Description

The basic strategy of Pirate Attack! is to build up your ships while sinking your opponent's ships. Meanwhile other players are trying to do the same thing to you.

After sending your ship to sea, you can play Blacksmith cards to increase your cannons or decrease another players cannons, Carpenter cards to increase your strength or decrease another players strength. Draw an Attack Card and then destroy an opponent's ship (if you can). When a ship is sunk, receive gold which can be spent at The Market on Witch Doctor Cards so you can curse your opponent's ships. Buy some Fortune Teller Cards to protect yourself from others placing Witch Doctor Cards on your ships.

Summon a Sea Creature to attack other player's ships. Force two other players to attack each other. Anything you can do to destroy your enemies and become the ruler of the seas.

Use a Spy to remove useful cards from other players or a Thieving Monkey to take a card from an opponent and keep it. Better keep a good watch on your gold with a Guard or someone may try to steal it with a Thief.

Lower the prices at the Market so you can buy more items or close the Market so your opponents cannot buy items to hurt you with.

Once you have several ships at your command, use the Armada Card to join them all together and fight as one to destroy your enemies.

Force your opponents to Walk The Plank or strand them on an island so they lose a turn.

The play is simple. Draw 1 card, play 1 card (some cards can alter this). Play a ship, increase your ship, decrease another players ship, open/ close a market, steal cards or if you draw an attack card then attack a player with your ship. Receive gold and buy items to make you stronger or hurt your opponents.

Each expansion pack adds more things you can do and more markets to buy from to help you on your quest to rule the seas.

The main game includes 350 cards. There are 6 expansion packs ranging from 50 to 100 cards each. Each expansion pack adds a new level of play to the game.

The first expansion pack of 50 cards "Pirate Attack- The Magic Shop" adds a Magic Shop full of things to help your ships and hurt your enemies. Double your ships cannons or strength, reincarnate ships, confuse where a ship attacks, and some main deck cards like Royal Navy to attack all ships and Hurricanes.

The second expansion pack of 50 cards "Pirate Attack- Raise The Dead" adds bigger ships, cards to steal Magic Shop cards, more Sea Creatures, larger Royal Navy, Raise the Dead cards, Duplicate a ship, Spirit of Good Fortune, Eliminate Cards and Sails of Invisibility.

The third expansion pack of 50 cards "Pirate Attack- Miss-Direction" adds more Ships, more Sea Creatures, Whirlpools, Windstorms, Stranded On An Island, Exploding Cannons, and Miss Direction.

The forth expansion pack of 100 cards and 2 Dice "Pirate Attack- Walk The Plank" adds another Ship, Walk The Plank, The Trap, Smoke Screen, Power Play, The Magician, Damn Pirates, Insurance, Ship Bonus, Card Bonus, Into The Sea, Davy Jones Locker, End Of The World, Force Fields, Visions, Return To Port and The Gambler. So many more ways to mess with other players.

The fifth expansion pack of 100 cards and 1 Chip "Pirate Attack- The Tavern" adds a whole new market. The Tavern is a place where you can bribe a drunk sailor into telling you secrets and info, some good, some bad. Get Double Play, Sneak Thief, Pick Pockets, add cannons and strength to all of your ships, give away your hand, make someone lose their gold, mix all cards and re-deal, give all ships a Witch Doctor, hurt another player with minus cannons and strength to all their ships.

The sixth expansion pack of 50 cards and 2 dice "Pirate Attack- Special Abilities" gives players (who chose to) a Special Ability, but only if they are willing to Sell Their Soul to get it. Get a bad item like no ships bigger than 7/7, overcharged at markets, no gold when killing a ship. But then get a good item like Black Market, The Vault, or Money Master. This deck also includes The Blockade so you can stop cards from being played and 20 new ships with abilities.
The main game can be played as a stand alone and expansion packs can be added to give the players more things to do during the game. Best when played with 3 to 10 players. Ages 8 and up.
This is a high quality game. It comes in a nice, sturdy 9" x 12" x 3" game box with plastic insert to hold all the cards from the main game and each expansion pack, so all the cards are together. Expansion pack boxes can be folded and placed under the plastic insert for keeping.

The game has great replay ability. Not the same old game every time. Certain cards make things different every game. You can even remove cards to give the game a different play. Play with or without expansion packs. You can play to a certain number of Fame Points, play for a specified amount of time and most Fame Points at that time wins or play all the cards and go for last ship standing wins.