Joined in 2023 
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Place the board in the middle of the table. Each player randomly gets a color by drawing a face-down crew marker card and gets the den, the crew marker card, the score token, and the 30 cards of that color. The players place their den in front of them and their cards next to it. More characters means more variety from game to game. This equates to more replay value. It also means sometimes you might get a hand of crew members that don’t work together well. This can be annoying, but if you can still try to figure out a better synergy than your opponents. The booty tokens that remain (eventually) at the end of this phase are left on the board until the end of the current campaign. Phase 4: Night
OK, I'll stop. Diarrhea jokes at a game blog? Gross. Just juvenile. Instead, I'll remind you to come to GenCon so I can sign your boobs.)I can't remember the exact moment, but I think in season 2 he just really lets his anger get the best of him, beating people up on the sidewalk for the most trivial stuff. Just his explosive temper,... Steamforged’s Sea of Thieves board game, Sea of Thieves: Voyage of Legends, tasks you with becoming the most famous pirate on the seven seas, but how you achieve that goal is up to you. Will you scrap with skeleton kings, complete missions, trade in treasures, or just get in the way of your friends, and shoot their ships full of holes? Like with the regular game of Libertalia, there are lots of ways to strategise how you’re going to get the best loot and if getting the best loot is even worth it. Should you instead prioritise getting shipmates with night time or anchor abilities? Will that score more in the end? There is no set answer to those questions in this game, but there’s definitely plenty to think about.
The pirate theme in this game is carried through to great effect; all 30 of the cards have great artwork, relate well to what the character they portray is supposed to be and do, and interact well with one another. The looting mechanic is fun and flavorful, especially with the two direct action items, the Spanish Officer and the Saber. I really appreciate that this is a fantastically entertaining game that I can play with my two elder sons, or non-gaming enthusiasts, and seasoned board gamers, alike. They will all understand it, and genuinely be able to compete. It’s probably not an entry level game, in the same way as Wingspan isn’t for me, mainly due to learning the game in the first instance. However, it certainly is a gateway-plus game that will remain in most board-gamers’ collection for all the right reasons. My experience is that with 6 players, game duration fall in the 45-60 minute range. You might find some turns take a while, depending on the mix of cards in the hand. I do not own and have only played the original Libertalia a few times. Libertalia Winds of Galecrest refreshes things and adds the reputation mechanic. It also adds 10 new characters and new artwork. It is different from the original but not drastically. Oho! New to Stardew? Keep me posted on what you think. It can take time to earn things, but other avenues open up (mining, fishing, interacting with townsfolk) to keep you engaged as the in-game days...Finally, the “Night” phase occurs, where all characters in a player’s den having Night powers my execute them. These powers execute each day, so some of these Night powers can be pretty beneficial. This happens for six turns ( days) per round, then any end of week (one time scoring) actions occur and points are awarded. After three rounds, the person with the most points wins. If a player chooses a Spanish officer or a saber tile, the player must immediately resolve their effect (see inset). Otherwise, the player places the chosen booty token face-down in their den. The player's character is then placed in the player's den, face-up.
The loot tokens are not only upgraded in terms of component quality, but also because they now have multiple ways to play with them, which helps variability. Adding more characters (and tweaking some originals) also improves overall replay value. The only other component is a board plus some tiles to place on it to vary the effects of the loot tokens. It’s double-sided, printed with player aids and everything is laid out in a neat and effective manner to help facilitate the gameplay. Rules and How it Plays Production value of Stonemaier Games is consistently high, little details like linen finish rulebooks make their games feel special. Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest is no exception. Particularly pleasing are the loot tokens that have a nice tactile quality to them. I’m not entirely sure why the loot tokens didn’t arrive in the cloth bag that they will eventually be stored in, but I was pleased that they came in a compostable bag. Certainly a commendable step in the right direction. Gone are the cardboard chits to represent the loot, now replaced with chunky Azul like tiles that are deeply satisfying and the scoring dials, while fiddly to assemble, is lovely to have on the board.You place the Automa tiles at the bottom (the hook and saber have been replaced here, it’s a bit different for the stormy side of the board, where there’s a specific Automa tile for Barrel and Amulet). The reputation tokens are randomly placed with yours and the Automa’s tokens placed in the third and fourth spot. The loot tiles are randomly selected as usual but with three tiles. One is for the Pilferer who is separate to the Automa. Each set of 3 treasure maps = 12 doubloons. Incomplete sets of 1 or 2 treasure maps are worth nothing. This is a simple competitive game that I can bring out and play with just about anyone as it’s really easy to teach. The pirate theme is always easy to convince people to play, so it’s not hard to find people to enjoy it with. The arrrs will be in full swing before you know it.
Merchants & Marauders (2010) – a 3+hour massive game where players choose to make a fortune through trade, treasure hunting or stealing others treasures. Great for avid, strategy or power gamers. Another note about Automa is that it likes money and will gain a boatload of money throughout the game. A lot of the regular character abilities are translated into gaining coins (which makes sense given that this is the likely outcome when playing against other people), which definitely makes the game more challenging. I was only playing on the regular difficulty (Automa starts on 0 coins) and I’ve only beat it twice (once sunny, once stormy). The components for this game are good; the artwork is beautiful, the game board is sturdy and has a very clean design, and the loot tokens are sturdy and easily differentiated from one another. The only ding I can give the game here is that the cards are less robust than I’d like; they seem like they’d be susceptible to both general wear and to corner bending. I recommend sleeves to prolong card life. The components for this game are great. There is some debate but I like the updated brighter artwork with animal crew members. It is less gritty but I like the new fun whimsical design. The rule book is easy to read and follow. And while the game is pretty easy to teach and learn, you can always watch the tutorial here.Replayability, outstanding mechanics, and a very workable duration all line up in this game’s favor. Great artwork and exceptional integration of the pirate theme throughout the mechanics provide great flavor. There will be one booty tile per player, which you’ll see in advance. Many are good (positive points), while some are cursed (negative points), and others allow you to discard crew, either yours or your neighbors’. There are also maps that are worthless alone, but worth a lot (12 points) if you get three. This treasure collection adds to the strategy of card play. Do you use your high card to try and grab treasure now, or wait until later when it may be more lucrative? After a crew claims a booty and resolves their dusk action (red sun symbol) - if any - they are immediately placed in their player's den before the next booty is claimed (which is important if someone is claiming a sabre later.)
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