Strap up your piratical boots, and navigate your ship through turbulent waters in Sail, a co-operative trick-taking game for two players. Reach the end of this dangerous deep end, and avoid taking damage from the Kraken to win the game together...or your crew will be sleeping with the fish!
Before each round begins, players exchange cards, then play a series of tricks. Different game actions will be triggered depending on who wins each trick in combination with the unique character skills. However, the crashing sea water and the roaring Kraken make for a deafening situation, and players are unable to communicate about tactics and card information from the moment cards are dealt to the end of the action phase.
Players win the game as a team if they sail their ship into the final token before the Kraken reaches the Death tile or the Kraken deck is exhausted.
—description from the publisher
- Novel two-player cooperative trick-taking mechanic
- Pirate theme
- Interesting dual objective system
- Creative tension between cooperation and competition
- pirates
- naval
- town building
- cooperative competition
- heroes
- fantasy
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
References (from this video)
- Unique twist on trick-taking, cooperative
- Strong communication and timing opportunities
- Visually appealing artwork
- Two-player limit
- Can be punishing if goals are not reached
- Asymmetric powers may be underutilized in some plays
- Cooperative trick-taking with map navigation and spatial constraints
- Cooperative sailing journey with a map and hazards
- Team-based objective to sail to a destination
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Asymmetric powers — Each player has a power that can alter play timing
- card passing — At round start, pass one card to teammate to communicate intent
- symbol matching — Cards have symbols that combine to enable boat movement
- Trick-taking — Follow suit and win tricks to progress the boat
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- cdsk is a trivia based game so it's a little hoot for the family
- I actually really really like this system
- it's quick and it plays in like 10 minutes
- this is a trick taking game but the point is to sail this boat
- I don't know if I'm ever going to use this asymmetric power but then you get to the final three
- this game was a pleasant surprise for me
References (from this video)
- beautiful production
- challenging and engaging
- very challenging; not casual
- cooperative two-player trick-taking
- pirate voyage with a stormy sea
- lush, thematic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- two-player cooperative trick-taking — players cooperate to navigate a ship using trick-taking mechanics to steer movement.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Inflation is true. Everything costs more.
- There is a lot still you can buy for £20.
- Code Names is a tremendous game that you can get for $19.95.