How to Play
Pick a captain, build a deck, and sail three acts of the Caribbean.
The voyage
- Choose a captain. Each has a starting deck, a passive trait and a free captain’s Order. Blackbeard leans on terror and boarding, Charles Vane on aggressive gunnery, Black Sam Bellamy on crew and plunder, and Anne Bonny & Mary Read on hand-to-hand fighting and duels. Calico Jack Rackham, a fast raider, unlocks later.
- Sail the chart. Each act is a branching sea chart. Pick your route through ship battles, elite warships, events, port markets, shipwrights, recruiters, careening coves, treasure, smugglers’ coves, derelict wrecks and storm fronts.
- Three acts: I, The Flying Gang (ending with a Pirate-Hunter Squadron); II, The Treasure Coast (a Guarda Costa stockade); and III, The Hunter (Benjamin Hornigold himself).
- Nothing heals by itself. Hull, crew and captain HP carry over between fights. Only the captain’s death ends the run.
A fight, turn by turn
Every turn you draw 5 cards and have 3 energy. Tap a card to read it, then play it. Your captain’s Order is free once a turn and then recharges. Press End Turn when you are done.
- Phase 1, ship vs ship. Trade broadsides. Sink her, or once she is at half hull or less, board her for full loot.
- Phase 2, boarding. Crew cards and your crew fight now; your ship cards still work at half strength. At 0 enemy crew she is yours.
- Bosses add a final duel.
Reading the enemy
- Intent plate: shows this turn’s blow, who it targets, and what is left after your Block. The two small icons are the next two moves.
- Weather gauge: holding the wind gives +1 card and a stronger broadside (your first cannon card each turn deals +3). A squall costs you. Orders and some cards can win the gauge from the enemy.
- Traits: Plated reduces each hull hit (pierce ignores it). Fireship rams when low. Runs flees if you are slow. Grapple forces a boarding.
Words on cards
- Block: absorbs damage this turn, in any phase.
- Weak: deals 25% less damage; counts down each turn.
- Burn: loses that much hull each turn; fades by 1.
- Advantage: extra cards when you board (max 3).
- Exhaust: removed for the rest of the fight.
Cargo and the ship
- Gunpowder fuels cannon cards. With none, shots deal half damage.
- Rations: one is eaten each leg. With none, 4 crew starve per leg.
- Repair kits patch the hull at coves and with Bosun cards.
- Ships: trade up from a periagua to a sloop, brigantine, snow and frigate at the shipwright. Heavier hulls hit harder but get less Block from Sail cards. Upgrades include sheathing, heavier guns and new rigging.
Officers and coves
- Officers (quartermaster, gunner, bosun, navigator, surgeon, boarding master) give a permanent bonus while fit, one per role. A wound benches them until you rest at a cove or port.
- Careening coves: choose one job: patch the ship, rest the captain and officers, or drill the crew to improve a card.
Sail home or push on
After an act boss you may sail home. Taking your plunder home keeps 75% of its value as Banked Silver, along with your trophies. Pushing on pays more, but death loses the trophies. Banked Silver builds up Nassau between runs (a Shipyard, Powder House and Harbour Tavern give future voyages a head start), and every ending earns Renown toward your rank.
Notoriety
Win a run to unlock Notoriety, an opt-in difficulty ladder: elite warships more often, larger enemy crews, pricier ports, stronger hulls and tougher bosses, for bigger rewards.
You can also play Free Nassau on itch.io.