Plunder

Balanced between history and adventure - the ships, nations, and ports are right out of the history books. The kraken, mermaid, and ghost ship aren't! There are also many, many touches of the period and genre: you must share your Plunder with your crew, you will capture Prize Ships to haul the plundered cargo back to port, and if you don't pay yer' crew, they can mutiny! Worse, you just might have to pay the Governor's Tax, or even Stand Trial... but don't worry, all Captains manage to find a way to survive in this game - they just can't resist the lure of booty!

Balanced between strategy and luck - as a game based on cards, you choose which cards to play from the ones you have. In addition to a regular effect, every card has a number which can add to yer' crew, cannon and such. This gives a fair amount of strategy to the game. Will you plunder the Treasure Fleet of New Spain and use a Treasure Map's number to help, or just try to find the treasure instead? There are also many meaningful choices to make, such as: will you stay in port to get a Letter of Marque or sail to draw more cards? Will you take that loaded English Galleon (which might have naught for cargo), or buy some Spice and sell it for a profit later? Along with all this is a fair amount of luck, such as Storms overtaking you at any time and Encounters played on you by your fellow captains.

Plunder is a game for 2-4 players, and takes around an hour to play. Everything you need to play is in the chest.