Setting Sail at the Shipyard

When I begin my turn at the shipyard, I don’t have to go through step 1. Instead, I can jump right into choosing an action. However, the choices available to me and the money I can earn are influenced by what others have done before me.

Remember: I use my figure to show which action I’ve chosen. Each color has three figures, but in games with three or four players, only one figure is used. The other two go back in the box.

As the starting player, I simply pick an action (step 2) by placing my figure on the corresponding Action Card. However, I won’t receive any income (step 3). I then perform the chosen action right away (step 4) and may even buy a bonus action. This will usually bring my turn to an end, unless I’ve completed a ship. If I have, then it’s time for the exciting Shakedown Cruise (step 5).

When it’s my turn to play, I can put my figure on any Action Card, except the one you picked. The order matters. If I put my figure on an Action Card behind yours, I’ll earn 1 guilder as income.

But if I put my figure ahead of yours, I won’t earn any income. Once I choose my action and maybe a bonus action, we move on to step 5, where a Shakedown Cruise might happen.

Now, it’s the third and fourth players’ turns. Just like me, they can choose any unoccupied Action Card, put their figure on it, and earn 1 guilder for each occupied card ahead of the one they chose. Steps 4 and 5 are the same as on a regular turn. Let me explain them to you.

Once all the players have taken their first turn, it’s my turn again. From now on, every turn starts with step 1 and goes on as usual.

When I play as the color Red, I make a decision to Recruit Crew and it pays off. I earn 1 guilder because the player in the Yellow color is on a card ahead of me. However, the player in the Green color doesn’t give me any guilder because they are behind the card I chose.

A Game for Two Players

When you play a two-player game, you will have three figures to represent your actions. Two of these figures will show what you did on your previous turn, while the other figure will indicate your current action.

Just like in a three- or four-player game, the first few turns are a little different from a regular turn.

The first player chooses an Action Card from the Action Track and uses two figures to mark it (step 2). They don’t earn any income on this turn (step 3). Steps 4 and 5 follow the normal rules (which I will explain in more detail later).

When playing the game, the second player gets to choose any Action Card that hasn’t been chosen by the first player. They can’t choose the same card as the starting player. To show their choice, they place two of their figures on the chosen card. Here’s the catch – if they choose an action that is behind the first player’s action, they get 1 guilder, but if they choose an action that is ahead of the first player’s two figures, they don’t get any income. Steps 4 and 5 of the game continue as usual.

Now it’s the starting player’s turn to choose an Action Card. They can pick any card that hasn’t been chosen yet, including the one chosen by the second player. The starting player puts their remaining figure on the chosen card. For each occupied card ahead of the chosen one, they earn 1 guilder. It doesn’t matter if the figures on those cards belong to them or their opponent. Steps 4 and 5 continue as normal.

The second player then takes their second turn, following the same pattern as before.

After both players have had two turns, the game proceeds as usual, with each player going back to step 1.

When I choose to Recruit Crew, I end up receiving 3 guilders. Why? Because there happen to be 3 cards already taken before I pick my own.