- BGG rank
- BGG #15,356
- BGG rating
- 6.1
Wer war's?: Mitbringspiel
- 2–5 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 2009
- BGG rank
- BGG #17,497
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Captain Black
2015
Rules assistance for Captain Black
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 30–50 min
- 6+
- Complexity 1.3/5
Rules assistant for Captain Black
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Captain Black is a board game released in 2015 for 2–4 players, 30–50 minutes per game, and ages 6 and up. It was designed by Reiner Knizia and its main mechanics are Roll / Spin and Move and Cooperative Game.
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About the game
Captain Black is a cooperative board game with an electronic game master and a 3D pirate ship. The goal is to protect the pirate ship of Captain Black's ghost against all dangers and reach his treasure island in a given but unknown number of rounds. After assembling the pirate ship from the box and provided parts, you select the difficulty and activate the figurine of Captain Black's ghost, the electronic game master. A player round consists of rolling the die, moving up to the rolled number of spaces on the ship with his sailor, moving and activating the Captain, and solving the present or announced tasks at the location: fighting pirates, sea creatures, rats, fires, leaks or some mini games: blind snatching of items, throwing cubes, push ups/knee bends, etc. If all of these tasks are solved before night falls (i.e., the number of rounds is reached), the sailors have won; if night falls or the ship sinks or is seized by the pirates, the game is lost. The Captain is powered by batteries and directed by plastic platforms on each ship location. The output is acoustic.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Ravensburger AG
Questions and answers
Captain Black supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Captain Black is 30–50 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Captain Black for ages 6 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Captain Black has a complexity rating of 1.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Captain Black belongs to these categories: Children's Game, Adventure, and Electronic. Its main mechanics are Roll / Spin and Move and Cooperative Game. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Captain Black are: Reiner Knizia. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Captain Black as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.