Plunder Card Game
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Plunder Card Game |
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Box Description Captain your own pirate ship and explore the seas to Plunder other vessels and seek hidden treasure while avoiding storms, ghost ships and the dreaded Kraken. An adventurous, fast-paced pirating escapade for the whole family. Games in a Box Notes More from the Laughing Pan website... Are ye' tired of pirate games which ignore the adventure, the feel of the wind on your face, or get mired in details of riggin' and supplyin' yer' fine vessel, or even go the other way - bein' so simple that ye' get bored as a plank after three games? Plunder is then the game for ye': Exploration - Plunder is a big game in a little box. We threw the board over and use cards instead. The cards are laid down as your look-out sees what's next to you, so you discover a new map each game! You only draw cards as you move, so (like a real pirate), you don't tend to stay in one place for long... This is a PIRATES' game! A pet peeve of mine are games that say they're 'pirate games' - but you end up playing a trader in fear of your cargo from the non-player pirates which sometimes show up in the game (yawn). In Plunder you are a Pirate Captain, and sail the seas like a real pirate, taking plunder and surviving calamities along the way! All can play - we've playtested Plunder with family, friends, and other gamers from 8 to 60+ years old, and all have enjoyed it. We've especially designed Plunder so that adults and children will both have fun playing the same game! Multiple ways to win - true, there is only one goal: be the first Captain with 60 silvers, but you can get there by trade, combat, or exploration! Balanced between history and adventure - the ships, nations, and ports are right out of the history books. The kraken, mermaid, and ghost ship aren't! There are also many, many touches of the period and genre: you must share your Plunder with your crew, you will capture Prize Ships to haul the plundered cargo back to port, and if you don't pay yer' crew, they can mutiny! Worse, you just might have to pay the Governor's Tax, or even Stand Trial... but don't worry, all Captains manage to find a way to survive in this game - they just can't resist the lure of booty! Balanced between strategy and luck - as a game based on cards, you choose which cards to play from the ones you have. In addition to a regular effect, every card has a number which can add to yer' crew, cannon and such. This gives a fair amount of strategy to the game. Will you plunder the Treasure Fleet of New Spain and use a Treasure Map's number to help, or just try to find the treasure instead? There are also many meaningful choices to make, such as: will you stay in port to get a Letter of Marque or sail to draw more cards? Will you take that loaded English Galleon (which might have naught for cargo), or buy some Spice and sell it for a profit later? Along with all this is a fair amount of luck, such as Storms overtaking you at any time and Encounters played on you by your fellow captains. Plunder is a game for 2-4 players, and takes around an hour to play. Everything you need to play is in the chest. How to Play Plunder
You know, these pirate games which only have ye blowing other ships out of the water and such just don't get it. Sure, mayhem is part of the fun, but what are ye' really after? Treasure! So the object of Plunder is to get 60 silvers first. STEPS IN A TURN Resolve Encounter If yer the First Captain and this is the first turn, skip this step. If yer Ship Went Down last turn, check that section for a few notes before resolving your encounter. Alright. The last captain has played an Encounter card on ye. Now ye must take care of it.
Pay Yer Crew Honestly, most of the time ye won't have to worry 'bout this step, because yer crew's pay will be nothin'! But once ye decide to get fancy with a larger ship (and more uppity officers) or a First Mate worth the name, ye best be payin' them every single turn!
Well, as soon as ye start with another step of yer turn (such as moving yer ship, starting an action, or playing an encounter card), other players can yell 'Mutiny!' If it turns out ye haven't payed yer First Mate, he leaves ye! (Discard the First Mate.) If it turns out ye haven't payed yer ship's crew, they make ye walk the plank! ...which is the same effect as yer Ship Goes Down. Ye got a chance even if ye forget to pay during 'Pay Yer' Crew!' If'n ye remember and say 'Pay my crew' before someone yells 'Mutiny,' and then actually pay yer crew, all is forgiv'n. Also, if the next player starts to Resolve Encounter, well, then, ye get away with not payin' yer crew this time! Travel and Scouting Here's where ye begin to make some decisions! There ain't no rolling dice t'see how far the winds carry you - there ain't no static board that ye get so familiar with it makes ye sea-sick. No! It's up to you, the captains, to explore the seas and discover what's out there yerselves! That said, there's three parts to Travel and Scouting, which ye can repeat (in order) until ye want to stop or can't Move any further:
**Ye can never reverse direction during one turn. Ye'll have to wait until next turn to take a new heading like that! Act And here's where the game opens up as wide as the ocean - a pirate's life is all about action! Always on the move, always looking for the next big haul, wherever it may be! And so Plunder includes this flavor, where you, not the dice, decide what to do. Even so, the pirate's life is also about luck, the winds of change, and finding opportunities! Look at the cards in your hand. Some of the cards say 'Act.' If'n yer in the spot indicated after 'Act,' you can play that card and follow its effect. A popular card to play here is a ship card (when yer on the Open Sea or a Coastland). Why is this so popular? Well, then ye can attack it! See Combat for how this works. However, not all actions require a card. Here's the ones that don't:
Well, ye've acted. Time to yield the field - almost. Ye just might be able to make the next captain's life miserable... During this step, you