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Put on your captain's hat and navigate the 3D pirate ship using sand timers in this unique real-time cooperative game.
As a member of an adventurous pirate crew, your goal is to be crowned Admiral of the Black, the most feared pirate ship in the Caribbean. To earn this title, you must complete dangerous scenarios in the shortest possible time frame. The most innovative element of the game is that the player uses their own 30-second sand timer as a character to be placed on the ship to perform actions. Each time a player places their own sand timer, they have to wait for the sand to run out to be able to perform the action needed. Each hole in the ship represents an area where you can perform a specific action: turning the ship, loading cannons, shooting enemy ships, repairing damage, and so forth...
A Tale of Pirates (previously announced as Admiral of the Black) has ten different scenarios, ranging from ordinary pirating activities like looking and shooting, to kraken-hunting, prison breaks, treasure hunts, and much more. An app for any smartphone or tablet will lead the players along the missions, assist with scenario data, random events, multiple paths, upgrades, and gamestate-saving for later sessions. It also serves as a timer for the individual round as the typical scenario lasts 2-3 rounds, each five minutes long.
The players have to react to events and maneuver the ship to fight enemy gunboats, catch rich merchant vessels, and avoid other obstacles. They must communicate to agree and organize things to do, but they have to be quick because time is always ticking.
A Tale of Pirates is swift playing with simple rules, but it's exciting and involving, with great interactions among players. Unlike some other real time coop games the stress is present but not dominating. The thirty-second delays, in addition to the intermittent rounds, always allow you to catch your breath!
- Entertaining and interesting
- Enjoyable
- Requires getting into the app and learning it
- Hasn't got a lot of buzz
- Adventure
- Pirate
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- app-driven — Uses an app to go through scenarios.
- Real-Time — The game is real-time and uses timers.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- The Morrigan Game Factory though, what a great escape room game. It might it's it's definitely in my top escape room games.
- Noobs in Space is one of my favorite little games that's so unique and interesting. You have a deck of cards, you deal them out to everybody. Everybody has cards in their hand, and then you just solve those cards by saying things out loud, working together to play cards, and hopefully you solve it. It communication is the key. You can say anything you want, uh but you just can't show cards. And it's hilarious and fun. Very, very enjoyable.
- If you really like what we're doing here at the Dice Tower, then there are different ways to support Dice Tower.
- Tell your friends about the Dice Tower.
References (from this video)
- It's fun
- it just hasn't been talked about too much
- Working together to stop a ship
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cooperative — you're working together
- Real-Time — A real-time game where you're working together by flipping timers to stop your ship with an app.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- So, we have a game here called Sequoia. This is from 2022.
- It's It's fine. I'm giving it a six. Uh Beasty Bars is is is a fun style game where you're playing these different type of animals, and I think each additional expansion made it more complex and less fun.
- Trias is an old dinosaur game that originally came with cubes, and eventually they had little dinosaurs in it instead. And it's kind of grow out to different things. This is a very I have this ranked as a seven. Probably now, the next time I go through my rankings, I'll probably rank it as a six because it's fine, but it's showing its age.
- All righty, of all the games we talked about today, my favorite here is clearly David Goliath, although Hooky is a very close second.
- Either way, it's always good to talk to you all.
References (from this video)
- Gigantic cardboard pirate ship build
- Nice insert for component storage
- The ship mast allows it to pivot and spin
- Puzzle-piecing map components together is satisfying
- Surprisingly engaging app integration and campaign elements
- Host dislikes cooperative games
- Thin rulebook with large print and a separate introductory guide
- Initial unboxing experience was flawed due to technical issues with other games
- pirate
- Kitchen Rush
- Overcooked
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- app integration — The host discovers the game requires downloading an app to play, which was an unexpected feature.
- cooperative play — The host notes that the game is cooperative, expressing a strong personal dislike for this mechanic.
- Deck Building — The host mentions a 'package of egg timers in four different colours' which might function as a type of resource or timer mechanic.
- Modular Board — The game features a cardboard ship that is assembled and puzzle pieces for a map that fit together.
- Real-Time — The host infers the game might be real-time due to the presence of timers.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- pirate themed board games... aren't good. They're they're largely terrible!
- i don't like cooperative games at all! Not in the least!
- Did you hear that box fawht? That had to be... you goys... that had to be a box fawht of at least five... i'm gonna go SIX!
- Wow, okay. Well. Super surprising.
- Man, i didn't expect to be surprised by anything in this box, but i completely was!
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It's quirky and it's different.
- It's the best one that's out there.
- In 20 years there will be so many better board games with virtual reality, but right now it's the best one that's out there.
- One map and you're racing to finish.
- This is a romantic comedy in a board game.
- Magic Maze is my number one game of 2017.