Bombardier: This ship has a special bombardier cannon that is not associated with a mast and can't be eliminated or targeted by effects. Before the game begins, announce whether the bombardier cannon will be an artillery cannon (using the artillery cannon piece) or a flamestrike cannon (add the flame piece onto the artillery cannon piece); this choice can't change once the game begins. Use the range/rank die printed on the artillery cannon piece for both the artillery cannon and the flamestrike cannon. Equipment abilities can't affects shots made by a bombardier cannon.
The artillery cannon has the Extended Range keyword.
The flame portion of the flamestrike cannon physically measures S, so you can use it to measure range to enemy ships. When a flamestrike cannon hits, replace one of the target's masts with a fire mast (see Firepot Specialist).
If the cannon roll for either version of the bombardier cannon is a 1, the cannon jams and can't be used again until the ship is given a repair action specifically to fit it.
Born Leader: Once per turn before you give this ship an action, roll a d6. On a 5 or 6, this ship can be given the same action twice.
Broadsides: When a ship with this keyword is given a shoot action, you can choose to reduce each of her cannons to S-range and shoot at only one target. Roll only a d6; the result must be higher than each cannons' rank. If it is, all cannons hit, and the ship also gets one extra hit. No other abilities can apply to this action.
Cannoneer: (2pts) Once per turn, one of this ship's cannons may shoot again if it misses.
Captain: (3pts) This ship may be given a free shoot action immediately after she completes a non-free move action, but before any other free actions.
Cargo Master: (5pts) All friendly ships of the same nationality as this crew get +1 cargo spaces. This crew takes up no cargo space.
Catamaran: A ship with this keyword has a second, smaller hull. Each time this ship is hit, roll a d6. On a 5 or 6, this ship is not hit instead. The first time this ship is successfully hit, eliminate her second hull. Without her second hull, hits eliminate this ship's masts normally. This ship can't be rammed; this ship can't be pinned or boarded if she has her second hull.
Chainshot Specialist: (2pts) Once per turn when this ship is given a shoot action, one of her cannons may shoot a chainshot at a target within S of her. You must declare which cannon will shoot the chainshot before rolling the d6. If the chainshot hits, do not eliminate a mast; instead, the target cannot move on her next turn.
Chieftain: A crew with this keyword adds five native canoes of the chieftain's nationality to your starting fleet. If a chieftain is in your fleet, it must be assigned to a ship at the beginning of the game. After placing your ships at your home island, chose a wild island and place all native canoes in your fleet so that their bows touch that island. You can't chose the same wild island as an opposing player.
While this crew is assigned to a friendly ship, once during your turn you can give an action to each native canoe in your fleet. You must give each native canoe of the same nation the same action. If this crew is eliminated, roll a d6. On the result of 1 or 2, eliminate once native canoe from your fleet. On a 3 or 4, eliminate two. On a 5 or 6, eliminate three. If this crew is ever not assigned to a friendly ship, you can give only one native canoe of that nationality an action each turn.
Dories: When assigned her linked crew, this ship can unload cargo at your home island if she's within S of it.
Double Catamaran: A ship with this keyword has two smaller hulls. Each time this ship is hit, roll a d6. On a 5 or 6, this ship is not hit instead. The first time this ship is successfully hit, eliminate a smaller hull instead of a mast. When both of this ship's smaller hulls are eliminated, hits eliminate this ship's masts normally. This ship can't be rammed; this ship can't be pinned or boarded if she has a smaller hull.
Emperor's Commander: This crew may use its abilities only aboard the Baochuan. Once at the beginning of each of your turns, roll a d6. On a result of 6, any ship in your fleet may be given two actions that turn. Once per turn, if this ship is within S of an island, you may mark the island as explored without docking at it. The island becomes unexplored in regards to all other players.
Eternal: When this ship is sunk, do not remove her from the game. Instead, place her docked with no masts at your home island; she keeps all crew aboard her, but any treasure she carries is divided as normal. You can repair her as normal at your home island.
