Game: Pirateer

Image

sightreader — 2008-06-13T16:31:39+00:00

Arrrr! She's got the trade winds!

Thread: Re: In Defense of Pirateer...

StuartMc — 2008-05-22T12:23:40+00:00

FrankLJ wrote:
DID he commit the crime you say?!? Have you any references or more information?

Not necessarily the same Scott Peterson:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Peterson

Thread: Re: In Defense of Pirateer...

FrankLJ — 2008-05-20T11:25:55+00:00

EvilTimmy wrote:
Didn't he go to jail for murdering his pregnant wife? It all makes sense now.

I met him at several game conventions when he was selling it out of his home. He seemed ok. I remember thinking how good the components looked for a homebrew game; he was apparently a graphics designer, so his product looked way better than most home-made.

Don't know about his usenet posts, but... DID he commit the crime you say?!? Have you any references or more information?

Thread: Re: In Defense of Pirateer...

mistermarino — 2008-04-23T19:46:48+00:00

It's a light, fast, filler that's easy to learn and fits in well on a family game night. That's a nice sort of game to have on hand.

It's not very piratey. And the designer's an ass. Who cares? Certainly not me.

Nice review.

Thread: Re: In Defense of Pirateer...

Bowwatch — 2008-04-23T18:45:55+00:00

I picked up Pirateer in the gift shop of the maritime museum where I volunteer, so I'm approaching it much more as a sailor than a gamer. Most of us volunteers joined the museum to sail tall ships, including dressing up for occasional Pirate Sails, but during the winter we downrig and do maintenance, which means when we meet in a bar on Saturday evenings, we've just spent 8 hours painting, tarring, and rustbusting our vessels. We started playing Pirateer this year, and appreciate the fact that it's quick to learn, quick to play, and seems to go well with beer. And as sailors we argue about the effects of the winds, handling characteristics of different nation's vessels, tides, prize crews, etc. We find it a great addition to our end-of-day socializing.

Image

aquarian — 2008-04-20T10:31:07+00:00

Nordic title is Pirater

Thread: Pirateer with Little Pirates!

sarquin — 2008-04-10T02:27:24+00:00

I recently traded for Pirateer thinking fondly of Privateer from days gone bye. I really got it to play with my 4 year old daughter which we did tonight.

While she can not fully grasp the moving strategy, with a little help, she did just fine.

She was playing the Pirate crew and I was playing the Germans. She reached the island first and grabbed the gold. The race was on! Immediately my crew caught the trade winds and headed her buccaneers off at the entrance to their secret pirate lair!

My ambush worked, I managed to sink her ship carrying the precious gold and headed back to my home port. She being the cunning pirate managed to give chase with full sails. It was neck and neck on the way back, neither pirate crew giving ground.

I was in site of my home port and moving in for the win when an unlucky 1 and 4 came up and she sunk my last ship and made off with my cargo!

My fleet in ruins, the gold lost I had no choice but to congratulate her on her first Pirateer win!

She had a blast! It helped her with counting and adding, I had some fun, so life is good!

Warmest Regards!

Thread: Re: In Defense of Pirateer...

sarquin — 2008-03-30T17:42:29+00:00

Our gaming group uses this game as filler. We either pay it while waiting for more players or at the end of the night for a quickie. I find the game to be enjoyable and a break from heavy strategy games.

Thread: Re: Restricted moves for the treasure ship

Gimel Vav — 2008-01-18T21:24:27+00:00

The rules simply say that it has to move parallel to the harbor, so we play that it can move as far as it wants, even across the tradewinds (on a legal roll) and into the straights (on a legal roll). The fact that moving away from your harbor when you have the gold is usually a bad idea seems to keep any abuse of this privilage to a minimum.

Thread: Re: how do you set up the game?

Gimel Vav — 2008-01-18T21:17:20+00:00

I have the official rules and they don't address some of your questions. They do say that you can set up either "long-ways" or "short-ways" for two players with two fleets each, but they don't mention order of play. They do mention lots of variations and it seems like everyone who has this game has come up with some of their own. I think as long as you agree ahead of time you can play it however you want. My tendency for two players playing two fleets each would be to allow the most flexibility to allow for the most stragegy. I would allow the current player to be able to move any of his ships on his turn and turns would simply alternate.

Thread: Re: In Defense of Pirateer...

GoBoks — 2008-01-01T11:17:14+00:00

Great review. Not the best game ever, but one that is always greeted with enthusiasm in my household. I can't understand why people rate it so lowly. Absolutely agree with the risk evaluation comments above.

Thread: ‘Pirate Checkers’ – Yo Ho Ho, or Yo Ho Hum?

smithnewz — 2007-12-27T23:39:10+00:00

Today being a holiday day, I decided to try 3 of my simpler level pirate games (ie, leaving ‘Blackbeard’ to one side) - giving both a theme to the day and an interesting comparison. I’ll do a short review of each with a view to giving readers an indication of whether it might be a worthwhile candidate for your next pirate gameplaying excursion.

First up is ‘Pirateer’, designed by Scott Peterson and published by the Mendocino Game Company of Fort Bragg (of which Mr Peterson is seemingly the CEO). Now I don’t know Mr Peterson and so can’t comment on him [contrast some rather gratuitously unfriendly posts in threads http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/101962 , http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/16640 and http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/21029#21029 ], but I’m not unsympathetic to his little story at the front of the Rules booklet about game publishing, and in my view he’s put forward quite an affable little family-type game, that is quick and easy to play, and combines a lot of luck and a bit of strategy. And there’s a pirate theme …!

