Fish N’ Ships will put you on a hunt for treasures!

Any fans of pirate-themed games out there? I found something for you!

Recently I’ve been scrolling through my Instagram feed and I stumbled upon a photo of a game called Fish N’ Ships. My first reaction was to laugh, because the name was a good pun. I then started looking for more info about it, because pirate-themed stuff attracted me since I was young and whenever I read something pirate-y, I’m interested in finding out more. With such a name, there must be something good in that box.

Fish N’ Ships is a card game that puts the players in a race for collecting certain treasures. Each player has to collect a unique combination of treasures in order to win the game. I really like this idea because the first think that came to my mind was the adrenaline that I would feel if  I’d need just one more treasure to win and I would be constantly hunting for it. I enjoy games that can give me that sensation of being so close yet so far from winning.

The way you collect these treasures is very well thought and it fits the theme really well: you have to battle your opponents and steal their treasures, just like pirates would do! The combat system is very nicely thought, being pretty intuitive and staying at a simple scale: players fight each other using cannonballs, and the winner gets to steal cards from the one who lost. You can use Tide-Turner cards to stop fights or to turn the battle in your favour.

There’s also a bonus if you stack multiple treasures of the same type: six Stack Abilities are placed in the middle of the table when the game begins and you can pick any of these (as long as it’s not already taken by a different player) and place it on top of your stacked treasures in order to take advantage of the special ability. These abilities seem to be very useful, as they influence many actions during the game.

Overall, Fish N’ Ships seems to be a great card game that will keep you on your toes, searching and fighting for treasures, just like a real pirate would. The game hasn’t been released yet, but a Kickstarter campaign is coming this Winter. If you’re interested, you can follow it on Instagram or you can check the official Website.

The designer also offered me a review copy, so stay tuned for a more in-depth post about this game in the future!