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Reiner Knizia
PlayRoom Entertainment
3 - 5 Players
15 mins
8 and up
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Theme: Works well with the game. You and your swashbuckling shipmates are attempting to claim island’s hidden treasure, find the hero pirate Ben Gunn, while avoiding the ghosts the haunt the island chains. A little tacked on for what is a simple card game but it does complement the game well. This is definitely not a pirate simulation in anyway.
Components: Quite good for the price. The game comes six thick island boards, Several sturdy treasure tokens, 5 decks of small cards in five colors. And a couple punch out figures on plastic stands. I really liked the artwork with this game. It is cartoonish but not childish. The pirates look tough but not in a violent way which is appropriate for this family game.
Gameplay: Good light game for the Family and non gamers with a slight mod to the rules. This is a nice light family game that works well with younger kids and non gamers. In the game you will divide treasure on the separate islands. Each player will have a deck of cards in their color. On your turn you will play a card face down on an island. If there was already a face down card there you will turn it face up. This means that you can see how strongly each player controls an island trough out the game except the last card played. In addition to the valued cards players also have one cannon card. If this is placed face down then reveal it will destroy the last card played. The main points however come from the figures. They will move as players reveal face down cards. The ghost will make an island worthless while the hero pirate will give the winner of the island he is on 10 points*. If you focus more on manipulating where the figures will land this will be a really interesting game with a good amount of strategy. If you follow the rule book and treat Ben Gunn as a normal treasure this can be a simple area control game.
Replay Value: Quite high if you use the variant I listed. Playing by the rules included the game could get old quick but by focusing on figure position the game can be quite strategic.
If I were stranded on an island with 3 to 5 of my friends would I want to have this game to pass the time while we waited for a group of sea turtles to pass by that we could tie together with our back hair and use as a raft? Yes…but. This game is light. Hardcore gamers may not find this deep enough. For a quick social game it does quite well.
Drink Recommendation: Due to the light Caribbean theme of this game I recommend a round of Pina Coladas. Use 3oz of light rum, 3 tablespoons of coconut milk, and 3 tablespoons of Pineapple juice. Blend this in a blender with a good amount of ice till you get the appropriate slushy texture.
*The rules say that Ben Gunn acts as a 10 point treasure and is given to the dominant player. The player with the next highest value gets the highest treasure token…etc. I highly recommend that you try playing that Ben Gunn acts as a 10 point bonus, is given to the dominant player, and the dominant player gets the highest treasure. This adds depth to the game because it makes it more about positioning the figures than simple area control.
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