Player Questions and Answers Looking for rules clarification? You've come to the right place! You've got questions. We've got answers. Click on a section head to skip down to related questions then click a question to skip down to its answer (most of the time it will be at the very top of the page). If you've got a question that's not covered here drop us an email at info@bentcastle.com Game Play Event Cards Characters & Pirate Parts

Game Play      Back to Top Q:  If I have a complete pirate in my hand do I have to lay him down? A:  No. In fact you may often find it advantageous to wait before putting a character into play. Q:  If I have a complete pirate in my hand can I build him in my opponent's crew? A:  Absolutely. You can build a pirate into ANY crew. The Cursed Sailor and Mutineer are good choices to build in an opponent's crew, so is a second Captain. Q:  Can I move a pirate from my crew into my opponent's crew? A:  No. Once a pirate is in your crew you may find a way to send him to Davy Jones or to skallywagg his parts into another crew but you cannot give a pirate to someone else. Q:  What is the difference between Matched and Active characters? A:  A pirate assembled from three parts with the same title is considered Matched. In the case of cards with a Crewman title the white numbers at the bottom of the row of icons must be the same for the character to be Matched. Matched characters are immune to Skallywaggs. Active characters have rules that come into play when properly built. Major Active characters are built from cards with the same red title and a circled black number 3 at the bottom of their row of icons. Because they require three specific parts they are simultaneously Matched and Active. Minor characters become Active when assembled with two correct cards in combination with any third. The Activating parts will have the same red title and a circled black number 2 at the bottom of their row of icons. Because they require only two specific parts for their rules to come into play it is possible for them to be Active but not Matched. If that is the case the third, unmatched, card would be vulnerable to Skallywaggs. Build your Minor characters with their own third part to protect them from Skallywaggs by making them Matched. The third, inactive, card will have the same title in blue and will not have a number in the icon row. Q:  If two rules conflict, which rule do I follow? A:  When rules conflict look for daggers. Follow the rule with more daggers. If you are the sort of inventive player who creates conflict at every turn, including some we may not have foreseen, please send an email to info@bentcastle.com for an official ruling. Q: If an event card's effects last for one round when, exactly, do those effects end? A: Regardless of whether it was played early or late in a turn, a one round event ends before the start of the the next turn of the person during whose turn it was played, before they draw their cards. Q:  If I must lose a pirate at the start of my turn (i.e. because of the Dutchman) does it happen before or after I draw cards? A:  He goes to Davy Jones before the start of your turn, before you draw your cards. Q:  My opponent just Skallywagged the Peg Leg onto the Cursed Sailor in my crew. Do I lose a pirate right now? A:  No. Pirates lost because of character rules go to Davy Jones before the start of your turn, before you draw your cards. Q:  I just built the Inn Keeper in my crew. Do I get my extra cards now? A:  No. Extra cards granted by character rules are drawn at the start of your turn with your other cards. This means the Inn Keeper will have to survive in your crew until the beginning of your next turn. Q:  I just built the Ship's Surgeon in my crew. If I play a Scurvy & Pox right now is my crew immune? A:  Yes. Immunities conferred by character rules go into effect immediatley Q:  How many times can I get extra cards from charcters like the waitress? A:  You draw extra character granted cards at the beginning of each of your turns for as long as that pirate is in your control. Q:  Is there a difference between pirates, sailors, and characters? A:  Nope. I just get bored writing the same thing over and over again. Q:  Can I switch body parts among my own crew to take advantage of the Crewman numbers to create "matched" crewman? A:  You cannot swap parts without playing an event card, in this case either Skallywaggs or All Hands on Deck will allow you to sort out your crewmen.

