Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
Pirates of the Spanish Main is the world’s first constructible strategy game. In Pirates of the Spanish Main, players make fleets of ships to sail to different islands looking for treasure.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Pick Up and Deliver
Collect goods at one location and transport them to another for rewards.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Measurement Movement
Measure physical distance to determine how far pieces may move.
Variable Player Powers
Each player has different abilities, restrictions, or strategic advantages.
Variable Set-up
Starting conditions, resources, or layouts change between plays.
Read the full game description
Pirates of the Spanish Main is the world’s first constructible strategy game. In Pirates of the Spanish Main, players make fleets of ships to sail to different islands looking for treasure. This booty is obtained in one of two ways: commanding your salty dogs to dig it out of the ground or sending your opponent’s ships to Davy Jones’ locker! Either way, game play is fast and fun, and the built-in damage tracking system makes Pirates of the Spanish Main the game of choice of wannabe-buccaneers everywhere. (From the official press release) Pirates of the Spanish Main includes numerous different collectible pieces, including ships, crew, treasure, and famous (and infamous!) personalities. It sells in booster packs that include all materials required for play ("A game in every pack"), which typically consists of two ships, an island, crew, treasure, a small six-sided die, and complete rules for play. WizKids officially renamed the entire product line "Pirates of the Cursed Seas Pocketmodel Game" in 2008. Topps officially shut down WizKids in November 2008, and put the property up for sale. In September 2009 NECA purchased WizKids and its properties from Topps, and began releasing new content for the game HeroClix. Expanded by: Pirates of the Crimson Coast (2005) Pirates of the Revolution (2005) Pirates of the Barbary Coast (2005) Pirates of the South China Seas (2006) Pirates of Davy Jones' Curse (2006) Pirates of the Mysterious Islands (2006) Pirates of the Frozen North (2007) Pirates at Ocean's Edge (2007) Pirates of the Caribbean PocketModel Game (2007) Pirates of the Cursed Seas: Rise of the Fiends (2008) Pirates of the Cursed Seas: Fire and Steel (2008) Pirates of the Cursed Seas: Savage Shores (2008) There are also numerous (unofficial) fan-designed sets. Similar constructable ships were used for Pirates: Quest for Davy Jones' Gold.