I’ve called this review ‘Pirate Checkers’, as to me the game frequently feels a bit like a more interesting variant of Draughts – or Checkers in America – with a piratey flavour added. Others have likened it to ‘Parcheesi’/’Pachisi’. That’s not damning the game with faint praise – it’s just what it is, and it shouldn’t be approached as a hard-core game of strategy or tactics. If you can’t get over the fact that you ‘sink’ others’ ships by landing on them with an exact die roll, you’re better not to play.

Game Parts

The board is really nicely and colourfully done, with appropriate artwork, and ports at each corner, two lines of tradewinds, and Skull Island in the middle for the initial placement of the treasure. I’m not totally sure about the longevity of the board, as the edge of the surface paper of mine is starting to lift just a tiny bit in spots at the folds, and that’s not from a huge amount of use. But it looks good.

As does the Rule Book (‘Player’s Guide’), which is also very well written and clearly set out. Very little of the ambiguity requiring a million FAQs/’clarifications’ that one encounters too often in this business.

The other bits are 12 plastic discs representing the players’ ships, and a gold coin, representing the treasure, that fits inside the discs for convenient carriage. The players’ discs are marked by a flag symbol (stickers are provided) matching the relevant ports, which is clear as to whose piece each is, but, being a theme junkey, I really would have liked little plastic ships, or at least ship silhouettes on the discs themselves. This would definitely have reduced the Draughts/Checkers feel a little.

Gameplay

The movement mechanics of the game are explained sufficiently in a couple of the other BGG reviews of this game. For myself, I found the combinations of two dice scores to be a good way to give more variety and interest to checkers-type movements. And the addition of the tradewinds and the straits give more options and constraints to enhance the gameplay. [Interestingly, the game was honoured for excellence in the ‘Best New Mind Game’ category by the American Mensa Society, the high-IQ society, in 1996].

I often try to explain some aspects of a game’s mechanics in terms of its theme, to help me accept some less than intuitive elements. So, with ‘Pirateer’, I tended to accept the randomness of the die rolls as reflecting the vagaries of the shifting and unpredictable winds. I was happy enough to treat rolls where movement was impossible as simply a mechanism for determining that the ship was becalmed. I did find the ability to simply double-back on the same turn (with the different dice) hard to swallow, for sailing ships, though – and would have preferred if the rules had simply permitted the ‘wind result’ to optionally be the difference between the die rolls.

There are also a number of ‘variants’ provided at the end of the Rule Book , which are of variable utility (and seriousness), but some are definitely worthwhile. The 2-player ‘Dominion’ variation is a good one, where you get two fleets of 3 ships each - which makes for more ‘strategic’ options and quite a good game. The ‘Deadman’ variant also lets you play with 3 players, and ‘Shipwreck’ adds a low-tide facet, leaving sunk vessels on the board as impassable spaces. [Well done to Mr Peterson for making the effort to provide some optional extra twists and variations.]

If you want to further upgun the game a little with a few house rules, one BGGer has suggested a few at http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/16640 .

More Fun Than Walking The Plank?

So, is it fun? Well, I’m a player of historical board wargames and sci-fi miniatures games, but – to my surprise, frankly - I still found ‘Pirateer’ to be quite fun, for a change of pace.

There are opportunities for ambushing the ships of other players (to whittle down the odds a bit), and the tradewinds and straits permit some relatively sweeping changes of position and 'strategy'. When someone plucks up the courage to pick up the treasure, that ship becomes a target and things start happening fast, but the die rolls and winds etc mean that it’s not always plain sailing - for the pursuers or the pursued. And the treasure can change hands rapidly and often, giving quite an exciting last part of the game.

Admittedly, a player is ‘out’ if their 3 ships are sunk, and they are reduced to observer status. But the game is short enough that it won’t be long before it wraps up (and the next one is starting …?)

Conclusion

Overall, then, for my money ‘Privateer’ is a keeper, and an occasional player - provided that it is approached as a light checkers-on-steroids game with a pirate flavour for a bit of fun, that can appeal to all ages. It is NOT a simulation of any sort, or a game for serious strategy, planning or ‘solving’. So – a Yo Ho Ho, from me anyway.

The game’s website, helpfully, has downloadable graphics for you to make up a demo game, and sets out the Rules as ‘How To Play’.

And if you really get into it, the game’s website threatens to offer for purchase a ‘Boot Chronicle’ book, a Kit for running a ‘Pirateer’ Tournament, a Jolly Roger flag to fly outside, colourful pennants for each of the sides in the game (for the wall, or as tournament prizes), a genuine Bosun’s Call whistle (to maintain order?), a ‘Pirate Treachery’ t-shirt for everyone, and ‘Pirateer’ party invitations (if a tournament seem too OTT).

Or you could save up for the ‘Privateer Grande’ deluxe laminated game table set, with walnut wood tabletop, cherrywood box and leather dice cup - which looks pretty cool actually. (Probably costs more than a few GeekGold I suspect.)

[But, ominously, the website also says ‘Pirateer is Under Construction until 2004. Please excuse the mess.’, and there seems to be an absence of pricing, and ordering or contact links on it. Does anybody know what’s happening there?]

And now, mateys, it's off to check out 'Piracy' ...

