Davey Jones' locker may have consumed Avalon Hill, but Blackbeard has risen from the depths unscathed.

The original AH Blackbeard was one of the major steps in my life-long love of board games.

In seventh grade, in 1987, I was just starting my adventures in boardgamegeekedness. I went to my local game store, American Eagles (when it was still on Greenwood!) to get a new game with my saved allowance and was awed by the huge bookshelves packed with games that I'd never heard of or seen before. "Bookshelf Games?" What were these small yet intriguing things that I'd never seen before I stepped into this store? Most seemed really crappy, and really intensely difficult. But some were calling my name.

This was a time in my life when I had been hooked into the hobby by the Gamemaster series of games, but I rarely had people around to play games with. I was looking for something that didn't need a lot of players. I was amazed that some games were "solitaire suitable," so I scoured the shelves for something that would work. I saw Ambush! but wasn't really into WWII yet. I saw Merchant of Venus, but thought it looked kinda kooky. Then I noticed Blackbeard. A pirate game. A solo game. How cool. Even though it didn't have sweet plastic pieces, something about it made me want it.

So I bought it. It took my 7th grade mind an awful long time to wrap my head around the rules and get the game working. I kept forgetting all the rules, even when I looked them up seemingly during every move. But eventually, I got it. And I absolutely loved it. It was a game that worked so well solo, I never even tried to play it with other people because I thought the detail would scare them away. Needless to say, I spent many hours sitting at the dining room table imagining my pirates roaming the world and doing what they do. Avast, ye hearties! Let's go rape some wenches and steal some booty! (I was 13. Give me a break.)

Now, the fine folks at GMT have remade this classic. I must admit, I was worried when I first saw that this was happening. I saw the art and was very happy with the new look, but I was concerned that they would dumb down the game a lot when I heard that they were changing the system. I didn't see hexes on the map! No rules were posted before release. I was clueless, but hoping for the best.

It was not worth fretting over, because the new version is better than the original in almost every way. It is easier to play, learn, and understand. There is still plenty of depth and detail, but streamlined to a new card system that makes the amount of rule remembering much more managable. I miss some of the old stuff, like the fake solo pirate and beaching my ship to scrape off barnacles, but nothing major has been left behind.

I just wanted to thank all of you who made this happen. You didn't destroy a major part of my childhood. You made a game that I will be able to play and enjoy solo, but that I can bring to my friends without fear. I think you all may have made one of the best pirate games ever. My adventures as Blackbeard can continue into a future with better production values, simplicity of play, and smoother game mechanics without sacrificing the detail and multiple choices that made the original so wonderful. And I for one really appreciate it.