How to Play

Game Board

  1. Neutral Waters: The center row of the board not controlled by either player.
  2. Cove: The first two rows of spaces closest to each respective player (This includes that player’s port). A player may deploy a ship anywhere within his or her own cove.
  3. Port: The first row of spaces nearest each respective player where ships and fortifications may be deployed. This is also where the opposing player may inflict damage with one or more ships.
  4. Star Card Zone: The area where star cards are placed and managed.
  5. Deck: Where the game deck is placed (face down).
  6. Discard: The area where destroyed ships/fortifications and used Action cards are placed.

Game Cards

  • Ship (brown): The cards used to attack your opponent’s ships, fortifications, and port.
  • Flagship (red): A ship card of the highest power and ability. You may only have one flagship in play at a time.
  • Fortification (white): A card that may only be placed in your port (face up or facedown) for the purpose of defending your port from opposing attacks.
  • Action (blue): A card that may be used once during your turn and then discarded.
  • Stars: Each player gets a total of five and are used to bring the previously-mentioned types of cards into play.

Card Elements

  1. Card Title: The card’s name.
  2. Rank: The number of gold stars on a card signify its rank. One star card must be used per star listed on a card in order to bring it from your hand into play.
  3. Movement Arrows: The directions this particular card can move on the board once in play.
  4. Card Description/Instructions
  5. Movement/Attack Power/Defense Power: Maximum number of spaces this ship can move per turn/Amount of damage inflicted in an attack/Maximum amount damage received in an attack before destroyed.

How to Play

To start, each player’s port HP begins at 100. A player wins when one of the following win conditions are met:

  1. A player’s port HP reaches 0.
  2. The deck runs out of cards and either player is unable to draw (in this case the player with the highest port HP wins the game).

Follow these steps to begin the game:

  1. Shuffle the deck no fewer than three times and cut the deck at least once.
  2. Determine which player goes first by flipping a coin or a method of your choice.
  3. Each player draws five cards which becomes their hand.

Playing Cards

In order to bring a card from your hand into play, you must utilize star cards. To start the game, all star cards for both players remain face down in either player’s respective star card zone. At the beginning of each player’s turn, starting with the first, he or she overturns one star card. This continues once per turn until all five face down star cards are face up for both players.

A face down star card may not be used for playing cards from the hand. In order to use a (face up) star card to play a card from your hand, you turn the number of star cards sideways (activate) that match the rank of one or more cards in your hand.

For example, if you have four star cards face up, you may play one rank one card (a card with one star listed below its title) and one rank three card from your hand during your launch phase. Or you may play any number of cards who’s combined rank (or number of stars) is less than or equal to the number of face-up star cards in your star card zone.

Structure of a Turn

  1. Reset Phase: Overturn one star card in your star card zone (unless they’re all already face up) and turn any activated (sideways) star cards back to their original, face up, vertical orientation.
  2. Draw Phase: Draw a card.
  3. Launch Phase: Play cards from your hand.
  4. Move Phase: Move, overturn, or attack with any number of your in-play cards.

Note: You cannot move or attack with a ship on the same turn it’s played, unless it’s being played onto a space within your cove occupied by an opposing ship.

Another note: You are not required to play a card if you cannot or do not wish—also—there is no limit to the number of cards in your hand.

Calculating Battles

A battle is initiated when a ship is moved onto a space on the board already occupied by an opposing ship or fortification. If a fortification card is being attacked and is facedown, turn it face up. If an opposing ship is in your cove or port, you may play a ship directly on that ship to initiate an immediate battle.

When initiating a battle, compare each card’s attack points to the opposite card’s defense points. If the attack is equal to or higher than the defense, that card is destroyed and moved to the discard pile.

Multiple ships may attack a single ship/fortification, however, defense points reset at the end of the turn. In the case of multiple attackers, the attacker chooses the order in which ships attack and damage is calculated.

If a defending ship is destroyed by multiple attacking ships—the last ship to attack takes its space on the board (if it isn’t destroyed by battle) while the other attackers remain in their original spaces on the board (again, if not destroyed by battle).

Damaging an Opposing Port

Damage can be done to your opponent’s port when one of your ship occupies a space in your opponent’s port. During the move phase (if the ship hasn’t already moved) subtract the attacking ship’s attack points from your opponent’s port’s HP.

Constructed Deck Rules

If you wish to play with a custom-constructed deck—the following rules apply.

Your deck must include:

  1. 40-60 cards (not including star cards)
  2. Exactly 5 star cards
  3. Exactly one flagship
  4. No more than 3 copies of any one card (excluding star cards and flagships)

Updated April 1, 2023.