Thread: Re: Lost Rules

smithnewz — 2007-12-27T22:48:45+00:00

They were available to everyone (and still are, I think), on the publisher's website:

http://www.pirateer.com/servhowt.htm#Rules

Thread: Re: how do you set up the game?

duckweed — 2007-12-03T10:54:40+00:00

Thanks for your suggestions.

Are there no official rules for this? It seems a major oversight since the game will change considerably depending on which way you do it. Also... if you have 2 flags per player in a two player game, how does that work? Does each player take a seperate turn for each color flag he or she controls? If so, how does the turn order work? I go I go, you go you go, or alternate? If alternate, can you pick which flag to activate first, or does it remain the same throughout the game? Or are your flags cooperating, so that you can move any one of your six ships using a given die roll? As you can see, the number of questions necessary to play the game quickly spirals out of control.

It boggles my mind that these questions haven't been asked before with so many people owning the game. Is everyone just making up house rules? Obviously it would be easy enough to make up some rules, but it seems like a game that won a game of the year award should have tighter rules. I personally don't like inventing my own house rules because it's often difficult to determine how they will change the overall game mechanics or balance.

Just my thoughts. I'd love to hear from more folks on this topic.

Thread: Re: how do you set up the game?

coolpapa — 2007-12-03T06:19:52+00:00

In a 2-player game, I think it's your choic whether you play 2 flags each or not. If not, I'd say you should either put the players opposite each other or else (for maximum amount of running into each other) next to each other along the short side of the board. If you play 2 flags each, I'd say make the 2 flags a player controls at opposite corners. Just my feeling.

Thread: how do you set up the game?

duckweed — 2007-12-03T04:21:37+00:00

I just scored this game as a 99 cent thrift store find. I was pleased to see that it was complete.

Just had a read of the rules, and man are they vague on a few points. Most of my questions were answered by looking at previous posts here at BGG, but this question still remains...

What player plays what? In a two player game, does each player pick only 1 flag (3 ships) or does each pick 2 flags (6 ships total). If the latter, does it matter which flags you choose since the board is arranged a particular way? The rules give no mention whatsoever of number of players, or how to play the game with 2 vs. 3 vs. 4 players.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

Image

MartinStever — 2007-10-31T07:22:38+00:00

Hi-res scan of the rulebook cover

Thread: Restricted moves for the treasure ship

wingnut69 — 2007-10-16T07:24:49+00:00

When the ship moves parallell to the harbour, can it move as far as it want? It seems to me like a ship in some positions can move into the straits and then almost to the other side of the map. still keeping that same parallell track. Any thoughts on this?

Thread: Re: In Defense of Pirateer...

Challst — 2007-08-19T07:19:40+00:00

I played this game for the first time last night. It followed about 4 hours of other more intense games and while we weren't quite ready to be done for the night we wanted something light. Sometimes a game with luck involved in it is 'non-confrontational' enough that everyone can relax - particularly after an otherwise heavy night.
I quickly developed a reputation of being completely incapable of getting any necessary rolls. While my opponents pounced all over me, I fumbled along with awful rolls. I quickly lost 4 games in quick succession and found myself laughing about the results.
The review above in excellent.
In summary is it a great game - NO.
But I don't want to always play a great games.
Can it be a whole lot of fun - YES.
Will I play it again as an end of the evening cool-down game - YES.

Image

Runehardt — 2007-07-04T03:24:28+00:00

Pirates don't always play fair!

Image

Runehardt — 2007-07-04T03:15:43+00:00

Pirates at play!

Thread: Re: Lost Rules

JeVo — 2007-06-06T22:08:30+00:00

same here, got my copy, lost my rulebook...
Can you aend me the scan, if still available ?

Thanx !
JeVo

Thread: Re: Lost Rules

tholt576 — 2007-06-01T17:12:40+00:00

Hey I just bought this game at a yardsale and it didn't come with instructions. Do you still have that scanned image?

Image

OldestManOnMySpace — 2007-05-23T00:30:20+00:00

Oh yeah, they're BAD! (Note, these dice are not included in the game.)

Image

OldestManOnMySpace — 2007-05-23T00:28:25+00:00

Trapped by the French, as always!

Thread: Re: Pirateer isn't EXACTLY Privateer

docreason — 2006-12-31T02:57:47+00:00

Can you tell me here exactly WHAT Was in Pirateer that turned Scott P into a Eurogame bashing jerkwad who scream how Monopoly and his game were so much superior to the Eurogames/German game stuff on rec.games.board? I swear it probably was something like what affected Merlin and the Cropcircles game.

Pirateer was a decent Bucaneer Backgammon or Pirate Parcheesi game. It is just Scott P really wrecked any interest in it I may of had.

Thread: Re: Pirateer isn't EXACTLY Privateer

ar51rognlie — 2006-12-31T02:40:47+00:00

I just picked up a copy of Pirateer from a thrift store today and it didn't have the rules either. Were you ever able to get a copy? If so, was it in an electronic format that might be forwarded?

Thanks,
-- AL

Thread: Re: Lost Rules

oculona — 2006-09-16T18:04:04+00:00

Hello Al, do you still need the rules? If so I can scan them
and email them to you.

goodluck,
D

Thread: Re: A couple of rule questions

quixotequest — 2006-09-14T22:34:49+00:00

Pirateer! What a flash back! One of the first majorly shilled, controversial games on the 'net.

