
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,797
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Rum & Bones
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2015

Rules assistance for Rum & Bones: Second Tide – Mercenaries Hero's Chest
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.
Rum & Bones: Second Tide – Mercenaries Hero's Chest is an expansion for Rum & Bones: Second Tide released in 2017 for 2–6 players and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Michael Shinall and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Grid Movement.
These Heroes make a hearty crew, for the right price. A good pirate captain is always on the lookout for some new recruits. They’ll lose some crew to scurvy, sunken ships, and in rare cases, retirement, so having a healthy supply of replacements on hand is crucial. The Mercenaries Heroes Chest for Rum and Bones Second Tide, adds ten new Heroes willing to join any faction for the right price. These Heroes come with their own set of skills and special attacks. Any crew would be happy to have them on board! This is an expansion. The Rum & Bones: Second Tide core game is required to play. Features: Mini Mercenaries - All ten of the included Mercenaries have their own highly detailed miniature figure and Hero Dashboards, allowing them to join any pirate crew. Custom Cards - Each Hero comes with their own Skill cards that can be used to customize their abilities. As the game progresses, players will be able to choose how to develop them.
Rum & Bones: Second Tide – Mercenaries Hero's Chest supports 2–6 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 catalogue lists Rum & Bones: Second Tide – Mercenaries Hero's Chest 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.
Rum & Bones: Second Tide – Mercenaries Hero's Chest belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Miniatures, and Nautical. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Grid Movement. 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 Rum & Bones: Second Tide – Mercenaries Hero's Chest are: Michael Shinall. 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 Rum & Bones: Second Tide – Mercenaries Hero's Chest as an expansion for Rum & Bones: Second Tide. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Rum & Bones: Second Tide to use it. Check that your edition of Rum & Bones: Second Tide is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.