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David G. Cox Esq.
Australia
Lighthouse Beach (Port Macquarie)
NSW
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The Kaiser’s Pirates is a fast-moving and highly-enjoyable card-game that has been designed by James M. Day and published by Strikenet Games in 2007.
In each game the players control both German Raiders and Allied Merchant Ships. Each player tries to capture or sink as many merchants as possible while not losing their raiders. The Royal Navy is handled in a more abstract manner and can appear in the game and can sink the German Raiders.
The game has rules for solitaire play, two to four players and for team play.
The game action revolves mainly around a deck of, not a ship, but 92 Action Cards. A nice feature of the game is that when you set up for a four-player game you remove 12 Action Cards from the deck. In a three-player game you remove 32 cards and in two-player game you remove 52 Action Cards. This has the double effect of having the same relative number of Action Cards per player no matter the number of people involved in the game AND meaning that each game should have quite a different feel to it due to the changing nature of the deck. There is a lot of replayability in The Kaiser’s Pirates.
This review is about The Kaiser’s Pirates Expansion Pack. The expansion pack is a set of ‘8’ Action Cards which come with a RRP of $3.95. I am stunned by the price. ‘8’ cards at very close to 50 cents each. The basic game of The Kaiser’s Pirates comes with 192 cards, rule book, dice and box for on $44.95.
Anyway, two of the expansion cards are for use only in the team game. One makes the next player miss a turn while the other allows team-mates (who are not ship-mates) to exchange cards, although they are not allowed to show their cards to each other or discuss the cards they have in their hands.
The other ‘6’ cards may be used in any game. Their effects are as follows:
1. Breakdown – attempt to damage an other player’s raider or warship;
2. Mistaken Identity – attempt to exchange a sunk ship with an other player;
3. Pull the Plug – cancel an intercept;
4. Sail Q-Ship – intervene when a merchant ship is attacked;
5. Searchlight – modifies the chance of success in a night action;
6. Special Cargo – double the victory points for one ship.
All-in-all the cards are okay but don’t greatly add to the beauty of the basic game set. For ‘four bucks’ you may as well get it but I I have a feeling that Strikenet Games are being just a little bit on the greedy side.
'Dead Men Tell No Tales'
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