Ghost Pirates (2012)

Ethereal pirates swarm back and forth over each other's ships as the seas toss in the midnight storm. The decks of each vessel shift in and out of reality as the fighting begins. One captain and crew will emerge triumphant, and the loser will be damned to stalk the bowels of Davy Jones' locker.

Ghost Pirates is a tactical board game in which two ghost pirate Captains encounter each other on the high seas; based on old rivalries, grudges, or whatever it was that happened on Skull Island, they each turn broadside and lay-to. Each crew, following captain's orders, fights, fires cannons, and swarms their enemy's deck, attempting to force the other captain to walk the plank. Each player's turn consists of drawing a card, playing one or more cards to strengthen their ship and tactical position, moving your pirate crew, and finally, having them fight the foeman or take advantage and pillage the enemy’s ship. The goal of the game is to force your opponent’s captain to walk the plank.

Gameplay is designed to emulate tactical melee battles with a unique dice mechanic that is easy to learn and quick to play, especially for beginning gamers. It bears certain similarities to wargames like Axis and Allies, but on a much smaller, more fast-paced scale. The components are 72 cards which build the play layout and form the draw deck, 34 crew tokens, and a small handful of pirate themed six-sided dice.

Ghost Pirates was named to the 2014 GAMES 100 list, Honorable Mention, Family.