Editions
One game, four ways onto the table. The engraved wood edition is the one we are taking to Kickstarter. The paper kit and the game against rival captains are free today.
Engraved wood
Six fleets of 14 ships, laser-engraved in wood, each standing in a slotted base on an engraved chart, in the illustrated box above.
- Two faces to every ship
- The front carries her drawing and her rating, and faces you. The back carries your fleet's flag and name, and faces everyone else. Every back in a fleet is the same, so it tells your rivals whose ship she is and never what she is.
- The pieces
- Each ship is two 3 mm tiles glued back to back, 30 mm wide, standing in a 28 by 14 mm base.
- The chart
- The square chart engraved in one 368 by 375 mm panel: 29.5 mm squares, the anchorages at the middle of each edge, the harbors, the islands and the storm rings.
- The box
- A two-piece rigid box, 400 by 410 mm and 80 mm deep, wrapped in the art you can turn above.
Printed acrylic
The same ships printed in full colour, as they appear in the digital game: the ship and her rating on the front, her fleet's flag on the back.
A lighter way in than wood, with the folding chart and the rulebook. Material and finish are confirmed with the first proofs.
Whether acrylic joins the Kickstarter or follows it is decided with the prices.
Paper, free
The print-and-play kit is the whole game on letter paper. No signup, nothing to unlock: print it, cut it out and play tonight.
- The square chartFour sheets and an assembly guide, for two or four captains
- The standing shipsFour fleets of 14, folded into tents that stand
- The rulebookFour pages, Pirates! included
- The duel chartA quicker chart for two
- The hex chartFor up to six captains
- The six-captain overviewOne page
More on printing, card stock and setting up at the table on the play page.
Pay what you want
The kit stays free. If it earns a place on your table, you can pay for it. Paying unlocks nothing and is not a deposit on a wooden set; it pays for the work.
Choose an amount
On screen
The digital game is free while it is in beta. The finished game, with every chart and mode, comes later.
- Against rival captains, now. Four computer rivals, Deckhand, Bosun, Navigator and Commodore, each seeing only what a captain would see. In your browser, no account.
- With friends, in the beta. Every captain orders from their own phone, at their own pace. Seats go out in waves from the captains' list.
- On a television. Party mode pairs a TV with a short code from the host's phone. The TV shows the chart, the scores and each round's replay, never a hidden rating.
- Pirates! One captain sails the Buccaneers for plunder against an alliance of navies.
Party mode and Pirates! are explained on the play page.
Compare the editions
Every edition plays the same game with the same ships. Nothing you buy changes the rules, and every fleet is equal.
| Edition | What it includes | Price |
|---|---|---|
| The paper fleet | The print-and-play kit: charts, standing ships and rules. Free, or pay what you want. | Free |
| The digital captain | The finished browser and phone game, every chart and mode, and a founder's mark on your profile. | Price set before you commit |
| The acrylic fleet | Four fleets in full-colour printed acrylic, the folding chart and the rulebook. | Price set before you commit |
| The engraved wood edition | Six fleets of laser-engraved wooden ships, the engraved chart, the illustrated box. | Price set before you commit |
How the launch works
Each step opens when the one before it is ready, not on a date we would have to guess.
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Today: the free kit and the rival captains
Print the paper kit, play the rival captains in your browser, and join the captains' list. Reservations for wood and acrylic are open.
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Next: the beta, in waves
Invitations to the digital beta go out in waves from the captains' list. What the captains tell us shapes the game.
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Then: the Kickstarter for the wood edition
Before it opens, the prices, contents and delivery estimate are set. You see all of them before you pledge.
The Kickstarter opens in
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After: the first batch
When the campaign funds, the first batch is made and shipped to every backer.
The wooden set
Every ship is engraved in wood, her rating on your side and her fleet's flag on the side your rivals see, and stands upright in a slotted base. The chart is engraved too: the anchorages, the harbors, the islands, the Capital and the storm rings.
Questions about the editions
When will the prices be set?
Before the Kickstarter opens. The captains' list hears first, and you see every price before you pledge.
Do the editions play differently?
No. Every edition plays the same rules with the same 14 ships a fleet. Nothing you can buy changes play, and every fleet is equal.
Is the paper kit really free?
Yes, with no signup. Paying for it is optional: it unlocks nothing and it is not a deposit toward a physical edition.
Where will the physical editions ship?
Shipping regions are decided with the prices, and the captains' list hears first.