Ex-patriot: This crew can be assigned to any ship. Any ship to which this crew is assigned gains the Mercenary keyword, marking her a member of the Mercenary nation. If this crew is assigned to its linked ship, when the ship rolls for effect at a mysterious island, add 1 to the die roll result.
Explorer: (1pt) This ship may dock and explore a wild island using the same move action.
Extended Range: This ship's printed cannon ranges are doubled.
Fear: For each target enemy ship within S of this ship at the beginning of this ship's turn, roll a d6. On a result of 5, none of the target's ship or crew abilities can be used this turn. On a 6, the target's base speed is S on her next turn.
Firepot Specialist: (2pts) Once per turn when this ship is given a shoot action, one of her cannons may shoot a firepot at a target within S of her. Declare which cannon will shoot the firepot before rolling the d6. If it hits, the target's controller replaces one of her masts with a fire mast.
If a ship has a fire mast, before she is given an action roll a d6 for each fire mast on her. On a result of 5 or 6, remove the fire mast; on a 1 or 2, replace another of her masts with a fire mast. When a ship has only fire masts, she must be scuttled on her next turn. When a ship docks at her home island or a fort, remove all of her fire masts as a free action."
Filching Gold: Once per turn, this ship can randomly take one treasure from any ship she touches.
Flotilla: A game piece with this keyword is a floating gun platform; treat it like a ship, with the following exceptions. Flotillas can be given only shoot actions and repair actions (it can repair at sea). A flotilla in your fleet has a movement of T, indicating that it can be moved only by being towed by a ship of the same nationality in your fleet. When a ship tows a flotilla, any of her or her crews' abilities that affect her base move are ignored. As a free action a ship towing a flotilla can stop towing the flotilla, which remains in place until towed again or sunk.
A flotilla has no masts. Instead it has a flag, which can be eliminated only if the flotilla is hit twice on the same turn from the same shoot action. When a flotilla has no flag, any hit sinks it. A flotilla can't be rammed or boarded.
Fort: Forts are printed on two cards and are assembled like ships. Fort flags represent cannons, and you can customize a fort by placing flags on either its corners or walls. Forts are not placed during setup; rather, they are purchased and built during the game on wild islands you have explored. A wild island may have only one fort on it at a time.
Building Forts: To build a fort, the following three conditions must be met:
You must have the fort in your Pirates collection.
You must have an amount of gold points on your home island equal to or greater than the fort's gold point cost.
You must have a ship docked at a wild island you have explored in order to build a fort there.
If these three prerequisites are met at the end of one of your turns, you may build the fort as a free action. Take the gold used to pay for it from your home island and place it inside of the assembled fort; this gold still counts toward winning the game. Place the assembled fort on any wild island at which you have a ship docked. The fort must be placed on the island such that two of its opposite corners are completely on the island.
Treasure: If there is any face-down treasure on the island where the fort is built, move that treasure inside of the assembled fort; it is now yours. You may use a ship to load treasure from a fort and move it to another fort or to your home island, but a fort must always have a number of gold points inside of it equal to or greater than its gold point cost.
Shooting: Forts may be given only shoot actions. Shooting with fort cannons is just like shooting with ship cannons; use the indicated ranges and ranks on the flags and measure distance from the flags. Lines of fire drawn from forts are not blocked by other ships or islands.
Abandoned Forts: When a fort is hit, its player eliminates a flag. When all of a fort's flags are eliminated, it is abandoned and may not be given actions.
Destroying Forts: If an abandoned fort is hit, remove it from the game and place all of the gold that was inside of it back on the island, which reverts to an unexplored wild island.
Galley: A ship with this keyword can't pin or be pinned. If this ship rams, she can't eliminate a mast from the rammed ship. As a free action, this ship can rotate on her stern in any direction after she completes a move action. If derelict, this ship can move S.
Ghost Ship: If a ship has this keyword, or a crew aboard a ship has this keyword, decide if the ship is ghostly at the beginning of each of your turns. If ghostly, the ship gains the following abilities: She ignores islands, terrain, and other ships when moving; she can't end a move with any part of her physically overlapping an island or another ship; she can't be rammed or pinned; and she can't dock.
