Adventure Bandit

Yarrrh, there be treasure to be buried and pirates to sink in this game of fame and fortune in the golden age of piracy. Hoist your sail, fetch your parrot and get ready to do what it takes to be the most famous pirate of all in this seagoing adventure.

Pirate’s Cove has rapidly become a favourite amongst my regular gaming group, and for good reason – its simple mechanics, excellent use of theme and focus on player interaction make this an incredibly fun game to play.

One of the standout elements of Pirate’s Cove is its simultaneous turns. At the start of each round, you’ll all get your navigation wheel and secretly turn its pointer to the island you want to visit then simultaneously reveal. But watch out, if another pirate visits the same island as you then you’ll have to battle it out – or flee like a cowardly dog (and possibly risk mutiny) – until only the saltiest pirate is left to seize the plunder for himself, while the losers flee to Pirate’s Cove to lick their wounds.

Visit islands, battle other pirates (and the pesky royal navy), seize booty, upgrade your ship, visit the tavern, and mostly importantly – bury treasure for fame points to see who’s the saltiest dog of them all. Yarrh, Pirate’s Cove is a rollicking adventure of a game with beautiful artwork and quality components as you’d expect from Days of Wonder.

The first time I took this game to one of my regular groups, we ended up playing it all day long. It’s fast, addictive and extremely social.

For those who’ve played the original werewolf, the concept and roles will be immediately familiar. Each player takes one secret role in village beset by werewolves. Will you be a villager trying to figure out who the werewolves are, or a werewolf trying to avoid detection?

The game is played in two phases. At the start of the game, each player is secretly dealt a role card, such as a Villager, Werewolf, or one of several specialty roles, such as the Seer who may secretly look at another player’s card or the Robber who may swap cards with another player.

During the night phase, players close their eyes then open them again when their role is called to carry out their special role. Werewolves open their eyes to see see who the other werewolves are. The Masons due the same thing, but are on the villager side. The Seer and the Robber wake individually to carry out their roles, and so on.

At the end of the night phase, everyone wakes up and has ten minutes to figure out who everyone else is. Adding to the complexity is the possibly that your own role may have changed during the night phase thanks to one or more players with a role which allows them top swap cards.

At the end of the day phase, everyone votes simultaneously to “lynch” one player. The player with the most votes turns over their card to reveal their identity. If a werewolf gets lynched, then the villagers win, but if a villager gets lynched, then a werewolves win.

A free companion app is available for Android and Apple devices to announce actions during the night and voting phases and is a highly recommended addition to the game.

One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a highly social game with strong verbal reasoning, deduction and bluffing mechanics. The variety of roles with unique abilities, short rounds and player personalities give this game many hours of replayability. The game’s components are quality made, and the artwork is beautifully presented with a slightly comic style. All in all, this is a great game which you’ll love if you enjoy social gaming.