IronMoss wrote:
However, there is some language in the rules about not "moving away" from your harbor once you have the treasure. I'll have to look at the rules later tonight to refresh as to how that applies once you're in-line with your harbor/anchor space.

Once a ship is carrying the treasure coin it may only move parallel to or toward your port. You may not move away from your port.

Watch out! There is a space for each harbor on the board where you can move into it when carrying the treasure but you may not move out.

Therefore, when you are on the last "harbor run" row you will not ever move out of that row. But you must go back and forth--if necessary--until you land on the harbor (anchor space) by exact count.

###############
Movement:

As others have said:
1. You MUST move both of your die rolls, if you can, even if you don't want to use them. The full exact amount must be used if it can--no partial amounts.

2. Any die rolls you cannot use with any of your ships are forfeited.

3. You may not cross a tradewind space with a single die roll--you would have to land exactly on a tradewind space and then move off of it with another die roll. Tradewind spaces can only be entered by exact count. Note that while you may move diagonally along the tradewinds you may not exit a tradewind on a diagonal.

4. Note that the 4 spaces that let you "wrap" your movement on the board must be landed on by exact count, just like tradewinds.

########
Alternates:

Definitely try some of the suggested alternates. The one mentioned above, where you leave sunken ships on the board as blocking spaces is a good one.

There's also a good one where you can stack your ships when they land on each other by exact count. You can then move a stack as one unit. Ships may move off the stack normally.

If you get two boards it is fun to hook them together and either play 8 people or play controlling a port on each board. (In this case it is good to treat the wrapping spaces as able to move across them like normal spaces.)

Enjoy!

Thread: Re: A couple of rule questions

IronMoss — 2006-09-14T21:21:49+00:00

The end/drop-off space is the one with the mini-anchor on it - at the far back end of your inlet furthest away from open water.

Thread: Re: A couple of rule questions

gpren — 2006-09-14T19:18:53+00:00

Thanks for your help guys...that was QUICK!!!!! I have just on emore for you and then I think I'm good to go. When dropping off the treasure at your harbor, the rule states that you have to drop it off at the space at the "end" of your harbor. Which end is it refering to, the one that is closest to the open sea or the one that is in the "inlet" furthest away from the open sea? Thanks again for your help!

Thread: Re: A couple of rule questions

bucaneer88 — 2006-09-14T17:51:22+00:00

I've had this game for about 10 years and I still enjoy playing it with my kids. I'll try to answer your questions as best as possible and also make some suggestions to enhance the game.

1.) We play with the rule that you must use both dice by exact count when you move. If you can move, you must move, even if you don't like where you land. If you can not use both dice in your move, you lose your turn. The only exception is when you land on your home port with the treasure (thus winning the game) you only need to use one die. However, that die must land you on your port by exact count.

2.) When crossing a tradewind, you must land on the space by exact count of one of your dice. After landing on the space, you may use the other die to continue across the tradewind or travel along the tradewind during the same turn. This rule adds a lot of strategy to the game by making it difficult to enter and leave the triagular areas on either side of the board. We call these areas the "doldrums".

3.) You must land at home port by exact count but only need to use one die (see #1.)

Here are some alternate rule suggestions:

1.) When a ship is sunk, turn it upside down on the board. This becomes wreckage and other ships can not pass through or land on this space. This changes the "landscape" of the board and makes for interesting strategy. You can actually kill an opponent off early by sinking his first ship in his own harbor, thus blocking his remaining ships from leaving. This may be cold-hearted but it is a game for pirates!

2.) When a ship lands at treasure island, the player must wait until his next turn to pickup the treasure. If another player lands at the island before the first player picks up the treasure, the second player can challenge the first for the treasure. Each roles one die, the higher role wins the treasure. If either player roles a "1", his ship is sunk.

Have fun with the game. It's more complex than it looks and has a lot of interesting strategy.

Thread: Re: A couple of rule questions

IronMoss — 2006-09-14T17:43:04+00:00

It's been a little while since we broke this one out (although we do enjoy playing it), but if memory serves:

1) Must use the entire die roll - you can't use a fraction of a die roll. If you can use at least one of your two die rolls, you must. However, if one or both are not useable, that die (or both dice) are forfitted. [Nothing like rolling boxcars to start the game.]

2) Yes - you need to land exactly on a tradewind to enter it. Once on a tradewind, you can exit (or move down the tradewind) with your second die roll or wait until a subsequent turn to move off.

3) Yes - You need to land exactly on the harbor anchor with the treasure to win. As with the answer to question #1, you can't use a fraction of a die roll. As for the second part of the question . . . as long as there are legal moves to be made, you must make them. However, there is some language in the rules about not "moving away" from your harbor once you have the treasure. I'll have to look at the rules later tonight to refresh as to how that applies once you're in-line with your harbor/anchor space.

[Note: After we played a few times to get a feel for the game, a good percentage of our (two player) games would end with the treasure changing hands at least once and one player eliminating all of the other player's ships. Thus, setting up a "counter-attacking" strategy where you let the other play grab the treasure first can be effective.]

Enjoy.

Thread: A couple of rule questions

gpren — 2006-09-14T16:22:29+00:00

I just purchased Pirateer. The instructions are a little vague on a couple of rules. I have a few questions if someone can help me out.

1) Do you always have to use ALL movements of the roll of one die or forfeit the die if no legal move can be made? Or are there ever circumstances where only a portion of the roll of one die can be used (for example a movement of 4 spaces out of a die roll of 6?

