PIRATES CSG - GLOSSARY

(Updated for the May 2007 FAQ)

DISCLAIMER:  This glossary is intended for use with the official FAQ as a supplemental reference guide.  It is not errata, and does not supersede the official FAQ or any rulings posted on the forum by the Pirates Rules Arbitrator.

Ability:  A bonus game effect that a ship, crew, fort, or unique treasure can use during the game.  Most abilities are printed directly on the front side of a ship’s deckplate, in the “special abilities” box.  Abilities can also be found on a fort’s baseplate and on a crewmember’s or unique treasure’s card.  A Keyword is a type of ability that refers to a passage in the rulebook for the full ability text.

Action:  A command or activity that may be given to a ship, which it performs according to its current statistics and status.  Most actions can be performed only on a ship’s own turn, and may be free or non-free.  The four primary action types are move, shoot, repair, and explore.  Secondary actions include ramming, boarding, and scuttling.

Base Move:  A value printed on a deckplate card that indicates the maximum distance a given ship can travel during a single move action.  Some abilities and game effects can reduce or add to a ship’s base move.

Baseplate or Base (Sea Dragons, Sea Monsters, and Submarines):  The primary horizontal surface on which a sea dragon’s or sea monster’s segments and most of a submarine’s hull pieces are attached.

Baseplate or Base (Forts):  The primary horizontal surface of a fort on which all of the walls are attached.  The baseplate lists the number, ranks, and ranges of all cannons available to the fort on the front (top) side, and includes flavor text on the back (bottom) side.

Baseplate Card:  A fort model’s main card, which contains the fort’s baseplate piece.  The card lists the gold value required to build the fort during the game, and any abilities the fort may have.

Beginning of your turn:  A single point in time that occurs after the end of your opponent’s turn, but before any actions are given to members of your own fleet.  If multiple different “beginning of turn” effects can occur, the current player may choose the order in which they are applied.

Bow:  The front of a ship or submarine.  It begins where the front of the ship’s hull touches the playing surface (or the submarine’s base) and extends forward, including any masts, sails, or other pieces.

Cannon:  The primary anti-ship weapon found on most combat-capable ships of the time period.  Cannons are represented by images of colored dice printed on a ship’s deckplate card and each of its masts, and also on the baseplate of a fort.  The color of the die indicates a cannon’s range (Short or Long), and the number indicates its rank.  The rank indicates both the accuracy of a cannon and its power; in order for a cannon to cause damage to a target, a player must roll a number higher than the printed rank.

Capture:  To take possession of an enemy ship or crew by towing or through the use of some other ability or game effect.  Under normal circumstances, captured ships and all crew onboard immediately become part of the capturing player’s fleet.  Some abilities make captured crew worth gold when unloaded at a home island.

Cargo:  Any object or item that can be loaded, unloaded, or carried by a ship.  Most (but not all) take up one of a ship’s cargo spaces each.  Crew and treasure are the most common types of cargo.

Cargo Space:  A value printed on a deckplate card that indicates the maximum carrying capacity of a ship.  Some game effects can increase or decrease the total number of cargo spaces on a ship.

Characters:  Specific individuals or groups of individuals that are represented in the game by “named” crew tokens.  Some characters have appeared multiple times, often with different titles, slight variations in spelling, and different abilities.  A given character cannot appear more than once in a single fleet, regardless of which version is used.

Creature:  A generalized term used when referring to all of the “ships” that represent live animals or mythical beasts.  These include: giant crabs (Titans), krakens, sea dragons, sea serpents, and sharks.

Crew or Crewmember:  A token representing one or more persons or animals, which may be used to add special abilities to your fleet.  Crew are considered cargo and always take up one space each unless an ability states otherwise.  Generic and “named” are the two most common types of crew.

“Come About”:  A now-defunct rule that allowed a player to use a ship’s move action to pick it up and place it back in the same location but pointed in the opposite direction (a 180° turn).  The “come about” rule was officially removed from the game in the Pirates of the Barbary Coast set, but can still be found in older editions of the rulebook.

D-distance:  An unspecified length that represents a sea dragon’s ability to quickly fly from one location to another.  The Sea Dragon keyword is required to use this type of movement.

D6:  A standard 6-sided die, with numbers or a series of dots/symbols representing numbers from 1 through 6 printed on each of its faces.

Damage:  Harm caused to a ship that will eliminate masts and can sink a ship if there are no masts remaining.  Damage is fundamentally similar to a hit; however, abilities and effects that refer specifically to “hits” do not apply to actions or effects that cause damage.

Deckplate or Deck:  The primary, upper, horizontal surface of a ship’s hull that is attached directly to the sideplates and the masts.  Some ships may have multiple smaller decks in addition to their primary (largest) deckplate.

