Buccaneer

There has never been a game more likely to result in people doing bad Cornish accents to each other than Buccaneer. Playing it immediately excites that part of the brain connected to bad pirate impressions. (the "Thalamous Black Beardyus")

Players automatically start stressing the letter “Rrrrrr” at every opportunity. And some people are even known to forsake vision in one of their eyes for the duration of the game.

This is a classic game - published in Britain by Waddingtons (who also made cluedo and subbuteo) as early as 1930 but was most popular in the 1970's..

The board game depicts the sea, broken into squares. A bit like monopoly - there are ports around the edges, some of which were owned by players, others were "free ports". At the centre was…. Treasure Island! On Treasure Island are: Diamonds, rubies, pearls, gold bars, and rum barrels. That’s right, rum barrels!

Diamonds are worth 5 points. Rubies are worth 5 points. Gold is worth 4 points. Pearls are worth 3 points. Rum is worth 2 points.

Buccaneer was perhaps alone in board games in allowing minors to buy an alcoholic drink.

Of course, each player had a ship. They would sail (by a roll of dice) to Treasure Island and pick up a "Chance Card." These cards contained good or bad luck “You are blown off course” or “You find booty!” Any found treasure is placed inside the plastic ship, (which could contain two treasures, max), and the player would sail back port to unload or trade treasure.

Brilliantly, players could attack other players' ships during the game and capture their treasure or crew. Awesome stuff, and all tied in with false beards, false legs, false accents and false hopes for winning (I never won!)

For the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, a special Pirates of the Caribbean edition of Buccaneer was launched in 2006. Get one. Arrrrr.

And now for my favorite pirate joke:

“Why are Pirates so Violent?” “No reason, they just Arrrrrrrrrr”

I thank you.