Below is the updated rules for my BDS entry Quarreling Corsairs. I've updated some of the rules based on the critiques I've received. I would eternally grateful for any more critiques on the rules I have so far. Also I'd like to let you in on how I came up with this idea because I think the design process was pretty odd.

There I am, sitting reading about the design contest. So they want a game that has an ending that's suspenseful like Bingo huh? So I decided to start off with a themed Bingo game. What goes around collecting things, PIRATES!!!! I made changes along the way but I laugh that the game started out a Bingo Pirates essentially! XD

Quarreling Corsairs

Theme and Setup

Quarreling Corsairs is a game about a bunch of pernicious pirates searching an atoll for treasure and raiding Spanish galleons. At the beginning of the game, each pirate is dealt one card which shows a list of treasures. These treasures can be sold for bonus gold during the game. On the game board are six small islands and two bigger ones. The smaller islands will each have two spots for treasure while the two larger ones will have four thus having twenty treasure spots total. To set up the game pull treasure tokens out of a bag and place one face down on each of the treasure spots. The player with the most R’s in their name goes first.

Gameplay

Each player gets five actions during their turn. The different actions they can take are:

• Movement: A player can move their pirate ship to an adjacent zone for an action. You may only use this action twice.
• Dig: The player, if on a space with a treasure token, may dig up the treasure and place it face up behind his player screen. The treasure tiles are replaced when there are three treasures left.
• Rummin’: A player when rummin’ may use gold doubloons to upgrade their ship by buying more cannons, hiring a better crew, getting a new set of sails, etc.
• Piratin’: A player may attack a player that is sharing a space with them. If the attack is successful, the player may randomly take a treasure from the other player.
• Pirate Cove: If the player’s ship piece is on a dock/market space, they may sell treasure for gold doubloons. Cards given at the start of the game give bonuses for selling certain items.

Spanish Galleons

Spanish galleons are special ships that move around the board in a specific manner. These may be attacked like any other pirate but are harder to beat. If you do beat them piratin’. Then you may take a specific amount of gold doubloons straight into your hold.

Bounty

As pirates raid Spanish ships and opponents vessels, their bounty will increase. Once someone’s bounty reaches ten, place a Spanish Frigate on the board near the market. After a player’s turn, the ship will move one zone towards the player with the highest bounty. If it ever crosses the path of any other player, the Spanish frigate will attack that player. If the Frigate wins the fight, the player loses all treasure on board with the exception of the any pieces of eight they have. The player’s bounty is then reduced by the quantity of treasure lost. If there is more than one path to reach the player with the highest bounty, the player whose turn it just was will decide which path it will travel down. If a player’s bounty reaches twenty, place a Spanish Ship-of-the-Line on the board. Follow the same rules for movement and combat as the Frigate for the Ship-of-the-Line.

Combat

In the center of the board is a dice tower in the shape of a sinking ship. When a player attacks another player or a Spanish galleon, they must toss their cannon balls (dice) into the dice tower from their seat. Any shots that miss are immediately returned to the attacking player. The numbers are then tallied from the cannon balls that hit and if the number exceeds the defense number then the attacker may take a treasure equal to the amount the crew skill allows, and may force the enemy to return a number of treasure tiles to the treasure pile equal to ½ the number of cannonballs that hit rounded down. (i.e. if you had three cannonballs hit they’d lose one treasure to the drink).

Ending the Game

On eight of the treasure tiles are different pieces of eight. These can’t be sold for gold doubloons and must be kept but they are worth their full amount of gold at the end of the game. When all eight pieces of eight have been dug up, the game is over. Gold doubloons are counted and treasure still in the pirate’s hold (behind the player screen) count for half its gold value. The pirate captain with the most gold doubloons is the winner.