Fortune Winds: Ancient Trader

Fortune Winds: Ancient Trader is a turn based, seafaring exploration and trading game based on 2010 game Ancient Trader by 4 Kids Games.

The game can be played as a solo game against computer opponents or by up to four players can play together over twelve maps and three expeditions.

The object of the standard game is to locate and defeat the 'Terror of the Deep'. In order to do this player(s) sail into unknown waters in search of trade opportunities. They buy fruit, tea and/or spice in one port where/when it is cheap and transport to another where they sell for a higher price. They can also undertake quests to obtain more gold. The gold that's accumulated can be exchanged for ship upgrades or navigation artifacts, the latter being essential in tracking the 'Terror of the Deep'.

Out on the seas there are hazards and bonuses to be found. Bonuses include 'Fair Winds' which increase the distance that can be travelled in the next turn and treasure chests while hazards include enemy ships and monsters. These can be avoided or fought with the player winning or losing gold/cargo depending on the outcome.
Fighting is based on an action card system similar to that used in some board games. The attacker plays one of three cards, there are cannons, men and swords, to which the defender responds by playing one of their cards. Each card has an associated value and the game decides who wins the encounter and how much damage is inflicted on both sides. This continues until one side has no more cards to play, they are the loser. The game then decides what the winners reward will be. Battling monsters usually results in gold being won/lost while battling enemy ships can result in the transfer of gold or cargo.

The game's boss creature is like any other monster in that once the player has the necessary artifacts to locate it they battle it in the same way as any other monster to win the game.

In player vs player mode the default objective is still to kill the Kraken but this can be changed to acquiring a certain level of wealth. The game has a tutorial mode but no manual. There are four difficulty settings; Journeyman, Adventurer, Legendary and Custom; each with three maps, Legendary is the hardest game type