Welcome to the Port Royal Game!

I’m excited to introduce you to the rules of our sensational Port Royal Game. Get ready for an adventurous and strategy-filled experience!

The Goal of the Game

The main objective of Port Royal is to earn the most victory points by gathering valuable cards. Throughout the game, you’ll come across a diverse assortment of ships, people, and trade routes. It’s up to you to strategically assemble the best team of people and create flourishing trading partnerships to maximize your points.

Card Types

Port Royal features three main types of cards: people, ships, and expeditions.

1. People: These cards play a vital role in the game. Each person has their unique abilities and attributes, which are depicted by icons on their cards. Be sure to choose your members wisely to employ their special abilities to your advantage.

2. Ships: The ships are your means of acquiring victory points. You can hire people by having compatible ship cards. Additionally, having ships with higher values will help you overcome challenges and earn even more points.

3. Expeditions: Expeditions are adventurous quests that offer the opportunity to gain valuable rewards. However, they also come with risks and require a diverse team of people to ensure success.

The Turn Structure

During each turn, you have three main actions to consider:

1. Income Phase: Draw one card from the deck and earn one coin.

2. Actions: For each turn, you can decide to undertake either one action or none at all. You have the following action options:

• Hire a Person: Spend coins to recruit a person from the available cards.
• Take a Ship: Utilize your available people to claim a ship.
• Embark on an Expedition: Organize the required team of people and ships to initiate an expedition.
• Set Sail: By discarding any number of ship cards, set sail to draw cards from a market deck.
• End your Turn: Choose to take no further actions.

3. Turn End: At the end of your turn, any cards remaining in hand must be discarded, and you are not allowed to store away additional cards.

Victory Points

This beloved game revolves around amassing victory points. You earn points by collecting certain ships, people, and embarking on successful expeditions. Be sure to plan your actions wisely to obtain as many points as possible, as the person with the highest score at the end of the game emerges as the ultimate winner.

So, are you ready to dive into the thrilling world of Port Royal? Grab your cards, gather your crew, and embark on this exciting journey of strategy and adventure. Enjoy the game!

As I stand here in the busy harbor of Port Royal, I can’t help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness in the air. This is the place where great opportunities can be found and fortunes can be made. But at the same time, it’s a risk. If I’m not careful, all my hard work might just go to waste.

So, what is the secret to success in this bustling port? Well, it all comes down to finding the right balance. I need to take calculated risks, but not without considering the potential consequences. It’s like walking a tightrope, where one wrong move can send everything crashing down.

But it’s not just about taking risks. It’s also about making smart decisions with the resources I have. I can’t just keep hoarding my profits; I need to reinvest them wisely. By gaining the favor of influential figures like Governors and Admirals, I can open doors to new opportunities and secure my place in this competitive world.

And let’s not forget about the people. In a place like Port Royal, connections are everything. By hiring the right individuals who can assist me in achieving my goals, I can elevate my chances of success. Whether it’s a skilled crew or a knowledgeable advisor, every person I bring on board can make a difference.

But it’s not just about building my own empire. It’s also about making a name for myself. If I want to be recognized in this cutthroat world, I need to extend my influence far and wide. By expanding my reach and making strategic moves, I might even be able to join one of the prestigious expeditions.

So, as I navigate through the bustling harbor of Port Royal, I keep these factors in mind. It’s a challenging journey, but with the right mindset and a bit of luck, I might just make the deal of my life.

What’s in the Box?

• There are 120 cards in total, consisting of 60 Person cards and other types of cards.
• There are 6 Expedition cards.
• There are 4 Tax Increase cards.
• There are 50 Ships, with 10 in each color.

Getting Ready

Before we start, let’s set up the game. If we have less than 5 players, we need to remove a special Expedition card that we won’t be needing. It’s the only card without a gold coin on its back, so it’s easy to spot. Put it back in the box.

If we have 5 players, we’ll use that special Expedition card. Place it in the middle of the table. Now, we shuffle all the remaining cards and place them face down on the table. This is our draw pile.