Headhunter's Domain: This crew may use its abilities aboard only the Guichuan. Once at the beginning of each of your turns roll a d6. On a result of 6, any ship or sea monster in your fleet may be given two actions that turn. If this ship wins a boarding party, she may either take as much treasure from the other ship as she wants, up to her available cargo space, or eliminate all of the other ship's crew.
Helmsman: (2pts) This ship gets +S to her base move.
Hoard: If this ship wins a boarding party, she may take as much treasure from the other ship as she can carry.
Hoarding Gold: If this ship wins a boarding party, she can take as much treasure from the other ship as she can carry.
Hoist: A ship with this keyword has a moveable "hoist" near her bow that allows her to load treasure from, and transfer it between, islands and friendly ships. If at the end of this ship's move action, the hoist can touch a wild island you previously explored, she can immediately load treasure from it as a free action. Further, once per turn as a free action, this ship can explore any island, friendly ship, or derelict that she can touch with her hoist. When this ship is given an explore action, she can transfer cargo to and from any islands and friendly ships that her hoist can touch.
Hostile: X: A game piece with this keyword can't be in the same fleet starting fleet with what ever is indicated by the X. If the X is a nation, then neither crew nor ships of that nation can be in the same starting fleet with this game piece.
Icebreaker: This ship ignores terrain, except icebergs, when she is given a move action (islands are not terrain). This ship can ram an iceberg as if ramming an enemy ship. If she does, remove the iceberg from the game; this ship is not pinned.
Junk: This ship's masts do not block her line of fire.
Kraken: To play a game piece with this keyword, use all the rules for ships, except as noted in this section. A kraken consists of a base and eight tentacles that act like masts in the game for purposes of shooting; a kraken with no tentacles is eliminated. Krakens can't be pinned, boarded, rammed, or given explore or repair actions, nor can they board ships, load treasure, tow a ship, or be assigned crew. Measure a kraken's movement from anywhere on it's base.
On your turn, if your kraken's base is within S of an opponent's ship, you can immediately place the kraken's base beneath the ship so that its tentacles are surrounding her. If more than one ship is within S, the kraken can surround only one of them. A kraken can't be shot at unless it surrounds a ship - ant then only the surrounded ship can shoot at the kraken. The surrounded ship can't be given a move action until the kraken is eliminated or moves away.
If a kraken surrounds a ship, it can be given a shoot action to shoot at the surrounded ship (only). A kraken can't both surround and shoot at a ship on the same turn, and it can't surround a docked ship or another kraken.
If you have Captain Davy Jones in your fleet, you can declare an enemy ship a target of a kraken in your fleet this uses Davy Jones' ship's action for the turn. That kraken can move toward and shoot at only that ship, and it gains a +S to its base move while the target is declared. You can change the target by using an action, as described above.
Limit: You can have only one card with this keyword in your fleet.
Longship: When you give this ship a shoot action, roll two dice and count each die as a separate attack (this ship has two cannons on each mast). This ship can't pin or be pinned. If this ship rams, she gets +1 to her boarding roll. As a free action, this ship can rotate on her stern in any direction after she completes a move action. If derelict, this ship gains a base move of S.
Loyal: X: In order for a game piece with this keyword to be included in you starting fleet, whatever is indicated by the X must also be in your starting fleet, whether that be a specific crew, ship, or any game piece of a specific nation.
Marine: A crew with this keyword can be dropped off on any island (except on an opponent's home island). Whether on a ship or an island, it can be given its own shoot action each turn, just like a ship; it has a S2-rank gun. Opposing players can target this crew with shoot actions only if it is on an island, but it must be hit twice in the same turn in order to be eliminated - a single hit has no effect. Unlike other abilities, the Marine ability is cumulative. For example, if two crew with Marine are assigned to the same ship, they can both use it on the same turn.
Mercenary: This ship can't dock at any home island, and she begins the game S away from your home island. In all other ways, she behaves as a ship in your fleet.
