Dark Masts is a 2 player deck building card game of high fantasy, in which players take control of powerful captains and mighty war ships in order to rule the seas. The game uses a unique three deck system where players compete for the scarce resources they will need to build their ship and destroy their foes. In this 1 v. 1 game each player chooses a nation and places the captain and ship in play. Drawing up to 5 cards from any combination of common deck or the nation specific deck players will draw cards to upgrade their ship. Available upgrades are stronger cannons, thicker and stronger hulls, and crew members with special abilities. Players declare an action during the action phase that can include boarding the enemy ships, attacking with the ships crew and cannons, or batton down the hatches to give a temporary defense boost. Shaman and mages can be used to cast spells giving boosts to your crew, damaging enemy ships, or repairing your own ship.