Deckplate Card:  A constructible ship model’s main card, which normally contains the ship’s primary (largest) deckplate piece.  The card lists all statistics and abilities of the ship on the front side, and includes range/movement bars and flavor text on the other.  The deckplate card of a sea dragon, sea monster or submarine contains its baseplate instead of a standard deckplate.

Derelict:  A ship that has no sails or masts.  Under normal circumstances, derelicts can be given only repair and explore actions.  Some abilities or game effects may also allow a derelict to be given move and/or shoot actions.

Dock or Docked:  A condition that occurs when the bow of a ship touches or is touching an island.  Docking is not considered an action.  Some abilities or situations may prevent docking, even if physical contact is made between the ship model and an island.

Eliminate:  To kill or destroy a game object using some game effect.  Some abilities or effects may prevent elimination, while others may allow certain game pieces to remain in play or return to play even after they have been eliminated.

End of your turn:  A single point in time that occurs after all actions have been given to members of your fleet, but before the beginning of your opponent’s turn.  If multiple different “end of turn” effects can occur, the current player may choose the order in which they are applied.

Events:  Tokens that may be included in your build total when creating a fleet, which have a special effect during the game.  Each event’s card has text which explains what it does and when it can be played.  Only one “beginning of turn” Event may be played per turn.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):  A list of questions and answers created by the official Rules Arbitrator in conjunction with the game designers to provide rulings, clarifications, and errata for issues not directly addressed within the rulebook, often due to the interaction between two or more abilities or because of alternate interpretations.  Visit the official forums at www.wizkidsgames.com for the latest edition of the FAQ.

Firemast:  A special type of mast that replaces a standard mast, usually due to the use of a Firepot Specialist.  Firemasts have their own specific effects and do not follow the rules for standard masts.

Flag (fort):  A flag-shaped piece that attaches to the upper edge of a fort’s wall.  In addition to indicating the nationality of the fort, each flag marks the location of a cannon available to that fort.  The number of flags that are placed on a fort when it is constructed equals the number of cannons printed on that fort’s baseplate.

Flag (ship):  A flag-shaped piece usually found on a ship’s deckplate card, which attaches to the stern of a ship to indicate its nationality.  All ships must carry their corresponding nationality flag, if available.

Flavor Text:  Text normally found on the backside of a ship’s deckplate card, a fort’s baseplate, or a crewmember’s card that provides descriptive information, history, or a story about the item.  Flavor text has no effect on gameplay.

Fog Bank:  A type of terrain representing extremely low-level clouds and/or mist floating just above the surface of the water.  Fog can obscure navigational aids such as the sun, the stars, and even nearby bodies of land, causing ships to quickly become lost and disoriented until they find a way out or the fog dissipates.

Fort:  An armed stronghold that can be purchased and built on a wild island during the game, providing players a place to store gold and repair their ships.

Free Action:  Any action that does not use up a ship’s action for the turn.  There is no limit to the number of free actions that may be performed in a single turn, provided that all requirements for their use are met.  See also: Secondary Action.

Game Effect:  Any action, ability, item, or event that alters the location, status, or result of another action, ability, item, or event.

Generic Crew:  The basic, non-unique crew available to all nationalities.  There is no limit to the number of duplicate generic crew that may appear within a single fleet, provided that all other crew requirements and all cargo and point limits are met.  The generic crew types include:  cannoneer, captain, chainshot specialist, explorer, firepot specialist, helmsman, musketeer, oarsman, smokepot specialist, and stinkpot specialist.

Gold:  The currency of choice among pirates and the seafaring nations of the world.  During the game players compete to collect the most gold.

Hit:  The result of a successful attack roll from a cannon, which occurs only during a shoot action.  Each hit eliminates one mast, unless an ability states otherwise.  A hit will sink a derelict ship.  Other game effects or abilities that eliminate masts directly (such as ramming) or those that cause damage (such as a sea dragon’s swoop attack) are not considered “hits”.

Home Island:  The island at which a player’s entire fleet begins the game, and where their ships must return with any treasure they collect.  Each player in a game has his or her own home island.

Hull:  The body of a ship or submarine.  It includes both sideplates and the deckplate(s) of a ship, but not the masts, sails, oars, flags, streamers, shell panels (Turtle Ships), or removable hull pieces (Submarines).

Hull Pieces (removable):  The parts of a submarine that are removed when it takes damage from any game effect that would remove or eliminate a mast from a standard ship.  Each removable hull piece has a printed die representing a cannon.

Iceberg:  A type of terrain that represents a large mass of ice adrift on the ocean.  Icebergs pose a significant threat to ships that sail in colder climates.

