The short version
Trade on your own turn, before you build. Ask for the one good that finishes a build or contract right now, and offer something the other captain doesn’t produce. Keep it one for one, or give a little extra: even two for one beats the market.
How a trade works
- Only the captain whose turn it is can make an offer, to one other captain at a time, during the action phase.
- Each side holds 1 to 9 goods, and the same resource can’t be on both sides.
- The other captain has 45 seconds to accept. If they drop offline, that clock pauses until they’re back.
- Both hands are checked again when the offer is accepted, so nobody can promise goods they no longer have.
- Building, delivering, using the market, pausing or ending your turn cancels a pending offer. Make the deal first, then build.
- Offers and completed trades are public; each captain’s exact cargo stays private.
Why a fair trade is a bargain
The market is always there, but it is expensive. This is what one good costs you on each route:
| Route | You give | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Market | 3 of one resource | 3 market swaps per turn |
| Market with an upgraded port of that resource | 2 | Same limit |
| Trade with a captain, one for one | 1 | One offer at a time; they must accept |
| Trade with a captain, two for one | 2 | Still no worse than your best market rate |
A one-for-one trade saves you two goods against the market, which is most of a lane. That is why it is worth offering a little extra when you really need the last piece.
Work out what the others need
You can’t see anyone’s cargo, but plenty is public:
- Their islands. Island resources and owners are on the chart. A captain with no grain island is usually short of grain.
- Their cargo count and score. The player strip shows how many goods each captain holds and their points.
- The contracts. All three are face up. If a captain keeps collecting stone and cloth, you can guess which card they are aiming for.
- The log. Recent harvests and trades show what came in and went out, and who used the market.
Offer the resource they don’t make, and ask for the one they produce. They are more likely to have spare, and more likely to say yes.
Example offers
| You need | You have | A good offer | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 stone to build a port | 4 cloth | 1 cloth for 1 stone, to a captain with a stone island and no cloth island | One for one, and it fills their gap too |
| 1 grain to deliver a 2-point contract | 3 timber, no spare anything else | 2 timber for 1 grain | The market would take 3 timber; this saves one |
| Grain and cloth for a 3-point contract | Lots of stone | Two separate turns: stone for grain now, stone for cloth next turn | Only one offer can be open at a time; split it |
| Nothing urgent | A balanced hand | No offer | Trading without a goal often helps the other captain more |
What the computer captains accept
The computer captains follow a simple, fixed rule. They accept an offer when all three are true:
- they hold everything you ask for,
- you give at least as many goods as you ask for, and
- at least one good you offer is something they hold fewer than 3 of.
They don’t look at the score and never make offers themselves. So “1 timber for 1 stone” works if they have a stone and fewer than 3 timber, while “1 timber for 2 stone” is always declined.
Trading with friends
- Say what you need out loud. The game has no voice chat, so talk it over at the table, then send the offer from your phone.
- Watch the leader. Before you accept, check the scores. A captain on 9 or 10 points who gets the last piece of a contract can win on the spot.
- Small, specific offers get accepted. One or two goods for one or two goods is easy to say yes to in 45 seconds.
- Remember the return trade. Your next turn comes soon. A captain you gave a fair deal is more likely to help you back.
For what to build with all those goods, see the Trade Isles strategy guide.
Ready to try it? Open a room for your friends, and add computer captains for any empty seats. The details are in the complete rules.
Set sail