Dead Reckoning

2022

Dead Reckoning is a thrilling exploration and piracy-based game where players command ships, customize crews, and battle for control over treasure-rich islands.

150
minutes

1 - 4
player(s)

14+

Medium Heavy

About the game

Dead Reckoning is a thrilling maritime-themed strategy board game that plunges you deep into an era of exploration, trade, and piracy. It’s a game that perfectly combines adventure, intrigue, and strategy in a compelling, immersive setting.

The game is set in the Age of Sail, where players take on the roles of sea captains leading their small crew of hearty seafarers towards new lands, riches, and dangers. The goal is to explore unknown territories, establish outposts, engage in trade, or become a dreaded pirate, depending on your strategic choices and the unpredictable roll of the dice.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Dead Reckoning is a card crafting, deck building board game filled with strategy and intrigue. The game has numerous components, each playing a crucial role and interacting differently within the game. Here’s a list of each component and how they function:

Cards:

12 Ship cards: These are the player’s main source of interaction with the game. Each player starts with a ship card, which they can upgrade and customize using advancement cards throughout the game.
48 Crew Cards: At the beginning of the game, each player receives 12 crew cards. These cards can be used for various actions such as sailing, battling, or trading. The crew cards can also be upgraded with advancement cards.
216 Advancement Cards: These are used to upgrade the players’ ship and crew cards. The advancements provide extra abilities and resources that can help the player during their turn.

Game Board:

The game board depicts the high seas and various islands. Players move their ship tokens across the board to discover islands, engage in battles, and trade goods.

Tokens:

4 Ship Tokens: Each player has a ship token that represents their ship on the game board. The ship token is moved around the board to perform various actions.
5 Island Tokens: These tokens are placed on the game board at the beginning of the game. When a player’s ship token lands on an island token, they can explore the island and potentially gain resources or other rewards.
Resource Tokens: These are gained through various actions such as exploring and trading. Resources can be used to upgrade ship and crew cards, or can be traded for points at the end of the game.

Markers:

Score Markers: These are used to track each player’s score. At the end of the game, the player with the highest score wins.
Cube Markers: These are used to track advancements on the player’s ship and crew cards.

Dice:

The dice in Dead Reckoning are used for battles. When a player engages in battle, they roll the dice to determine the outcome.

Rulebook:

The rulebook provides the complete set of rules and instructions for playing Dead Reckoning. It also contains information about each game component and how they interact within the game.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Dead Reckoning is a card crafting, adventure board game. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set it up:

Step 1: Player Roles

Each player represents a sea captain and their crew, aiming to increase their influence and wealth. The roles are identical at the beginning of the game, and they evolve based on the strategies players choose.

Step 2: Board Placement

The game board is made up of tiles that represent the open sea and islands. To set up, shuffle the sea tiles and place them face down in the middle of the playing area in a grid pattern, leaving space in the center for the main island. Then, place the main island card in the center.

Step 3: Initial Resources

Each player starts with a ship card, a captain card, and a crew of deckhands. The ships start on the main island in the center of the board. Each player also receives a set of initial cargo: 3 barrels of goods, and 3 gold coins.

Step 4: Player Decks

Each player has a deck of 12 cards representing their crew. These cards start the same for each player but can be upgraded and customized throughout the game. Each player shuffles their deck and draws a hand of 5 cards.

Step 5: Achievement Cards

These cards are goals that players can aim for throughout the game. Shuffle the achievement deck, then draw and place three cards face up next to the game board. The rest of the deck can be set aside for now.

Step 6: Random Elements

The game includes several random elements. The sea tiles are randomly placed, and the achievement cards are drawn at random. Additionally, the order of the cards in each player’s deck is random, and the goods available for trade at the islands are randomly drawn at the beginning of each round.

Once these steps are complete, you are ready to start the game.

Game flow Round and round we go

Dead Reckoning is an adventure strategy game where players become captains of their own ship, aiming to control the seas and achieve the most wealth and influence. The game is played over several rounds until any player achieves a game-ending condition. Each round consists of the following phases:

1. Draw Phase:

At the start of each round, players draw up to their hand limit from their personal deck of cards.
If a player’s deck is exhausted, they reshuffle their discard pile to form a new deck.

2. Action Phase:

During this phase, players perform actions based on the cards they’ve drawn. Actions can be played in any order and include: moving their ship, loading cargo, firing cannons, and more.
Each player’s ship has a certain number of action points which can be used to perform these actions.

3. Battle Phase:

If two ships occupy the same sea zone, a battle may occur.
Players can use their cards to influence the outcome of the battle, with the victor gaining control of the sea zone and potential rewards.

4. End Phase:

In this phase, players discard any unused cards from their hand down to the hand limit.
Finally, players check if any game-ending conditions have been met. If not, a new round begins.

Throughout the game, players will also have opportunities to upgrade their ship and crew, giving them more action points, larger hand sizes, and better battle abilities. The player who best manages their resources and strategies will ultimately control the seas and win the game of Dead Reckoning.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

In the game of Dead Reckoning, the game end is triggered when any player achieves one of the four possible victory conditions. The victory conditions are:

Achievement Cards: A player has all four of their Achievement Cards revealed. The Achievement Cards are a unique feature of the game that players can reveal by achieving certain objectives.
Exhaustion of Advancement Cards: The game ends when there are no more Advancement Cards to draw from the general supply. Advancement cards are powerful upgrades that players can equip to their crew members.
Island Control: A player controls all twelve island locations. Control is established by having the most influence on an island, usually by placing buildings or ships.
Exhaustion of Influence Cubes: The game ends when a player has placed all of their Influence Cubes on the game board. Influence Cubes are used to establish control over islands and other locations.

