Join us as we run down our top 10 Pirate themed board games.
01.09.2024
40 Comments
Not a favourite theme tbh.
I blame Robert Newton. I mean there was already enough romanticism of these aquatic muggers, what with the novels of Jeffrey Farnol and Rafael Sabatini, and the performances of Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn but then Bobby hammed it all up for Disney and associated these degenerates with Ripe Mummerset accents for all time.
I like Libertalia, own Riff-Raff and Pirates Cove and probably in a drawer somewhere there is a rotting copy of Buccaneer. That’s enough.
One game I was hoping to see on this list, but alas it's not a very popular game, is british vs pirates (not a very good name, i know). It has a pretty deep combat system with a few different modes of play along with a variety of ship sizes to choose from. The second volume of the game introduces a mission system to make feel a bit like merchants and marauders, whereas as the first volume is more of a skirmish combat game. Obscure game, but worth a look
Older game we like is Frances Drake. Well he was a privateer, but close enough :). It plays well at 5, and with the expansion up to 6. Two parts to the game where you first equip your ship then you go raiding into the Caribbean.
We picked up Black Fleet used pre pandemic and it's a family favorite. Simple and when played with 3+ players lots going on. We played out Jamica, enjoyed it and moved on. Will keep our eyes out for Libertalia (1st edition). M&M looks too drawn out. To your point, maybe if they brought out a second edition. Rum & Bones looks good, just another big box to add to collection 😬
Thanks for the list. Skipping right over the app based ones, because the last thing I want to do when I am playing a boardgame is pick up my phone. Black Fleet is a fun game as long as no one takes it too personally when you sink their ship or pilfer their cargo. Played, and enjoyed, the new Libertalia. But I will keep my eye open to add the first edition to my collection if I can find one at a good price. Also going to add Jamaica to my shopping list. Rum and Bones is a monster of a game, I had the Skullkickers expansion just for the figures.
A nice light push-your-luck pirate themed game is Port Royal. Very good little game, people always have fun with it. Pretty easy to get cheap, too. Another good pirate themed game, that I think is very underrated, is Pirateer (1978). It has a criminally low BGG rating, but friends and I had a BLAST playing this. Learned it, played it 3 times in a row, and were still excited about it. Light to Med game, and I'd say worth checking out. Pillage & Plunder is a pirate themed game I kinda like. I'm not going to say it's "good"; it's a dice-fest, random, Ameritrash sort of game. But I do kinda like it.
I've just been looking at BGGs "Pirates" category. Maracaibo is the top result, but does this actually feature pirates? I've only played once, and I know it's set in the Caribbean but I thought it was mostly just trading. Good game though. Same with Port Royal. I can't recall if it actually features pirates, but it's a good game nonetheless. Also in that list is… Disney Villainous. Err.. I guess it features Captain Hook, but… bollocks to that.
One pirate game I loved for a while was Pirates of the 7 seas. We eventually played it enough that it was time to sell it so someone else could enjoy it. But I recommend it if you find it for a reasonable price. One warning is that it comes in a tin… I know how some people loathe that!
I'm glad you called the reprint of Libertalia a pile of shit. Not because it's mechanically a lesser game (on the contrary), but because Jamey decided to involve Mickey Mouse into this game. Jamey Stegmaier is one of the most brilliant contemporary board game designers, but with his ideal son-in-law mentality he often kills all the fun out of game.
There was a time I almost bought Libertalia after seeing it played on "TableTop" (which sort of got me into this hobby) but for whatever reason I didn't buy it at the time and honestly it's been one of my big board gaming regrets as now it's like gold dust and I didn't care for the redesign in the new Winds of Galecrest version of Libertalia.
I hope you will get a chance to review Captain's Log. Despite a rather poor rules book and too much dependency on icons, it is by far my favourite Pirate board game. While the player can choose to become a pirate, it is not necessary, but there are plenty of pirates on the board most of the time.
Yoho is a really great game! But is the publisher updating anything, let alone adding content? I kickstarted it and was so disappointed when it went t out of print.
