
- BGG rank
- BGG #12,420
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Black Seas: Master & Commander Starter Set
- 2 players
- 30–500 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2019

Rules assistance for Black Seas: L'Orient
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Black Seas: L'Orient is an expansion for Black Seas: Rulebook released in 2019 for 2 players, 30–500 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Gabrio Tolentino and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Simulation.
Orient was of the Océan-class of ships. These were a series of 118-gun three-decker ships of the line of the French Navy, designed by engineer Jacques-Noël Sané. Launched on July 20, 1791, she was originally named the Dauphin Royal, but having come into service during a time of great political upheaval, she was promptly renamed. As a tribute to a political movement, she was dubbed the Sans-Culotte. She retained this name for three years before it also became contentious. In the Game Orient is an extremely powerful 1st Rate Flagship on the tabletop. Woe betides the enemy that suffers the full brunt of her broadside. Remember that you can only take a limited number of 1st rate ships in a Black Seas fleet, therefore Orient provides an impressive and powerful centrepiece for your French fleet. She also receives a very characterful set of special rules in the game, gaining a combat bonus when facing British ships, and if should she ever catch fire, she will immediately explode as per her famous historical demise. —description from the publisher
Black Seas: L'Orient supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Black Seas: L'Orient is 30–500 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Black Seas: L'Orient for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Black Seas: L'Orient belongs to these categories: Wargame, Napoleonic, and Miniatures. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Simulation. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Black Seas: L'Orient are: Gabrio Tolentino. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Black Seas: L'Orient as an expansion for Black Seas: Rulebook. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Black Seas: Rulebook to use it. Check that your edition of Black Seas: Rulebook is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.