- rank: 437
- rating: 8.2
- published: 2022
- designers: John D. Clair
Print Status
- in print - currently available at the AEG store... and there's a fresh KS coming this summer
Why It's On The List
- Not only is this my favorite pirate game (though I will admit that Pirates on the High Seas has more actual blowing stuff up), it's also the best usage of the card-crafting mechanic John D. Clair dreamed up.
Tips & Tricks:
- Don't be fooled by the pirate ship cube "tower" - there's much more to the game than who can get lucky here. (At the same time, having cannons is a good thing.)
- Your early card buys will help dictate some of your long-term decisions... whether it is better for you to focus on exploration and island control or going "full pirate" and attacking merchant ships & fellow players.
- The base game is solid... though it runs a little long with the full complement of four players. Where the game really shines, though, is when you add in the Saga expansions.
Extras
- For a game with this many interactive elements, Dead Reckoning manages to make the solo mode work and work well. Each time I play, I’m fascinated by the balance between the various victory pathways and the variety in the system.
- But as much as I enjoyed the base game solo, I’m infinitely more jazzed about playing it with the Saga and Sea Dog expansions… the addition of a campaign mode for solo play coupled with the constant drip of story elements meant I had a two week Dead Reckoning festival on my gaming table last fall. This spring, I’m about halfway through the second Saga expansion… and I’m enjoying it just as much.
- There's a whole 'nuther expansion I haven't yet explored... and, as mentioned above, another expansion about to be Kickstarted.
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