Rules for Shipopoly
Preparation
To begin with, each captain (player) selects a token and starts from GO. One captain becomes the Secretary of the Navy, who distributes assets from the Treasury to the captains. Captain can use only their money. If a captain is on leave and a second person has been delegated to act for them, the money for each captain is tracked separately even if one person is playing for two people. Money can be lent only via the Secretary of the Navy by a captain decommissioning (mortgaging) an asset. Money cannot be lent by another captain. Each captain receives $1,500 at the start of the game. The Secretary of Navy has an unlimited number of sailing ships and cruisers to sell to captains, and the Treasury never runs out of money. The Secretary of the Navy has personal assets as a captain which are separate from those of the Treasury. The Secretary of the Navy cannot get extra money for holding that position. When a captain passes GO the captain receives $200. The Secretary of the Navy keeps track of each captain's position on the board, and a record of the captain's assets.
General
The game is limited to a maximum of eight captains.
Each captain uses a
random number generator for two virtual dice (or use two real dice), and then moves forward (clockwise around the board) the number of spaces indicated by the sum of the numbers. Action is then taken depending on the space on which the captain lands:
- If the captain arrives in an unowned port, the captain may buy it for the price listed on that port's space. If the captain agrees to buy it, the captain pays the Treasury the amount listed in the table below and receives the deed for that port. Depot, Dispatch, Base and Survey Vessels/Ships and Utilities - Donkey Boilers and Bilge Pumps - are considered as ports;
- If the captain arrives in a commissioned port owned by another captain, the first captain pays berthing fees to that person, as specified in the table below. It is the Secretary of the Navy's responsibility to disburse the berthing fee;
- If the captain lands on the captain's own port, or on port which is owned by another captain but is currently decommissioned, nothing happens - no berthing fees are paid and the captain cannot purchase the port;
- If the captain lands on Ship's Refit, the captain must pay the Treasury $100;
- If the captain lands on Naval Fines Office, the captain must pay the Treasury $200;
- If the captain lands on Chance or Community Chest, the captain uses a random number generator 1-16 to select the card and performs the instruction given on the card;
- If the captain lands on the Shore Leave space, the captain is "Just Visiting" and does nothing. No penalty applies;
- If the captain lands on the Go to Drydock square, the captain's token is moved directly to the Drydock; or,
- If the captain lands on or passes GO in the course of the captain's turn, the captain receives $200 from the Treasury.
If a captain does not have sufficient funds to pay off a berthing fee or fees, the captain may take a loan from the Treasury by decommissioning one or more ports, or the captain may return a port, sailing ship or cruiser to the Treasury for the purchase price, or sell them to another captain for a mutually agreed upon price.
Captains may not loan money to other captains, only the Treasury can loan money, and then only by decommissioning ports, sailing vessels or cruisers.
Captains may take their turn in the current round in any order. If a captain's turn completes the round, the captain may start the next round immediately. A round is not completed until each captain has had a turn.
Doubles
When doubles are generated, the captain, after moving to the designated square and completing any actions or transactions, generates another number and moves again. If a captain generates three doubles in a row, the captain goes immediately to the Drydock and, therefore, does not enact the appropriate action of landing on the indicated square of the third double.
Drydock
A captain can be directed to the drydock in three ways: by landing on the Go to Drydock space, by drawing a "Go to Drydock", Chance, or Community Chest card, or generating doubles three times in succession. In any of these cases, the captain moves directly into the Drydock without collecting the $200 for passing GO.
A captain in Drydock remains there until the captain does one of the following:
- opts to pay a $50 bailout to the Treasury, or spend a "Get out of Drydock Free" card before generating the numbers;
- generates doubles; or,
- fails to generate doubles on the captain's third turn in Drydock, in which case the $50 charge is not levied, and the captain gets to leave.
In any of these cases, the number generated on the turn on which the captain leaves Drydock is played out. However, in the second case, the power of the doubles is "used up" by bailing the captain out of Drydock, and so the captain does not get an extra turn. On the other hand, if the captain generates doubles in the first case, the extra turn is still granted.
While in Drydock, a captain may still buy sailing ships/cruisers, sell or buy ports, and collect berthing fees.
Ports, Berthing Fees, and Construction
A captain may sell a port or utility to another captain at any time, ships or cruisers included for any price agreed upon. A captain may return ports, cruisers, sailing ships or utilities back to the Treasury for the original price. The ports and utilities will be available for sale to the next captain to land on them. A captain may buy more than one sailing ship at a time in Shipopoly. Any captain may buy a port or utility from another captain, sailing ships or cruisers included. A captain can buy sailing ships and/or cruisers at any time as long as the captain owns all the ports in a color group, or the captain may buy up to two sailing ships for any port owned by him or her. Ports are arranged in "color groups" of two or three ports. Once a captain owns all ports of a color group (a monopoly), the berthing fees are doubled on all unimproved lots of that color group, even if some of the ports are decommissioned to the Treasury, and the captain may purchase either one to four sailing ships or one cruiser (which is equivalent to five sailing ships) for those ports (as long as none of the ports of that color group are decommissioned to the Treasury), which raise the berthing fees that must be paid when other captain land on the port. The ports in a color group must be developed evenly, i.e. each sailing ship that is built must go on a port in the group with the fewest number of sailing ships on it so far. In another way of speaking, the number of sailing ships of any ports of a same color group must not differ by more than one. For example, sailing ships in a group may be distributed (2,3,2) or (0,1,1) or (4,4,3), but not (1,2,3) or (0,4,4).
