Fortunes of Scoundrel Bay
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The FroGames info card
You've just recruited a cook. Your opponent digs up a treasure you'd eyed three turns ago. Someone invades the port you needed to deliver crates. And meanwhile, the fifth reef approaches, and you're still behind.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
An archipelago full of gold and unscrupulous captains
Vegard Eliassen Stillerud, Eilif Svensson, and Åsmund Svensson (Raid the Realm, Gods Love Dinosaurs) sign off on a pirate game where the winner isn't the one who shoots the most, but the one who builds the best engine. The illustrations by Billy Christian and Sylvain Leroy transform Scoundrel Bay into a living archipelago: every port, every hideout, every sea monster tells a story.
You recruit crew members to unlock stronger actions. You navigate between islands to conquer ports, dig for treasure, deliver crates, and fight monsters. Each card has three different actions, but you cannot repeat the one you just did: you must plan the sequence, not just the single turn. Five reefs mark the game: whoever crosses the fifth ends the game. Rushing ahead shortens the game, but you risk arriving with an engine too weak to truly win.
What they say abroad
"High interaction without resorting to negative or take-that attacks."
High interaction without resorting to negative or take-that attacks.
— Designer notes
Fortunes of Scoundrel Bay promises tight interaction built on open drafting, monster races, and blind auctions. The card will be updated with first impressions from the table as soon as the game is available.
— FroGames
Fortunes of Scoundrel Bay
The game officially supports solo play, but it is designed for direct interaction: area majority, open drafting, monster races. In solo, the experience works as an engine optimization puzzle, but it loses the competitive tension that is at the heart of the design.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and play sessionsYour crew
84 unique cards, three actions each
Recruitment
Every crew member you add to your board unlocks stronger actions. The cook allows you to dig, the bosun to invade hideouts, the gunner to shoot monsters. Build the engine that serves your strategy.
Navigation and monsters
You move between islands, and when you pass near a monster, you can confront it. The first to arrive takes the loot and gains reputation. Monsters are not mandatory, but they are worth points, and those who ignore them often lose.
Invasion
You conquer ports by area majority and invade hideouts with blind auctions. You don't shoot others: you steal their space. Every port is worth gold, every hideout hides resources. Those who control more territories accumulate faster.
Deliveries and treasures
Collect crates and deliver them to ports for immediate money. Or dig up buried treasures that are worth gold at the end of the game. Two different paths: immediate liquidity or long-term accumulation. Choose based on how much time you have left.
Recommended sleeves 100 cards in 1 size ▼
If you play often, we recommend protecting your cards with clear sleeves to make them last longer.
| Size | Quantity |
|---|---|
| 63 × 88 mm | 100 |
| Total cards | 100 |
Come si gioca
Video dimostrativo di gameplay.
🎲How to playThe rules in four steps▼
How to play
The flow of each turn
A turn is fast: you play a card, choose an action, resolve it. The constraint is that you cannot repeat the action from the previous turn.
Choose a card from your hand and place it in front of you. Each card has three possible actions: recruitment, navigation/monster, invasion. But you will only perform one.
Decide which of the three actions to activate, with one constraint: you cannot choose the same action you performed in the previous turn. This forces you to plan sequences, not isolated moves.
You recruit a crew member, navigate and confront a monster, or invade a port or a hideout. Stronger actions require specific crew members already recruited.
Each time someone crosses a reef, an event occurs that changes the game conditions. Then everyone must feed their crew: if you don't have enough food, you pay in gold or lose crew members.
⏱️Your first gameThe chronicle, moment by moment▼
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Asymmetrical setup
Each player chooses a captain's board with unique powers. Someone starts strong with monsters, someone else with deliveries. The initial card draft immediately puts everyone in competition: every card you take is a card you deny others. And it's already clear who is aiming for what.
First routes and first crews
The first turns are cautious: you recruit, navigate, explore. Someone races towards a monster, someone occupies a key port. The rule of not repeating the previous action forces everyone to think in sequences, not in single moves. And whoever gets the order wrong loses an entire turn.
Collision course
Two players want the same port. One invades a hideout with a blind auction and someone overbids at the last minute. Monsters start disappearing from the map and those who fall behind can no longer recover lost reputation. Every choice now has a visible opportunity cost.
