- Take to the high seas in search of plunder and fame
- For 3-5 players
- Takes 60-90 minutes to play
- Great game for the family
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Product Description
From the Manufacturer
Come aboard and sail to Pirate's Cove... the legendary hideaway of thieving pirates and cutthroat buccaneers. The tales of those legendary pirates of old who've fought and survived these mysterious waters still haunt all those who yearn for a life at sea. Armed with a secret map and starting with a modestly outfitted sloop salvaged from last winter's storm you set sail to Pirate's Cove -- your eyes filled with visions of treasure and fame your lungs filled with the salty air of the High Seas. Your objective: to battle for the rights to plunder and become the most famed and feared Pirate the world has ever seen. To do so you will need to navigate shrewdly fight recklessly and pillage mercilessly. You will gain fame by winning battles; burying gold and treasure; and bragging about your exploits at the Tavern. At the end of twelve months the pirate with the most fame will be declared the most fearsome Pirate of the High Seas!
Product Description
In Pirate's Cove, players take on the role of ship captains as they battle for the rights to plunder and become the most famed and feared Pirate the world has ever seen. To do so, they will need to navigate shrewdly, fight recklessly, and pillage mercilessly. Gain fame by winning battles, burying gold and treasure, and bragging about your exploits at the Tavern, and at the end of twelve months, the pirate with the most fame will be declared the most fearsome Pirate of the High Seas! A swashbuckling board game for 2-5 fortune-hunters, ages 10 and up.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
66 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A short, quick game that's still a lot of fun.,
= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars
This review is from: Pirate's Cove (Toy)
I'm surprised I'm the first to review this item: it's a very enjoyable game. Since I'm first, I'll be thorough (though I won't explain all the rules, just give a flavor of the game play).
Pirate's Cove is a game by Days of Wonder, a company that also makes Ticket to Ride (a very fun game). Pirate's Cove appears complex at first glance but actually is not. The basic idea is to try to get the most Fame points (e.g. be the most famous pirate) by balancing upgrading your ship, choosing the best moves to make and avoiding confrontation with other players. Players act together, so while there are different steps in a round, there are no "turns" per se. The game is quick, about 60 minutes with a full house of 5, and moves quickly as well (unlike, say, Risk). It is fun for all ages but probably too complex for those under 10. The Longer Version Each player (pirate) in this game has a ship consisting of four areas: Sails, Crew, Cannons and Hull. Sails affect who goes first in a fight (more later on this), crew and cannon determine how potent you are in a fight and hull affects how much treasure you can carry. Players travel to different "islands" on the board, fight any other players who also went to that island and then plunder whatever that island has to offer. Each turn starts with players choosing, in secret, the island they are going to. Then everyone reveals their island choice at once using an included island-choosing cut-out. Any combat between players is resolved by playing combat cards (that have temporary effects) and the winning player reaps the benefits of that island. The benefits of each island vary and are determined by flipping over island cards (which you can see before you choose your island, thus influencing your choice). Islands grant different benefits: gold, fame points, treasure or cards (such as battle cards and other special cards), each in varying amounts depending on the island. Players may then upgrade their ship by paying gold. Upgrading is controlled by what island you have choosen to visit (there are islands corresponding to each ship section, sails, crew, cannons and hull, and you may only upgarde that section at that island). After upgrading, the turn ends, new island cards are flipped and a new round begins (with players again choosing what island to go to). Strategy and Challenge The challenge of this game is figuring out what island to go to and when. If you choose an island another pirate has gone to, you have to fight or flee (and fleeing has its own risks). But if you let other players take all the best islands (as I mentioned, the island cards vary and some give much more than others) you'll fall behind in the game. You also must balance when to collect treasure (which can later be exchanged for fame points) and when to focus on upgrading, etc. Summary The most interesting thing about this game is that the details disappear when playing. Everything works naturally and smoothly and, after just a game or two, you'll find yourself very comfortable with the rules, upgrading, etc. The game has more flavor then I have presented here (for example, I did not discuss the Legendary Pirate that travels from island to island automatically nor did I discuss the different types of battle and special cards) and is good, clean fun. It's definitely not a game you can say to your Monopoly-loving family "hey, check out this board game" and is more suited for people who enjoy Risk, Settlers of Catan or other such games. I would rank this game higher except that some of the pieces are made of essentially laminated, glossy paper. This is very odd since the pirate ship pieces are very detailed and high-quality and the board is beautifully-made. And the names of the legendary pirates are even historically accurate! But still, the game is easily worth its 4 star rating. This is a great game. If you're not sure this is your type of game, I suggest you try Ticket to Ride- Europe first, also made by Days of Wonder, or go to the Days of Wonder website and read more about Pirate's Cove. But if you like games like Risk 2210, or the others I mentioned above, I suspect you'll enjoy this.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy to Learn, fun to play...,
This review is from: Pirate's Cove (Toy)
This is a great game. It was easier to learn than most euro games I have and everyone I game with seemed to like it immensely. It also goes pretty fast, with 5 people, about an hour. I'll probably look into rules for extending the game, since all liked it so much, even those (like my husband) who have no patience for learning the new details of games. Only thing that I was a little confused on was fighting the pirates but got the hang of it after doing it a few times. And I also wish they would have included little cards or something that states what each island does, because I am usually asked about 20 times (not exaggerating) what options people have on treasure island (burying treasure/buying fame pts/upgrading 1 level) verus pirate's cove(getting 1 card & gold or 2 cards). But the game has just enough strategy, luck, and fighting to satisfy any gamer. I've only had it two weeks and have played it numereous times. Everytime I go to my friends houses they want to play it. I definitely recommend it.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Family Fun!,
By
= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars
This review is from: Pirate's Cove (Toy)
Who needs television when there are great family board games like this?!? My wife and I have just recently started getting into board games. After getting Ticket to Ride: Marklin edition, Pirate's Cove was our next purchase. We payed about $35 for it and it was worth every penny! If you think about it, you pay almost that much to take the family out to a movie for two hours. For $35, we got something that gives much more family entertainment than that!
Pirate's Cove is beautiful to look at. The board and components are all excellent quality. The gameplay is done simultaneously and makes for a quickly paced game. This game is a bit more luck than it is strategy, but as long as you don't take it too seriously it is a lot of fun. The game is a little short so we expanded it from 12 rounds to 18... much better! Basically if you like fun, fast, light board games that the whole family can play, Pirate's Cove is right for you! Highly recommended! Also check out other games by the publisher, Days of Wonder. Also recommended: Memoir 44, Ticket to Ride: Marklin edition, Carcassonne, Settlers of Catan, Guillotine card game, Ligretto card game.
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