
- BGG rank
- BGG #28,974
- BGG rating
- 5.1
Bewitched
- 2–4 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 1988

1991
Rules assistance for Ghostly Galleon
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Ghostly Galleon is a board game released in 1991 for 2–4 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 7 and up. It was designed by Malcolm Goldsmith and Michael Kindred and its main mechanics are Roll / Spin and Move, Dice Rolling, and Pick-up and Deliver.
GHOSTLY GALLEON - 2-4 players Ages 7 and up Who will be the first pirate daring enough to board the Ghostly Galleon, search all the old sea chests for the treasure and take it back to his hideout ashore? COMPONENTS (some assembly required) Gameboard Ghostly Galleon consisting of: ... cardboard parts - 3 deck sections, 4 tattered sails ... plastic parts - hull, forecastle, quarterdeck, 2 masts, 2 yards, wheel, gangplank, 4 cannons, flag Blackbeard's "Glow-in-the-dark" Ghost 4 plastic playing pieces (fronts and backs) 6 treasure chests with lids 8 square weapon tiles 6 round key tiles (including 1 parrot tile) 6 oblong treasure tiles 3 dice 1 label sheet OBJECT OF THE GAME To be the first pirate to arrive back at your hideout with the gold pieces-of-eight treasure SETTING UP THE GAME Place the assembled galleon on the gameboard. Shuffle the weapons and place one face down on each of the skull-and-crossbones squares in the corners of the board. Put the other four away, out of play, without looking at them. Put one treasure tile into each chest and close the lids. Shuffle the chests and place them on the rectangles marked in the ship's cabins. Shuffle the key tiles and put them face down in a neat pile in the Haunted Cabin. Put Blackbeard in the Haunted Cabin. Each player chooses a pirate and puts him in his hideout - matching color segment in one corner of the board. Decide who will start. Takes turns clockwise. PLAYING THE GAME To move throw two dice and move the total of the two. You may go in any direction but you may not double back over the same squares in the middle of a turn. If you throw a double you DO NOT get another turn. There are four caves on the shore interconnected by secret passages. They allow you to move around the board quickly. Moving from one cave entrance to another counts as one step. You may move Blackbeard's ghost if you get a 6 on your dice-throw. Use him to help you and hinder other pirates. He may never leave the galleon. He may pass through a pirate in order to reach a square beyond him. He may enter a cabin occupied by a pirate. You can fire the cannon, you can be made to "walk the plank" and can be saved from the water by a floating barrel.
Ghostly Galleon 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 Ghostly Galleon is 45 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 Ghostly Galleon for ages 7 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.
Ghostly Galleon has a complexity rating of 1.6 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Ghostly Galleon belongs to these categories: Fighting, Children's Game, and Dice. Its main mechanics are Roll / Spin and Move, Dice Rolling, and Pick-up and Deliver. 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 Ghostly Galleon are: Malcolm Goldsmith and Michael Kindred. 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 Ghostly Galleon as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.