Pirate pandemonium!

Arrrrrr, shiver me timbers and cringe me nurgles (...wait; that's more Dennis Bloodnok than Blackbeard!).

Anyway,  Last Friday saw the club given over to games with a decidedly salty flavour as NWA celebrated the 'International Talk Like a Pirate Day' last week (sure it was Monday and the club meeting was on Friday, but who cares?) I was originally going to play Andrew S. in a non-nautical Napoleonic scenario (my sea landing scenario not being ready), but we were enticed to join in the scurvy crew from Eureka Miniatures in a game of silliness that was both entertaining and quite engaging; I actually wanted to win!

The rules were extremely simple; four players were in charge of a pirate band each. There were several bands of non-player characters/creatures, that, at the start of a player's turn, could be controlled by that player for that turn by picking 2 gold coins from the pirate chest with a number on it. Each player had an 'Aye-pad' which listed the non-player characters/creatures and their abilities, so choosing a coin could become quite strategic if there was a band close to a rival player's unit. Movement and combat were extremely simple; a wooden 'leg', or half a chopstick, being the measure of distance, and a handful of d6s, 1 for each scurvy crew member and 3 for the captain, thrown for combat. 6s indicate a hit which for all non-captains was fatal. If your crew was reduced by combat or other surprises (like piranhas, quicksand etc.), you could attempt to recruit another band of non-player characters or creatures. I managed to recruit some marines and when they were reduced, I recruited some natives. Poor Malcolm tried 3 times to recruit the same bunch of pygmies and each time was rejected and attacked for his troubles!

Anyway, each player had an objective to reach and once reached discovered the location of the Fountain of Youth (which was the ultimate objective for all players). One young member of the club (sorry I didn't catch his name) was quick out of the blocks and fairly ruthless in setting NPCs against the rest of us. He reached his objective first and was also the first to reach the Fountain of Youth. He also was the first to deal with the mermaids who attempted to lure him to the depths with their beguiling song. He managed to resist their charms (just) to be the first player to walk under the waterfall at the pyramid to reach the fabled fountain. each player who managed to reach the waterfall was then required to roll 1d6 to see if they ever came out again; roll a 1 and you mysteriously disappear forever! Of course, the young chap who'd played a blinder all night rolled....a 1! Malcolm, who'd been attacked by just about every NPC band and had had quicksand appear under his feet at every turn (besides being rejected by the natives), ended up winning the game after being the first to secure a phial of the waters of the Fountain of Youth and make it to the edge of the board. I was second to the pyramid (the rest of us were totally immune to the charms of the mermaids. What does that say about a.) their charms, or b.) our captains? Hello,sailor!), but like the young chap, I too rolled the dreaded 1!

A giggle of a game played in the right spirit and hosted by some great showmen!

One of the pirate bands - Malcolm's I think

NPC band of pygmies

NPC band of skellingtons - Scary!

NPC band of natives

Mermaids at the foot of the pyramid containing the Fountain of Youth

Aye-Pad 2.0!

My first move of an NPC band positioned them right underneath the man-eating plants!

My pirate band being approached by an NPC band controlled by another player.

Combat! I came off worst, though.

The young fella's band being attacked by a giant ant!

My depleted band after crossing the river and being attacked by piranhas (the blob in the river). Approaching the marines on the right who I recruited after abandoning my band of scurvy lubbers!

Malcolm beating a retreat with his phial of water from the fountain of youth riding his recruited giant ant in the boat (hastily made of paper after the real thing apparently had been left behind by the organisers!)

The board at the end of the game. Note the empty board, but the HUGE pile of dead figures at the bottom of the picture!