Like any good choose your own adventure book, this game sets the mechanics in motion based on your intentions as a sea captain. Are you going to give it a go as a honest merchant, shipping your goods from port to port? Are you going to rain havok as a privateer sinking ships to Davey Jones' Locker? Once you initiate your first attack, there's no turning back.
I've been reading "Red Seas Under Red Skies" and I wanted to play out its story in some capacity to this game. Sacking ships was my first order of business. I found out very quickly that it was very profitable - but also very risky. But with the risk came the reward and the excitment.
Within a few turns I had already acquired muliple bounties on my head which made it next to impossible to go back to a life of merchant shipping for my stream of income. All the merchant ships fly country flags and once you attack a ship - you become an enemy of that country. This reduces the ports you can sail to as well as makes you a target of the game's naval ships that can search you out and chase you down.
The events of the game are fascinating. I found the 'rumor' cards to be most interesting. These are side missions that can pay big dividends. Hurricanes and storms also took you off your course. Does your captain have a enough seamanship experience that you can roll your way out of a gale force wind? What two warring empires are at it now? Don't look now but there's also other pirates searching the seas for the gold stored in your hauls.
I can't say enough good things about this boardgame. It really does a good job of combining elements of other games I've played such as Cataan, DnD, Risk, Eldritch Horrors, Arabian Nights etc. all with a really great Pirates of the Carribean theme!
My good friend over at Glowing Turtle has an excellent un-boxing video on his Youtube Channel.
Merchants and Marauders can be found in most games stores and was created by z-man games.
