How to Play: Choose Your Captain and Ships

Index -> Board Game -> Game Setup -> Choose Your Captain and Ships

Each captain has a unique special ability that you can use once on each of your turns, as well as a sword bonus that represents how good that captain is at fighting Davy Jones. Each captain also comes with two ships: a 4-mast ship and a 3-mast ship. You'll know which ships go with which captain because their ships share the same background color.

The game randomly chooses a player order, and then the first player chooses his or her captain (and accompanying 2 ships). Then each player chooses a captain, in turn.

In the Captain Selection screen, click on the different portraits at the lower left to see each captain's special ability and the two ships he or she commands. When you've found the captain you want, click Accept. (In a three-player game, one of the captains won't be used. In a two-player game, each player will choose a two captains.) A colored flag appears next to each player's name in the Captain Selection screen to tell you which captain he or she has chosen.

Captain Abilities

• Blackheart (Blackheart and Bloody Sword)
  Sword Bonus +2. Once each turn, one of your ships can move and then shoot using the same move action.
• Calico Cat (Treasure Hunter and Doubloon)
  Sword Bonus +1. Once each turn, one of your ships can dock and explore a wild island using the same move action.
• Jack Hawkins (Blackhawk and Night Hunter)
  Sword Bonus +1. Once each turn, after all your ships have been given an action, a die is rolled. On a result of 5 or 6, you can give one of your ships another action.
• Wesley (Dolphin and Mermaid)
  Sword Bonus +2. Once each turn, you can reroll one of your ship's cannon rolls; the second result must be used.

Once captains have been chosen, proceed to choosing home islands.