First, a little history of this game:

I have both the original 1978 Privateer version with the roll-up tough cloth, along with wood playing pieces, all in the thin but nicely printed cardboard box with a lid at the each end (I have two copies), and the newer 1994 Pirateer game that also came in a roll-up format along with plastic playing pieces, all inside of a metal box with a hinged lid at just one end. Then there is the Avalon Hill-style box version. Two different covers are available---one with a treasure chest and three pirates on a beach, and the other with two ships. All versions are the same game from the same creator, Scott Peterson.

The game was not ever meant to be some kind of tough-guy "gamer" game, so please get over it if you want it to be that kind of game. I used to go to our local "Game Faire" in Spokane, WA for many years. You wouldn't believe how much the gamers (who regularly play war games, D&D, etc, etc.) loved this game. This was before the newer 1994 version. I actually took all the game components and made photocopies on an office copier, took it to the Game Faire and just gave them away, and the guys thought that was cool, because they couldn't buy this game if they had to. Anyway, that was fun.

This is a game you can play very quickly and just have a relaxed but fun play-through. Yes, there is the luck-of-the-dice issue, but so what? D & D has dice rolls all over the place, also. You have to make intelligent decisions about what you should do with that dice roll. It evens out. Add to this the fact that everyone obviously has to do the same thing, so you never know what's going to happen. It's not always a good idea to just go for the treasure. You have to decide how to defend your harbor while chasing around the board trying to get the treasure and at the same time keep from getting blasted off the board by others players. And then, who do you destroy, and why and when?

Then add in the game variants in the new version, or make up your own. We used to play the game where the "winner" could either outright win the game or become a "ghost" player and go around sinking players' ships at will while being unsinkable as a "ghost" player. Nice advantage there. You have to do this as a 'ghost" player because you can't win unless you can wipe out everybody else. This is my favorite non-official variant. You have technically won the game but then you may not actually get to claim that. The reason is that the treasure is still in play after you become a "ghost" player. Anyway.....try it out.

Take the game for what it is. Easy to learn (5 minutes), fast playing, short in time (around 20 minutes), but it has all the little strategies and surprises. The pirate theme helps, too. Don't let anybody say it just a kid's game. Though kids will like it, it has great appeal to anyone. If you're looking for a complex and "mature" game here, sorry. This is a "beer-and-pretzel" game, as I've heard guys call it.

Privateer is a wonderful game, more interesting and exciting to play than most board and it does not take that long to play. My game board is cloth and it come in a corrugated paper box with Privateer and two ships on the side.

This Game is simple to learn, yet is incredibly fun! The game involves great strategy. Play it and you'll love it too!