The following are "House Rules" for the online game, describing how it differs from the tabletop game.
A ship can come about (turn in place) when docked at an island so that her bow ends where her stern started (a maximum turn of 180 degrees). (This rule was removed from the tabletop game.)
An online-only play format just like the Standard format, with the following exceptions: (1) there is no treasure, (2) Smokepot Specialist can't be used, (3) you can’t shoot during the first turn of the game, and (4) the last player who has ships afloat wins the game.
There is no nationality restriction for adding a fort to your fleet. You don’t have to have a ship in your fleet of matching nationality.
The keyword "Ghost Ship" was added to twelve LE ships which makes them different from the tabletop cards. This includes Revenant, Snipe, La Resolucion, Asesino de la Nave, HMS Meresman, and HMS Wycliffe from the Spanish Main set and Bonnie Liz, Scepter, HMS London, Le St. Michel, El San Salvador, and La Cleopatre.
An online-only play format just like the Standard format, with the following exceptions: (1) Smokepot Specialist can't be used and (2) a player who no longer has the possibility of giving any future move actions to any of his or her ships loses the game.
At the start of the game, ships are placed with their sterns touchinng the home island, instead of their bows.
An online-only play format that provides four islands, two fleets, and a fixed setup that is used to learn the basics of the game.
The "smoke" placed by a Smokepot Specialist functions just like a normal fog bank. You may place this fog bank beneath a ship.
Towing can only be initiated at the start of a move action (instead of at the start or the end).
While the online game maintains that the defender chooses the target in a losing boarding action, the general rule in the online game for an ability or rule that targets crew, treasure, cargo, masts, or any other game item for removal, elimination, theft, or transfer, is that the attacker chooses.
Additions... these are not "Official" SOE House Rules, but they ARE significant differences to the way Tabletop is played.
All of them have been pointed out by players as undocumented changes, but no word or action has been taken in over 6 months, so we're assuming they're not going to be changed at this point. Feel free to edit/ammend/delete these if they DO get changed.
Towing... towing can only be initiated at the START of a Move Action instead of either the start or end.
"Defender Always Chooses" does not apply to some methods of crew or cargo elimination. This one's a little complex because it isn't even consistantly implemented. Sometimes the defender chooses, sometimes the attacker chooses.
Kian Ng... Ability: "When this ship hits an enemy ship, you may also eliminate one cargo from that ship." Attacker chooses.
Thomas Gunn The Younger... Ability: "Once per turn when this ship hits an enemy ship, also eliminate one crew from that ship." Defender chooses.
Captain Jack Hawkins (Spanish Main set)... Ability: "On the turn this ship is pinned, eliminate one crew from the enemy ship." Attacker chooses.
If the elimination is the result of a once-per-turn shoot action, the defender picks which crew to eliminate. If the elimination is the result of a ram, the defender gets no choice, likewise if the elimination is the result of an 'every shot' action the defender doesn't even get to pick which type of cargo, be it crew or treasure, is eliminated.
You cannot unload Treasure at a Wild Island, only when docked at your Home Island or when exploring/being explored by another ship. Be careful what you load, because once the Explore Action ends, you're stuck with that cargo.
Unique Treasures (UTs) cannot be transfered or voluntarily offloaded, even those that have no restrictions on their movement in Tabletop... so called "One Shot" beneficial UTs like Screw Engine and Targetting Scope are particularly notable in that they cannot even be transfered whilst they are still unrevealed.
Unrevealed UTs are also not moved between Wild Islands. When the Mysterious Islands expansion was released, it was noted that only coin tokens were being moved by the Mysterious Island effect that moved "2 random coins from every other Island onto this island", and that ships and crews with the ability "After looking at coins on this Island, you may swap one coin for another random coin on another Wild Island" were also ignoring unrevealed UTs as potentially swappable.
<edited to reflect recent patches>
<snip> You cannot unload Treasure at a Wild Island, only when docked at your Home Island or when exploring/being explored by another ship. Be careful what you load, because once the Explore Action ends, you're stuck with that cargo.<snip>If an ability is cancelled... either by a dedicated Canceller like Diaz, or as the result of a Fear roll of 5... moving out of S range negates the cancel, and the abilty returns. You can even return to within S range in the same turn and the cancelled ability will be unaffected.
<snip>
If an ability is cancelled... either by a dedicated Canceller like Diaz, or as the result of a Fear roll of 5... moving out of S range negates the cancel, and the abilty returns. You can even return to within S range in the same turn and the cancelled ability will be unaffected.
I havn't looked receintly but in the past I have been able to transfer gold (not UT) back to a Wild Island (at least the island they came from). This is one way to keep you opponent from getting half the gold on a derelict ship that is docked at a WI. The ship is docked, fully loaded, then has it's masts eliminated (perhaps by a ram). Next turn you opponent will be able to explore the ship and take what's on it, or sink it and get half. So on your turn you explore the WI and put back the gold. I havn't needed to do this since the last patch, but I have been able to in the past.
The same is true for a Canceller, (dedicated, not a result of a Fear roll). At the beginning of my opponent's turn I've cancelled a Captain on their ship. They didn't bother sinking my canceller (the Hessian and it was derelict at the time) but moved, planning to attack another ship. Their movement put them out of the S range for the Hessian but their Captain was still cancelled so they couldn't shoot after moving that turn.
On another note regarding house rules for the game that are 'unwritten'. In tabletop, the moment a ship comes within range of a canceller (regardless of whos turn it is) the player has the option to use that ability. This timing can be critial.
example: Attacking ship moves within S of Defending ship that has a canceller, attacking player reveils a Captain, but before the dice are rolled, defending player cancels the Captain ability, preventing the attack. Now if the attacking player ALSO has a canceller on their ship, they can cancel the defending player's canceller and therefore allow their captain to fire.
It sounds complicated and for myself, I find the best way to remember it is similar to the Last in, first out rule of other card games.
In the online game, a canceller only triggers either at the beginning of an opponent's turn or when the canceller moves within range. So you can't cancel an opponent's Captain when the ship moves into range. You have to take that move&shoot and hope you live before you canceller can do anything and by then it's too late, they don't need to move and shoot again, they're already within range.
The same is true for a Canceller, (dedicated, not a result of a Fear roll). At the beginning of my opponent's turn I've cancelled a Captain on their ship. They didn't bother sinking my canceller (the Hessian and it was derelict at the time) but moved, planning to attack another ship. Their movement put them out of the S range for the Hessian but their Captain was still cancelled so they couldn't shoot after moving that turn. On another note regarding house rules for the game that are 'unwritten'. In tabletop, the moment a ship comes within range of a canceller (regardless of whos turn it is) the player has the option to use that ability. This timing can be critial.example: Attacking ship moves within S of Defending ship that has a canceller, attacking player reveils a Captain, but before the dice are rolled, defending player cancels the Captain ability, preventing the attack. Now if the attacking player ALSO has a canceller on their ship, they can cancel the defending player's canceller and therefore allow their captain to fire.It sounds complicated and for myself, I find the best way to remember it is similar to the Last in, first out rule of other card games.In the online game, a canceller only triggers either at the beginning of an opponent's turn or when the canceller moves within range. So you can't cancel an opponent's Captain when the ship moves into range. You have to take that move&shoot and hope you live before you canceller can do anything and by then it's too late, they don't need to move and shoot again, they're already within range.
hi,
i'm an italian player and i don't undestand english very well.
Exscuse me, maybe this don't is the right section, but there is an italian server or site of the game Pirates online?
thank you and exscuse me for my bad english.
CIAO CIAO
