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by Stefan Feld
Rating 6/10 after 1 plays
by Stefan Feld
art Claus Stephan
publish Alea/Rio Grande
players: 2-5
duration: 60-75 minutes
type: light board game
COMPLEXITY: LIGHT. The rulebook seems at bot daunting, but the game basically breaks down to moving, rolling dice, and understanding the abilities the chips give. Moving is super simple; rolling the dice as the pirates try and control the ship is a little tricky; and the chips, while many, are not very complicated one by one.
LUCK: HIGH. Not only will it be dice rolling for a fair chunk of the points, but this game has "player-to-your-right" syndrome. In other words, if some has a player on their right who isn't paying a lot of attention, that first player will do very well. The good news is that while dice decide the outcome, odds can be improved considerably by careful positioning -- but it's still dice!
TENSION: LOW. ...or high depending on your enjoyment of dice games. But generally this game is a fairly simple romp.
CONFLICT: LOW. Good players will be paying a lot of attention to make sure the next player will not have any good moving options, but even then, choices are limited. Despite the pirate theme, there is no threatening, drunken brawls, or stealing of chips, so conflict in this game is low.
VISUALS: FAIR. The board consists of 9 large surprisingly flimsy cardboard tiles that depict dark alleys and small ability icons. Sadly, the icons are very small, and a bit difficult to tell apart -- the whole of the board art feels quite muddy. The ability chips are clear and well done, and the chunky plastic pirates are cool, but even the pirates use dark muddy colors. One mention: this game has one of the best inserts I have ever seen, so at least putting the game away and storing it are a real treat! =)
THEME: LOW. It's a movement game and a dice game and a simple set-collecting game. But it's not really a pirate game. The board tries to evoke the theme, but as mentioned above, the general muddiness of the palette creates more gameplay problems then solves theme problems.
PLAYERS: need more plays.
GAMER APPEAL: DOUBTFULLY. Just not a lot here to satisfy a seasoned gamer, particularly as this game seems a little long for what it is, and, truthfully, there are better pirate dice-games out there (Pirate's Cove comes to mind.)
CASUAL GAMER APPEAL: MAYBE. The game hearkens back to an older school of game design with the point-to-point movment and simple set-collecting. But that is also its charm and appeal: it feels familiar to people accustomed to American games. But the dauting task of getting through the rulebook may scare them away.
REPLAY: LOW. This game just lacks the elegance one would expect from this type of game, and the whole production just seems a bit overwrought, and made little impression on me.
Pirates are skulking through the dark alleys of town, encountering soldiers, finding new crewmates and gold, even new treasure maps! As they collect these things, they also fight for control of the ship. Who will be able to acquire the most booty in town and get influence on the ship? This game puts together a simple movement mechanic with set-collecting, and a tricky dice-rolling battle system to see which player can eke out the most points.
My 2 cents
I thought the entire game was uninspired. The title of the game seems bland, the artwork muddy, the rules inelegant, the gameplay rather stale. Nothing here would keep me coming back. It is not at all a terrible game, but -- perhaps worse -- a forgettable game.