Overview

El Capitan is a Mediterranean trading game set in the 15th century. Players are merchants sailing to nine strategically important cities, building warehouses to establish trade networks and fortresses to protect them. The game is played over three phases, each ending with a payday where players earn money based on the number of cities where they have warehouses (proliferation), warehouse majority in each city, and fortresses. The player with the most money after the third payday wins.

Components

• 1 game board (9 Mediterranean cities, bank harbor, proliferation chart)
• 5 wooden ships (5 colors)
• 90 wooden warehouses (18 per color)
• 15 fortresses (3 per color)
• 1 starting player token (El Capitan)
• 54 sailing cards (18 destination/sea route cards, 36 city interconnection cards)
• 3 proliferation bonus cards (15, 10, 5 Florin)
• 30 loan cards (18 loans of 10 Florin, 12 loans of 16 Florin)
• 111 coins (30x1, 20x5, 30x10, 20x50 Florin)

Setup

1. Each player chooses a color and takes 1 ship, 6 warehouses, and 1 fortress.
2. All players receive 20 Florin starting capital. Money is kept visible.
3. Remaining warehouses and fortresses form a common pool beside the board.
4. Separate sailing cards into two decks: destination/sea route cards and city interconnection cards. Shuffle each separately.
5. Display 4 destination cards and 6 city interconnection cards face up beside the board.
6. Place loan cards face up in two decks on the bank spaces.
7. Place proliferation bonus cards beside the board.
8. Youngest player receives the El Capitan starting player token.

Turn Structure

The game is played in three phases, each consisting of several rounds. At the end of each phase there is a payday. Starting with the youngest player and going clockwise, each player on their turn:

1. Buy sailing cards (optional, before and after building): Purchase any number of face-up sailing cards at their printed cost.
2. Sail (optional, but must be done before building): Play one or more sailing cards to move your ship to a city harbor.
3. Perform one mandatory action:
   • Build a warehouse
   • Build a fortress
   • Take a loan (ship must be at the bank harbor)

Actions

Sailing

• At game start and from the bank, you can only depart using a destination card.
• Destination cards sail directly to the named city.
• Sea route cards allow movement up to the number of seals shown, moving horizontally or perpendicularly through cities.
• City interconnection cards allow travel between the two named cities only.
• Sailing to the bank harbor is free (no card required).
• If the first harbor space is occupied, use the second. If both are occupied, you cannot anchor and must continue.

Building a Warehouse

• Your ship must be on a harbor space of the city.
• Pay the cost shown on your ship’s harbor space to the bank.
• Place one warehouse on the next free building site on the U-track.
• The first warehouse builder in a city chooses between the first or second building site.
• No player may have more than 3 warehouses in a row in any city.
• Shut down spaces: When a warehouse is built on a dark-colored space, the first warehouse in the chain is shut down and placed on the city’s central picture. Shut-down warehouses do not count for proliferation or majority.

Re-opening a Shut Down Warehouse

• Sail to the city and anchor on a free harbor space.
• Re-open your shut-down warehouse for free, placing it next to the last built warehouse.
• Counts as your entire action for the turn (no other building allowed).

Building a Fortress

• Your ship must be on a harbor space of the city.
• Pay the cost shown on an empty fortress building site.
• No player may have more than one fortress per city.

Taking a Loan

• Sail to the bank harbor (free, no card needed).
• Take one loan card: 10 Florin (repay 12) or 16 Florin (repay 20).
• No other actions allowed this turn.
• Loans cannot be taken during the first round.
• If you cannot build during your turn, you must sail to the bank and take a loan.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Phase End

A phase ends when any player has built all their warehouses and fortresses (finish the current round so all players have equal turns).

Payday Scoring (after each of 3 phases)

Proliferation: Based on number of different cities where you have warehouses (shut-down warehouses don’t count). Ranges from 0 Florin (0-2 cities) up to 60 Florin (9 cities), per the proliferation chart.

Proliferation Bonus: First player to have warehouses in all 9 cities gets the 15 Florin bonus card; second gets 10 Florin; third gets 5 Florin. Paid out on the third payday. Bonus is kept even if warehouses are later shut down.

Majority: Each city scored separately. Player with most warehouses on the U-track earns the amount shown on the next free space to the right. Second most earns half that amount (rounded down). Ties broken by whose first warehouse precedes the other’s in the chain.

Fortresses: For each fortress, earn the same amount as second-place warehouse majority in that city. In the city with the most warehouses overall, fortress income equals first-place majority instead.

Loan Repayment: After the third payday, repay all loans. If unable to repay, flip the loan card and pay the higher amount. If still unable, you are bankrupt.

Winner

The player with the most money after the third payday (after loan repayment) wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• In a 2- or 3-player game, each city has an additional shut-down space (marked with a dark triangle).
• After the last possible building site is occupied, new warehouses can be built “backwards” on previously shut-down spaces, starting from the first warehouse still in operation.
• When building backwards, the 3-in-a-row limit still applies.
• When the last building site is occupied, the majority payment amount is fixed for the rest of the game.
• After taking a loan, you may remain at the bank next turn to take another loan, or sail away using a destination card.
• If both harbor spaces in a city are occupied, you cannot anchor there.
• The number of ships at the bank harbor is unlimited.
• Sailing cards are discarded after use; when a deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile.

Player Reference

Starting resources: 6 warehouses, 1 fortress, 1 ship, 20 Florin

Turn: Buy cards (optional) > Sail (optional) > Build warehouse / Build fortress / Take loan

Phase end: Any player places all warehouses and fortresses (finish round)

Payday: Proliferation + Majority + Fortresses

Win condition: Most money after 3rd payday