This game is addictive. Just when you think you have the game won, another player will destroy your crew with a "crack down" or "scurvy & pox". When played with four or more players, this game is not always lighthearted, so be prepared for several hours of play. My husband and I enjoy playing against one another, but the game takes a real turm when played with more than two players. So, if you enjoy a game with intelligence and great graphics that can take a turn at any moment, this is the game for you.

I played this game at GenCon 2006, and it was wonderful! I remember many of the players who tried it wished they could have bought it on the spot. The art and humor is top-notch, and the game is elegantly balanced and fun for children and adults alike. That, plus it's the size of a deck of cards makes it a great game to add to your collection. I highly recommend it!

I actually found this game not at a game store, but at the Potomac Celtic Festival. Apparantly the artist has a booth there.

In any case, this is a pretty fun game. Basically, the idea is that the players are trying to man the one ship in the harbor, and each is trying to build a crew to take the boat out. The building of a crew is rather literal, in that you build crew members from parts, Heads, Torsos, and Legs. Shades of Nodwick comes to mind. A crewmember can be built from any combination of the three, but there are benefits to having matching parts. For normal sailors, parts can not be stolen using Scallywaggs cards. For the special sailors, special powers can be activated with the combination of 2 or 3 cards. Sailors can also be played in your opponent's playfield which can have negative consequences. Some sailors don't count toward the number needed to sail, and some sailor's presence can keep a player from sailing, or make them vulnerable to other cards.

Players go around trying to build enough sailors to sail, while playing action cards to help themselves or hamper their opponents. Once a player has enough sailors to sail, he must declare so and go one more turn around the board. If, after that turn, the player still has enough sailors to sail, and isn't prevented from sailing, he wins the game.

The cards are very attractive, with a unique look for all the sailors. One of the things you might be tempted by is to assemble all the sailors to see how they look. On the cards, they also have flavor text, which has pirate quotes, sea shanties, and some historical anecdotes. There are also rules for playing a memory-type of game for younger players.

For those who like their games dripping with theme without a deep learning curve, this is a fun, light game.