Pirate's Cove
Encyclopedia
Pirate's Cove is a board game designed by Paul Randles
and Daniel Stahl
, and published in Europe in 2002 by Amigo Spiele
and in the United States
in 2003 by Days of Wonder
. In the game, players play pirate ship captains seeking treasure from islands and bragging rights from defeating other pirates in naval combat.
Captains choose an island to plunder based on the potential rewards of that island and the and fight if they show up at the same island. Certain islands offer the opportunity to upgrade an aspect of the ship and the available plunder at each island changes with each turn. A player can use this information to predict where other players' ships will turn up and thus move his ship accordingly to either do battle or avoid it. The bounty of each island is skewed so that some Islands are clearly better choices than others, so it can force you to decide (or bluff) if you think you can take the island should other pirates go after the same bounty. Ships that survive combat then plunder the islands, gain fame, and pay gold to upgrade their ships based on the qualities of the islands. The Legendary Pirate, a black ship token, moves clockwise around the board, forcing captains to steer out of his path unless they think that they can defeat the powerful ship. At Treasure Island, no battle can take place and it is where ships can safely discharge cargo from their ship and bury any plundered treasure (a ship's capacity to hold treasure is based on its hull rating). Burying treasure and money adds to the player's accumulated fame points.
Paul Randles
Paul Joseph Randles was an American game designer who designed German-style board games. His games Pirate's Cove and Key Largo were published first in Europe and then in the United States...
and Daniel Stahl
Daniel Stahl
Daniel Stahl is an American game designer best known for creating German-style board games. In 2002, his game Pirate's Cove was published by Amigo Spiele in Europe and then in the United States by Days of Wonder.A former member of the ImagiNation Network, He became a webmaster in 1994 and later...
, and published in Europe in 2002 by Amigo Spiele
Amigo Spiele
Amigo Spiele is a German board and card game publisher. Many of their games have won Spiel des Jahres awards, and many have been published in English by Rio Grande Games.- Notable games :* Bohnanza* 6 Nimmt!/Take 6!* Café International...
and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 2003 by Days of Wonder
Days of Wonder
Days of Wonder is a board game publisher based in the United States and France. Founded in 2002, Days of Wonder distributes its games to 25 countries. It specialises in German-style board games and have branched out to include some online games. Days of Wonder has published games in English,...
. In the game, players play pirate ship captains seeking treasure from islands and bragging rights from defeating other pirates in naval combat.
Game play
The game takes place over 12 months (turns), with the goal of being the pirate with the most fame. Each player has a ship token and a card showing four aspects of the ship (crew, cannon, sail, and hull). At the beginning of each turn, a card is turned over at each island to reveal the potential booty from plunder. Each island (except Pirate's Cove and Treasure Island) offer various amounts of Fame, Gold, Treasure or Tavern cards.Captains choose an island to plunder based on the potential rewards of that island and the and fight if they show up at the same island. Certain islands offer the opportunity to upgrade an aspect of the ship and the available plunder at each island changes with each turn. A player can use this information to predict where other players' ships will turn up and thus move his ship accordingly to either do battle or avoid it. The bounty of each island is skewed so that some Islands are clearly better choices than others, so it can force you to decide (or bluff) if you think you can take the island should other pirates go after the same bounty. Ships that survive combat then plunder the islands, gain fame, and pay gold to upgrade their ships based on the qualities of the islands. The Legendary Pirate, a black ship token, moves clockwise around the board, forcing captains to steer out of his path unless they think that they can defeat the powerful ship. At Treasure Island, no battle can take place and it is where ships can safely discharge cargo from their ship and bury any plundered treasure (a ship's capacity to hold treasure is based on its hull rating). Burying treasure and money adds to the player's accumulated fame points.
External links
- Days of Wonder's Pirate's Cove site with tutorials