Updated: Mr. Geekess has decided that he too would like to have his say on the games that I review, and I have permitted this. His summary has been added below and will be included in all game reviews going forward.

There is a soft spot for pirates in our household. We celebrate International Talk Like A Pirate Day on an annual basis, and Grant dresses up like a pirate at every opportunity that he gets. We own more than one eye patch, and have gone through quite a few pirate hats, guns and swords over the years. So it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that we own Pirate’s Cove. (If it does, you clearly don’t know us very well at all. Which wouldn’t be surprising, since this is a blog, not a house party.)

Pirate’s Cove was one of the first board games we bought, and it’s still one that we play when introducing new (or old) friends to our game collection. It’s a game that’s quick to explain and easy to pick up on once you start playing, which makes it a great game to kick-start an evening, or a board game addiction.

The Skinny

Players control ships that are sailing the seven seas. They go from port to port upgrading their ships, picking up (or burying) money or treasure and fighting each other at every chance that they get. The goal? To win pirate of the year award by earning the most fame (infamy) after 12 months (turns) of sailing.

The Good

There are a lot of good things about the game! Its simple mechanics make it easy to learn (as mentioned above) and a lot of fun to play. It’s beautifully put together and colourful, which makes it a pleasure to look at and I love the small touches that they have put into it – the art work, the captain’s wheels that each player gets and the cards themselves all work together to make it a fun-feeling game in general. It’s also great to know that there are different ways to go about winning – you can spend your game avoiding fights, or go out looking for them, and there is a chance either way that you could win if you have built your ship to suit your playing style.

The Bad

Pirate’s Cove is simple, and while this has its benefits when teaching the game to new players, it does limit its replayability. It’s not the kind of game that you would want to play over and over again in a single night, and the novelty of it wears off quickly. In our friend group, another big downside is that the combat is dice-based, meaning that the decisions that are made throughout the game could end up being negated through unlucky rolls.

 Mr. Geekess Says

Pirate’s Cove is a great way to introduce your non-gaming friends to the wonders of board games – the rules are simple to explain and to grasp, and after a turn or two they’ll have picked it up. The simplicity of the rules coupled with the fact that fights are resolved through dice rolls may lead some to conclude that it’s simply a game of luck, however there’s more strategy to this game than first meets the eye. Pirate’s Cove is more like a poker game – the real strategy is in reading your opponents, figuring out what they need and where they might go, avoiding the strong and picking off the weak, all the while building up your ship to minimise the effect of bad dice rolls. Some may not like this meta-gaming but as a poker player and a lover of strategy, I find it most enjoyable. Overall, it’s not a game I pull out that often (I prefer something with meatier strategy elements) but all-in-all it’s good fun with a group of friends and can be a great gateway board game to get people hooked.

So that’s Pirate’s Cove for you. Have you played it? What did you think?