Thrift Treasure: Pirates of Davy Jones’ Curse
The other day I was mentioning that some games are even more fun when you get to assemble them. Both Connect 4 and Colt Express gave us additional value by having us construct the game before actually getting to play it. But this week’s Thrift Treasure proves that this isn’t always the case. While WizKid‘s Pirates of Davy Jones’ Curse is still fun to play, the assembly process was a nightmare.
At an original MSRP of $9.99, Pirates does pack a lot in its tiny box. What keeps the cost affordable is the fact that you’ll spend an hour or two punching out and assembling the seven ships included in this set. Each ship is printed on credit-card-like plastic cards that have been scored so you can build your own ships. A vessel takes up one or more cards depending on its size and included decks, masts and flags. The end result is quite impressive.
But the actual assembly is mind-numbing. The slots are just small enough to make insertion very difficult, probably too difficult for children. On the bright side, once assembled, it does not appear that they will come apart easily!
Pirates of Davy Jones’ Curse is billed as a constructible strategy game. Played on any tabletop, your goal is to move your Navy to islands containing treasure. On your turn you can move or attack, but not both. Movement is measured with the included card skeletons and each ship has its own movement capabilities. “L” signifies you to use the long side of the card, “S” for short.
Once you dock with an island, you can load up your ship with the maximum amount of coins it can carry and head back to your home island. If your ship is within range of an opponent, you can elect to open fire. Each mast on your ship has a die printed on it, and that’s the number you must roll greater than to successfully hit another ship. A hit removes one of their masts – destroy them all and then one more hit sinks their ship.
By collecting additional sets or packs, you can add to your fleet and embark on a more serious game (instructions included) that allows you to board other vessels, assign captains with unique abilities or even take down sea monsters or the dreaded Kracken!
If you can get someone else to assemble this, you will get a lot of enjoyment out of Pirates for only $10. The ships are very detailed considering the medium and can probably be used in other games to replace or upgrade other boats. You can still find copies on Amazon and eBay for right around the original MSRP, but I’d watch the toy aisle at your local thrift store to find a preassembled copy to try out!
I really need to visit my local thrift stores…..I am seeing more and more gaming finds across websites and need to beat some of you guys to them! nice find with great components.
Indeed! It is a game with a lot of fun and creative component ideas.
This sounds like a fun game for older kids. I admit I’d probably enjoy putting the ships together.
It is really fun! I’m 24 now and still love playing it. Putting the ships together can be fun, and a rewarding challenge at times.
Feel free to check out more at my website: https://pirateswithben.com/
Cool great find!
The detailing of the ships is amazing. Thanks for an informative post and tip on checking thrift shops.
Agreed! I love the artwork – nearly every ship in the game has unique art.
My son would love that game. The shop looks amazing.
Cool! He can find out plenty of information about the game. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirates_Constructible_Strategy_Game
I wouldn’t have liked the assembly part. I have thrown things out that were too complicated.
That’s awesome! Looks like something my son would enjoy. I love thrifting whenever I have the chance!
I certainly love it! Feel free to refer him to the game: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirates_Constructible_Strategy_Game
I could easily see myself enjoying the assembly process for those cool looking ships!
They’re all over eBay, you should check them out!
This looks like a fun one for my son. Thanks!
He should play! You can play virtually with the VASSAL module: https://pirateswithben.com/vassal/
That game looks like a blast for kids, especially ones who are really into pirates
No kidding! I got into it when I was 10 and still love playing it at 24!
It sounds pretty fun! I bet my husband would love something like this!
It’s awesome! If he gets into it, he can use my tutorial videos to learn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZumD4SjwlI
looks like a fun game
It’s super fun! You can learn more here: https://pirateswithben.com/
Hope to see you on the high seas!
Ben
Looks fun! I can’t imagine my little ones playing with the boats, I’d be afraid that they’d break them. But for older kids or adults it’s perfect.
I did OK with the game as a kid, and now love it even though I’m older!
Some breakage is pretty much inevitable as you learn how to assemble the different ship types.
That sounds like a fun game! My son loves pirates so I think he would like this!
You should get him into it! There’s actually plenty of information and even a community of players and collectors online: https://pirateswithben.com/
Ben
This sounds like a super fun game!
It’s incredible! Check out one of my all-time favorite plays of it here: https://pirateswithben.com/one-of-the-best-games-ive-ever-played-november-21st-2015/
My husband might actually find enjoyment in assembling these. It would be fun for him and my son!
Sounds cool! I’ve got some tutorials if they need help with any of it! https://www.youtube.com/user/a7xfanben/videos
I like the fact that you have to build out the little ships. It would be the funnest part of the game for me!
I’m the opposite, but some people have reported that they like building the ships more than playing. That works especially well for collectors, as there are over 1,000 ships to collect and build!
I love that you have to construct and strategize. It’s a great way to get the mind working and to keep it sharp.
It’s a great game, and there’s even an active community at Miniature Trading: http://m.miniaturetrading.com/phpbb.php?action=forum&sub_action=viewforum&extra_params=f%3D9%2F
Thanks for the link Ben. Good to know it’s still being played by many!
Indeed! There’s plenty of discussion happening around it too, at least for a game that has been out of print for a full decade now.
Wondering who in the family I can sucker to put the ships together. 😉 If it was summer (less restrictions on time) my kids and I would actually enjoy doing it. 🙂
Hopefully you all can get into it sometime! I’ve got plenty of content centered on Pirates CSG if you want to learn more. https://www.youtube.com/user/a7xfanben/videos
What a great find! It’s so fun finding treasures like that at the thrift store.
Indeed. I’ve seen others report similar findings, you can get some really great deals at physical locations.
This looks like a lot of fun!
It sure is! Feel free to jump right into the realm of Pirates CSG! https://pirateswithben.com/
Love this game so much!!
For anyone looking to get into Pirates CSG, I’ve got a ton of information and most of the active community all right on my website: https://pirateswithben.com/forums/forum/pirates-csg/
Thanks!
Ben