Island:  A body of land that is completely surrounded by water.  Islands are placed on the play area during setup, and are designated as either home islands or wild islands.

Keyword:  A type of ability that a card my have.  It refers to the keyword section of the rules because there is insufficient space to print the entire ability text directly on the card itself.  Many keyword abilities are specific to a single ship type or design.

Kraken:  A type of sea monster that resembles a giant squid or octopus.  They typically attack a ship by grasping it with their tentacles to crush or tear away large pieces, while simultaneously sweeping hapless crewmembers into its open maw.

L-distance or L-range:  A length equal to the red (Long) bar found on the back of a ship’s deckplate.  May also be denoted by a red square or a red d6.

Line of Fire (LOF) or Line of Sight (LOS):  A direct path that can be drawn from the source of a game effect to another object, such as a cannon to its target.  Shooting usually requires a clear (unblocked) LOF/LOS, while most abilities do not.  LOF/LOS is clear if it does not pass over, under, or through any object (an island, another ship, a mast, etc.) before reaching the intended target.

Link:  A special rule effect that adds cargo space to a ship when two specific crew or a specific crew and a specific ship are used together.

Mast:  The sail pieces that are included with each ship and are attached vertically to the ship’s deckplate(s).  Each mast is printed with a die representing a cannon; when a mast is eliminated that cannon is also eliminated.  Game effects that refer to masts also apply to the tentacles or segments of a sea dragon, sea monster or titan, and to the removable hull pieces of a submarine.

Mercenary:  Someone who is paid by a person, organization, or government to attack another person, organization, or government.  Mercenaries are represented in three different ways in this game:  the Mercenary nationality, the Mercenary keyword, and the Ex-Patriot keyword.

Movement Bar:  A red (Long) or white (Short) line found on the backside of a ship’s deckplate which determines the maximum distance the ship may move with an individual movement segment.  Also called a Range Bar.

Mysterious Island:  A special type of wild island with an ability that produces an effect when a ship docks at the island.

Named Crew:  Unique crew, usually available only to a specific nationality, which provide special abilities not found on most generic crew.  See also:  Character.

Non-Free Action:  Any action that uses up a ship’s action for the turn.  Ships can be given only one non-free action per turn, unless an ability or effect allows it to be given an additional action.  See also:  Primary Action.

Oars:  Pieces attached directly to the sideplates of a Galley, Longship, or Turtle Ship that represent rowing teams permanently stationed aboard the ship.  They are purely cosmetic, and provide no additional effects under the standard rules.

Oars Ability:  An alternate name for the movement ability provided by an Oarsman crewmember.  Typically used when referring to a ship that has the ability built-in.

Pin or Pinned:  A condition that occurs when the bow of a ship is touching any part of an enemy ship.  Pinning is not considered an action.  Some abilities or situations may prevent pinning, even if physical contact is made between two ships.

Port:  Left, or the left side of a ship.

Primary Action:  The four, basic, non-free actions that may be given to a ship:  move, shoot, repair, and explore.  Normally a ship can be given only one primary action per turn, but some abilities allow a ship to take additional actions or to combine two or more different actions.  See also:  Non-Free Action

Range Bar:  A red (Long) or white (Short) line found on the backside of a ship’s deckplate card which determines the maximum distances at which each of a ship’s cannons may shoot, or the maximum distance at which some abilities may affect their target.  Also called a Movement Bar.

Reef:  A type of terrain representing large growths of coral or similar creatures on the ocean floor.  Coral reefs pose a minimal threat to small and light ships, but can cause considerable damage to the hulls of larger and more massive ships, especially when navigating the shallow waters around islands or coastlines.

Remove (from the game):  Take an object out of play using some game effect, without necessarily eliminating it.  Objects cannot be put back into play after being removed from the game, unless a rule or game effect specifically allows it.

Round:  The period of time in which each player takes one turn.

Rule:  Any text that is found in the rulebook, except for the Keyword abilities and the abilities of generic crew.  The rules describe the basics of how to play the game, including the types of actions and how abilities may be used.  See also:  Ability

S-distance or S-range:  A length equal to the white (Short) bar found on the back of a ship’s deckplate.  May also be denoted by a white square or a white d6.

Sargasso Sea:  A type of terrain representing large clumps of seaweed adrift on the ocean, which can entangle ships that attempt to sail through it.  It poses little danger to large vessels, but can be a significant hazard to smaller ships.

Sea Dragon:  A large aquatic creature that resembles a winged serpent.  Previously thought to be mythical, several have been recently sighted attacking ships in coastal areas and in the vicinity of a number of island chains.  Some witnesses claim to have seen a sea dragon swoop down from the clouds and pluck entire ships from the sea before tearing them asunder.

