Build your own boat
PLUNDER
Designer: KC Schrimpl | Publisher: Lost Boy Entertainment
Just like trains and wars, pirates rank pretty highly on the list of done-to-death themes. Whether it’s doing Queen Elizabeth I’s dirty work in Francis Drake or hiring shipmates in Port Royal, us board gamers are often to be found upon the seven seas. Some of us have even been at it since childhood, innocently stabbing swords into barrels until pirates pop out – straight into the Royal Doulton.
All of this is enough to make you wonder if the theme is a little bit... stagnant. Can anything be done to scrub down the decks for a refresh? Plunder has an idea. Why not give players upgradable boats to traverse a randomisable board? And why not send them on a voyage of conquering islands and blowing the opposition to smithereens? It’s as good an idea as any.
The winner becomes the first swashbuckler to collect 10 plunder points, which are gained in a handful of ways: taking islands, being rewarded by treasure cards or by exchanging five gold resources for a plunder point card. You’ll also be concerned with keeping the opposition scores low by blowing them up and stealing their lands. If it sounds simple, that’s because – with the greatest of respect – it is. Plunder is probably best categorised as a gateway game, but that’s not to say more experienced players can’t find enjoyment here.
Admittedly, luck does play a somewhat large role in how the game flows (mostly being down to dice rolls) but there are built-in features that introduce a sense of command and control. Ship movement is determined by dice rolling, however more than one ship can be moved at a time and there’s no stipulation to use every move. Investing in masts (a maximum of two per ship) helps overcome low-number rolls, by offering an extra two moves. The same is true of battling opponents/trying to conquer islands. An unarmoured ship only has a strength value of the die roll, but a ship with canons (again, two max) boosts fighting power.
Keep drawing resources you don’t need? This can be overcome by visiting a merchant island to secure a trade. This feature is sadly absent from the two-player variant – perhaps it would make the game too easy? – but kudos to KC Schrimpl for at least working out a head-to-head game (and one that’s fairly watertight too).
This wouldn’t be a pirate game without treasure. Here, X literally marks the spot. And just as pirates don’t know whether they’ll find a load of junk or a load of jewels, there’s a gamble to going a-diggin’. The mix of treasure cards can throw up excellent advantages or awful anchor sinkers, making for some truly tense moments. And because the game is so attackheavy, there are joyous celebrations when the opposition draws cards to their detriment.
What Plunder really excels at is having great components – justifying the cost of what is a relatively lightweight game. The ships are sturdy and lovingly detailed with anchors, the obligatory skull and crossbones, grated windows and more. They also come in a palette twist on the usual primary colours. It’s curiously fun to peg in the mast and gun upgrades and they stay put too – no loose cannons here. Battle dice are another delight, with inverse colours for attack and defend. The shiniest feature has to be the box inlay: precisely compartmentalised with a home for everything.
If you are a fan of the pirate genre, enjoy novelty components or want something straightforward that’ll go down nicely with a pint of grog, Plunder is worth the coin.
JENNY COX
WE SAY
Although its complexity never leaves shallow waters, Plunder’s raucous ruthlessness and quality components do the simple stuff very well indeed.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
◗6 Board tiles
◗10 Grid borders
◗4 Grid corners
◗2 Compass spinners
◗6 Reference guides
◗150 Resource cards
◗55 Treasure cards
◗56 Plunder point cards
◗4 X-marks-the-spot tokens
◗18 Ships
◗18 Mast pegs
◗18 Cannon pegs
◗36 Life pegs
◗36 Flags
◗3 Dice
◗ Storm
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED CATAN...
Featuring resource cards, area control, randomisable boards and trading opportunities, Catan and Plunder are two entry-level games that have got land and sea covered.