Lifeboats

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• Setup
  • • Each player chooses a color and takes the lifeboat and pawns of their color. (5P/6P: only 4 sailors instead of 5)
    • Each player gets a deck of cards made up of each color in the game and 3 Captain’s Hats.
    • Pick a starting player.
    • In player order, each player places their ship in an empty column.
    • The starting player places the black boat in an empty column.
    • In player order, each player places a pawn (officer or sailor) in any empty space. Continue until all pieces placed.
• Gameplay
  • • Each turn consists of 3 phases.
    • During voting, a player can play a Captain’s Hat instead of a colored card.
    • If only 1 player played a Captain’s Hat, they determine the result of the vote.
    • If multiple Captain’s Hats are played, all played Hats are discarded and vote is determined by cards that remain.
    • If everyone plays a Captain’s Hat, the start player decides the outcome.
  • Phase 1 - One lifeboat receives a leak
    • • All players select a card from their hand, voting for which color of boat springs a leak.
      • If tied, the starting player decides which tied boat leaks.
      • If there is an empty space on the boat, put a leak there.
      • If there is no empty space on the boat, players must vote for who drowns.
        • Only the players in that boat may vote.
        • Sailors get 1 vote; officers get 2.
        • If there is a tie, starting player decides who drowns amongst the tied players.
        • If the chosen player has both a sailor and an officer on the ship, sailors must be lost first.
        • Replace the lost piece with a leak.
      • If there are more leaks than pawns in any boat at the end of the phase, the boat sinks. Remove the boat and all pieces.
      • Return cards to hands except Captain’s Hats which are discarded.
  • Phase 2 - One lifeboat moves
    • • All players select a card from their hand, voting for which color of boat moves.
      • If tied, the starting player deices which tied boat moves.
      • Chosen boat moves ahead 1 space.
      • If the boat reaches an island, all seamen are placed on island and boat is placed on first empty landing stage of the board.
      • Return cards to hands except Captain’s Hats which are discarded.
  • Phase 3 - The seamen change boats
    • • In player order, each player must remove 1 pawn from any boat and set it behind that boat.
      • Only 1 pawn may be removed from each boat.
      • In reverse turn order, each player must put the pawn they removed into a different boat than the one they left.
        • If there are no seats available in other boats, the pawn is removed from the game.
      • If there are more leaks than pawns in any boat at the end of the phase, the boat sinks. Remove the boat and all pieces.
  • End of the Round
    • • Next player in clockwise order becomes start player.
• End of the Game
  • • Each player gets points for their sailors and officers on islands based on their point value.
    • Break ties by whose lifeboat first arrived on an island.
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