Port Royal

Material

1

120 cards, nothing more

2

Coins: depicted on the back of each card

Receiving a coin makes the front of the card invalid

3

Once you reveal a card, its front side becomes active

That card can no longer be used as a coin

Setup

1

Each player receives 3 coin cards at the beginning

Coins are represented by flipped cards

If a card is received as a coin, it remains as a coin

The front side of coin cards is always invalid

2

All other cards form the draw pile in the middle of the table

3

Allocate space for the following areas

Draw pile

Discard pile

Display area

4

Choose a starting player and begin

Goal

1

Reach 12 victory points

A victory point is represented by a shield on one of your cards

2

It's the total of all shields on your cards

Only the cards in front of you count

3

When a player reaches 12 victory points, finish the round

Ensuring each player has had an equal number of turns

Gameplay

1

Are you up? Follow these phases

2

1: Drawing cards = Discovering

Draw a card and place it face up next to the draw pile

Continue drawing and placing one card at a time next to it

If you reveal two ships of the same color, your turn is over

And you cannot pick any card

Place all recently revealed cards on the discard pile

You may stop revealing cards at any point

Only then you can move on to phase 2

If you reveal taxes, look here

For expedition cards, proceed here

3

2: Taking cards = Trading & Hiring

Now, choose one of the revealed cards

Picking a ship earns you coins

Receive the depicted amount

More info on ship cards here

Choosing a character card requires payment

Place the needed coins on the discard pile

If you're short on coins, you can't buy it

More info on character cards here

Earn extra cards if you...

Unveil 4 different ships: grab a second card

Unveil 5 different ships: take a total of 3 cards

4

3: Offering the remaining cards

Offer the leftover display cards to your fellow players

They can choose a card in turn and pay you one coin

Plus, they cover the card's cost and place it on the discard pile

Or they receive coins for a ship

Yet, they still owe you one coin

Players may opt out and pick no card

Information

1

Expedition cards

These cards are set aside immediately

They apply to all players

Anyone can claim them when it's their turn

By placing the necessary cards on the discard pile

Match every symbol on the expedition card with a discarded card

2

Taxes

Evaluated instantly and placed on the discard pile

Players with 12 or more coins must discard half

Always round down

6 cards for 12 or 13, 7 cards for 14 or 15, etc.

The player with the most sabers or fewest shields earns money

As depicted under taxes

3

Ship cards

Selecting a ship card sends it to your discard pile

You receive coins from the draw pile as depicted

Regardless of the flag's color

Defending:

Counter a ship card using character cards with sabers

Need as many sabers as shown on the ship card

Successfully defending puts the ship card on the discard pile

Then, continue drawing cards

4

Character Cards Have These Areas

Cost

At the bottom, it shows how many coins you need to pay

Place the required number of coins on the discard pile

Shield

At the top right, it shows how many shields the card provides

You win the game with 12 shields

All shields on your cards count

Effect

At the top left, it shows what the card does

Either a hut, cross, anchor. More details here

Or another effect. Find more details here

5

Character Cards with Sabers

Sabers collectively defend against ships

You need at least as many sabers as depicted on the ship card

Sailor

Sailors have one saber

So, a sailor can defend against a ship with one saber

Pirate

Pirates have two sabers

A sailor and a pirate together can defend against a ship with three sabers

6

Character Cards with Hut, Cross, Anchor

You place these cards in front of you

They can be exchanged for expedition cards

Settler with Hut

Captain with Anchor

Priest with Cross

Jack-of-all-Trades as a Joker

You can use it instead of one of the three symbols

7

Character Cards with Effects

You place these cards in front of you. Their effect is permanent

Trader

Gives you an extra coin when you take a ship of its color

Admiral

Gives you 2 coins if you have 5 or more cards in your display

Jester

If a player offers cards and none are left for you, you get a coin

Mademoiselle

For each Mademoiselle, you pay one less coin when buying a character card

Governor

You may always take an additional card from your own display