Empires at Sea: Deluxe Edition

About this board game

Empires at Sea: Deluxe Edition is a naval strategy board game for 2–5 players, played across 15 rounds in approximately 130 minutes. Choose one of five nations and work to build the largest empire through exploration, trade, resource management, and combat.

Every round begins with a History Card, which can help or hurt a nation based on the real impact of a historical event. A Weather Card then changes conditions for everyone, limiting or improving movement—for example, ships may be restricted to sailing north and east.

Players gain resources from the ports they control, along with any Resource Cards they have played. On each turn, a player first plays a Captain’s Card, which can launch a ship, advance their military, strengthen a port, or provide another useful effect. They then sail their fleet to capture new ports, trade, or attack opposing nations.

• Build an empire by capturing and holding ports.
• Use Captain’s Cards to expand your fleet and improve your position.
• Adapt to History Cards and changing weather conditions.
• Resolve battles with dice, modified by ship size, weather, military advancements, and Captain’s Orders.

At the end of each round, players may bid gold to bribe the Pirate. The highest bidder gains control of this ship and can use it to attack other players, adding another unpredictable threat to the contest for dominance.

When the 15th round ends, players calculate their Empire score. Points come from ships sunk, ships commanded, ports owned, and the gold and resources collected. In Empires at Sea: Deluxe Edition, the nation with the biggest empire claims victory.