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- 7.3
Sea Dragons
- 2–5 players
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Pirates
2021
Rules assistance for Pirates
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 30–45 min
- 14+
- Complexity 1.3/5
Rules assistant for Pirates
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Pirates is a board game released in 2021 for 3–5 players, 30–45 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Stefan Dorra and its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence, End Game Bonuses, and Memory.
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About the game
In Pirates, you play as a captain in the world of the swashbuckling pirate comic Bonnie Lass, created and illustrated by the game's artist, Michael Mayne. In the game, you attempt to capture ships, fortresses, and even sea monsters to accumulate the most treasure. On most turns, you will form a boarding party by taking a stack of pirates in front of you (with a stack consisting of one or more tokens with you on top), moving them on top of a stack in front of another player, then moving the new stack back in front of you. On a future turn, you may use this stack to capture one of the four cards in the display as long as the size of the party meets the minimum requirements. The pirate on top of stack is the captain, and they receive a treasure for leading the raid. (The second pirate in the stack, the mate, might also receive a treasure.) They collect the gold listed on the card, then must pay the value listed on each pirate in their crew, making up any gold they lack from their own coffers. If they do this, they keep the card and increase their scoring. You can mutiny by placing a stack on another stack, then going after one of the four cards immediately, but you must then pay the mate and the rest of the crew double their pay. After all cards have been captured and the game ends, players receive additional gold based on the relative number of treasures they have captured. Whoever ends up with the most gold wins.
Editions
- PiratesenQueen Games2021
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Queen Games
Questions and answers
Pirates supports 3–5 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 Pirates is 30–45 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 Pirates for ages 14 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.
Pirates 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.
Pirates belongs to these categories: Comic Book / Strip, Nautical, and Pirates. Its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence, End Game Bonuses, and Memory. 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 Pirates are: Stefan Dorra. 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 Pirates 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.