2) When attempting to cross a tradewind, do you need to land on a tradewind space by an EXACT count and then move off with your next die roll? If that's the case, can you roll the two dice for your turn, use the first roll to land on a tradewind space and then your second roll to move off of it in the same turn?

3) When you are attempting to win the game by moving the treasure to the anchor at the end of your harbor, do you need to land on that end harbor space by exact count? If so, say for example, you are ONE space away from the end harbor space and you roll a "2" and a "4". Are you then required to move parallel to but AWAY from that last harbor space by 4 spaces and then move 2 back toward it since you are required to use both dice rolls if possible?

3)

Thread: Re: User Review

JefA — 2006-06-07T10:14:17+00:00

I too concur. While not my fav game by a long chalk i do think its a good intro game.. and funny with adults who have had a glass or two of vino plonka and are losing counting skills.

Thread: Re: In Defense of Pirateer...

EvilTimmy — 2006-05-17T03:10:36+00:00

Didn't he go to jail for murdering his pregnant wife? It all makes sense now.

Thread: Suicide Bomber-teer

PipBoy3k — 2006-03-10T06:33:22+00:00

A friend and I made up a variant while playing nuke-a-teer.

The rules are the same except Skull Island is now a black market and the point is to get to skull island and pick up a nuke, then take it into the opposing players harbor square. It only works as a multi-game tourney because with this variant it's usually easier to just sink all the opposing players ships. In the Tourney nuking the harbor is worth 2 points while sinking the enemies ships is worth 1, most points at the end wins.

I'm interested in seeing how this pans out with more than 2 people, my idea is that once one harbor is nuked the nuke returns to the island and you get a chance to nuke the second opponent. In this variant winning the game gets you 2 points, and each player gets 1 point for every opponent harbor nuked.

Questins, comments, concerns?

Thread: Re: In Defense of Pirateer...

ZeroZilla — 2006-03-05T08:24:31+00:00

Speaking of flaming people....

Don't you think it would have been nicer to post this seperately, in the Pirateer forum, as opposed to tacking it on to the end of someone's review? A new user, no less.

I got a couple of these when I was a new user (and it's not long since...) Yay, someone responded to my post... oh.

Granted, this Peterson person may be a jerk... and he's behind the game, but that's got nothing to do with THIS review.
(Which, BTW, was well-written... even if many won't agree with its basic premise.)

Myself, I'm on the fence... which is why I read this to begin with.

-ZZ

Thread: Re: In Defense of Pirateer...

rri1 — 2006-03-04T16:20:11+00:00

The problem with Pirateer is not really the game--although it really is about as mediocre as you can get.

The problem is with the designer/publisher, a complete asshole named Scott Peterson. If you thought the Card Chess guy was bad, this idiot flamed anyone of the USENET group rec.games.board. (Ask an internet old timer what USENET is?) who had made any comment on his game or mentioned the old Avalon Hill. (He had a feud because his game was rejected by them.) He never apologized and claimed he was drunk when he posted. He even tried forging libelous posts and when his ISP was contacted and they confirmed they were from his posts, tried to say someone was using his computer to frame him!

There are so many great people in the gaming business who deserve (and need) your money more than that first class jerk, Scott Peterson.

Thread: In Defense of Pirateer...

PipBoy3k — 2006-03-04T03:58:59+00:00

Pirateer is very similar to parcheesy, in the beginning, when all your ships are still at your home base, there is a very limited range of movement and one of your dice have to roll a 1 or 2 to get out, since 3 ships are crowded inside one after the other and can't pass through one another, you'll have to contend with lady luck and possibly a several frustrating turns before you can deploy anything.

Movement is handled by rolling two dice, each die allows you to move one ship in one direction the number of squares that you rolled.

With that said, having a player deploy a ship before you do is not necessarily a handicap. The purpose of the game is to reach the center island and pick up a gold dubloon to take back to your home port. Since the port is behind the starting positions of your own ships you will need to move all 3 of them out of the way before you can reach it. The movement of the treasure ship is limited, it's a huge risk to pick up the dubloon while your other ships are in the harbor, it will become a sitting duck. At that point other players will have the "trade winds" to their advantage. Trade winds are 2 sets of squares going from one side of the board to another, and are the only squares on wich you can move diagonally. It allows opposing players to reach the other side of the board relatively quickly, increasing the risks associated with trying to get the dubloon to your home port.

Taking that into account, here are some positives and negatives:

Postives:

Easy to learn: The instructions are 6 pages, almost entirely pictures. If you don't have many gamer friends this is definitley the game of choice if you have a small window of opportunity to convince people to ploay.

Minimalist: Pirateer requires the board, a gold dubloon token, 2 dice, and 3 tokens per player. There are no chits or scores to keep track of and can be played in a tight space, small table, just about anywhere public. This is a huuuuge plus for me as I have a pretty small studio and don't have much space for really elaborate games.

Decisions: The hardest decisions to make are the ones where the outcome is uncertain, Pirateer has alot of those. Do you pick up the dubloon now or do you wait until you get that last ship out of the harbor? Do you sink the enemies treasure ship and take the dubloon as your own, thus limiting your own ships movement or do you wait for someone else to sink it so as to leave 1 less enemy ship and another equally gimped enemy? Do you sink another player's last ship, or do you keep him around to increase the chance that one of you will hunt down the third player's treasure ship?