Musketeer: (3pts) This ship gains one short range rank 3 cannon that may not have its range or cannon roll increased. It can shoot from any mast (even an eliminated mast).
Native Canoe: In order for a ship with this keyword to be in your fleet when the game begins, you must also have a crew that has the Chieftain keyword (of the same nationality) assigned to a ship in your fleet when the game begins. If the Chieftain is eliminated during the game, only one friendly native canoe of that nationality in your fleet can be given an action each turn. A native canoe can't be given an explore action on your first turn. Native canoes can't be assigned crew and can't ram of be rammed, pin or be pinned, board or be boarded. Native canoes can't tow and can't have their cargo capacity increased. When a native canoe is hit, is sinks.
Navigator: When this ship is given a move action, instead of moving her you may roll a d6. On a result of 3-6, put a trade current within S of any friendly ship.
Oarsman: (1pt) This ship is not derelict when all her masts are eliminated; she gains a base move of S, but can't ram other ships. This crew takes up no cargo space.
Octopus: An octopus is a sea creature. On your turn, if your octopus' base is within S of an opponent's ship, you can immediately place the octopus' base beneath the ship so that its tentacles are surrounding her. If more than one ship is within S, the octopus can surround only one of them. An octopus can't be shot at unless it surrounds a ship - and then only the surrounded ship can shoot at the octopus. The surrounded ship can't be given a move action until the octopus is eliminated or moves away.
If an octopus surrounds a ship, it can be given a shoot action to shoot at the surrounded ship (only). An octopus can't both surround and shoot at a ship on the same turn, and it can't surround a docked ship or another octopus.
Parley: If a ship is given a shoot action to shoot at a target ship with this keyword, before any dice are rolled the target's player can parley for safe passage. In order to parley, the target must be carrying treasure coins or her player must have treasure coins on his or her home island. The attacking player receives one treasure coin at random from either the target or her player's home island (chosen by the target's player). The treasure coin is automatically placed on the attacking player's home island, and the target can't be shot at the remainder of that turn.
Ransom: If a crew with this keyword is transferred to an enemy ship, it becomes treasure worth 5 gold to the capturer. If eliminated by an opposing player, it becomes treasure worth 1 gold to that player and appears on that player's home island as a free action.
Schooner: As a free action, a ship with this keyword can rotate on her stern (the rear of the ship) in any direction after she completes a move action. She can't use this ability if she has just rammed another ship.
Scorpion: A ship with this keyword has a moveable "blade" that can slash your enemies. After a scorpion ship has completed a move action or a shoot action, if you can move her blade so that it touches a target opposing ship, the target is immediately attacked as a free action.
The attack automatically hits; eliminate a mast from the target (no ability can prevent this). The target is pinned (even sea creatures can be pinned by this ability) and can be boarded (sea creatures still can't be boarded), but this ship is not pinned. The blade attack functions even when this ship is derelict.
If a scorpion ship rams a target on a turn, she can't also use her scorpion blade that turn.
Sea Dragon: A sea dragon is a sea creature. A sea dragon has a base move of D, meaning that it has unlimited movement: it can move anywhere on the play area, and it ignores all terrain and islands when it moves.
A sea dragon can be given two types of shoot actions: a normal shoot action and a swoop attack. A normal shoot action follows all normal shoot action rules. A swoop attack allows the sea dragon to attack a target (either submerged or on the surface) within L+L of the sea dragon's base. Roll a d6; the swoop attack is successful on a result of 4 or more, and eliminates two masts. After the swoop attack resolves, place the sea dragon as close as possible to its target without touching the target. If given a shoot action on its turn, a sea dragon can make only one attack: either a normal shoot action or a swoop attack.
Sea Monster: A sea monster is a sea creature. Before each turn, the controller of a sea creature with this keyword decides if it is submerged or on the surface. If submerged, a sea monster can only move - not shoot or be shot at. If it is on the surface, it acts like a ship with the following modifications.