We also need a space next to the draw pile for the discard pile. And finally, each player starts with 3 coins. Deal them from the draw pile to each player as face-down cards. Only the golden coins should be showing.

Hey there! I’ve got some important information about the cards in Port Royal. On the front of each card, you’ll see Ships, Persons, Tax Increases, and Expeditions. But flip the cards over to find a golden coin on the back!

Here’s the deal: every time you earn coins, grab the same number of cards from the draw pile. Place them face-down in your display with the coins showing. But don’t sneak a peek at the front of the cards! Each card you have equals 1 coin.

The Name of the Game

Your goal is to collect as many gold coins as possible. You’ll use these coins to hire various persons, gaining permanent abilities that help you on your way. These people, along with Expeditions, will also earn you victory points. And victory points will lead you to triumph in Port Royal.

Playing the Game

When I last visited a harbor, it’s my turn to start the game. Then, going around in a circle, each player takes their turn. They have to follow two steps in a specific order, although sometimes the second step can be skipped. If there is a second step, after the active player takes their turn, each player gets a chance to take their turn in this phase. Then, it’s time for the next player to become the active player. These two steps are:

1. Discover: I draw cards from the draw pile and add them to the harbor display
2. Trade & Hire: I take cards from the harbor display

I. Discover

First, I need to draw a card from the draw pile and place it in the middle of the table. This card will create the harbor display. Then, I have to decide whether I want to draw another card or stop. I can keep making this decision until I choose to stop or until there are 2 ships of the same color in the harbor display. If that happens, I have to end my turn immediately.

There are 4 types of cards:

• Persons
• Ships
• Expeditions
• Tax Increases

If you draw a Person card, it will go into the harbor display. Each person has a special ability, shown on the top of the card. They also have a shield with victory points. You can find an explanation of all abilities at the end of the rules.

If you draw a Ship card, you can choose to put it into the harbor display as a way to make money.

Alternatively, you can choose to repel the Ship and put it in the discard pile. To repel, you need one or more Sailors and/or Pirates in your personal display.

Furthermore, the number of Swords they give you must be equal to or greater than the Swords shown on the Ship. If that’s the case, you can put the Ship in the discard pile instead of the harbor display. Otherwise, it has to go into the harbor display and cannot be repelled.

When a drawn ship shows the Skull symbol, you will not be able to repel it. You can only repel a ship right after it has been drawn.

You are free to use swords as many times as you like during your turn. They do not get used up.

I want to keep the essence of what the text is saying, while making it more lively and engaging. So here’s my revision:

So, Alex has this plan to scare off the Flute with 2 . It’s pretty neat because his Sailor gives him 1 and his Pirate adds 2 more. That means he has a total of 3 , which is more than enough to succeed!

And the best part? Alex can just toss the Flute on the discard pile. Bye-bye, Flute!

But hold on, here’s something interesting. If the card Alex draws happens to be an Expedition, things get a little more exciting. Instead of just putting it in the middle of the table with the other cards, the Expedition gets its own special spot, away from the harbor display. And get this, the Expedition stays there until someone steps up and completes it.

When I want to complete an Expedition, I need to have People with the right abilities in my personal display. I’ll take the People that match from my hand and put them in the discard pile. Then, I can add the Expedition card and some gold coins to my personal display. The number of gold coins I get is shown on the card. I can claim Expeditions whenever I want during my turn, and I can claim as many as I can. Easy peasy!

So, I want to get my hands on an Expedition with 2 . To make that happen, I’ll have to get rid of my Priest ( ) and my Jack of all Trades. In exchange, I’ll be rewarded with the Expedition card and 2 coins from the draw deck.

Now, there’s a twist. If the card I draw happens to be a Tax Increase, things get a bit complicated. Any player who currently has 12 or more golden coins loses half of their coins, rounded down. For example, if you have 12 or 13 coins, you’ll lose 6 coins. Ouch!

But wait, there’s more. Depending on the Tax Increase card, either the player with the most Swords or the player with the least victory points gets a bonus – 1 additional coin, to be precise. However, if there’s a tie (for instance, if no players have swords or victory points), all tied players still get a small reward of 1 coin.

