Front Porch Classics Dread Pirate Bookshelf Game
by Front Porch Classics
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: Front Porch ClassicsBrand: Front Porch Classics
Release Date: 2007-06-01
Model: BS02035
Product features:
- Journey back in time for a treasure-hunting, pirate-plundering adventure on the high seas!
- Comes in a beautiful wooden Bookshelf box
- Features detailed pirate ships, authentically aged doubloons and glass jewels
- Game board is made of heavy cloth that is a wonderfully illustrated and aged treasure map
- Pirate battles, exciting missions and buried treasure await you in this game!
Toys and Games Reviews of Front Porch Classics Dread Pirate Bookshelf Game
Customer Review: Dread-ful pirate game
Summary: 1 Stars
Now physically, this is a beautiful piece of work. Just holding the box makes you want to buy it. And if temperamentally you are drawn to pirate games--who can resist the allure of breaking the rigid rules of the sea?--you can't help buying it, and even this review won't dissuade you. But beware--this is a non-starter of a game. There are tons of rules, but they don't interdigitate in any way to make a compelling game. The goal of becoming a dread pirate is unmotivated and easily reversed. Further, there is an arbitrariness as to overall strategy that means the less aggressive players simply float around, like a clueless detective lost in the mansion of Clue, or a follower of Gandhi playing Risk.
Now I admit that I tended to play with someone who, temperamentally, could not be less suited for this sort of game. The problem is that you need to CHOOSE which of your fellows to go for. Like croquet, this leads to seriously bruised feelings. People may take your attacks and your raid somewhat personally. She couldn't take that sort of guilt and would constantly apologize--"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry"--for simply doing what kept the game moving. (We never played Hasbro's Sorry--which is an excellent version of the classic Indian game Parcheesi--but I can see from where they got the name!) At the time I would wonder how someone could ever work her way up to vice president of a major candy corporation without being comfortable with a little aggression.
But the thing about Dread Pirate, in contrast to Parcheesi, is that there is too little constraint on where you go and what you do. It's as if a boxing match involved four people sitting down, and on your turn, you could walk over to any of the other three and smack him on the back of the head while he wasn't looking. And then sit down and wait.
And most dice games like this breed more anger than heavily skill-based games; I'm not sure why. But when you're beaten in chess, you're beaten. There's no one else to blame but yourself--there were rules, you knew them, and the opposition just used those rules better than you. But with Dread Pirate, every loss seems quite unfair. If the game didn't take quite so long, that wouldn't be much of a problem. But after 50 minutes, you don't want the game to hang on a single piece of randomness. Then even the winner is likely to feel pretty bad. [19]
Description of Front Porch Classics Dread Pirate Bookshelf Game
Journey back in time with your family for a high-seas, treasure-hunting pirate adventure. A Family Fun Magazine "Toy of the Year" award winner, Dread Pirate is a slice of adventure gaming for the entire family that's rich in detail, history and excitement. Game is played on a wonderfully illustrated and aged treasure map with cast metal playing pieces, replica doubloons, wooden dice, treasure bags and pirate treasure. This attractive Bookshelf Edition comes packaged in an aged wooden book that will look great displayed in any room of the house. For 2-4 players.Board Games Toys
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