PIRATES BACKGAMMON

INTRODUCTION
Backgammon variant with Pirate Theme. 

VICTORY
The first player to accumulate 25 Gold Coins in his Treasure Chest is the winner. 

PIECES
There are 3 types of Pieces: Pirates, Merchants and Man-o-Wars. 
Each player has a Unique Pirate Ship Figure. 
Merchant Ships are represented by a Stack of Coins. 
Man-o-War Ships should be represented by figures. 

DICE
Each player should have 2 six-sided dice. 

GOLD
Use Coins to Represent Gold Treasures

HOLDS & CHESTS
Gold aboard your Pirate Ship is said to be in your hold and is 
Subject to being lost or plundered. 
When you bear off your gold is put into your Treasure Chest where it is safe. 

THE BOARD
Use a regular Backgammon Board. 
The 4 quadrants of the Board are referred to as:
Outer Sea (points 1-6)
Great Sea (points 7-12)
Middle Sea (points 13 -18)
Inner Sea (points 19-24)

SETUP
Each player rolls 1D6 and places their ship on that point in the Outer Sea. 

TURN SEQUENCE
Each turn has 3 Phases: 
Travel Phase
Luck Phase
Wind Phase

TRAVEL PHASE
Roll 1D6 individually for each Man-o-War and Merchant ship. 
Those ships move forward that many spaces. 
Man-o-War and Merchants move from the Inner to the Outer Sea. 
Any roll that moves them past the Outer Sea causes them to be removed from the board. 
If a Man-o-War lands on a Pirate, that Pirate is sunk and goes to the Sand Bar.
A Pirate Sunk by a Man-o-War loses all the Gold in its Hold. 
If a Merchant lands on a Pirate, that Pirate captures it and all its gold. 
The Gold is put in the Pirate Ships Hold.  
Captured Merchants are removed from the board. 

LUCK PHASE
One player rolls 1D6: 
If he rolls a 1 a Man-o-War appears on the Board. 
If he rolls a 2-6 a Merchant ship appears with that many gold pieces aboard. 
That player rolls a second 1D6: 
The new ship is placed on a point on the Inner Sea corresponding to the second roll. 

WIND PHASE
Each Player rolls 1D6 to determine turn order: High roll goes first. 
Each player (not on the Sand Bar) in turn rolls 2D6 and Moves his ship.
Ships must move using both dice.  
Moves can be in either direction. 
Pirates may not move onto Man-o-Wars.
If a Pirate lands on a Merchant, that Pirate captures it and all its gold.
The Gold is put in the Pirate Ships Hold.  
Captured Merchants are removed from the board.
If there are 2 or more merchants on a point, and a Pirate lands on it, he captures them all.  
If a Pirate lands on a Pirate, that Pirate is sunk and goes to the Sand Bar and the 
Pirate that did the sinking gets all the gold in the other players hold. 
Pirates cannot sink each other in the Outer Sea; they simply stack there instead. 
If a Pirate started his turn on the Sand Bar, he only rolls 1D6 and then
Places his ship on that point in the Outer Sea. 
A Pirate may Bear-off from the Inner or Outer Sea. 
When a Pirate bears-off, all the Gold in his Hold goes to his Treasure Chest and the 
Ship is then placed on the Sand Bar. 



QUESTION & ANSWER SECTION

> 1) The gold coins representing "treasure" are the same as the merchant ships?  
That is, each merchant ship is that stack of two-six coins which a pirate will get 
if he captures the ship?

YES, unless you have little merchant ship models you can 
stack coins on. 

> 2) At the set-up, there are no merchants or men-o'-war on the board yet?  
If that is correct, then there's no Travel Phase first turn?

YES ON BOTH ACCOUNTS

> 3) The sandbar is the division where the backgammon board folds up?  

THIS IS CALLED THE BAR IN BACKGAMMON
I CALL IT THE "SANDBAR" TO GIVE IT A NAUTICAL FLAVOR.

> 4) When a new ship appears in the Luck Phase, the second D6 roll indicates what 
point on the Inner Sea it starts on.  But, those points are numbered 19-24.  
Does 1=19 or 1=24?

GO WITH 1=24
 
> 5) What does "bear-off" mean in terms of the board?  
The pirate's die roll is sufficient to move it past the last point on that end 
of the board?  <<< YES >>> 
You then automatically go to the sandbar, coins in the "hold" pile go to 
the "treasure chest" pile to count toward victory, and the next turn that pirate 
ship is placed on one of the points in the Outer Sea?

YES TO ALL

> 6) I move the ship at once for the sum which has dropped on dices, or I
do two moves for each dice separately (as in usual backgammons)? I.e.

TWO MOVES AS IN REGULAR BACKGAMMON

> 7) Can I capture two merchant ships on two different lines in one turn?

YES

> 8) If a merchant and men-o-war on the same line, I can't capture that
 merchant? 

NO, THE MOW PROTECTS THE MERCHANT

> 9) If the player does not have other choice, it should go to line with man-o-war?


YES, IF YOU CAN'T MOVE, GO TO THE SANDBAR (& DISCARD THE GOLD IN YOUR HOLD)



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RULES VARIANT

In Luck Phase roll 1D10: 

1-2 = Man-O-War
3-9 = Merchants
10 = Typhoon 

The Typhoon behaves just like a Man-O-War except that it destroys 
any and all ships it lands on.