The Kaiser’s Pirates

About this board game

The Kaiser’s Pirates is a fast-paced World War One card wargame for 1–4 players, with games lasting about 90 minutes. Players command German commerce-raiders and light cruisers as they scour the high seas for Allied and neutral merchantmen.

Set in an era when air patrols were still in their infancy, the game captures the uncertainty of naval raiding across vast ocean spaces. German ships can disappear from one sea lane and re-emerge near another, hunting for valuable targets while danger closes in from every direction.

Players use their raiders in the traditions of privateers and pirates of old, attempting to sink or capture merchant ships. When a desperate confrontation arises, a raider can also fight the British hunters sent to stop it. The distinctive system has each player command both the German and British forces, creating a changing search across the sea lanes.

• A 20-card German Raider/Warship Deck featuring historic German commerce-raiders
• A 60-card Merchantman Deck featuring historic victims of the German raiders
• A 100-card Action Deck for attacking and defending ship cards, including expansion cards in the GMT Games release
• A 20-card Solitaire Action Deck for solo play, plus eight dice and 16 wooden markers

With its dedicated solitaire system, The Kaiser’s Pirates can be played without an opponent or used to sharpen game-play strategies. The set also includes an Action Card summary foldout and a complete, fully illustrated color rulebook.