How it plays
The edition sold in the USA is the Big Box: it contains the base game, two expansions, a stand-alone expansion and a promo card. This description covers the base game, in which the backs of the cards serve as coins. The active player turns cards face up into the harbor for as long as they like. If a second ship of the same color appears and cannot be fended off with the swords of hired sailors or pirates, the turn and the cards laid out are lost. Whoever stops takes one card, two if there are four ship colors, three if there are five: ships bring coins, characters cost coins but provide abilities and influence points. The other players may then each take one card and pay the active player one coin. Once someone has 12 or more influence points, the game ends after that round; whoever has the most wins.
What it can help develop
Every card revealed raises the question: one more, or better to secure what is there? With four or more ship colors in the harbor, players may take more cards, but each further card revealed becomes riskier. Children estimate which colors are already out and have to curb their eagerness to win more; this calls for impulse control. Simple planning comes in too: do I save up for a governor, hire sailors to fend off ships or collect characters for an expedition?
Especially suitable for
- Teenagers from age 14 who enjoy taking risks
- An introduction to more demanding card games
- Children who dislike waiting
Less suitable for
- Children who find lost turns hard to cope with
- Anyone who dislikes the luck of the draw
Our verdict
Port Royal Big Box is a worthwhile choice for teenagers from age 14 who enjoy taking risks, and as a bridge to more demanding card games. Its strength: the rules are quickly learned, and because other players may also take something during someone else’s turn, there is hardly any waiting. Its limitations are the luck of the draw and the annoyance over lost turns, which sensitive children quickly feel.
Getting started
- In the first games, discuss the cards in the harbor together and, with each additional card, ask whether the risk is worth it.
- The abilities of the characters take some getting used to, so briefly introduce the most important cards before you start.
- The rules of the base game include a variant: only a player who has completed at least one expedition can win.
In detail
Variants and player count
According to Pegasus Spiele, the base game by Alexander Pfister contains 120 cards and is intended for 2 to 5 players from age 8; the publisher gives the playing time as 20 to 50 minutes. According to Wikipedia, the game was published by Pegasus in 2014. As a variant, the rules provide that only a player who has completed at least one expedition can win. The Big Box sold in the USA contains this base game together with two expansions, a stand-alone expansion and a promo card; according to Pegasus Spiele North America, it is intended for players from age 14.
What reviewers say
Port Royal took 4th place in the À la carte award of Fairplay magazine in 2014 and was named family game of the year in Finland in 2015. Reich der Spiele calls it quick to explain and brisk to play and notes that some mechanisms are familiar from Can’t Stop. Spiele-Akademie highlights the short downtime: other players are on the edge of their seats even during someone else’s turn; according to the review, it is also suitable for families. Board Game Quest finds it easy to learn, with hardly any downtime, but calls the end of the game possibly predictable and sees little help for catching up. Meeple Mountain writes that newcomers often fail at first as long as they do not know how the cards are distributed, and that the start of the game is slow. Brettspiele-Magazin calls the rules short and getting started quick; according to the review, the characters’ abilities take some getting used to.
How it compares
What the Heck? (from age 8, 2 to 5 people, about 15 minutes) shares the skill areas of impulse control as well as logic and planning with Port Royal Big Box (from age 14, 2 to 5 people, about 20 to 50 minutes) and also calls for weighing risks; What the Heck? is less suited to games with just two. The Mind (from age 8, 2 to 4 people, about 15 minutes), like Port Royal Big Box, calls for impulse control, but it is designed for cooperation and suits families who prefer playing together rather than against each other. The Mind is less suited to tacticians who want to plan and stay in control. Port Royal Big Box suits teenagers from age 14 who enjoy taking risks, and as an introduction to more demanding card games. Port Royal Big Box is less suitable for children who find lost turns hard to cope with, and for anyone who dislikes the luck of the draw.
Sources
- Pegasus Spiele: Port Royal (product page, in German)
- Pegasus Spiele: Port Royal rules (PDF, in German)
- Wikipedia (German): Port Royal (Spiel, 2014)
- gamesweplay.de: À-la-carte-Kartenspielpreis 2014 (in German)
- Lautapeliopas: Vuoden peli (in Finnish)
- Reich der Spiele: review (in German)
- Spiele-Akademie: review (in German)
- Board Game Quest: review
- Meeple Mountain: review
- Brettspiele-Magazin: review (in German)
Frequently asked questions
What age is Port Royal Big Box suitable for?
Port Royal Big Box is recommended from age 14. A child is ready when they can estimate which ship colors are already in the harbor, curb their eagerness to win and shrug off a lost turn without getting too annoyed.
How long does a game take and how many people can play?
A game takes about 20 to 50 minutes. The game is for 2 to 5 people, who play against each other. As soon as someone reaches 12 influence points, the round is played to the end, and the most points decide the winner.
What skills can Port Royal Big Box help develop?
Port Royal Big Box can train impulse control as well as logic and planning. After every card revealed, players have to weigh up whether another one is worth it. On top of that comes the question of whether to save coins for a governor or hire sailors.
What if a child often loses their whole turn?
This happens especially to newcomers, as long as they do not know how the cards are distributed. Sailors and pirates use their swords to fend off a second ship of the same color; anyone who hires sailors early loses their turn less often.