Event Cards      Back to Top Q:  Can I Skallywagg a Minor Active character that is not Matched? A:  The third mismatched part is vulnerable to Skallywaggs unless it confers an immunity of its own, however you may not Skallywagg either or both of the two Active parts. Q:  Can I play Overboard on someone as they are trying to play an event card? A:  No. Overboard is not a defensive play anytime event. It only effects cards in the hand not events in play. Q:  Can I Skallywagg into or out of my hand? A:  No. Parts must already be in play or in the Commons to be effected by the Skallywaggs card. If you have a card in your hand that you wish to skallywagg into your opponent's crew you must build it into a character first, then play your Skallywaggs. Q:  Can I play Call to Arms if there aren't enough cards in the Commons to build a pirate? A:  No. If there is not a Head Chest and Legs in the Commons you cannot play a call to Arms. Q:  If I play Batten the Hatches on an opponent do they have to counter with Hard Astern immediately? A:  Yes, but they must be given the opportunity to do so. You cannot rapid-fire play Events to prevent the use of Hard Astern. Q:  I've played In the Head on the Cursed Sailor in my crew and declared that I'm sailing. No one stops me. On my next turn, do I win the game or does the Cursed Sailor come back into play first? A:  The cursed sailor comes out of the head before your turn starts, before you draw your cards, however you still win the game if you can eliminate him before the end of your turn. Q:  Can I retrieve any discarded card when I play Davy Jones' Locker? A:  You cannot use Davy Jones to get Event cards, but any Head, Chest or Legs card in the discard pile is yours for the taking. Remember only Davy Jones' Locker is open to you, not the Shipyard, so don't wait too long if its nearly time to reshuffle the deck. Q:  If I play a Crack Down or Scurvy &Pox do I lose pirates, too? A:  Yes. These Events effect all players. The Ship's Surgeon confers immunity to Scurvy & Pox. The First Mate reduces the effect of a Crackdown. Q: Can one Parley & Belay be used to counter another Parley & Belay? A:  Yep, sure can. Q:  Can I wait to see what cards my opponent is going to Skallywagg before playing Parley & Belay? A:  No, but they must give you the opportunity to Parley. They cannot rapid-fire swap cards to prevent the use of Parley & Belay. Q:  Can I use the Press Gang to put a pirate from my crew into my opponent's crew? A:  Nope. Press Gang can only be used to take pirates into your own crew. Q:  Can I use the Hard Astern to counter Events that are not targeted at me? A:  Absolutely. Hard Astern is a fine defensive card but, used offensively it can be devestating. For example you might want to use Hard Astern to prevent an opponent from arresting the mutineer out of his own crew, or from using Davy Jones Locker to retrieve a much needed part. Q:  Can I use an Arrest Warrant on a member of my own crew? A:  Sure, as long as you don't have an Active Look Out in your crew. Remember, if you have any pirates with Eye Patch, Hook, or Peg Leg parts Arrest Warrants will be divereted onto them first. Q:  There are only two of my cards that I want to swap right now. Can I use half of the All Hands on Deck's effect now then swap another two cards later? A:  No. You cannot save the effect of an All Hands on Deck. You can choose not to swap all four cards, but you will lose the second swap. Q:  I declared I am ready to sail. Then my opponent played a Hurricane. Do I need to re-declare at the end of the Hurricane, and wait for another round before sailing? A:  No. If you still have enough pirates to sail at the end of your first turn following the Hurricane round you can sail!

