Pirates of Maracaibo: Commanders — How to Play

Objective of the Game

In Pirates of Maracaibo: Commanders, players take on the roles of pirate commanders navigating the Caribbean in search of fame and fortune. The goal is to accumulate the most victory points by defeating Forts, trading Rum, upgrading ships, and exploring the hinterland of Maracaibo. The game ends when a player reaches Maracaibo, and the player with the highest score wins.

Preparation (Setup)

Follow these steps to set up the game:

• Replace the base game Exploration Board with the new double-sided pieces, randomly selecting one side for each piece and placing them together with the Gulf on the left.
• Shuffle all base game and expansion Tier I and Tier II cards together and draw the indicated number for the market.
• Place the Rum Market tiles and Treasure Value tiles face up on the top left corner of all Location cards.
• Shuffle the Figurehead tiles and draw the indicated number for the market.
• Place Fort tiles face up on all Location cards and spaces marked with the Fort symbol on the Exploration Board. Add Fort tiles to the Gulf based on the number of players.
• Randomly give 2 Commander Boards to each player. Each player chooses 1 Commander and places the board Commander side up next to their Hideout Board. Place the remaining board face down.
• Place Cannon and Rum tokens within reach of all players. Return unused components to the box.

Flow of the Game

The game follows the base game rules with the following additions:

• Players benefit from their chosen Commander, who provides unique abilities.
• Players can activate special action scrolls on their Commander Boards by placing defeated Fort tiles or Rum tokens on designated activation spaces.
• Players can attack Forts on Location cards or in the Gulf during their turn.
• Players can activate Rum Markets to buy or trade Rum.

Actions and How to Play

Commander Boards

Each player’s Commander Board provides unique abilities and special action scrolls. Players can activate these scrolls by placing defeated Fort tiles or Rum tokens on the designated spaces. Each scroll can only be activated once.

Rum & Rum Markets

When a player lands on a Location card with a Rum Market, they can activate it during the Activate Black Markets step of their turn. Players can either buy 1 Rum for 3 doubloons or trade 1 Rum to activate a special action scroll.

Cannons

Players can improve their Ship Upgrades with Cannons. Cannons count as Markers and help players attack Forts.

Attacking a Fort

When a player lands on a Location card with a Fort, they can attack it instead of performing the Location’s action. To attack:

1. Calculate your Firepower (equal to your total Cannons).
2. Roll all three Raiding dice and optionally reroll once.
3. Select 1 die and add its value to your Firepower.
4. If your Firepower is less than the Fort’s strength, you can bribe the guard by spending 5 doubloons or 3 victory points to reduce the Fort’s strength by 1.
5. If your Firepower equals or exceeds the Fort’s strength, defeat it and gain the victory points shown on the Fort tile.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when a player reaches Maracaibo. Final scoring includes:

• Victory points from defeated Forts.
• Points from activated special action scrolls on the Commander Boards.
• Points from buried treasures, Quests, and other game elements.

The player with the highest score wins.

Tips for Winning

• Focus on upgrading your ship with Cannons to improve your ability to attack Forts.
• Activate Rum Markets strategically to gain Rum and unlock powerful special action scrolls.
• Choose a Commander whose abilities align with your strategy, whether it’s exploring, trading, or raiding.