Political: With 4 people this game becomes downright nasty. Players will squabble amongst themselves until someone decides to pick up the dubloon, at wich point he becomes the universal target. Players with one or two ships remaining will ally and attempt to weaken the person that still has all 3. The average game lasts about 30 minutes and alliances will shift 5 times in the interim.

Negative:

"IT'S ALL LUCK": Certain people will ceremoniously scream this statement every few minutes. While it's by no means the game's fault, it does tend to annoy quite alot. The game is not all luck. Players very few resources and alot of hoops to jump through. Even a string of 4 or 5 lucky rolls does not necessarily guarantee victory. You'll spend alot of time pondering "Can I risk moving my ship so close to the other players?" "Can I risk picking up the dubloon?" "Can I afford to tie up one ship to block the enemy harbor?" "Is it better that the current player has the dubloon? Will it be worse for me if player B gets it on a lucky roll the next turn?" You can't decide what the dice will roll, you candecide if the risk is worth it.

Abstract: Pirateer is entirely mechanical, the pirate theme just provides the artwork to give it a pretty package. If you're looking to flex your imagination or to pillage the high seas you'll be thoroughly disappointed.

These are just my two cents. If you're looking for a very tense game where the risks almost never seem to be worth the payoffs and the loss of a single ship can dramatically shift the balance of power, you might want to give this a try. If you want a game heavier on the theme, or a game that's more forgiving, Pirateer might not be for you.

Thread: Re: Lost Rules

YaquiKnow — 2006-02-14T21:53:59+00:00

Well, that kinda fell through

Anyone else willing/able to hook me up with a copy of the rules?

Thread: Variant Vs. Original -- 3 player

MrZoz — 2006-02-02T14:33:31+00:00

first off Why Pirateer?

I realize there has been a lot written about the designer. However, at a game session a couple years ago Bobby T brought this little gem out and it really struck a chord with the Kuub. The next two sessions we played about four games each, she absolutely loved it and wanted me to get it for her.

At about that time it was in-between printings so I went to Bee-Bay. I found the pretty tin version and if I remember rightly it's arrival coincided with her birthday or Mackenzie King Day or something holiday-like. Regardless, I was in the good books for a while. So, I guess from my actions an unloved designer can make a much loved game. Now, out to sea...

You unroll the board, it is a durable felt with an Iron-on (70's technology at work today!!). We each had a starting "cove" in our corners and the coin was placed in the centre.

The only difference in the original and the "collectors tin" is:
1) the numbered tin
2) the doubling die (for Pirateer-gammon?)
3) the board is felt with an iron on
The art is the same as are the pieces.

The variant we played was with "Shipwrecks". So if you landed on my ship, I would tun the ship upside down, leave it on the board and until you next move your ship, it would remain on top of mine (untouchable). The square where I shipwrecked would from that point on become impassable.

This did provide for an interesting game and there were at least two occasions where a player had to put themselves in "harm's way" in order to fulfill movement rolls because the combination they would have preferred would have led them through a shipwreck square.

The oddball situation came when The General moved his ship into the Kuub's cove. She still had two of her ship's in the cove. One was still on the original start spot and one had moved about 3 squares. The general landed on the ship that was three squares out. This killed one ship, left an impassable shipwreck in the cove and SEALED IN the last ship. The Kuub used her ship still on the water for as long as possible. The ship on the water was eventually killed, so she was left with a ship that couldn't be reached, couldn't get out and could move back and forth one or two squares. The rest of us played the game, she would laugh and roll and move the one or two.

The winner for this variant was me. It brings my pirateer career to 10 wins and one hundred and sevety nine losses (woohoo).

In summary...

The variation is fun and presents a different board each play. You definitely want to get your people out of your cove (and be careful returning home). However, as an addendum/errata/whatever, if you do manage to seal a ship behind a shipwreck it is considered shipwrecked as well.

MrZoz

Thread: Re: Lost Rules

YaquiKnow — 2006-01-18T23:04:26+00:00

Awesome! I just sent the email.

Thank you!!

Thread: Re: Curious

YaquiKnow — 2006-01-05T18:54:24+00:00

hehe - oops

Thread: Re: Curious

Blackberry — 2006-01-04T04:19:00+00:00

Your own post? I did read it in the "recent" posts. But you would not have seen it at the time you posted it, because you were... posting it.

Image

djbrickhaus — 2006-01-03T07:20:49+00:00

Thread: Curious

YaquiKnow — 2006-01-03T05:55:14+00:00

Curious as to why this did not make 'recent' posts?!?!?!?!?!

Thread: Lost Rules

YaquiKnow — 2006-01-02T16:31:49+00:00

Went to play Pirateer on Christmas Day and found my 7 year old has misplaced the instructions The website for the game is still inop

Does anyone know where I can find the rules? Or, does anyone have a soft copy?

thx

Thread: Re: Session Report

FezAZ — 2005-12-21T23:05:35+00:00

My rules do not include the variants. Anyone know where I can find the "hurricaine" and dominion alternative rules?

Thread: Re: User Review

provence — 2005-12-21T17:55:17+00:00

I totally agree with this review. This is a great game for the family and for kids. It has been around our household for a long time and always seem to pop its head when a diverse group wants to play a fun, action packed game. Not for grognards but I'm sure that grognards know that it is important to have family games around the house that almost anybody can and wants to play.

Image

rynelf — 2005-11-26T14:05:00+00:00

Box bottom scan.