Characters & Pirate Parts      Back to Top Q:  If I have an active Navigator with the Ship's Surgeon head do the Surgeon's rules come into play as well? A:  No. Minor ,or two part, active characters do not activate the rules of their third unmatched part. The only exception to this are specialty parts with rules that target particular minor characters such as the Eye Patch on a Navigator Q:  Do pirate parts that say "Immune to Skallywaggs" (i.e. Monkey) refer only to that specific card or is the whole pirate immune to Skallywaggs? A:  Pirate parts that say "Immune to Skallywaggs" confer that immunity on the entire character of which they are a part. Q:  If I build the Ships Cook with a different pirate's Chest card is he Active? A:  Yes. He is Active but not Matched, so his rules come into play but his third, unmatched, card is vulnerable to Skallywaggs (unless it has its own immunity). Q:  Can an Active Boatswain make every "Can't Sail" character part sailable? A:  No. He can only make the Waitress, Inn Keeper, and Magistrate (or their parts in any Simple pirate) seaworthy. He does not effect the Dead Head, Crazy Head, Stab Wounds, No Pants or Ball N' Chain parts Q:  How do I know which character powers come into play in any pirate, and which powers only come into play "When Active"? A:  First look at the card icons. A star icon indicates a Specialty part with rules that come into play when used in any character. The red X life preserver icon indicates a part that renders any character unable to sail. Cards that have a circled black 2 or 3 in their icon row are parts of Active characters that must be assembled correctly before their rules come into play. Cards may be both a Specialty part and part of an Active character. In that case their specialty rule will be stated first, they take effect in any pirate. Major and Minor character rules will be listed under the heading "when complete..." these rules come into play only in properly assembled pirates. Some specialty parts have rules that only effect specific Minor Characters. For example the Hook has rules that come into play "when in the Cook or Inn Keeper..." Q:  The Peg Leg on the Mutineer or Cursed Sailor is nasty. A:  Yes. Yes, it is. Q:  If I have the Inn Keeper can I Press Gang a Captain? A:  No you cannot Press a Captain. A Captain's two dagger Press Gang immunity beats the Inn Keeper's single dagger Press Gang ability. However the Inn Keeper's single dagger Press Gang ability beats the non-dagger immunity conferred by Captains on their crews, so you could press any other pirate from a crew with a Captain. Q:  If I complete the St. Elmo character does he still go to the oldest Captain in play? A:  Yes. St Elmo is a free spirited traveling guy. If there are no Captains he'll migrate to the First Mate and if she's not around he'll go to the Cook. Q:  Do Dead Head, Stab Wound, and No Pants make a Matched character when played together? A:  No they do not. Their parts would still be vulnerable to Skallywaggs Q:  How about Crazy Head, Stab Wound, and Ball N' Chain? A:  Nope, not them either. Q:  I built a pirate that has only the Cursed Sailor Chest (the Head and Legs come from other random pirates) do his powers come into effect? A:  No. The Cursed Sailor is a Minor character who requires two specific parts to become Active. A character would need both the correct head and proper chest to be truly cursed. Likewise The Cursed Sailor Legs card (its title is blue and it has no circled black number in its icon row)is inactive so if gets Skallywagged into the charater in your example he would still be harmless. Q:  Can any of the parts that make up the Magistrate sail? A:  No. Not unless you have the Boatswain in your crew. All of the Magistrate parts are marked with the red X life preserver Specialty icon that means a pirate assembled with that part can't sail. Q:  I have the Eye Patch, Hook, and Peg Leg in three different pirates in my crew. My opponent plays a Crack Down. Do I lose all three of them? A:  No. The "Always..." on those cards refers only to the fact that they will be taken first, regardless of who your opponent wants to Arrest or you prefer to give up in a Crack Down. They have no bearing on the number of pirates you lose during an Arrest or a Crack Down. Careful placement of these cards in your crew can provide a wall of defensive cannon fodder to protect your better characters. In a crew with an Active Look Out they are protected by the Arrest immunity he confers. Q:  What's up with the waitress? A:  She is a Major character who happens to be made up of Specialty parts. Her Head and Chest cards are marked with the star icon to indicate that these parts each get an extra card regardless of what pirate they're built into. Her Chest and Legs are marked with the red X life preserver icon that means a pirate assembled with that part can't sail. When Active the Waitress is immune to Arrest. Being a three part Character she is both Active and Matched, therefore she is immune to Skallywaggs. Q:  If I have an active Navigator with either the Crazy Head or Dead Head how many pirates is he worth? A:  Sorry, a Navigator pirate assembled with with either of those heads counts as zero seaworthy pirates. Back to Top