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www.bentcastle.com

No matter what your lot in life, there’s surely a deck of cards out there for you. This holds true even for us pirate-enthusiasts. And this is nothing new – Disney has long been making decks of cards based on Pirates of the Caribbean (both the movies and the ride), and there’s even a non-Disney deck floating around most novelty stores that features images from famous pirate woodcuts. The problem is, the Disney decks suck. And the other deck I mentioned – it’s decent, but nothing stellar. I want a pirate deck worth owning, and finally one has arrived.

Pegleg Pete’s Deck of Royal Rogues is a proper deck of cards – four suits, two jokers… the whole shabang. It was designed from the ground up, rather than from a normal deck with pirate images superimposed here and there – the suits are all the familiar clubs, spades, and whatnot – but rendered anew with a piratey flair. The face cards are all mirror imaged from top to bottom, just like a traditional deck, but instead of the line-drawn kings and queen, it’s skallywaggs and cutthroats ranging in emotion from amused to bloodthirsty. Continue reading →

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www.skallywaggs.com

What, no ships? No pillaging? And you never even leave port until the very end? Bloody ‘eck, what kind of pirate game is this? Short answer: A drop-dead-in-your-linens-and-flog-a-seagull-for-grins fantastic one.

Skallywaggs is a top-notch mix-n-match card game where you struggle to build a crew so you can set sail while doing your devil-best to keep your opponents from doing the same. Crew members are assembled from a multitude of three-card combinations (head, torso, legs) to make a near endless variety of cut-throats. But mind you, not all pirates are created equal, and some combinations can create characters that will win you a distinct advantage, while still others might bring your crew to a screaching halt. Continue reading →