Image

boneroller — 2005-06-08T01:03:28+00:00

A Different Box Cover

Thread: Re: Pirateer isn't EXACTLY Privateer

cauldronofevil — 2005-05-12T21:41:21+00:00

I just bought a copy from a thrift store, but it didn't have the rules. Is there anywhere I can download a copy of the rules?

thanks!

Michael

Thread: Re:Session Report

Volstag — 2005-03-24T19:08:30+00:00

zoner (#5045),

Frank, did you submit your article from the future?

-V

(check the posting date)

Thread: Re:Pirateer isn't EXACTLY Privateer

davemenc — 2005-03-15T20:21:02+00:00

kimbo (#58395),
Your game is probably what we called a 2nd edition; you can tell if it has a slick box. The 1st edition was put out in a corragated box of the same aproximate shape that had been silkscreened. And it was numbered (1-100) and signed.

Nuke-a-teer is a crazy variant; we played nothing but Nuke-a-teer for a few months and then got bored with it. You'll see why...

The game is played exactly like the usual Privateer with one exception. At any time a player may, instead of his regular move, declare his ship a "nuke" and declare his intention to detonate. He rolls both dice and uses the smaller die to determine the blast radius. Everything except the purse (which is returned to the island) within the radius is destroyed, including the nuking ship.

The best strategy is to agressively move close to your opponents ships and then nuke them. You don't win that way (because it's expensive) but you have a LOT of fun. And rolling a 6-6 can take out a significant number of ships. We stopped playing it because we became too conservative -- we kept our ships spread out and avoided nuking. It stopped being fun if you want to actually win...

I guess I should point out that this was invented before we had heard of suicide bombers so please don't make any horific connections...

I will try to post some of the other variants (some of them quite reasonable and interesting) as time permits.

Dave

Thread: User Review

kimapesan — 2004-11-23T19:35:27+00:00

Devoted gameboard geeks may decide to automatically pass on this game, based on its tepid ratings and the fact that it appears to be heavily dice-and-luck oriented. But even serious gamers should consider putting this game in their collection, especially if any of the following apply:

* You have children learning to play games
* You have friends, relatives, or spouses who are not keen on heavyweight games
* You need a game that you can teach 3 other people to play within 5 minutes

Pirateer is light on the rules, decent on theme, and deceptive in its reliance on the luck of the dice.

Each player gets a set of three ship counters that start off in their respective corner harbors. In the center of the board lies Skull Island, with the gold treasure coin on it. The first to get the treasure and return it to his/her harbor wins the game. A player can also win if he/she is the only one left with ships (all other ships sunk).

Sounds easy enough so far. Each turn, you roll two dice and move according to the dice - one ship may use both dice to make a move, or each die can move a separate ship. In general you must always move horizontally or vertically exactly the number on the die. You may not move through other ships, but you can land on them and thus sink them. Sink the ship carrying the treasure, and you claim it for your own.

Blocking easy access to the island are the trade winds, squares that can only be entered and exited by exact rolls of the dice. But in these squares, ships move diagonally - and thus can cover large distances in single moves. Because of this, they can also quickly become threats to ships otherwise too distant to reach and sink.

Still sounds easy, right? But you're at the mercy of those dice each time, and you must make a move if possible - even if the only move available puts you at serious risk or disadvantage (those winds are so unpredictable!). This is where many gaming geeks throw up their hands and give up on the game - it's all luck based!

In truth, the dice and movement system is the same as that used in backgammon. And any serious backgammon player will tell you that it's not just about the roll of the dice, but how you choose to play according to that roll - whether to play conservatively, aggressively, or take a gamble on what your opponent is going to roll. The same holds true here. With every roll of the dice, you have to choose how to position your ships, whether to make an aggressive run for the treasure, set up to block an enemy, patrol the tradewinds a little longer, etc.

I purchased this game last Christmas for the family, as it seemed to be easy to learn (it was), quick to set up (very much so), and would be fun for everyone. My wife liked it, and she runs hot and cold on games - this one was a hit. Even my step-mother, who hates to play most games, enjoyed this game and actually wanted to play several rounds of it. If you have a spouse or friends that turn off most games, this one will likely appeal to them more than most games.

The easy rules and light, fun theme lend this game to parties or after-dinner gatherings. It encourages conversation and interaction while the game is being played, without being entirely predictable to the point of boredom. Keep it handy when the relatives come over with their kids for the holiday gatherings. Also a good game to introduce to children, as it does not have a lot of rules to remember, encourages counting and planning skills, and gives kids a sense that they're playing a real "grown-up's" game, which will encourage them to seek out even more complex and interesting games later on.

You may have trouble finding this game in game stores (not sure if it's now out of print or not) but if you can find a copy, I highly recommend adding it to your collection.

Thread: Session Report

ept1 — 2004-11-15T15:39:22+00:00

We play this one often((my nephew(age16)and I))when we don't have time to play a longer game. We often play for points in 5 game "Championships of the World".

By playing 5 game sessions and playing for points some of the "luck factor" is taken out. We also roll to see who makes the rules for each game in a session so the winner of the roll can pick a game that is to his advantage srategically.

The variants make the game more interesting and I recomend
using them to add variety.

All in all a fun game.

Thread: Re:Pirateer isn't EXACTLY Privateer

kimbo — 2004-10-07T14:26:15+00:00

I always wondered what the difference between Pirateer and Privateer were. I still have my original Privateer game (1st Edition? Copyright 1978) - the one with the canvas mapboard. Over the years, I've probably played this game more than any other in my collection. Often heard about, but never saw or played any of the variants (like Nuke-a-teer). Always wondered about them...

