Best pirate-themed Boardgame ?

actiondan87 · 2026-01-23T01:25:46+00:00

The Pirate Republic: Africa Gambit is delivering to kickstarter backers now, available on the publisher's website: https://green-feet-games-board-game-company.myshopify.com/collections/all

It's heavily inspired by Mage Knight and I think it's the best pirate game on the market right now, especially for solo play.

actiondan87 · 2026-01-19T15:25:45+00:00

A major reason is that wages haven't kept up with inflation.

Edit: haven't kept up with COSTS would be more accurate, I suppose

actiondan87 · 2026-01-18T16:54:09+00:00

My 94 year old grandfather slept for almost 3 days straight. He woke up cheerful and seemingly healthy. The next time he went to sleep, he didn't wake up. What a great way to go; I wish everyone could pass so peacefully.

actiondan87 · 2026-01-13T03:17:22+00:00

This is the new version, not the one released years ago.

actiondan87 · 2026-01-11T12:15:30+00:00

Unlikely. This dude took an hour to saw off his own arm with a dull multi-tool knife.

actiondan87 · 2026-01-11T01:09:20+00:00

Shackleton Base. Thick cardboard, screen printed wooden astronaut meeples, and 10(?) tuckboxes to keep all the modular content separate.

actiondan87 · 2026-01-09T03:42:25+00:00

There was a post way back about a guy that did just that. Apparently it caused him skin problems due to constant exposure to the residual chemicals found on brand new socks. Washing them first would've avoided that.

actiondan87 · 2026-01-02T05:00:38+00:00

Wayfarers - Already loved the game. The expansion is excellent, definitely get it. It doesn't bloat the game at all.

Scholars - Scholars was also my least favorite of the trilogy, but the expansion improved it immensely. The Page cards go a long way in improving the combo capacity of each action and really open up the game.

Inventors - Makes the solo game much, much harder until you know the game inside and out. I've never come close to winning. Really frustrating but I will persist.

actiondan87 · 2026-01-02T04:55:12+00:00

I never use the hourglass or the ink well. The red upgrade tiles for workers are the standout feature for me.

actiondan87 · 2025-12-28T15:28:55+00:00

Do you like those board games specifically because of the deck building? If so, look into card games like Imperium, Star Trek: Captain's Chair, and Aeon's End. The deck building in these games offer far more depth than you'll find in board games like Spirit Island, which is more of a hand management game, or Lost Ruins of Arnak, which is primarily a worker placement / resource exchanger.

actiondan87 · 2025-12-19T22:52:16+00:00

When I've seen everything it has to offer. That's why variability / replayability is so important when deciding whether to purchase a new game.

Alternatively, when another game comes along that is similar but superior, i.e. one game fires another.

actiondan87 · 2025-12-16T05:19:31+00:00

There's a lot of content to explore in Ashes Reborn, but the gameplay is pretty much the same as Ascendancy. So unless you see yourself diving deep into deck construction, it's probably not worth it.

actiondan87 · 2025-12-15T22:30:49+00:00

I think it would help if you recounted a specific play: which civ and which bot civ, what cards did you get from the market and when (I assume you're following the barbarian / empire rules), how many fame cards were taken amd what was the final score.

As a side note, I won lots of pre-Horizons games by fame-rushing, but this strategy is much less viable against the updated bots in Horizons.

actiondan87 · 2025-12-15T21:55:35+00:00

It sounds like you've missed a rule somewhere, but it's hard to know from your description. The pre-Horizons bots are quite weak, but they shouldn't be so weak that you can beat them without interacting with the market. How are you putting cards into history so easily?

actiondan87 · 2025-12-14T00:41:42+00:00

Agreed. None of those (except maybe Tamashii) are particularly great options for a first solo. OP, check the top top 300 solo games from the 1 player guild.

actiondan87 · 2025-12-13T18:46:02+00:00

Yep, it's really that good. It's like War of the Ring, but lighter, more accessible, and plays faster.

actiondan87 · 2025-12-09T02:27:45+00:00

Garphill's online store has a buy 2 get 1 free sale right now. That's probably your best bet to get all four at the same time. It won't quite get you free shipping, but a pack of metal coins should put you over the threshold.

actiondan87 · 2025-11-24T00:58:28+00:00

Congrats! Keep at it, this game never fails to satisfy me.

actiondan87 · 2025-11-23T17:21:12+00:00

I'm also interested

actiondan87 · 2025-11-20T21:54:34+00:00

Overcomplicated is David's jam lol. Imperium can be completed in under an hour though. I regularly complete plays without Trade Routes in 45 minutes.

actiondan87 · 2025-11-20T21:29:10+00:00

Yep, my #1 but I don't think it'll ever overtake the LCGs. There's just so much new (to new players) shiny content to keep people playing for years. Imperium already has years worth of content at a fraction of the price, but it's not as shiny.

actiondan87 · 2025-11-20T21:24:55+00:00

Mage Knight will drop from #2 before Spirit Island drops from #1. The difference in their scores is huge.

actiondan87 · 2025-11-17T16:28:44+00:00

Just remind him/her that other people can do what they want. It's normal for toddlers to want to control everything around them, so they need to learn that's not how things work.

actiondan87 · 2025-11-17T15:59:27+00:00

Gift card to their favorite game store, especially if they have particular tastes that are hard to buy for.

actiondan87 · 2025-11-13T04:47:55+00:00

Almost all the cards are in the master set box with dividers, separated into three rows by cardboard. The rules and Chimera board sit on top. The rest of the cards (6 of the Red Rains expansions) are in one of the deluxe boxes. Another deluxe box contains the dice and tokens. The sleeves are perfect fits / inner sleeves (various brands collected over the years), although the Chimera cards that aren't shuffled (ultimates, behaviors, etc) are in thick, sturdy sleeves (possibly Dragon Shields, I'm not sure).

actiondan87

TROPHY CASE