must* play a card from your hand on the next captain to yer left. Ye can play any card from yer hand. Now here's where it gets fun... If'n the card ye play says 'Encounter,' and the next captain is in the spot indicated after 'Encounter,' the card affects that captain! (If the card doesn't affect the captain, he'll just discard it.) He just may have to bribe or fight The Pirate Fleet, get embroiled in a Tavern Brawl, lose his Prize Ship in Rough Seas, or have to Stand Trial. Just remember - ye can play any card from yer hand - it doesn't have to say 'Encounter.' *Well, that is, if'n ye have a card left in yer hand. Ye can't play what yer don't possess! Now yer turn is over. It's time for the next captain to Resolve Encounter. Sit back and enjoy the other captains' fun for a moment! Combat We've made combat simple, quick, exciting, and decisive. We've also conveniently included the steps for Combat on the top-right corner o' yer captain's mat. ENEMY If the ship yer fightin' isn't a pirate ship, ye've just made a royal enemy! Look at the flag on the ship card - place a matching flag counter on the Enemies space on yer captain's mat. (Ye only need one per nation.) After this combat, all ships which fly under that flag will attack you on sight, and if ye enter a port flying that flag, you'll have to enter Combat with the port. And, of course, ye'll never get a Letter of Marque from that nation. ENGAGE Can ye catch up, or run away? If yer in Combat with a Port, or yer attackin' a pirate ship, skip this step. If yer attacking a non-pirate ship, and their Speed is higher than yers*, they'll run!** Unless ye play a card from yer hand and add its number to yer Speed to at least match theirs, they get away and Combat ends here - otherwise, go on to Broadside. If a ship is attacking ye and ye decide to run, compare yer Speed* to theirs. If yer Speed is higher, ye get away. Otherwise, ye have to play a card from yer hand and add its number to yer Speed to match theirs** - if ye can, Combat ends here - otherwise, go on to Broadside. BROADSIDE Let loose with the cannons! If yer in Combat with Natives, skip this step. Compare yer Cannon with the opponent's. If yer's is lower, ye can play a card from yer hand to add the number to the Cannon. If ye equal or exceed the other Cannon's number, ye win!** If ye win Broadside, ye can sink the other ship right now (discard it, and get no plunder), or go on to Boarding. If ye lose, yer Ship Goes Down. BOARDING Send the lads over! Compare yer Crew with the opponent's. If yer's is lower, ye can play a card from yer hand to add the number to the Crew. If ye equal or exceed the other Crew's number, ye win!** If ye win Boarding, ye take the ship and its plunder. If ye lose, yer Ship Goes Down. *If'n ye have a Prize Ship, use the lower Speed between the two ships. Ye can always cut the Prize Ship loose if'n ye want. Unless another player is attacking ye, discard the Prize Ship's card, and return any Cargo ye can't hold on yer own ship. **If yer in Combat with another player, there are some alterations: namely, that ye both can play a card from yer hands to add to Speed, Cannon, or Crew as appropriate. If ye do, lay 'em face down at first - once each of yer has laid down a card, flip 'em over. Whoever has the highest total wins! (Ties goes to the attacker, since it's his turn.) Also, if a defendin' captain abandons his Prize Ship, the attacker has to make a choice: stop and pick up the Prize Ship (and any Cargo aboard), or pursue the defendin' captain still! If the attacker picks up the Prize Ship, the defender gets away. If the attacker pursues the defendin' captain, the Prize Ship is lost in the confusion (discard it and return its Cargo). PLUNDER It's the name of the game! Now flip the top card from the deck. Look at the symbol in the top-right corner of the card - this is the type of Cargo ye found. There's wood, cloth, and spice. The number in the top-left corner of the card is how much Cargo ye found, except - if ye took a ship, and its Cargo is less than this number, ye only found as much Cargo as that ship can carry. Remember, ye can only carry as much plunder as yer ship's and Prize Ship's total Cargo - so ye might find more cargo in ports or with the natives, but ye might not be able to cart it off! If ye took a ship, ye have a choice - make it yer own ship, or make it a Prize Ship. Yer just a captain in Plunder, so ye can only have one ship of yer own, and one Prize Ship.
Trade It ain't no good hoarding yer cargo and Prize Ships - ye got to sell 'em to make some silver! And ev'ry once in a while, ye just might want t'buy somethin' yeself. Ye' can only trade in Ports, or by playin' the Natives cards. Take a look at a Port card - ye'll see the three types of Cargo listed, along with 'Buy' and 'Sell' columns. Each column gives a number by the type o' Cargo. That's how much silver you must pay to Buy a unit of that type Cargo, or how much silver ye get from selling a unit of that type Cargo in that Port. Same goes for Natives, 'cept they won't buy some types o' Cargo. If ye buy a ship, place it on the Pinnace spot on yer mat (ye can't buy a Prize Ship) - it replaces any ship already there. If ye buy any Cargo, place it in the Traded Cargo space on yer captain's mat. Ye can sell this Cargo in any Port that's not yer enemy, and to Natives. Ye keep the entire amount of the sale for Traded Cargo and ships you actually bought. Now, Cargo ye take in Combat is placed in the Plundered Cargo space on yer captain's mat. Ye can only usually sell Plundered Cargo (and ships taken in Combat) in Tortuga or to Natives. Why? Because, most port merchants will ask to see proof of origin for the Cargos - something pirates won't have! Tortuga is the only port not to ask too many questions. This is where a Letter of Marque is handy - with it, ye can sell Plundered Cargo (and ships taken in Combat) in ports of your flag. Two more rules for Plundered Cargo and ships taken in Combat:
We told ye that ye could win through Trade as well as Combat, and ye can - it's a little harder to do so and not quite so obvious, but here's how:
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