Game Objective

In Tortuga 2199: Shipwreck Bay, players take on the role of spaceship captains competing for control of strategic sectors in space. The main goal is to accumulate influence points by conquering sectors, capturing hunting tokens, and using System Failure cards. The game ends when the end‑game condition is met (see the End of Game and Scoring section), and the player with the most influence points wins.

Setup

1. Set up the board by placing sector tiles according to the number of players:
   • For 2‑4 players: replace the base game sectors (Vortex, Research Lab, Mines, and Fortress) with the new sectors, choosing which to replace or determining randomly.
   • For 5 players: place 6 sector tiles (Vortex, Research Lab, Mines, Fortress, Shipwreck Bay, and Super Dome) randomly.
2. Add the sector control tokens, hunting tokens, and mineral tokens to the base game sectors, following the normal rules.
3. For each new sector (Super Dome and Shipwreck Bay), shuffle its respective deck separately and place each face‑down next to the sector.
4. Reveal 2 cards from each deck and place them face‑up near their respective decks.
5. Place the “System Failure” card deck near the board; this is the System Failure card reserve.
6. Distribute the expansion’s starting components to players (ship miniature, hunting tokens, mineral tokens, etc.) according to the base game rules.
7. The fifth player (if present) receives five cards from their deck at the start of the game.

Game Flow

The game proceeds in sequential turns, each consisting of the following phases (as per the base manual, with the expansion additions):

1. Buy – the player purchases reserved or market cards.
2. Play Cards – the player may play cards from their hand.
3. Buy Cards – the player may purchase cards from the market.
4. Refresh Market – the player refreshes the market.
5. Move – the player moves their ship.
6. Collect Minerals – the player collects minerals from the current sector.
7. Explore Hunted Creature – the player explores a hunted creature.
8. Reserve Card – the player reserves a card.
9. Destroy Card – the player destroys a card.
10. Capture Hunted Creature – the player captures a hunted creature.

If there are enemy/ambient turn, maintenance, or global event phases, they occur according to the base game rules, before or after the phases above as indicated in the manual.

Actions and How to Play

Players have access to various actions and cards that can be used during their turn:

• Ship Maneuver – move the ship up to 3 sectors from its current location.
• Explore Hunted Creature – use hunting cards to explore creatures.
• Buy Cards – acquire cards from the market or reserve.
• Combat Card Use – cards such as Electromagnetic Cannon, Assassin, Dark Hacker, Black Beard, Psi, Mining, Acceleration, Shark Maneuver, Rage, Oracle, Professor, Bodyguard, Mayor, Scout, Sailor, Merchant, Mutant, Cthulhu, Officer, Energy Shield, Prospector, Electromagnetic Cannon, Electromagnetic Cannon, and Electromagnetic Cannon.
• Use Hunting Tokens – move hunting tokens to adjacent sectors or attack enemy ships using the hunting token in their sector.
• Use Floating Mine Tokens – place floating mine tokens in the cargo hold, move them to the current sector, and, if necessary, remove tokens and place System Failure cards in the target’s discard pile.
• Use System Failure Cards – spend them to return the card to the reserve; the card cannot be destroyed or reserved.
• Reserve Cards – reserve up to 2 cards in your cargo hold and use up to 2 reserved cards per turn.

System Failure cards have the special rule that they cannot be destroyed or reserved. Floating Mine cards allow moving floating mine tokens, and when a floating mine token is removed from a sector, the player places a System Failure card in the target’s discard pile.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when the end‑game condition is met (for example, when the System Failure card reserve is empty or when a player controls a specific number of sectors; see the manual for details on this section).

Influence points are tallied as follows:

• Conquering a sector: +1 influence point.
• Capturing a hunting token: points equal to the token’s value.
• Destroying a hunting card from hand: +1 influence point.
• Winning a combat: the defender loses one influence point, which is returned to the reserve, and a random card used in the combat is destroyed.
• Losing a combat: the defender gains one influence point from the reserve.

The player with the most influence points at the end of the game wins. If there is a tie, consult the manual for the tiebreaker rule.

Tips for Winning

• Use the Electromagnetic Cannon card to discard random cards from the hands of players who are in the same sector as your ship, reducing their combat options.
• Control the Super Dome or Shipwreck Bay to gain card‑purchase advantages and place System Failure cards in opponents’ discard piles.
• Manage your floating mine tokens: placing tokens in your cargo hold and removing them from enemy sectors can generate System Failure cards that hinder opponents.