A sea monster pins a ship if it rams any part of the ship. After winning a boarding party, a sea monster can't choose to take crew. If it chooses to take a unique treasure, eliminate that treasure.
Secret Hold: Enemy ships can't take or transfer treasure from this ship.
Shipwright:(2pts) This ship may repair at sea or at any island.
Silver Explorer:(3pts) This ship may dock and explore a wild island using the same move action. Any treasure coin printed with a silver number that this ship unloads at your home island is worth +1 gold.
Smokepot Specialist: (3pts) Once per turn when this ship is given a shoot action, you may declare that one of her cannons is shooting a smokepot instead of a cannon; you do not need to target a ship. Simply place the center of a fog bank within S of this ship; it may not touch an island or any ship docked at an island. Remove the fog bank at the beginning of your next turn.
Stinkpot Specialist: (2pts) Once per turn when this ship is given a shoot action, one of her cannons may shoot a stinkpot at a target within S of her. You must declare which cannon will shoot the stinkpot before rolling the d6. If the stinkpot hits, do not eliminate a mast; instead, the target's crew cannot use their abilities on the target's next turn.
Submarine: A game piece with this keyword is a ship with a hull composed of two or three hull pieces that act as masts in the game. Submarines can't pin or be pinned, or tow or be towed. A submarine can either move on the surface or dive underwater and become submerged. Before each of his or her turns, a submarine's player decides whether or not she is submerged.
If a submarine is submerged, lift off her hull so that only her base and circular "spine" are showing. A submerged submarine can only move-not shoot, be shot at, or be rammed. She can ram another ship, but regardless of success, the submarine must be moved S away from the target ship in any direction as a free action after the ram attempt.
If a submarine is on the surface, replace her hull (minus any removed hull pieces). A submarine uses all the rules for ships, with the following modifications.
A submarine can be rammed (and boarded), but she is not damaged when rammed. Each time a submarine is hit, remove one of her hull pieces. When she has no more hull pieces, she is derelict.
Switchblade: A ship with this keyword has two "blades" that can be moved so that they extend from the front sides of the ship. After this ship completes a move action or shoot action (or if during a move action), any part of either blade touches an enemy ship (or ships), all those enemy ships are considered to be rammed and can be boarded. If the ramming occurs by the blade only, this ship is not pinned. The order that rams and boarding parties are resolved (if there are more than one) is determined by the player whose turn it is. Extending or retracting the blades is a free action that can take place any time when this ship is given a move action or shoot action.
Titan: A game piece with this keyword is made up of segments that act as masts in the game. These segments come in many different forms, such as claws, legs, and so on. Titans can't be given repair actions. A titan's movement may be measured from any part of its body; it can't change its facing during the move. Titans can move across islands and end their moves ("dock") on islands (except enemy home islands); they can be shot at while docked at any island.
A titan can be assigned crew and load treasure like a ship. A titan pins a ship if it rams any part of the ship; it can't be pinned. A titan can tow. A titan is eliminated immediately if it has no segments.
Treasure Ship (Baochuan): This ship must begin the game with Admiral Zheng He aboard. Crew do not take up cargo space on this ship, though their combined point cost still may not exceed this ship's point cost. Once per turn, this ship may move S after loading or unloading cargo.
Treasure Ship (Guichuan): This ship must begin the game with The Headhunter aboard. A ship's crew does not take up cargo space on this ship, though their combined point cost still may not exceed this ship's point cost. Once per turn, this ship may move S after loading or unloading cargo.
Turbine: A ship with this keyword is not derelict when all her masts are eliminated. If she has no masts, she is still sunk if hit.
Turtle Ship: When this ship is hit, remove one of her turtle shell panels. When no panels remain, remove masts as normal. This ship can't be boarded if she has turtle shell panels. If derelict, this ship gains a base move of S.
Unholy Light: After this ship moves, she can look at all treasure on all islands and ships within L of her.
Windcatcher: A ship with this keyword can have her movement measured from either her bow or her stern. If measured from the stern, turn the ship as a free action so that her bow is located where her stern was; then move normally from there.