How to Play

Port Royal

2-5 players 20-50 min 7.1 Board Game Geek Rating

In Port Royal, Caribbean merchants draw cards to collect ships, people, and expeditions, but drawing duplicate ships ends their turn with nothing. Players push their luck deciding when to stop drawing, then acquire cards based on ship count in the harbor. Victory comes from accumulating twelve influence points through hired crew and completed expeditions.

Published 2014

Port Royal

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Prepare the deck
Place the entire deck face down in the center of the table
2
Distribute starting coins
Each player begins the game with 3 coins
3
Handle 5-player mission card
If playing with 5 players, place the special mission card out at the start of the game
4
Determine first player
Select a player to be the first turn leader

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Draw cards to the harbor
Reveal cards from the deck to the center (the harbor) one at a time until you choose to stop or bust
2
Bust condition
If two ships of the same color are revealed, your turn ends immediately
3
Reject ships with swords
Use accumulated swords from your Mariners and Pirates to reject ships with value equal to or less than your sword count (swords are not consumed)
4
Place expedition cards
When an expedition card is revealed, place it beside the deck for anyone to complete later
5
Collect ship income
You may collect coins from ships in the harbor as indicated on the cards
6
Purchase cards
Buy 1 card from the harbor (2 cards if 4 different colors shown; 3 cards if 5 different colors shown)
7
Apply Merchant bonus
Gain 1 extra coin when collecting from a ship matching your Merchant's color
8
Apply Mademoiselle discount
Reduce all card costs by 1 coin for each Mademoiselle you own
9
Apply Governor bonus
Purchase 1 additional card from the harbor beyond your normal allowance
10
Complete expeditions
Fulfill expedition requirements using Settlers, Captains, Priests, or Jack-of-all-trades (wild) at any point during your turn
11
Other players' turn to trade
Players to the left may buy cards from the harbor by paying 1 coin to the turn leader
12
Trigger Jester ability
Receive 1 coin if the harbor is empty when your trade turn begins, or if the turn leader busted with two matching ships
13
Trigger Admiral ability
Receive 2 coins if 5 or more cards remain in the harbor when your trade turn begins
14
Resolve Tax cards
Players with 12 or more coins lose half their coins; player meeting the card's condition gains 1 coin (ties: all qualifying players receive coins)
15
Discard used cards
Place used cards face down in a discard pile; reshuffle when the deck runs out
16
Use ship income immediately
You may use coins collected from ships to pay the turn leader
17
Apply abilities upon purchase
Card abilities take effect immediately after purchase (e.g., buying a Mademoiselle discounts your next purchase that turn)
18
Jester/Admiral timing restriction
These abilities only trigger when your trade phase begins, not when you buy these cards

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Victory point target
The first player to reach 12 points (with at least 1 completed expedition, house rule) triggers the end game
2
Complete the round
Continue playing until all players have been turn leader an equal number of times
3
Tiebreaker by coins
If players are tied on points, the player with the most coins wins
4
Shared victory
If still tied after comparing coins, all tied players win together

watch & Learn

Let the pros teach you with these top videos.

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FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

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