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Plague & Pestilence
- 2–6 players
- 15–45 min
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- 1993
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Pirate's Plunder
2000
Rules assistance for Pirate's Plunder
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 30 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.5/5
Rules assistant for Pirate's Plunder
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Pirate's Plunder is a board game released in 2000 for 2–6 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Dawn Payn and Tray Green and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers and Take That.
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About the game
Pirate's Plunder is a card and dice game in which players take on the roles of pirates and engage in a life of swashbuckling adventure on the high seas. The game is played in turns. At the start of the game, each player starts off in a lifeboat. They have to steal a pirate ship (based on the result of a dice roll), otherwise, they are stuck in the lifeboat and have to skip their turn. When they have a ship, players draw Playing Cards into their hand. These cards offer maps for treasures, events to modify a pirate's guns and crews, and other ways to bend the rules of the game. A pirate's score is reflected by his treasure, which comes from the wealth-laden ships, loot, and hostages in the form of Treasure Cards. These cards are drawn from their deck when a pirate plays a map in hand, or by making a successful "Sail Ho!" dice roll during their turn. Pirates can bury their treasure to keep them safe, although they have to dig it up for it to be counted as score. Some Treasure Cards, however, are perils in the forms of deadly pirates (such as Blackbeard) and naval warships. Players can play perils on fellow pirates, forcing them to engage in combat. Players can also engage other players in battle as well during a successful "Sail Ho!" dice roll if they choose to do so instead of drawing Treasure Cards. Such battles are resolved by comparing dice rolls, which are added to the player's number of guns or crew. The loser's ship is sunk and the player has to start his or her subsequent turns in a lifeboat. The winner also takes the loser's unburied treasure. The game ends when a pirate has 3,000 or more pieces of eight worth of unburied treasure and makes a successful dice roll to "Sail Home", thus becoming the winner.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Hillary's Toy Box
Questions and answers
Pirate's Plunder supports 2–6 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 Pirate's Plunder is 30 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 Pirate's Plunder for ages 8 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.
Pirate's Plunder has a complexity rating of 1.5 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.
Pirate's Plunder belongs to these categories: Card Game, Dice, and Pirates. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers and Take That. 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 Pirate's Plunder are: Dawn Payn and Tray Green. 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 Pirate's Plunder 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.