Rum & Pirates

Steer one shared captain through a pirate village for rum and renown, and fight for the best bunk each round.

Designer: Stefan Feld
Published by: alea
Editions by: Rio Grande Games, Ravensburger

Rum & Pirates (2006), designed by Stefan Feld and known in German as Um Ru(h)m und Ehre, is a pirate party in a small hideout. Everyone shares one piece: the captain, who moves through the village alleys, and each stop lets you grab rum, renown or win contests such as drinking and fighting. After each of five rounds, the pirates fight for the best sleeping spaces on the ship: bed or board? The route you build for the captain is the whole puzzle, since moves are paid for with action points and dice. Two to five players, ages nine and up, about an hour and a quarter.

One shared captainRum and renown as goalsFight for sleeping spaces each round

Who it's for

You like light-to-medium pirate games with some tactics and a shared piece to fight over.

Not for you if…

You want a heavy strategy game or fully independent turns. A shared captain means others constantly change your plans.

Vibe's take

Lively and a little cheeky. Since the captain belongs to everyone, you spend your turns nudging him your way and noticing how others have nudged him already.