This island is full of buried treasure!

But the map is old and torn.

The paths are marked, but which way is the true way?

You're probably facing the wrong direction.

You're probably lost.

And you're certainly not alone.

Other pirate crews are searching for treasure and could be lying in wait.

Will your crew be first to gather your gold and leave?



In X Arrr!, 2-4 pirate crews compete to gather all their pirate treasures and be first back to their ship. X marks the spot. Arrr!

The journey isn't easy. Players twist the ripped up pieces of island map searching for the true path to take them to their treasures. Get it right and you can journey far on your turn. Get it wrong and you could end up unconscious at the mercy of another pirate crew.

On your turn, you can twist a fragment of the map (the disks), or move one of your crew onto a new path, and if you extend the path you are on you follow it for free. Pass over one of your treasures and it's yours, but each crew member can only carry two treasures before returning to their ship.

X Arrr! requires thought and planning to navigate the island while avoiding the enemy pirates. Can you be the one that safely makes it back to your ship and leaves the island far behind? Find out with X Arrr!


X Arrr! is a game in development. It has appeared and will appear at UK board game expos throughout the year. X Arrr! is still being playtested and the rules are still being tweaked.

If you see me at an expo, ask to play X Arrr! Your comments can make a difference.

Dragonmeet, London

30th November 2019



X-Arrr! Playtesters.

Thank you!

GGF, Glasgow

16th November 2019


Thank you to all my playtesters!

X~Arrr! News

24th August 2019

Tabletop Scotland

I playtested X~Arrr! over both days of Tabletop Scotland where it got played by 32 players (28 unique players) in 17 games. Some players returned for more!

I was especially interested in feedback on a few areas, which were all well received.

  • The island tiles have changed from circles to hexes.
  • Players now receive an Extra Action token when they ambush an enemy pirate, which they can use on any of their own turns.
  • Bands of Marauders are now in the game at all player counts adding an extra layer of strategy and interaction (although I missed them out for games with younger players).
  • The rules for Ambush and Surprise have been finalised.

Shortest Game: 20 minutes
Longest Game: 45 minutes
Average: 33 minutes (2-player: 27 minutes; 3-player: 34 minutes; 4-player: 44 minutes)

The Bands of Marauders have generally increased the play length by a few minutes but all players reported that the game length was good.


Facebook link: Tabletop Scotland

Player Quotes
----------------
Chris
"Enjoyable and Competitive. Really like the theme of pirates on an island."

Alan
"30 mins ideal"

David
"Quick, fast-paced, and quite tactical."

Neil
"Truro-Like working out of fiendish pathways."

Scott
"Very tactical, yet simple."

Gordon
"I liked the strategy required and able to sabotage other players."

Corvette
"Easy to pick up."

Isla Jay
"Simple but strategic."

Steven
"I loved the strategic rotating of the paths."

29th June 2019

Glasgow Games Gathering

X~Arrr! made an appearance at the first ever Glasgow Games Gathering and got played by 7 players over 4 games.

Shortest Game: 26 min
Longest Game: 50 min
Average: 34 minutes

The 50-minute game was an intense 2-player battle that lasted longer than any other recent game. The next longest took 33 minutes.

Facebook link: G3 Show.

Player Quotes
----------------
Greg
“Forcing the treasure to go back to the ship multiple times helps to give other players chance to block your actions"

Dragon
“Planning + Interaction without feeling mean, simple rules for a game with decent depth”

Mark
“Engaging strategic gameplay"

Kevin
“I liked the knockout feature”

Graham
“Good Strategy"

Andrew
“V. