My article on the game "Dread Pirate" ran in Sunday's edition of The Parkersburg News. I also reposted a longer version of the review on BoardGameGeek.com, adding some additional details about gameplay and mechanics.

So far the review has received little attention on the Geek, which isn't surprising. A lot of die-hard gamers don't like the game and feel the high-end components sucker too many people into buying. In fact, when I first contacted Fronch Porch Classics about doing the review, I really wasn't expecting much. At first read the game does seem a bit random, with a lot of emphasis on dice and little strategy. But there are also a lot of little decisions, and even parts of the game that I thought seemed uninteresting (like raiding or trading at ports) ended up having more depth than I had expected.

The game is pretty expensive, ranging from $50 to $100 depending on the edition and the amount of extras, and I think that is why a lot of gamers dislike it so much: For the price you are getting a lot of stuff, but not much game. Still, I think there is a good game there, especially for families or someone who prides themselves on having display-worthy components in a game.

And let me again restate for the record: I like this game. I had fun when we played and so did everyone at the table. I've had other people ask when they can come over and play. And in my mind that makes the game a success.

I did have one person say my article was more of an advertisement than a review, and I pointed out that any positive review could be considered an advertisement in that regard. My general policy is to promote games that I like, and that means writing positive reviews when I can, and when I can't I set the game aside for something I do want to write about.

ME