Explorers & Pirates
Sail into the unknown, carry settlers and crews, and complete missions.
Explorers & Pirates is a different game on the same island engine. There are no cities and no development cards. Instead you explore the sea, found settlements far away and complete missions.
Ships and cargo
Ships move across the sea and carry cargo: settlers, crews, fish or spice. A ship holds one large piece or two small ones.
| Build | Cost |
|---|---|
 Ship |
  |
 Settler |
  |
 Crew |
 |
 Harbor settlement |
(upgrades a settlement) |
Sail into the fog to discover new tiles. A ship with a settler aboard can found a settlement on a coast it reaches. Harbor settlements launch new ships and pick up cargo.
Step by step: found a settlement overseas
- Build a
- Sail out. Moving into fog flips the tile over, and some discoveries pay a reward.
- When the ship reaches a free coast, tap Found a settlement to put the settler ashore.
Gold and pirates
You earn gold (from gold fields and some rewards); 2 gold buys a resource. When you roll a 7, your own pirate ship appears and can raid other players.
Missions
| Mission | What you do |
|---|---|
| Land Ho! (8 points) | Discover islands and settle them |
| Pirate Lairs (12) | Land crews at pirate lairs on gold fields; the third crew captures it |
| Fish for the Council (13) | Net fish on far shoals and bring them home |
| Spice for the Council (13) | Befriend spice villages and ship spice home |
| Explorers & Pirates (17) | All three missions together |
Each delivery or capture moves you up that mission's track. The sole leader of a track earns an extra point.
On MAK Games, ships move during your build phase rather than in a separate movement phase.
Ready to try it?
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