English writer, H.G. Wells, said “The crisis of today is the joke of tomorrow.” For many lovers of board games who have many titles on their multiple shelves (me included), the ongoing crisis is storage. Individual games, no problem. Games with expansions? Many expansions? How the heck do we keep the core game and its expansions in one place? AEG, the publishers of Smash Up, have a BIG solution. Continue reading
The difference between good and evil is based on perspective. The Empire views the sky pirates as a plague that threatens life and property. From the sky pirates’ perspective, the Empire is a ruthless dictatorship bent on repressing the people. Only one thing is for certain and mutually agreed upon. The skies above Arkady are worth fighting and dying for. Continue reading
When it comes to gold, pirates will do anything. “Risk it all to take it all” is the pirates’ motto. They’ll jump through fire to grab a gold piece and sail to unknown shores to find more. A pirate counts their worth not by deeds, but by the weight of their treasure. In this game, a player wins by simply being the richest, but that is not an easy task when surrounded by pirates. Continue reading
When you imagine a game full of depth, tactics, and strategy, a game with many bits that is stored in a box most likely comes to mind. But what if a game could be no bigger than a stick of gum and still provide you with everything you crave from larger games? Impossible you say? Then prepare to be amazed as I show you how a game small in stature plays like a giant at the gaming table. Continue reading
Characters Jack Sparrow and Mr. Gibbs from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl were fond of saying “Take what you can; give nothing back.” That is exactly the goal in this game. A clever pirate captain knows that luck is as fickle as the sea, but only fools wouldn’t risk it all for wealth. Continue reading
The cursed ship, Skelit’s Revenge, is crewed by the undead. This ship sails the seven seas looting ships and adding to their crew, leaving few survivors to tell the tale. Your captain is obsessed with finding the Skelit’s Revenge and taking her. You don’t know the captain’s reasons, but the promise of unbelievable wealth is all you need. The risk, however, might be greater than the reward. Continue reading
When it comes to boarding a ship and taking its plunder, every pirate knows their job. The captain commands and the crew obeys. When the stolen booty is aboard and the ship is safely at sea, the real danger begins. Pirates love their treasure and will do anything to keep it. Rather than have his crew fight among themselves, the captain has his men divide the loot by playing cards. Pull up a chair and come claim your share! Continue reading
American writer George William Curtis said, “It is not the ship so much as the skillful sailing that assures the prosperous voyage.” In this game, players will command a fleet of ships that will traverse the Atlantic ocean in search of goods to buy and sell for profit. But the journey is treacherous, filled with pirates and cutthroat competition. Skillful sailing will win the day, but so will cannon fire. Continue reading
There has been no wind for almost 3 weeks and the pirate crew is becoming more wrestles and unruly by the day. Fights are breaking out and friends are turning into enemies. Supplies are low and there is talk of mutiny. If you want to survive this voyage you’ll need to make certain you remove anyone who might get in your way before they remove you. Continue reading
A pirate’s life is not exciting the majority of time. It’s mostly work and boredom. Long sea voyages with little to look at but the horizon and nothing to do but find creative ways to kill time. One such way is to risk everything you’ve earned in a game of chance. You could lose it all or gain even more than you thought possible. It all comes down to a single flip of a card… Continue reading
To quote an old adage variant, “Stupid is as stupid does.” Which is to stay, stupid people do stupid things. Or in this case, pirates. Instead of swimming to land and finding safety after a horrible shipwreck, they decide to have an impromptu breath holding contest – in shark infested waters – with monsters. You want to root for the pirates, but at the same time you cheer on the hungry sharks. Continue reading
Finding the treasure was the easy part. Keeping it is going to be a challenge! You are a greedy pirated surrounded by other greedy pirates and you all have one things on your mind: GOLD! You’ll have to be smart and sneaky if you want to claim your share of the booty! Take what you can! Give nothing back! Continue reading
