Overview

Pirate’s Cove is a game of swashbuckling adventure where players sail pirate ships around a ring of islands, fighting naval battles, plundering treasure, and upgrading their ships. Over 12 turns (months), players secretly choose which island to visit, then resolve combat when multiple pirates arrive at the same island. The pirate with the most fame at the end of 12 months wins.

Components

• 1 board map with islands, fame track, and compass
• 7 pirate ship miniatures (5 player ships + 2 Legendary Pirate black ships)
• 5 pirate ship mats and Captain’s Wheels (1 per player)
• 5 fame markers and 20 strength markers (4 per player)
• 112 cards: 60 Treasure, 5 Legendary Pirate, 1 Royal Navy, 42 Tavern cards (Parrot, Mastercraft, Combat, Event, Fame)
• 44 doubloons (24x1 gold, 20x5 gold)
• Treasure chests (brown wooden cubes)
• 6 dice, 1 rulebook, 1 summary card

Setup

1. Place treasure cards in stacks of 12 on islands 1-5.
2. Shuffle Tavern cards face-down on Tavern Island.
3. Shuffle Legendary Pirate cards; place Royal Navy card face-up nearby.
4. Each player takes: ship miniature, ship mat, Captain’s Wheel, 4 strength markers, fame marker, 9 gold (1x5 + 4x1), 1 Tavern card.
5. Place fame markers on Jolly Roger start. Strength markers on starting position (second from left on each ship section). Remaining gold and treasures go to Treasure Island (#6).
6. One Legendary Pirate ship starts at Tavern Island (#1). With 3 players, a second starts at Cannon Island (#4).
7. Before turn 1, each player simultaneously rigs their ship by paying upgrade costs.

Turn Structure

Each of the 12 turns has 6 phases:

1. Treasure

Flip the top Treasure card on each outer island (1-5) to reveal rewards.

2. Navigation

Each player secretly sets their Captain’s Wheel to an island. All reveal simultaneously and move ships to chosen destinations.

3. Combat

Resolve battles in westward order (Tavern Island first, then Hull, Sail, Cannon, Crew, Treasure Island). Combat occurs on any outer island with 2+ ships. Legendary Pirates fight on Treasure Island.

4. Plunder

In westward order, surviving ships on outer islands collect the Treasure card rewards (gold, treasure, Tavern cards, fame).

5. Upgrade

At each island, players can spend gold for upgrades specific to that island (Hull, Sail, Cannon, or Crew).

6. Move Black Ships

Move Legendary Pirate ships one island westward. After Treasure Island, they return to Tavern Island. Check hull capacity.

Actions

Ship Sections

• Hull: Determines treasure capacity.
• Crew + Cannon: Combat dice = minimum of crew level and cannon level.
• Sails: Determines speed (initiative in combat and flee order).

Combat

1. Prepare for Battle: Play Battle cards (optional).
2. Fire Volleys: Ships fire in order of speed (sail level). Fastest ship fires first or flees to Pirate’s Cove. Roll dice equal to minimum of crew/cannon level. Hits on 5-6. Each hit moves opponent’s strength marker down in a ship section of attacker’s choice.
3. Crippled: A ship is crippled when any strength marker is forced below the lowest level. Crippled ships retreat to Pirate’s Cove.
4. Winner (last ship standing) gains 1 fame per ship defeated.

Island Upgrades

• Tavern Island (#1): Buy up to 3 Tavern cards at 2 gold each.
• Islands #2-5: Upgrade corresponding ship section (cumulative costs).
• Treasure Island (#6): Bury treasure/gold for fame (1 fame per treasure or 3 gold). May upgrade 1 ship section 1 level at double cost.
• Pirate’s Cove: Draw 2 Tavern cards (or 1 card + 2 gold). Repair crippled ship.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

After 12 turns, the pirate with the most fame wins. Fame is gained from winning combat, plundering islands, burying treasure, and Tavern cards.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Pirate’s Cove is a safe haven from combat and Legendary Pirates.
• Ship combat dice = minimum of crew level and cannon level.
• Upgrade costs are cumulative when upgrading multiple levels.
• Ships exceeding hull treasure capacity must discard excess treasure.
• With 3 players, use 2 Legendary Pirate ships.
• If Legendary Pirate is defeated, draw a replacement card.
• Royal Navy fights like a Legendary Pirate but does not move.

Player Reference

Phase	Action
1. Treasure	Reveal Treasure cards on islands 1-5
2. Navigation	Secretly choose island, reveal simultaneously
3. Combat	Resolve in westward order; dice = min(crew, cannon)
4. Plunder	Collect island rewards
5. Upgrade	Spend gold at your island
6. Black Ships	Move Legendary Pirates westward

Game length: 12 turns. Win: Most fame points.