PIRATES! The game!

[Nomadicalpirate]

I'm considering making a table-top pirate game.

I say "considering" because I'm infamous for rarely ever finishing these projects.

Does anyone remember the board game 'Risk'?, I'm thinking along those lines, but with ships and so on...

If anyone has any ideas or other input, that would be grand. And if I do actually make it, I'll write it all up so you can print it off and play it with your kiddies or if you havn't got any, make it a drinking game, every time you sink a frenchman have some rum. (or a bacardi, if you're one of *those* people)

Edit: forget I mentioned Risk. think more like monopoly, you start with some money, buy some ships, kill some things, get more ships, until everyone but you is dead. Riskopoly.

[Dorian Lasseter]

'ow 'bout more like Stratego?

Dunno......

[Black Syren]

OHHH Piratology....Like Monopoly only better...Can I have the parrot piece please? Or the Monkey. That would be fun..But isn't there a game similiar to monopoly..The sword and skull one..I think that is the name of it.

[lady snow]

there are so many versions of monopoly out there already. leaning more towards risk is more fun. it can be played with teams and last forever. have different areas like madagascar, tortuga, the caribbean, the high seas, your individual nations - the map idea from risk would work out well. ships, navies, stores (gotta have the rum) uncharted islands, pyrtaes, privateers, legends........

[Nomadicalpirate]

I only mentioned monopoly in that money is involved.

Also, does anyone know any good 'sailing' rules?

Perhaps this should be moved to Rabble Rousing, it would get more input and become more of a board project.

Edit: so the board is a grid, with pretty little pictures of islands and whatnot on it.

you have a Ship. (for experimental purposes, I'm using my little boats from the Regatta board game)

I'm only early in my pirating career, so it's a wee little ship, some sort of sloop perhaps. it has 8 12lb guns (4 to a side)

which, for the moment have a range of 1-6 grid-squares. (you roll each time you fire) and do 1-6 damage (again, roll each time you fire)

and my wee little boaty can take, oh, 100 hits? that is, it would take a minimum of 17 hits at full damage from a 12lb to sink it. or 9 hits from 18lb(2 dice). or 6 from 24lb.(3 dice)

that seems fair enough?

And i've still got to figure out Moving, and how to do Boardings.

Edit 2: I'm figuring to have around 10 possible ships. from brigs to mighty frigates..

Edit 2a: does anyone have a copy of Risk rules they can be bothered to type out?

[Mad Cap Romanian]

Most of what your planning has been done in many other games. Pirates of the Crimson Coast, for example, has Risk-like stratagies and comes with ships, forts, and islands. Money in the form of coins is included as is the rules on ramming, boarding and so on. There's even special crew which allow you to do special things on board.

What you need is an edge that no one else has. Tie two game concepts together, like a role playing aspect with the risk aspect. Design "developing" characters that go from deck hands to captians and have adventures outside of the regular "grid" ideology. Pick up the "pieces" that the other game makers left out.

Just a suggestion from a guy who owns a hobby shop.

Yargh!

[Nomadicalpirate]

Do they still make/sell this Pirates of the Crimson Coast? p'raps i'll look for it.

[blackjohn]

Pirates? Games? Somehow I missed this! There is a big long list of pirate games located at: http://spotlightongames.com/list/pirate.html

While not pirate-y, Wooden Ships and Iron Men is a great game, and it is flexible enough to be played pirate-y. It is, however, more of a straight-up wargame, which can be mad to look really cool with the use of miniatures!

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/imagegallery....php3?gameid=237

Blackbeard, by the late great Baltimore game company Avalon Hill, adds elements of roleplaying with wargaming. It's alot of fun.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/imagegallery....php3?gameid=235

Heart of Oak has the reputation of being the best set of miniatures rules ever created for age of sail combat. It was twinned with a roleplaying game called Privateers & Gentlemen. Though set later than the Golden Age o' Piracy, it could be easily converted.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/7779

There are a few others I'm familiar with, mostly of the rpg variety:

Run out the Guns

http://www.black-knight.org/rotg/

GURPS Swashbucklers (one of the best!!!)

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Swashbucklers/

Skull and Bones (pretty neat, fun to read, d20 based)

http://www.greenronin.com/catalog/grr1018

Long story short, there are alot of pirate games out there. But we can always use another!

[Pirate Petee]

Dude that broadsides and Boarding Parties looks awsome. :)

[Blackbead]

I be sellin' "Pirates of the Spanish Main" and Pirates of the Crimson Coast" in me privateers market and it sells like bouca meat to a starvin' ship! The basic idea be the same as a coolectible tradin' card game except that ye get tiny little ships and other cards that make ye go faster, shoot straighter, etc. They come in small packets that look like baseball cards but there ain't no GUM! Check it out, lots of fun and, to quote another merry pirate band, "only slightly illegal!" (Monty Python's Flying Circus)

Blackbead

[Captain Tito]

I'm considering making a table-top pirate game.

I say "considering" because I'm infamous for rarely ever finishing these projects.

forget I mentioned Risk. think more like monopoly,

Good luck matey. I hope ye do finish.

Whatever game it be like, don't charge as many doubloons as Disney did fer that POTC version of Monopoly they came out with :angry:

[Phillip Black]

Me mates and I be playin' a round of Pirate's Cove tonight. It has become a favorite of my group because it has a limited time frame. At the end of 12 turns, whoever has the most fame becomes the most notorious pirate and wins. This way you don't end up with those games of risk that go on and on and on...

Skull & Bones is fantastic. I'll be running a one-night wonder this weekend for that as well. Very well put together game. The Buccaneers & Bokor e-zine put out by Adament Entertainment continues to release new material for it quarterly.

Pirates of the Spanish Main from Wizkids makes the coolest little ships and the game is quick and easy. Definately a beer and pretzels style game though.

Eagle Games out of Plainfield IL is developing a board game adaptation of Sid Meier's Pirates! Isn't due out until March of 2006 though.

Good luck making your game!

[Pirate Petee]

Pirates Cove is such an Awsome game, so much fun. I think I'll bring to Escondido this weekend.