Trashdome - Pirate's Cove VS Blackbeard

Tough call, as I was somewhat disappointed by Pirate's Cove the two times I played it, and briefly had a copy of the new GMT Blackbeard before realizing I had no interest in trying to learn it (especially with all of the FAQs and errata attached to it by that point) and trading it away...

So by default, or by deflection, I suppose I'll vote for the AH Blackbeard.

Here's hoping that Merchants & Marauders, when finally released, will be the definitive pirate game.

Dr_Mabuse wrote:

In AH's Blackbeard, I've robbed a merchant ship, kidnapped a high ranking official, tortured him to find out details about a port, attacked the port, looted it , burned it to the ground, narrowly escaped a run in with a warship, my crew and I became inflicted with scurvy and I died before I could truly enjoy my spoils.
Blackbeard

I was going to say that I haven't played either Blackbeard and Pirate's Cove is a good family game being a pirate, but pirate's aren't meant to be family fare so I was going to have to abstain .... but then young Anthony told me exactly what I wanted to know, gave me the exact hype that no one gave me in the Britannia v History of the World snoozeDome.

Vote Blackbeard

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And now for a word from our sponsor:

Richard Berg designed an extremely potent piece of shit in BLACKBEARD, but on the other hand, PIRATE'S COVE is only kind of shitty, and manages to alert you to that fact in a tenth of the time as BLACKBEARD.

Vote: PIRATE'S COVE

Grudunza wrote:

Here's hoping that Merchants & Marauders, when finally released, will be the definitive pirate game.

Merchanges & Marauders will be the definitive pirate game in the same way that Last Night on Earth is the definitive zombie game.

Blackbeard

VOTE: Pirates Cove

Pirate's Cove may not be the best game in the world---but it is relatively quick, you can attack other people, get treasure, etc. Usually, it is fun with the right people (heck, that could be it).

Merkles wrote:

VOTE: Pirates Cove

Pirate's Cove may not be the best game in the world---but it is relatively quick, you can attack other people, get treasure, etc. Usually, it is fun with the right people (heck, that could be it).

"Fun with the right people" is like the boardgaming equivalent of the homely girl with a nice personality.

It's too bad there are so many bad pirate games. The subject matter is rich with AmeriTrash potential. So far, the only pirate game that I've really enjoyed was Pirate King.

I haven't played Pirates Cove, but I did play old-school Blackbeard once, and it was tedious.

Vote: Pirates Cove.

Vote: Pirate's Cove

Shellhead wrote:

It's too bad there are so many bad pirate games. The subject matter is rich with AmeriTrash potential. So far, the only pirate game that I've really enjoyed was Pirate King.

Have you tried Rum & Pirates? From what I remember of my single play of 2/3 of a game, it wasn't bad.

Blackbeard without a doubt. I happen to enjoy the new edition although I suspect I'd probably enjoy the old one at least as much...

Pirate's Cove? I have no interest in it...

VOTE: Blackbeard

The only one that I have any interest in trying out is the AH Blackbeard, and even that is pretty far down the list.

AH Blackbeard

Shellhead wrote:

"Fun with the right people" is like the boardgaming equivalent of the homely girl with a nice personality.

You leave my sister out of this.

It's too bad there are so many bad pirate games. The subject matter is rich with AmeriTrash potential. So far, the only pirate game that I've really enjoyed was Pirate King.

Vote: Pirates Cove.

I have not been able to get my crowd to play Pirate King, but I'm still working it. I'd love to see a short review.

Sag.

Sagrilarus wrote:

I have not been able to get my crowd to play Pirate King, but I'm still working it. I'd love to see a short review.

Ok, here's a really short review of Pirate King.

Pirate King a hybrid blend of Monopoly and classic Risk, plus a pickup-and-deliver element, with wonderful components that really deliver the theme. Imagine a Monopoly where, when you land on Boardwalk, you can either pay or attack. There is a novel movement system, where you place a marker to show where you want to move, then roll to see how much the wind helps or hinders you.

On paper, Pirate King doesn't seem like it would be fun. But the components really are impressive, as is the artwork, and somehow that is enough to really connect with the theme. For example, your money is all gold (plastic) dubloons and jewelry (glass beads in several gem colors), which you store in a small plastic treasure chest, complete with lid. Your crew members are represented by glossy cardstock disks, but the artwork on those disks is excellent, making all the pirates look like dangerous criminals, not goofy caricatures. And you plant little plastic flags to show which ports you control.

There are a lot of thematic touches. There is buried treasure, including five different magical artifacts. There is the potential for mutiny, deal-making, and ship-to-ship combat. An admiral patrols the region (ok, it's just a space on the map), and he will seize pirate cargo and even ships. Or you can try to fight him, and if you manage to overcome his superior firepower, you win the game immediately.

Pirate King runs maybe 45 minutes per player, for 2-4 players. It avoids being too long (like Monopoly or Risk), by using victory points. Imagine how much faster Monopoly would play if you only needed two adjacent properties before you could build, and putting a hotel on Boardwalk would be worth 4 out of 10 VP. Pirate King isn't my favorite game, but I do enjoy it, and it works just as well with 2 players as with small groups.