Avast, scurvy dogs! Although International Talk Like a Pirate Day has ARRRReady passed, all ye scalawags can still celebrate the adventure of the high seas.
LOOT is a quick game, playable in about 20 minutes. The instructions may seem a bit wordy at a glance, but the rules are easy to remember after playing one round. Players begin with 6 cards. On your turn, you may lay down a merchant ship (if you have one), play a pirate ship on someone else’s merchant ship, or draw another card to beef up your hand. (This is one of the only games we’ve seen where you either draw or play on your turn, but not both). Players may play pirate ships to defend their own merchant ships, and any card that makes one round without contest goes to the last player who made a move on that ship. Admirals and Pirate Captains nearly guarantee victory on a vessel and are thus available in very limited supply.
Merchant ships have different values, so players have incentives to save up their pirate ships and wait to compete for more coveted merchant ships. On the other hand, a thoughtful player might snatch up all the low-valued merchants while everyone else is too focused on a single high-value ship. Yet another player may use most of his turns to stockpile useful attack ships. There are several useful strategies to consider in this game, and it is best suited for players ages 10 years and older.
2 to 8 players makes this a fun party game, especially if you all use maritime slang and wear pirate hats.