Photo: BCD Jeux, partner shopParty games
Traitors Aboard
SavanaJean-Xia Chou2023
- players
- 3–8
- minutes
- 20
- years
- 10+
In the box
Traitors Aboard game
Box details
- Designer
- Jean-Xia Chou
- Artwork
- Laura Bazzoni
- Publisher
- Savana
- Mechanics
- Hidden RolesBluffingDeductionTeam-BasedPlayer Elimination
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
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The basics
Under secret roles, the pirates want to fill the chest up to the target value, the mutineers to make the collection fail or take the ship. On your turn, either put a Loot card face down in the chest and announce its value, lying if you like, or play an Action card. At the start of their turn, a pirate may open the chest: target reached, the pirates win, otherwise the mutineers do, who also win if the draw pile runs out.
Checked against the official rules · September 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
Role face down, 3 cards in hand, Loot +1, 0, −2
- Prepare the Role cards and Plank cards for the number of players: 2 pirates and 1 mutineer with three players, 3 and 1 with four, 4 and 1 with five, 4 and 2 with six, 5 and 2 with seven, 6 and 2 with eight. The rest go back in the box.
- The planks used go from 12 with three players to 22 with eight, adding 2 per player.
- Everyone gets a role face down, looks at it and keeps it to themselves.
- The Loot cards (+1, 0, −2) and the Action cards are shuffled together; everyone is dealt 3 and the rest form the draw pile.
- Keep a space for the chest next to the draw pile, and a discard pile a little apart.
How to play
Only 1 action per turn, Lying is allowed, Draw back up to 3
- On your turn, you do just one thing: put a Loot card in the chest, or play an Action card.
- Loot goes face down on the chest, and you announce its value out loud. You are allowed to lie.
- An Action card is revealed, applied, then placed face down on the discard pile. It never goes in the chest.
- Spyglass (Longue-vue): secretly look at the top three cards of the chest and put them back in any order.
- Good riddance (Bon débarras): the top two cards of the chest are discarded without being looked at.
- Empty your pockets (Vide tes poches): another player discards their whole hand and draws three new cards.
- Miraculous catch (Pêche miraculeuse): draw three cards, then put two back on the draw pile in the order you choose.
- Plank (Planche): place it in front of another player. On their third plank, they reveal their role, discard their cards and leave the ship, though they may still advise their side.
- End your turn by drawing back up to three cards, except after a Miraculous catch.
Scoring
No points, Target value 5 to 12
- There are no points: the game is won as a team.
- The target value depends on the number of players: 5 with three, 8 with four, 11 with five, 6 with six, 9 with seven, 12 with eight.
- In Marquoir, add 1 to each player on the winning side, to track who wins most over several games.
End of the game
A pirate opens the chest, Target reached: pirates, Draw pile out: mutineers
- At the very start of their turn, a pirate may reveal their role and open the chest: if the total of the Loot cards reaches the target value, the pirates win; otherwise, the mutineers win.
- A mutineer is not allowed to open the chest.
- The pirates also win as soon as every mutineer has been pushed overboard.
- The mutineers win as soon as there are as many mutineers as pirates left aboard, or as soon as the draw pile runs out.
Going further
Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Frequently asked questions
Why is the target lower with six players than with five?
Because with six players there are two mutineers instead of one: they sabotage more, so the bar is lowered to make up for it.
Can you really lie about the card you put in?
Yes, that is the whole point of the game. Nobody checks before the chest is opened, and a Spyglass can unmask a liar… or be used to lie again.