Pirate's Choice

The object of the game is to get the most gold. Each pirate sails his ship around the game board recovering treasure chests which contain varying amounts of gold. The game ends when a pirate with at least one treasure chest sails across the finish line. That pirate gets a bonus for finishing first but does not automatically win the game. The winner is the pirate with the most gold. The decision to end the game is a risky one and the game remains exciting right up to the last move when all the pirates reveal how much treasure they have recovered and the winner is determined. In this 'nautical' game, each pirate must 'sail' his ship to where the treasure chests are. Each pirate chooses the direction to sail his ship on the hexagonal board and which treasures to go after. How many spaces he can move in each direction depends upon the direction the wind is blowing. He can sail more spaces if he goes with the wind and less if he sails on an angle into the wind. Since the direction of the wind changes according to the roll of the dice, and is somewhat predictable, a good part of the strategy of the game is learning how to use the wind in order to sail your ship to where the treasure chests are. No special prior knowledge of sailing is needed.