# Beacon Patrol: Ships & Shores ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2024 - **BGG Rating**: 7.8 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 1-4 (Best with: 4) - **Duration**: 40 min - **Weight**: 1.75 / 5 - **Designers**: Torben Ratzlaff - **Artists**: Torben Ratzlaff - **Publishers**: Pandasaurus Games, CrowD Games - **Categories**: Expansion for Base-game, Exploration, Nautical - **Mechanics**: Cooperative Game, Grid Movement, Modular Board, Tile Placement ## Verdict Perfect for those who own the base game and want more tactical variety and exploration depth.New ships with distinct powersIncreases map replayabilityImproves cooperative synergyNew ways to score pointsRequires the base game to playSlightly increases complexityRECOMMENDED ## Description If you already enjoy the vibe of Beacon Patrol, get ready to expand your horizons! The Ships & Shores expansion arrives to upgrade your fleet and bring new challenges to the coastline. The main highlight here is the 7 new ship types, each with unique abilities that completely change how you interact with the map. From the Construction Ship, which helps you regain momentum (movement tokens) while placing tiles, to the Submarine, which lets you cleverly manipulate the discard pile to grab the exact piece you need. The cooperative dynamics become even richer, as you and your friends must combine these specific powers to overcome difficult terrain and protect the shoreline. Want to speed up transport? The Ferry cuts across in a straight line. Need land mobility? The Hover Craft handles it. But don't be fooled: each ship has its own difficulty level, so operating these machines requires strategy and coordination. In addition to the fleet, you get 20 new exploration tiles, meaning the map becomes larger, more varied, and offers new ways to score points. Basically, Ships & Shores transforms the base experience into something deeper. You're not just placing tiles; you're managing the technical capabilities of each vessel to optimize the patrol. It's the perfect dose of extra complexity for those who felt the base game was 'too stable' and want more layers of decision-making and tactical variety in their sessions. Gather your crew, organize the fleet, and set sail for exploration! ## How to Play Game Objective In Beacon Patrol: Ships and Shores, players explore the North Sea coastline, using ships with unique abilities to map the territory. The goal is to work together to protect the shoreline by exploring and placing tiles on the board. Victory is determined by the final score, which takes into account the exploration of base game tiles and expansion tiles, following the specific rules for each ship. Setup Setup is similar to the base game, with the following changes: Separate all expansion tiles (including Pier and Windmill tiles) from the base game tiles. Each player chooses a ship and takes the corresponding Ship Card. Add the expansion tiles indicated on your Ship Card to the base game tiles. Shuffle them and form a face-down draw pile. If playing with the Submarine, place the 4 Shipwreck tiles face-up in the discard pile. If playing with the Ferry, take 1 extra movement token. Return unused tiles, ships, tokens, and cards to the box. Game Flow The game flow is the same as the base game, but each player controls a ship with unique abilities and restrictions. There are 7 different ships, each with their own special rules that only apply during your turn. Refer to the manual for details on this section. Actions and How to Play Each ship has special abilities that alter gameplay. Here are some examples: Construction Ship: Can recharge 1 movement token each time it places a tile. Ferry: Can move up to 3 tiles in a straight line by spending 1 movement token, but cannot swap tiles on its turn. Submarine: Can spend 2 movement tokens to take the top tile from the discard pile and add it to its unplayed tiles. Refer to your Ship Card for all the specific rules of your ship. End of Game and Scoring The end of the game and scoring follow the base game rules, with the following changes: Base game tiles are scored as in the base game, and expansion tiles are scored according to the Scoring Rules on each player's Ship Card. Subtract 10 points per player from the final score. The result is your achieved score. Refer to the base game manual to see how you did! Tips for Winning Try ships with different difficulty levels (1 to 3 stars) to increase the challenge after a few games. Use your ship's unique abilities strategically, such as the Construction Ship recharging movement tokens when placing tiles. Pay attention to your ship's specific scoring rules to maximize your points with expansion tiles. ## FAQ ### Do I need the base game to play? Yes! This is an expansion, so it adds content to the original game; it doesn't work as a standalone. ### Does the game become much harder? Complexity increases slightly due to the new powers, but the ships also bring advantages that help overcome challenges. ### How many new ships are included? There are 7 different ship types, each with a unique special ability. ### Does the play time change much? The estimated time remains around 40 minutes, but the variety of tiles makes the exploration more rewarding. ### Is it recommended for solo players? Absolutely! 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