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.

It can also be random as you play crew members with the best of plans that get derailed by other players’ actions. If you are someone that does not like disruption in your board games take note. Freed Slave (12): Gain 1 doubloon for each character in your den with a rank higher than 12 (night). I’ve played Libertalia with casual, social, and avid gamers, and all have enjoyed it and wanted to play again. As long as the theme is acceptable, family gamers should enjoy the game, while it may leave power and strategy gamers looking for a bit more.

Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest

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. Having a bit of lighter fun with people at the local club playing Forgotten Waters. The only disappointment is that because there's around 20 people playing different games in a pub's function room...

If you're headed to GenCon next week, you'll have first dibs on a brand new game from Asmodee called Libertalia. I would tell you how everyone is talking about it, but honestly, I don't really follow who is saying what any more. I'm like a hermit living in a cave above the village who just comes out once a month to buy toenail clippers and porn. This is a game that has very simple rules, and can be learned in just a few minutes. At the same time, there’s a lot of complexity and strategy in the card interaction, so players experienced with the game have a distinct advantage over new players. The simplicity in the design of Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest belies the depth of strategy inherent in the game. Players can never be totally confident that playing the highest-ranking pirate from their hand will get them the best loot token. Also complicating things is that players know what cards everyone else has access to, so the game becomes a mind game of anticipating the moves of others. “I know that they know that I have the card that they think I know that they’ll play.” That is often where most of the fun in the game is: The intricacies of predicting the plays of others and doing one’s best to undermine it. There are 30 characters in all; players start with 9, and will use 6 (or 7) during each Campaign, and replenish with a new six between campaigns. The game mechanics are such that the nine starting cards, and each set of replenishments, are the same for all players. However, the play mechanics and some of the powers, combine to create an increasing variety of crew members in each campaign as the game progresses.

Key Facts

With the recent reprint of Libertalia, Stonemaier Games has also provided a new Automa for solo play, which is what this review will cover. I’m quite new to the concept of solo board games but I’m really enjoying it. It's great for when I’m desperate to play a game but can’t gather enough people. Before Setting Sail 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.) 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. 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.

Anchor abilities occur at the very end of each round so long as the character is on the table in front of you, which is a less-fancy way of saying “on your ship.” These double-sided tiles allow players to change the set-up in an infinite number of configurations! (Okay, it’s not infinite, but it’s a lot.) 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. The life of a pirate is free and open, and that’s reflected in Merchants and Marauders, an open world adventure board game where you’re able to choose your own path to victory. While historians probably still baulk at it, it’s easily the most real history-inspired game on our list. 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.Each set of 3 treasure maps is worth 12 doubloons. Sets of 1 or 2 treasure maps are worthless as they are incomplete. 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.