BLACKBEARD: The Golden Age of Piracy lets you guide the fate of the pirates who sailed the seas in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Each player takes the role of one or more pirates, attempting to become rich, notorious, and feared before (hopefully) retiring and living off his spoils and his reputation. The targets for pirates are mostly Merchant Ships, laden with valuable booty and passengers. The booty is for the taking; the hostages are useful for ransom or information. Taking the ships is the easy part, for the seas are treacherous. Pirates will find British warships, King's Commissioners, and hostile port Governors hindering their progress and threatening them with death. And then there are the events - some random, some nastily put in play by the opposing players, all of them providing their own sharp challenges.
BLACKBEARD is a complete redesign of Richard Berg's original game for The Avalon Hill Game Company. While some of the elements and detail remain, game play has been largely overhauled. Unlike the original, there is virtually no downtime here; while the Pirate Player is taking his turn, the Anti-Pirate Players can each play from their hands one of a variety of Anti-Pirate cards against him: Scurvy, Mutiny, Warships, and more come into play in this way. Furthermore, the 87 event cards include many that are played as soon as they're drawn, with Storms at Sea causing havoc, and new governors vowing to get rid of every pirate out there. BLACKBEARD is a game of quick play and strategic rethinking amid constantly shifting fortunes, with everyone fully involved from start to finish.
|
|
