Each player in Buccaneer Bones starts with six ships on the six numbered ports of his player mat; each ship is in a sailing lane that consists of a port, a sea space, and an island. On a turn, the player rolls four dice, then rerolls as many as he wants; if he now has a pair, he advances the ship matching the number rolled one space (from port to sea or from sea to island) and if he has a three-of-a-kind, he advances the appropriate ship two spaces (from port to island). When a player has a ship on an island, he receives a bonus:
- When on islands 1 or 6, he rolls one extra die; on islands 1 and 6, he rolls two extra dice.
- When on islands 2 or 5, he can add or subtract one from a rolled die; on islands 2 and 5, he can do this twice.
- When on islands 3 or 4, he can reroll any number of dice one extra time; on islands 3 and 4, he can reroll two extra times.
When a player has a ship on an island, if he has a three-of-a-kind matching that island number, the ship grabs one treasure, then returns to port.
If a player can't advance a ship, he can place his first mate (1) as a scout on an island to grant himself that power on his next turn, (2) as a thief on a treasure owned by a player with more treasure than him, giving him a chance to steal it next turn if he rolls any three-of-a-kind, or (3) as a defender to remove a thief on one of his treasures.
The game ends the round that a player collects his third treasure. If he's the only one with three treasures, he wins; if multiple players have three, then the tied player who has more ships farther from his ports wins.
Buccaneer Bones includes a couple of play variants, including rules for a solo game.
