- BGG rank
- BGG #284
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Skull King
- 2–8 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2013
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Rules assistance for Captains of the Golden Age: Captains and Characters
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 30–60 min
- 11+
Rules assistant for Captains of the Golden Age: Captains and Characters
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Captains of the Golden Age: Captains and Characters is an expansion for Captains of the Golden Age released in 2016 for 2–4 players, 30–60 minutes per game, and ages 11 and up. It was designed by Niek Jansma and Aron Groot and its main mechanics are Deck, Bag, and Pool Building and Rock-Paper-Scissors.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #16,461
- BGG rating
- 6.1
¡Abordaje!
- 2 players
- 10–25 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 2015
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,743
- BGG rating
- 7.1
The Pirate Republic
- 1–5 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #19,192
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Robinson Crusoe: Escape from Despair Island
- 1–4 players
- 25–60 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,502
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Fantastiqa: The Rucksack Edition
- 2–4 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,533
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Critical Mass: Patriot vs Iron Curtain
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,324
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Critical Mass: Raijin vs Archon
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #9,745
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Pixel Glory
- 2–4 players
- 25 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,735
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Grim Doom
- 2 players
- 25–45 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #21,029
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Mortadelo Multiverso
- 2–6 players
- 15–30 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 2025
- BGG rank
- BGG #23,230
- BGG rating
- 6.2
POWER
- 2–4 players
- 36 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #27,118
- BGG rating
- 5.6
Tricksters
- 1–8 players
- 10–20 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2016
About the game
ERRATA: Players can only buy one character per turn. THE STORY The infamous innkeeper has a curious grin on his face as he says “Friends,how good of you to visit Smuggler’s Cove inn again! I’ve been quite busy expanding here, let me show you.” He opens a hatch behind the bar and urges you to step down a ladder into what you assume must be a secret room below. As you descend the ladder the scent of spices, perfume, and other exotic wares you can’t quite place greets you. The room is as exquisite in decoration as it is in fragrance, and inside is a group of a dozen or so outlandish individuals. “These are some of the friends I met while sailing the seven seas”,says the infamous innkeeper. “Like myself, each of them is uniquely skilled and they’ll gladly work for you. But their trade doesn’t come cheap; it will cost you pepper...” HIRING CHARACTERS: Characters can be bought for a single unit of pepper at Smuggler’s Cove during the harbor phase. Players may always look at the stack of available characters, and when they buy a character they may choose it from the stack themselves. Players may have any number of character cards. TURNING CHARACTERS FACE-DOWN: Each character has a unique effect but only functions as long as it is face-up. Characters can be turned face-down in the following four ways: 1-When you board another players’ ship with your crew and win, for each cargo of the losing player you decline to steal you may choose a character of that player and turn it face-down. 2-When you bombard another players’ ship with your cannons and win, for each ship segment of the losing player you decline to damage you may choose a character of that player and turn it face-down. 3-‘The Artful Assassin’ can be used to turn a character of another player face-down. 4-‘The Sneaky Stowaway’ has to be turned face-down when it is used. TURNING CHARACTERS FACE-UP Face-down characters can be turned face-up again in the following three ways: 1-In the Republic you may turn all your characters face-up during your harbor phase. 2-In the Orient you may turn all your characters face-up during your harbor phase. 3-At Smuggler’s Cove you may turn all your characters face-up during your harbor phase if you have ‘The Infamous Innkeeper’ and it is face-up.
Designers
Publishers
- Golden Age Games
Questions and answers
Captains of the Golden Age: Captains and Characters supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Captains of the Golden Age: Captains and Characters is 30–60 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 Captains of the Golden Age: Captains and Characters for ages 11 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.
Captains of the Golden Age: Captains and Characters belongs to these categories: Card Game, Adventure, and Nautical. Its main mechanics are Deck, Bag, and Pool Building and Rock-Paper-Scissors. 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 Captains of the Golden Age: Captains and Characters are: Niek Jansma and Aron Groot. 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 Captains of the Golden Age: Captains and Characters as an expansion for Captains of the Golden Age. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Captains of the Golden Age to use it. Check that your edition of Captains of the Golden Age is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.