From: baswell@rintintin.Colorado.EDU (Shaper)
Description: Re: Blackbeard (?)

ARRRR!  Avast, ye scurvy dog, you're to be walking the plank fer yer
doubtin. This is definately NOT a beer and pretzels game. Rum and
pretzels, maybe.

You play a pirate of historical note.  Or two.  Or three. Depending on
how many you decide you want out.  You only get to play one of your
ships every turn, though, so having all four lives' worth of your
pirates out isn't necessarly a good thing. You hunt down ships that are
carrying various cargoes across the seas, and attack them.  You then
claim whatever treasures are aboard (if you win) or limp back to port to
repair your ship. You can also take hostages and torture them for
information, and then go raze various ports. The idea is to gain the
most noteriety.  First pirate to hit 100 noteriety wins.  Every action
you take can contribute to noteriety.  Large treasures add to your
noteriety when you make it back to port.  Torturing your hostages adds
to your noteriety.  Dueling to the death with another pirate can affect
your noteriety.  It could kill you. The game mechanics are based on a
set of cards which determine random events, how many cargo ships appear
on a given round, how many cargo ships disappear, Storms, etc.  You
start out with your choice of one of two different ships - a sloop or a
schooner, I think.  One is a bit faster, one is a bit sturdier.  If you
successfully board another ship without taking damage, you can claim
that ship as your own, and come away sailing much sturdier vessels.
This makes fighting a lot easier.  Sometimes, however, it is better to
run.

The King's Commissions are sailing the seas, too, and they hunt PIRATES.
They also bear historical captains' names, and have individual speeds
and strengths.  And they're controlled by other players, so they're
seeking out YOU.  You can also start a King's Commission under proper
circumstances, and chase another player around the map with it, giving
him the fits.  They CANNOT be destroyed.  They're that much more
powerful.  Yu gotta run. The best part of the game, in my opinion, has
to do with crew morale.  With events like scurvy in the cards, crew
morale can go up or down.  If it gets too low, you're in danger of
mutiny. Successful cargo runs can raise morale, as well as other things.
THe sometimes mandatory Debauchery and Revelry is one of my favorites.
However, your entire crew suffers a penalty the next turn whilst they
recover.
 
Try and find someone to play the games with before you buy it (good
advice for any game).  It's quite a lot of fun with people who get into
it. Btw, the pirates are based on historical pirates, and there are a
good many of them.  There's a brief description of each on one side, and
his/her stats on the other.  Stats are things like duelling ability,
cruelty (affects torturing), etc.