A Game of Pirate Battles by Jeff Tidball
Adventure and glory await you in Pieces of Eight, the rousing combat game of rival buccaneer ships on the high seas. You play the game with a stack of metal pirate coins held in one hand that represents your ship. The coins you choose and the order in which you place them determine your ship's strengths, and you use the special abilities of your coins to destroy your opponent's coins one by one. Your goal is to expose the Captain coin buried deep in the middle of your adversary's ship, then take him out!
Dare to enter the age of blood and gold with either The Cursed Blade or The Maiden's Vengeance ship set. Each set includes all the coins needed for one player to construct his own ship. Your opponents will each need their own ship set to play, but there's no other limit to the number of players who can join in. The coins in each set are not randomized; you can combine ship sets to gain a wider selection of coins and the advantage over your foes.
Pieces of Eight is designed for ages 10 and up, and takes 10 to 30 minutes to play. Each ship set includes a rulebook, 16 die-struck metal coins, and a velvet game bag in a 6" x 9" x 1 3/4" box.
Pieces of Eight:
Novelty: A game of custom-minted coins, unique in the hobby games market.
Portability: All you need are two free hands and a pocket - no table required! This is a game you can play while standing in a line, riding a bus, or even walking around the mall.
To Each His Own: Each player buys his own base game for building his own "ship". This means more unit sales for the game store; it also means the game spreads virally as players encourage their friends to buy sets to play.
Not Randomized: All copies of each SKU contain an identical mix of coins. This is a selling point for customers who are leery of "collectible" games, and want to know that a package contains a specific game piece they want.
Expandability: Enthusiastic players will buy multiple sets in order to configure their own pirate vessel to their liking. Each of the first two sets includes three coins not found in the other.
Build to Order: The game's fun extends beyond the actual battles. In between games, players enjoy devising strategies and constructing ships to execute them.
More For Your Money: While Pieces of Eight is a unique product, it is perhaps most comparable to miniatures games in terms of physical components that involve sculpting, metal, etc. In those terms, 16 game pieces for less than $20 offers a very good value.
Fast & Furious Game Play: The basic rules are simple; each coin has its own special rules, but they are easily learned, and strategy emerges in the interactions of the coins. In terms of complexity, Pieces of Eight is about on the level of Lunch Money.
