Set in the bustling Caribbean port of Port Royal during the age of piracy, players take on the roles of merchants, sailors, and adventurers seeking fortune and glory.
The game components include a deck of cards featuring various characters, ships, and actions, as well as player boards and tokens. Players start with a small fleet of ships and a handful of crew members and must use their resources wisely to expand their influence and wealth.
In "Port Royal," players take turns revealing cards from a central deck and deciding whether to add them to their expedition or pass them to their opponents. As players collect cards, they can recruit crew members, hire ships, and undertake expeditions to explore distant lands, trade goods, and battle rivals.
The game features a push-your-luck mechanic, as players must decide whether to continue adding cards to their expedition or stop and collect rewards before risking encountering dangerous threats or triggering an event that could set them back.