The third reef
Someone has crossed the third reef and starts to worry: only two reefs remain until the end. But their engine is still weak and they don't have enough gold. The others slow down to recruit more, but risk someone else closing first. Timing becomes everything.
The last reef
Someone crosses the fifth reef and the game ends. Ports, treasures, reputation, delivered crates are counted. Those who raced too early realize they left points on the table. Those who built for too long didn't have time to monetize. The winner is whoever found the balance.
🐸Good to know beforehandThree honest things, from friends▼
Good to know beforehand
Three things you need to know
Steep learning curve
The rules can be explained in half an hour, but understanding when to recruit and when to race requires an entire game. In the first session, many build too much or race too early. It's normal: the game rewards those who learn from their mistakes.
Downtime with four players
With two or three players, the game flows quickly. With four players, turns lengthen: everyone must evaluate all available cards in the open draft and calculate the moves of others. If your group suffers from analysis paralysis, it's better to play with three.
The game can end early
If someone decides to rush towards the fifth reef ignoring their engine, they can end the game before others expect it. It's not a winning strategy, but it shortens the playtime and forces everyone to stay alert. Those who build without watching the reef lose.
🏆Victory and defeatWhat the ending rewards▼
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
The game ends as soon as a captain crosses the fifth reef. Then all points are counted.
Victory
- Gold accumulated from ports, treasures, delivered crates
- Reputation gained by fighting monsters
- Majorities on the most profitable ports
Ways to lose ground
- Building an engine too slow and not having time to use it
- Rushing too early and closing without enough gold
- Ignoring monsters and leaving all the reputation to others
Fortunes of Scoundrel Bay doesn't ask you to shoot others. It asks you to understand when to stop growing and start racing. And that's the hardest decision.
💬Frequently Asked QuestionsQuick answers before checkout▼
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ about Fortunes of Scoundrel Bay
What mechanics does Fortunes of Scoundrel Bay use?
Area majority (port control), hand management and multi-use cards (each card has three different actions), pick-up and deliver (crates), track movement (navigation), asymmetrical powers (captain boards), events (at each reef), open draft (crew recruitment).
Is it suitable for those who have never played engine-building games?
No. Fortunes of Scoundrel Bay is a 3.4 weight game that assumes familiarity with hand management, engine building, and timing. If you're looking for a gateway game, something more linear is better. If you've already played Race for the Galaxy, Wingspan, or Terraforming Mars, you'll feel right at home here.
How long does a game really last?
The first game takes almost two hours, including explanation. From the second game onwards, with three players, it finishes in 90 minutes. With four, it can extend up to 2 hours if someone suffers from analysis paralysis. With two, it's faster, but loses some of the interaction.
Is there direct attack between players?
No. Interaction is very high, but you don't directly shoot or steal from others. You compete for area majorities, for monsters (whoever gets there first takes it), for cards in the open draft, for hideouts with blind auctions. All indirect, but intense, conflict.
Is the edition for sale in Italian?
No, this edition is in English. The game contains 84 unique cards with text and symbols, so knowledge of English is necessary. There are currently no official Italian translations.
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who publishes it — and what else they've done.
Fortunes of Scoundrel Bay is a competitive strategy game for 1-4 players, lasting 75-120 minutes, recommended age 14+. Designed by Vegard Eliassen Stillerud, Eilif Svensson, and Åsmund Svensson, published by Chilifox Games. Mechanics: area majority, multi-use cards, hand management, asymmetrical powers, pick-up and deliver. Each card offers three different actions, but you cannot repeat the action from the previous turn: the game forces you to plan sequences, not isolated moves. Available on FroGames.it.
Fortunes of Scoundrel Bay
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
📸Do the images match the actual product?
The photos on the website often come from BoardGameGeek and are intended to give you an idea of the game. They may vary slightly from the version you receive. The content declared by the publisher is always binding.
📦Does the content of the box match what is indicated?
We always strive to provide the correct content, but minor variations are possible due to reprints or updates. The information comes directly from the publishers. If you have any questions, please contact us!
⏳How do pre-orders work?
Pre-order the game before release, payment is immediate, and the game is reserved for you. As soon as it arrives, we'll ship it right away! If there are any delays, we'll update you promptly.
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