Not a favourite theme tbh.
I blame Robert Newton. I mean there was already enough romanticism of these aquatic muggers, what with the novels of Jeffrey Farnol and Rafael Sabatini, and the performances of Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn but then Bobby hammed it all up for Disney and associated these degenerates with Ripe Mummerset accents for all time.
I like Libertalia, own Riff-Raff and Pirates Cove and probably in a drawer somewhere there is a rotting copy of Buccaneer. That’s enough.
One game I was hoping to see on this list, but alas it's not a very popular game, is british vs pirates (not a very good name, i know). It has a pretty deep combat system with a few different modes of play along with a variety of ship sizes to choose from. The second volume of the game introduces a mission system to make feel a bit like merchants and marauders, whereas as the first volume is more of a skirmish combat game. Obscure game, but worth a look
Older game we like is Frances Drake. Well he was a privateer, but close enough :). It plays well at 5, and with the expansion up to 6. Two parts to the game where you first equip your ship then you go raiding into the Caribbean.
I'm really a fan of the new version of Libertalia maybe because I play a lot of solo.
Second edition libertalia doesn’t feel like a pirate game for me, the first edition on the other hand great game
Have you tried Tortuga 1667?
people love top 10 game lists!
the colors used on Treasure island and the terrible rule book really made Treasure Island not a good game for us
We just got a used copy of the new SM version this week, on the table right now
dead men tell no tales is another good one.
We picked up Black Fleet used pre pandemic and it's a family favorite. Simple and when played with 3+ players lots going on. We played out Jamica, enjoyed it and moved on. Will keep our eyes out for Libertalia (1st edition). M&M looks too drawn out. To your point, maybe if they brought out a second edition. Rum & Bones looks good, just another big box to add to collection 😬
Thanks for the list. Skipping right over the app based ones, because the last thing I want to do when I am playing a boardgame is pick up my phone. Black Fleet is a fun game as long as no one takes it too personally when you sink their ship or pilfer their cargo. Played, and enjoyed, the new Libertalia. But I will keep my eye open to add the first edition to my collection if I can find one at a good price. Also going to add Jamaica to my shopping list. Rum and Bones is a monster of a game, I had the Skullkickers expansion just for the figures.
Dead Man's Draw is another pirate-themed card game worth checking out. There's an app for it as well.
Feed the Kraken – a social deduction game, needs a lot of people to come together though
A nice light push-your-luck pirate themed game is Port Royal. Very good little game, people always have fun with it. Pretty easy to get cheap, too.
Another good pirate themed game, that I think is very underrated, is Pirateer (1978). It has a criminally low BGG rating, but friends and I had a BLAST playing this. Learned it, played it 3 times in a row, and were still excited about it. Light to Med game, and I'd say worth checking out.
Pillage & Plunder is a pirate themed game I kinda like. I'm not going to say it's "good"; it's a dice-fest, random, Ameritrash sort of game. But I do kinda like it.
Sea of Clouds?
I just looked up a tale of pirates on Amazon thinking it would be cheap and it was $120!
For those wanting a try before you buy of Libertailia (1st edition), it's available to play on Board Game Arena and it is good.
I've just been looking at BGGs "Pirates" category. Maracaibo is the top result, but does this actually feature pirates? I've only played once, and I know it's set in the Caribbean but I thought it was mostly just trading. Good game though. Same with Port Royal. I can't recall if it actually features pirates, but it's a good game nonetheless.
Also in that list is… Disney Villainous. Err.. I guess it features Captain Hook, but… bollocks to that.
Have you played dead reckoning yet?
i feel like you're threatening me to buy n play these games or else you're gonna do something terrible to me.
ok ok… i'll buy black fleet, alright? please dont give me the death stare.
Francis Drake ? have you tried this one ? It's my favourite one.
Ship Shape is another pirate themed game.
I can't find any information on Cartagena die mutioneri😢
One pirate game I loved for a while was Pirates of the 7 seas. We eventually played it enough that it was time to sell it so someone else could enjoy it. But I recommend it if you find it for a reasonable price. One warning is that it comes in a tin… I know how some people loathe that!
