A Pirate’s Word

About this board game

A Pirate’s Word is a negotiation and secret-choice game for 2–8 players, playable in about 30 minutes. Set across five Days, it challenges you to pursue riches while deciding whether a pirate’s promise can be trusted.

Long ago, the legendary Blackbeard left behind a vast hidden treasure. Now, valuable Gems are appearing daily on nearby Islands, and every pirate wants a share. Each Island sits between a pair of players, creating a direct contest over the treasure placed there.

Each player has three cards in hand: two green cards for cooperation and one red card for betrayal. You secretly choose one card to place face down on the Island to your left and another on the Island to your right. Everything is open to negotiation before the choices are revealed.

• Green and green: both players cooperate and split the Gems.
• Green and red: the red player betrays the other and takes all the Gems.
• Red and red: neither player receives anything.

At the start of each Day, new Gems are placed on the Islands, keeping every neighboring rivalry focused on the next decision. You may make promises, seek cooperation, or plan a betrayal, but your opponent is free to do exactly the same.

With its simple choices and unpredictable negotiations, A Pirate’s Word turns every Island into a test of trust. Will you honor an agreement and share the treasure, risk betrayal for a bigger haul, or play red and leave both pirates with nothing?