Once the game end is triggered, players must complete a few final steps before final scoring:

Finish the Current Round: All players finish the current round so that each player has had an equal number of turns.
Final Actions: Each player gets one final turn, which they can use to perform any actions they wish. This includes combat, exploration, and other standard actions.
Scoring: Players tally their scores based on islands controlled, ships, buildings, and other factors as specified by the game rules. The player with the highest score wins the game.

Note: In case of a tie, the player with the most treasure cards is the winner. If there is still a tie, the player with the most unused cubes wins. If there is still a tie, the player who triggered the end game wins.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In Dead Reckoning, players accumulate points throughout the game in various ways. The game ends when one player reaches a set number of points, usually 50, but this may vary depending on the number of players. At game end, the player with the most points wins.

Here is a detailed breakdown of how points are awarded:

Control of Islands: Players earn points for controlling islands. The number of points earned depends on the size of the islands. Small islands are worth 1 point, medium islands are worth 2 points, and large islands are worth 3 points.
Advancements: Players earn points for advancing their ships and crew. Each advancement card has a point value listed on it, and players earn these points immediately upon acquiring the card.
Buildings: Players earn points for building structures on islands. Each building has a point value listed on it, and players earn these points immediately upon constructing the building.
Treasure: Players earn points for collecting treasure. Each treasure card has a point value listed on it, and players earn these points immediately upon acquiring the card.

In addition to these standard ways of earning points, there are also several bonuses that can be earned:

End of Game Bonuses: At the end of the game, players earn bonus points based on their achievements. These can include having the most buildings, having the most advanced ship, having the most treasure, etc.
Special Card Bonuses: Some advancement cards and treasure cards provide bonus points at the end of the game. These bonuses are listed on the cards themselves.

In the event of a tie, the following tie-breaking rules are applied:

The player with the most controlled islands wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most treasure wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most buildings wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most advanced ship wins.
If there is still a tie, the player who went first during the game wins.

These detailed scoring rules make Dead Reckoning a strategic and engaging game, where every decision matters and multiple paths to victory are possible.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

‘Dead Reckoning’ is a card crafting, tableau building and area control game with a pirate theme. Although the general rules are straightforward for most players, there are some special rules, exceptions, and clarifications that might be important for a smoother gameplay:

1. The Battle System:

In case of a tie during a battle, the attacker wins the fight. This is a slight deviation from the usual rule in most games where the defender usually has the advantage.
Players can’t attack their own ships. This might seem obvious, but it’s a question that’s come up before.

2. The Advancement Cards:

Players cannot use the ability of the advancement cards in the same turn they were acquired. The cards can only be used from the next turn.
When a player’s deck is exhausted and needs to be reshuffled, any advancement cards in hand do not get reshuffled into the deck. They stay in the player’s hand.

3. The Pirate Cards:

Pirate Ships do not block movement, unlike the player ships. This is an exception to the general movement rules.

4. The Island Cards:

When an island card is fully filled, the player does not immediately score. The scoring takes place only at the end of the game.

5. Rule Clarifications:

Card Crafting: When crafting your cards, you can only add advancements to the deck of cards in your hand, not those in your discard pile or draw pile.
Trade Goods: Trade goods are not limited by the supply. If the supply runs out, use a suitable substitute.
End Game: The game ends immediately when a player reaches the victory condition. The current turn is finished, but no further turns are taken.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Dead Reckoning is a thrilling game of exploration, piracy, and influence based in a Caribbean-esque setting. It requires careful strategy and planning to master. Below, you’ll find some advanced strategies, beginner tips, common mistakes to avoid, and ways to optimize gameplay.

Advanced Strategies

Upgrade your cards wisely: In Dead Reckoning, it’s crucial to upgrade your cards strategically. Focus on creating a deck that complements your chosen strategy. If you’re aiming for warfare, upgrade your captain and shipwright. If you’re going for discovery, focus on your lookout and explorer.
Balance your cube placement: While it’s tempting to focus on one track, it’s usually beneficial to balance your advancements across all three influence tracks. This gives you more flexibility and prevents you from becoming too predictable to your opponents.

Beginner Tips

Understand the basics of deck-building: As a beginner, the first thing you need to understand is the basic mechanics of deck-building. Learn how to acquire new cards and how to use them to your advantage.
Start exploring early: The sooner you start exploring, the more options you’ll have later in the game. Exploring early allows you to claim islands and acquire valuable resources before your opponents.
Manage your resources carefully: Resources are crucial in Dead Reckoning. Make sure you manage them carefully and plan ahead to avoid running out at crucial moments.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Ignoring the influence track: Many beginners make the mistake of ignoring the influence track. However, advancing on this track is a key to victory, as it allows you to control islands and gain victory points.
Focusing too much on combat: While combat is an important aspect of the game, don’t let it distract you from other important areas such as exploration and influence.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay

Plan your moves ahead: Dead Reckoning is a game of strategy. Plan your moves ahead of time and try to anticipate your opponents’ actions. This will allow you to make the most of your turns and stay one step ahead.
Use your cards effectively: Each card in your deck has a unique ability. Make sure you understand these abilities and use them effectively to gain an advantage over your opponents.