Phew, dealing with the Tax Increase was intense! Good news though, once it’s resolved, the card gets discarded, and we can continue playing as usual.

When I play this game, I always find it intriguing that the player who has the fewest victory points gets rewarded with an extra coin. It’s like a little boost for the person who’s struggling a bit.

In this game, the player who has the most Swords will earn 1 coin. It’s a simple rule, but it can make a big difference in your strategy.

If you want, you can choose to stop playing and move on to the next phase. But there’s one condition: if you draw a Ship that matches the color of a Ship already in the harbor, and you don’t have a way to defend against it, you’ll have to give up everything in the harbor (don’t forget to keep Expeditions separate!). You won’t be able to continue with the Trade & Hire phase, but if you have a Jester in your personal display, you’ll still earn 1 coin.

After that, the game will continue with the next player in line. They will start their turn by performing Phase 1: Discover, just like you did. It’s a cycle that keeps going until the end of the game.

If the draw pile ever runs out of cards, simply shuffle the discard pile and use it as a new draw pile.

II. Trade & Hire

During this part of the game, I have the chance to choose from 1 to 3 cards from the harbor display. Then, everyone else also gets their turn to take 1 card. The number of cards I can take depends on how many differently colored Ships are in the harbor display. If there are 0-3 differently colored Ships, I can take 1 card. If there are 4 differently colored Ships, I can take 2 cards. And if there are 5 differently colored Ships, I can take 3 cards.

I take the cards one by one, and if I have any special abilities on one card, I can use them right away for the next card I take.

Now, let’s talk about trading. During this phase, I can choose to take 1 Ship from the harbor display and place it in the discard pile. In return, I will earn coins equal to the number depicted on the banner at the top of the card.

So, I see Klemens grabbing the Flute from the fancy display by the harbor. Then, he casually tosses it onto the discard pile and grabs himself a cool 2 coins. Not bad.

Hiring Folks

Now, when you want to hire someone, you gotta cough up some coinage. You know the drill – you put the coins right onto that discard pile. The amount you pay has gotta match up with what’s on the bottom part of the Person you’re lookin’ to hire. Once you’ve paid up, you can add that Person to your own personal display. And here’s the best part – you can start using the special ability on the top part of the card! All those abilities get explained in detail at the end of these rules.

I’m hiring a Sailor named Andrea. I put 3 of my coins into the discard pile and add the Sailor to my personal display.

Once the active player has taken one or more cards (Ships or Persons), every other player in clockwise direction has the opportunity to take one card as well, if they can, while following the rules. Before they can do this, though, they must compensate the active player by giving them one coin. If a player takes a Ship, they can use the income from that Ship to cover the cost of the coin.

Once all other players have had a chance to take one card, any leftovers are discarded. It’s possible that there won’t be enough cards for every player to take one.

Then, the next player in clockwise direction becomes the active player and begins their Phase 1: Discover.

Here’s how it went down: It’s my turn now. I draw 5 cards and place them in the harbor display. 4 of those cards are different colored Ships, so I can take 2 cards. I decide to grab a Ship that is worth 2 coins. I use the coins to hire a Person.

Now it’s your turn to take a card if you can. If you want to take one of the remaining Ships, you’ll need to give me 1 coin as compensation. You can choose a ship and put it on the discard pile. Make sure to take the right amount of coins. After everyone has had a chance to take a card, we discard the leftovers.

The Game Ends

Once someone has acquired 12 victory points, the game comes to a close. But don’t worry, the round will continue until the player to the right of the starting player has had their turn.

The ultimate winner will be the player with the most victory points in their display. It’s all about those points!

If there’s a tie, we’ll have to take a closer look. The player with the most coins left will be declared the winner. And if they’re tied in coins too, well, they’ll share the victory.

A Different Way to End the Game

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can try out this alternative rule: The game will end when a player acquires 12 victory points and at least 1 Expedition in their display. Everything else stays the same.