Sea Monsters:  Abnormally large aquatic creatures, typically found only in legend, which have been known to attack sailing ships and their crews.  The most common types are giant sharks, krakens, and sea serpents.

Sea Serpent:  A type of sea monster that resembles a large snake.  They typically attack by wrapping their long bodies around the hull of a ship and crushing it like a boa constrictor, however, some have also been sighted breathing fire and/or noxious gasses.

Secondary Action:  Any action that may be performed as an alternative to or in addition to a primary action.  Most secondary actions are free actions, but require a specific situation or a primary action to occur before they can be given to a ship.

Segments:  The pieces of a sea dragon, sea monster, or titan, including tentacles and body parts, that are removed when it takes damage from any game effect that would remove or eliminate a mast from a standard ship.  Each segment has a printed die representing a cannon.

Setup:  The period of time that occurs after players build their fleets, but before the first player takes his or her first turn.  Islands, terrains, ships, and crew are placed during setup.  Some abilities can be revealed and/or applied during setup.

Scuttle:  A method of sinking a ship.  A derelict ship may voluntarily attempt a scuttle to prevent it or its cargo from being captured by an enemy, or a ship may be forced to scuttle because it has only firemasts remaining.  All cargo on a scuttled ship is removed from the game instead of following the normal rules for sinking.

Ship:  A vessel, typically utilizing masts and sails, which is used to explore dangerous waters, collect treasure, and engage in sea battles.  Game effects that refer to ships also apply to sea dragons, sea monsters, submarines, and titans.

Sideplates:  The horizontal pieces of a ship’s hull that connect directly to the deckplate.

Source (of an ability):  Any game piece that provides an ability or other game effect for use by itself or another associated gamepiece.  Most sources apply their abilities or effects to the ship they are onboard, as if the ship itself was the source.

Smoke or Smoke Cloud:  A temporary obstacle created by a smokepot specialist, which follows all of the standard rules for fog banks.  Abilities and effects that refer to a fog bank may be applied to it normally.

Stack:  To combine the effects of two or more different abilities to create a greater effect.  Identical abilities cannot be stacked, regardless of their sources.

Starboard:  Right, or the right side of a ship.

Stern:  The rear of a ship.

Stern-turn:  A game effect provided by the Galley and Schooner keyword abilities, which allows a ship to rotate up to 360° (degrees) on its stern after moving.

Streamer:  Small, multicolored pieces included in groups of three on the deckplate cards of some ships.  They are typically used to differentiate between similar looking ships in your own fleet and the fleets of opposing players, or to mark islands that have been explored.  The use of streamers is optional.

Submarine:  A special type of ship that is capable of traveling underwater.

Submerged:  A state of being in which a ship or sea monster is traveling underwater.  Submerged ships normally cannot interact with other ships directly or dock at an island, but some abilities may still be used by or against a submerged ship.

Terrain:  Obstacles that are placed on the playing area during setup after placing islands.  There are five different types, each with their own unique rules and effects: Fog Banks, Icebergs, Reefs, Sargasso Seas, and Whirlpools.

Titan:   Abnormally large crustaceans that have been sighted in coastal areas and near some remote islands.  They typically attack with pincer-like claws that can cleave a person or the mast of a ship in half in an instant, and have been known to drag the wreckage of ships back to their hidden lairs.  Some recent rumors have told of individuals who have “tamed” these beasts and ride them into battle.

Transfer:  The process of loading or unloading cargo on a ship to or from an island or another ship.

Treasure:  The gold or silver tokens that are evenly distributed to all the wild islands at the start of the game.  Some are printed with a gold value, while others are unique and have special abilities that affect your ships, crew, or even other treasures.  Players discover and fight over treasure during the course of a game.

Turn:  The period of time in which an individual player may give actions to members of his or her own fleet.  Most actions can only be performed on your own turn; however, some abilities may be used during an opponent’s turn as well.  Each player gets one turn per round.

Turtle shell panels:  Armored plates located above the deckplate of a turtle ship, on either side of the ship’s mast.  The Turtle Ship keyword describes how they affect gameplay.

Unique Treasure (UT):  A special type of treasure that has a picture and a name instead of a printed gold value.  Each UT has its own individual ability that may affect ships, crew, or even other treasures.

Whirlpool:  A type of terrain representing a large swirling mass of water that can pull ships in and cause them damage.  There have been some unsubstantiated claims of a ship being pulled into one whirlpool and being ejected by another hundreds of miles away.

Wild Island:  Any island that contains treasure at the beginning of a game.

Wreck:  A ship that has sunk due to damage taken from a Reef.  A wrecked ship remains in play and can be explored by other ships, but cannot be given any actions, cannot use or be affected by any abilities, and cannot be rammed, boarded, or shot.

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