Blackbeard, Bluebeard and Redbeard (2007)

Blackbeard, Bluebeard and Redbeard (aka Yet Another Pirate Themed Board Game) is based on the award-winning children's song of the same name by Eric Herman and Kenn Nesbitt. Eric Herman designed the game with the same core audience in mind as his music fans (elementary school kids and their parents). Blackbeard, Bluebeard and Redbeard is a very lightly weighted and semi-abstract "race to get the most treasure", but it also incorporates some nice Eurogame touches, including action point movement, card combinations, minimal luck and variable victory point options. As such, it is an excellent gateway game for younger players on the verge of discovering more involved games like Settlers and Tikal. The game is designed in the low-cost tradition of (James Ernest's company), with pennies, nickels and dimes used for treasures, and tokens from other games used as the game pieces, and with a great amount of humor in the cards. Blackbeard, Bluebeard and Redbeard is currently in playtesting and is expected to be available in 2008.