Overview

Buccaneer is a pirate-themed set collection and bluffing game where players compete to amass the most money by boarding trading ships. Players stack pirates into crews, board ships to claim booty, and pay wages to crew members. The player with the most ducats at the end wins.

Components

• 15 ship cards
• 24 pieces of booty (6 treasure chests, 6 barrels of rum, 6 candlesticks, 6 daggers)
• 75 coins (27 copper 1-ducat, 18 silver 5-ducat, 30 gold 10-ducat)
• 25 wooden discs in 5 colors (5 per player) with pirate stickers

Setup

1. Shuffle all 15 ship cards face-down into a deck. Lay the top 3 face-up in the center.
2. Each player takes the 5 pirate pieces of one color, placed face-up.
3. Each player receives 10 ducats.
4. Remaining money and 24 booty pieces form the general stock.
5. Remove unused player colors from the game.

Turn Structure

Play proceeds clockwise, starting with the eldest player. On your turn, you must choose one of two actions (if able):

(A) Moving a Pirate

• Take one of your own pirates or pirate stacks and place it on top of an opposing pirate or pirate stack.
• The newly formed stack belongs to you (the player whose piece is on top is the captain).

(B) Boarding a Ship

• Place one of your pirate stacks on a face-up ship card. The stack must have at least the required number of pirates shown on the card.
• Resolve booty distribution (see Actions).

If all 5 of your pieces are in stacks belonging to other players, you skip your turn.

Actions

Moving a Pirate — Restrictions

• Stacks cannot be separated once formed.
• You cannot stack your own pirate/stack on another of your own.
• A move cannot create a stack taller than 9 pirates.
• Players cannot look at hidden pirate values in a stack.

Boarding a Ship — Resolution

1. Captain chooses one pictured booty piece from the general stock.
2. Second pirate in the stack (if belonging to another player) gets the other pictured booty piece.
3. Captain takes the money amount shown on the ship card from the stock.
4. Captain pays each other player’s pirate(s) in the stack the amount shown on those pirate pieces.
5. Pirates with a ? symbol are paid the amount shown next to the ? on the ship card.
6. After payment, all pirate pieces are returned to their owners face-up.
7. The boarded ship card is removed from the game.
8. When the last face-up ship is boarded, reveal 3 new ship cards from the deck.

If Captain Cannot Pay

• If booty is insufficient, the captain pays from personal funds.
• If personal funds are insufficient, the shortfall is paid from the general stock.
• The captain keeps all collected booty even if broke.

Mutiny

• If you have 3 or more of your pirates in a stack belonging to another player, you may force that captain to board a ship when it is the captain’s turn.
• The captain chooses which ship to board (if multiple options exist).
• The stack must meet the minimum crew requirement.
• If the captain has multiple stacks with mutinies, only one ship is boarded — the captain chooses which stack to use.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The game ends when all 15 ships have been boarded. Final scoring:

1. For each type of booty, the player with the most pieces of that type receives the ducat amount printed on the booty.
2. If tied for most, the amount is shared (rounded down).
3. Players who own booty of a type but did not win majority receive 1 ducat per piece as consolation.
4. The player with the most ducats wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Ship cards are revealed in groups of 3 (total of 5 groups across the game).
• Pirate values on discs are hidden within stacks; you cannot peek.
• The ? pirates are wildcards whose pay varies by ship.
• A captain with no money can still board ships (deficit paid by stock).

Player Reference

Action	Description
Move a Pirate	Stack your piece on an opponent’s piece/stack
Board a Ship	Place a stack meeting crew minimum on a ship card
Mutiny	Force a captain to board when you have 3+ pieces in their stack

Ship Cards: 15 total, revealed 3 at a time, each requiring a minimum crew size and offering specific booty and payment.

Booty Majority Scoring:

Type	Pieces Available	Majority Bonus
Treasure Chests	6	Printed on piece
Barrels of Rum	6	Printed on piece
Candlesticks	6	Printed on piece
Daggers	6	Printed on piece