New sub! Liked 🤣🙏✌️
Skull King?
I’m hoping CMON reprints.
Anoher pirate-themed game we like a lot is Jolly & Roger – it is a 2-player-only I-split-you-choose game – pure, simple and enjoyable.
This channel is like if Vinnie Jones had a board game channel
I'm glad you called the reprint of Libertalia a pile of shit. Not because it's mechanically a lesser game (on the contrary), but because Jamey decided to involve Mickey Mouse into this game. Jamey Stegmaier is one of the most brilliant contemporary board game designers, but with his ideal son-in-law mentality he often kills all the fun out of game.
Thank God someone actually mentions a tale of pirates. It's one of the most underrated games in my opinion
Love your channel and this is a great list!
That said, you should add Extraordinary Adventures: Pirates. It’s a great pick up and deliver, deck builder as well as a race to the finish🤠🏴☠️
Merchants & Marauder's with the expansion gets my vote.
Fire & Axe: A Viking Saga is a great pirate like game. Sail around Europe and raid, trade and settle. The Vikings were a bit pirate-like.
Well done matey. I will look into getting #1.
Cheers🍻Skål
You make the best board game vids.
There was a time I almost bought Libertalia after seeing it played on "TableTop" (which sort of got me into this hobby) but for whatever reason I didn't buy it at the time and honestly it's been one of my big board gaming regrets as now it's like gold dust and I didn't care for the redesign in the new Winds of Galecrest version of Libertalia.
Merchants and Marauders is the ONLY pirate board game. The rest is app driven trash or a toy for your 5 year old.
10 seconds in, and the impression I'm getting is that this is like if Super Hans had a youtube channel about board games.
You have obviously forgotten PLUNDER …a true Pirate game
Jack Sparrow fan. My list 🙂
Merch&Marau should be the king. But needs serious rule development. WIP.
Sea Rovers (has never come out/ Villain author/ too bad 🙂
Captain's Log (overpriced/ bad-looking/ Merch&Marau spin-off)
(Its rulebook will be used to rebuild M&M though)
Dead Reckoning: incredibly overpriced/ merchants win-pirates enjoy game/ Merch&Marau knock off in its expansions.
(Its rulebook will also be used to rebuild M&M though)
Games like:
– 21 Mutinies
– Dead Man's Doubloons (Jamaica on steroids)
– Tortuga 1667 (a good party game with min. 3 players)
– M&M Broadsides (with rule-development)
– Extrao. Adv: Pirates ( good no-three-big-things-in1time life-like lesson 🙂
– Libertalia (1st Ed. kinda piratey trickster game 🙂
– Letter or Marque (with rule-development)
– Plunder: very good base of a big pirate game with rule development
– Francis Drake (seabattle will be built in)
– Dutch Golden Age (on the shelf, haven't tried yet)
– Mutiny! (on the shelf, haven't tried yet)
– Pirates Cove (got a complete graphics/ components redesign)
– Blackbeard: Golden age of Piracy (HC)
– Colonial (HC)
– Winds of Plunder (HC)
No.1: Black Fleet (The most fun 🙂 30% rule-developed/ graphics-redesigned. And 40+ additional development cards made.
Hope it helps you, mateys 🙂
I hope you will get a chance to review Captain's Log. Despite a rather poor rules book and too much dependency on icons, it is by far my favourite Pirate board game. While the player can choose to become a pirate, it is not necessary, but there are plenty of pirates on the board most of the time.
For me #1 is Francis Drake where you are sort of a pirate (because being blessed by HM makes you a good person) 😀
love pirate games, hate that Jamaica game🤦🏾♂️🤷🏾🤷🏾😤😤👎🏽👎🏽☠️☠️☠️
British vs Pirates is a great skirmish game
Yoho is a really great game! But is the publisher updating anything, let alone adding content? I kickstarted it and was so disappointed when it went t out of print.
Firefly the Board Game is a great pirate themed game (set in space).