. Remove required Goods from current player's Mill and return them to the Main Supply. If a Tool has been used in the Ship's construction, discard the Tool to the main discard pile.
4. Discard the required Craftsmen. Can be from the current player's board or hand.
5. Move the Ship from the Workshop to a free space above the current player's board.

Construct a Building

If a player holds a Building in their hand, they may purchase it with Gold & Workers. This cost is shown on the bottom of each Building. If they do not have enough Gold or Workers, they must discard the Building card.

Buildings are constructed to the right of player's boards. There are 7 different buildings. Players may only construct 1 of each unique Building type.

• Long House, Mining Camp, Church & Fortress — These 4 Buildings award players 1, 2 or 3 Victory Points at the game's end.
• Treasury — This Building awards players 1 Victory Point for every 4 Gold they hold at the game's end. For example, a player with a Treasury holding 10 Gold will be awarded 2 Victory Points.
• Boat House — This Building awards players 2 Victory Points for each nonmilitant Ship in their fleet at the game's end. Nonmilitant Ships include the Ferje, Byrding and Knarr.
• Market Hall — This building awards players with Victory Points equal to their Mill's capacity - 8. If this is a negative value, they do not lose points. Rather, they receive no Victory Points for their Market Hall.

End of the Afternoon Phase

Once the last player has finished their turn, play proceeds to the Evening Phase.

There should be no players with cards still in their hand at this point.

Evening Phase - Resting

Each Evening, 3 things take place:

1. Players receive Gold. Total Gold received = 1 Gold per Worker in their Mill + 1 Gold per Gold Modifier icon on their constructed Ships.
2. Players receive additional Workers for the next day. Total Workers received = 1, + 1 per Worker Increase Modifier icon, - 1 per Worker Decrease Modifier icon on player's constructed Ships. Each player always receives at least 1 Worker.
3. Players check Mill and Village capacities. Mill capacity = 8, + 1 per Mill Increase Modifier icon, - 1 per Mill Decrease Modifier icon on player's constructed Ships. Village capacity always = 8 Workers. Players must return any chosen Goods and Workers to the Main Supply that they cannot hold.

Note: Mill and Village capacities are only in effect overnight (between days).

Example: This shows a player's Mill, Village and constructed Ships. Following the steps above:

1. Total Gold received = 4: Workers in Village = 3 Gold; 1 Ship with a Gold Modifier icon = 1 Gold.
2. Total Workers received = 2: 1 +/- Worker Modifier icons (1 + 1 + 1 - 1 = 2).
3. Mill capacity = 7 Goods: 8 +/- Mill Modifier icons (8 - 1 = 7).

End of the Evening

Once all players have followed the steps outlined in the Evening Phase, the following happens:

1. Unless the Pioneer has been played, the role of starting player moves to the next player in a clockwise fashion.
2. The new starting player receives the Pioneer Token and begins the next Morning Phase.

End of the Game

The game ends after the Evening Phase of the day where 1 or more players constructs their 4th Ship.

Note: If possible, players may construct more than 4 Ships.

The player(s) with the most Military Points (red flag on Ships) receive a VP Marker, worth 3 Victory Points.

Players add up all their Victory Points: Constructed Ships + Buildings + Military bonus (if applicable).

The player with the highest total Victory Points is the winner and receives the honour and respect that comes with constructing the most glorious fleet on the North Sea! In the case of a tie, the player with the most Gold wins.

Example: Player A has Ships (9) + Buildings (1) + Military (3) = 13 Victory Points. Player B has Ships (8) + Buildings (6) = 14 Victory Points. Player B wins.