Dread Pirate Game

The Dread Pirate game capitalizes on the long-standing appeal of seafaring pirates to bring a fun and unique experience to players of all ages.

Presentation

With Dread Pirate, part of the game's appeal is simply in its presentation. As you sit down to play the game, you're not just sliding the lid off a cardboard box; you're opening a wooden treasure chest to expose the riches within. However, if you're willing to forgo the atmosphere of a pirate treasure chest, you can also purchase the "Bookshelf Edition" in a less expensive, more compact, and more conventional cardboard box.

Instead of a standard fold-out game board, Dread Pirate is played on an antique-look cloth "treasure map". Players travel the map with their own small, die-cast pirate ships as they gather doubloons and jewels. Even the dice fit the theme, looking more like weathered chunks of wood than plastic game pieces. Inside the treasure chest, players can store the pieces in velvet drawstring pouches, just like you imagine a pirate might use to keep a bit of his stash safe.

Playing the Dread Pirate Game

Dread Pirate is designed for two to four players, with a suggested age range of eight and up, and the rules are fairly simple:

• Players roll the die to move from square to square across the map.
• When your ship lands in a square next to another ship, you may engage in a skirmish to try to take treasure from your opponent.
• When your ship lands at a foreign port, you may raid the port to try to gain treasure.
• When your ship lands at a foreign port, you may also trade doubloons for jewels.
• The first player to reach Dread Island becomes the Dread Pirate for the duration of the game, gaining an advantage in travel and skirmishes. However, in order to travel to Dread Island, you must first collect one of each color jewel through skirmishes, raids, and trading.
• The title of Dread Pirate isn't permanent, though. Any other pirate can win the name by beating the current title-holder in a skirmish.
• Dread Pirate cards, also called fate cards, have the power to change the outcome of the game, delivering surprise events that can bring fortune or ruin to players.
• Advanced and alternate playing rules can factor in the wind when determining movement, add opportunities to pick up fate cards, or shorten the game by using fewer jewels.
• The pirate with the most treasure at the end of the game wins.

Beyond the basic rules of play, Dread Pirate is open to whatever atmosphere players would like to create. Do you want to dress in pirate gear, drink some rum, and say "Yarr" a lot? Then Dread Pirate can provide that experience. However, if you're looking for a serious, sedate game, you can lead things in that direction, too.

Related Games

Dread Pirate: Buccaneer's Revenge

Unlike some subtitled games, Dread Pirate: Buccaneer's Revenge isn't an expansion pack to the original game; it's a brand-new adventure in a familiar gameplay setting. It's a simpler game in terms of presentation. There is no treasure chest, and the game board is an actual board instead of a cloth map. Action cards and individual missions add new twists to the game. Like the original game, it is designed for two to four players, ages eight and up.

Dread Pirate Tiddlywinks

Dread Pirate Tiddlywinks adds new fun to a traditional game. Gold doubloons are spread across the treasure-map-themed playing surface. Using pirate captain figures to assist in flipping, players compete to be the first to get all of their coins into the treasure chest. It's a simple game for two to four players who want the fun of a Dread Pirate game without the strategy required of other games in the franchise.