Thread: User Review

Volstag — 2004-09-29T14:06:17+00:00

Number of Players: 2 - 4 (more w/ variants)
Approximate Playtime: 15 to 30 minutes
Complexity: Low

Components:

All top notch. Not a single complaint here. The board looks fantastic and is very evocative of "Swashbuckling Adventure". The "ships", which are actually small black discs, have a nice solid heft to them. A small golden coin is used to represent the "treasure". The manual is short and sweet, well illustrated, with plenty of gameplay examples.

Mechanics/Rules:

Each player, representing one of four different factions (English, French, Ottoman and Pirate... I think) begins the game with three ships in their home port. Their objective is to race towards Skull Island, steal the gold, and race back to home port. Along the way they may engage in a skirmish (or two) with their opponent's ships. The winner is the player who reaches home port with the gold first -or- the only player who has active ships left.

The board/map depicts the home ports, of each player, located in the extreme corners. The central section of the map is dominated by a large "ocean". The ocean has a diagonal grid system overlaid -- this is used to determine ship movement. In the middle of the board is... you guessed it... Skull Island. There are "trade wind" squares that border Skull Island on either side. These trade wind squares act as a barrier of sorts -- in that they can't be crossed like a normal square. They first have to be "entered" and then, movement allowing, exited. The trade winds effectively break the ocean into three chunks: the area in/around Skull Island, and the two "outer" areas of ocean on either side (near the edges of the board). It should also be mentioned that travel on the trade winds is the only time/place in which ships can move horizontally, or vertically -- all other ship movement is a series of diagonal hops.

Each turn, the active player will roll two die to determine the movement of one, or two, of their ships. The player may either use both die to move one ship twice, or, both die to move two ships once -- if that makes any sense.

For example: if I rolled a two and a six, I could move one of my ships two spaces up, and then six spaces across. Or, alternately, I could move Ship A two spaces, and Ship B six spaces. The key is that you must, if at all possible, make the moves represented by the die. You can't, for example, move a ship with the two die and simply ignore the six die (and vice versa). And, likewise, you can't just move four spaces of your six die, and ignore the difference. There are, however, instances in which it's not possible to make the required movements (say, for example, you're in a constrained area of the board and/or hemmed in by enemy ships). In this case you may ignore one, or both, die (only if you can't make a legal move with either die, for any ship you possess).

The bottomline is this: if one of your ships, somewhere, can legally make a move, then it MUST make a move. This, often times, has the unfortunate effect of forcing your well placed ships out of position. Also note that you can't "jump" ships (friendly or otherwise), nor can multiple ships exist in the same square (friendly or otherwise), nor can you "double back" on a die roll.

Combat between opposing ships does exist, and it's handled in a very simplistic manner. Namely: if one of your ships can land, exactly, on an opponents ship (using one die, or a combination of both), then they are considered sunk. That ship is removed from play. If you're unlucky enough to have all your ships sunk, you're out of the game. If the enemy ship you sunk just happens to have the gold... the gold will be "transferred" to your ship.

There is one other movement restriction that needs to be mentioned. A ship carrying the gold may ONLY move towards its home port, or parallel to its home port. You can NEVER move away from your home port with a ship that is carrying the booty.

Play proceeds clockwise around the board until someone brings the gold back to home port, or there's only one player left with ships (in which case they're granted an automatic victory).

Gameplay:

You can't get much easier than this. There really isn't a whole lot to think about. The first thing each player should do, IMO, is slowly clear their harbor of ships (you don't want your ships blocking the harbor when your gold ship is desperately trying to get in).

After that it's simply hoping the die goes your way and/or works against your opponents. You move towards Skull Island, you sink opponents when/where you can. If it looks like you have a good opening, you grab the gold and start running. The less enemy ships you have to contend with, the easier it is to get back.

Movement along the trade winds can be nice. It's really the only place where you can quickly move the length/breadth of the board (which can be useful for chasing down a fleeing "gold ship"). Without use of the trade winds, you're stuck making a series of diagonal hops, and very much at the mercy of the die.

The outer edges of the board (which are seperated from Skull Island by the aforementioned trade winds) don't see a lot of action. In fact, I don't recommend going out there unless you're in a very dire situation. You need good die rolls to move across them effectively.

Getting into harbor w/ the gold, while being hounded by enemy vessels, can be rather tense (or frustrating). Since the harbor is so constrained, and your movement is limited (because you're carrying the gold) you need very good combinations of die to get in safely.

While the game is most certainly decided by blind luck, there are cases in which ship placement requires a tiny bit o' finesse.

Conclusion:

Pirateers is a very light, very quick game. It's mildly entertaining with the right crowd and/or children. I've had some laughs with it on occassion. Don't expect any deep pondering, or brilliant tactical maneuvers. I can recommend this game to the following folks:

* Young children
* Very casual boardgamers who want something quick and luck heavy with a pirate theme.
* More serious boardgamers who are looking for a filler that boasts heavy luck and a pirate theme.

-V

Thread: Re:Amazed at the bad press!

galeninjapan — 2004-07-25T03:27:24+00:00

Windopaene (#24641),

This game seems great for 12 year olds, No there are far better and more pleasent games to play. For one the game mechanics dont even anything to do with pirates.