All trade offers MUST be made public, i.e. by posting in this topic. Private messaging and posting elsewhere may not be used for this. When offering to sell a square, please make it clear whether the offer is for a specific player/players, or whether it's for everybody. If the offer is for more than one person (including everybody), you must wait 24 hours after posting the offer before making a deal. This is so that people in other time zones have a chance to bid. You are not required to accept the highest bid. Sharing ownership of a port and waiving/reducing the berthing fee are strictly prohibited. No exceptions.
A captain may have up to 1 Cruiser or 4 Sailing ships on a given port. 5 Sailing ships are equal to 1 Cruiser. Sailing ship prices are listed below.
A captain may put one or two Sailing ships on any property owned by him or her, whether or not all the captain owns all the ports in a colour group. A port may have more than two Sailing ships only when a single captain owns all the ports in that colour group. Sailing ships must be added to all the ports in a colour group evenly; i.e. one port may not have four Sailing ships while another port in the same colour group has only one Sailing ship.
A cruiser may be put on a color group only after all ports in the group have four sailing ships. A captain purchases a cruiser by paying the price of an additional sailing ship, and returning the four sailing ships on that port to the Treasury in exchange for a cruiser.
The Secretary of the Navy has an unlimited supply of sailing ships and cruisers to sell.
At any time a captain may, to raise cash, mortgage cruisers and sailing ships to the Treasury for the decommission value listed below (half the price paid for them). Cruisers may also be "broken down" into a number of sailing ships for the corresponding percentage of their purchase price. For example, cruisers in one color group may be replaced by two sailing ships each, and for each cruiser thus broken down, the captain receives half the cost of three sailing ships. Also, ports with no sailing ships or cruisers may be decommissioned for half of the port price. A port does not collect berthing fees while decommissioned and may not be developed. To re-commission a port a captain must pay interest of 10% in addition to the decommission price. Whenever a decommissioned port changes hands between captains, either through a trade, sale or by bankruptcy, the new owner must immediately pay 10% interest on the decommission fees and at their option may pay the principal or hold the port. If the captain holds the port and later wishes to lift the decommissioning the captain must pay the 10% interest again as well as the principal.
Sharing the ownership of any port is strictly forbidden and results in the captains involved forfeiting the game with records showing a Dishonourable Discharge.
For being pulled of a mud bar or pulled off rocks, the captain must pay for every sailing ship and/or cruiser they own on the board.
Vessel/Ship and Utility Rent
The Vessel/Ships are:
- Dispatch Vessel Alacrity;
- Base Ship Tamar;
- Depot Ship Intrepid; and,
- Survey Vessel Enterprise.
The Utilities are:
- Donkey Boilers; and,
- Bilge Pumps
The fees a captain owes for landing on a Vessel or Ship varies with the number of Vessels and/or Ships the owner possesses. The fees are as follows: Charge $25 if one owned, $50 if two owned, $100 if three owned, $200 if all owned by the same owner. If a captain get a Chance card which says to advance to the nearest vessel or ship, the captain may either buy it if unowned or, if owned by another captain, the first captain must pay double what would normally be paid.
When a captain lands on the Donkey Boiler or Bilge Pump, the fee is ten times the amount of the roll that landed the captain there if both utilities are owned, or four times if only one is owned. One captain does not have to possess both in order the fees to be ten times the amount.
Crow's Nest cash
A captain who lands in the Crow's Nest collects the cash in the Crow's Nest pool, and the pool is restarted.
The pool is built by adding:
- The bailout fee from Drydock;
- The fines from the Naval Fines Office; and,
- The fees from the Ship's Refit.
The pool starts with no money initially, and no money from the Treasury is put in after the cash in the pool is collected by a captain.
Going on Leave
If a captain needs to be away from the game for more than a day:
- The captain may ask another person, whether in the game or not, to play their turns for them until they return; otherwise
- The captain's ship will be assumed to have been Sunk with the loss of all hands, and all ports, utilities, vessels, cash and etc will be turned back to the Treasury.
Sunk
When a captain has no assets remaining, the captain will be declared and recorded as
Sunk.
Images
An image of the Shipopoly Board is
here.
An image of the Chance cards is
here.
An image of the Community Chest cards is
here.
An image of the Tokens is
here, and
here (for extra 2 players)
Many thanks to Hanibal94, Joan and Leelaht!
You can sail the seven seas from your computer keyboard, have your rum boiled with salt water, throw your Electric wireless (Large) overboard, and be Stowaway Jim C.IN.C. of the P.R.Cats hero of the battles of Dogger and Jutland!
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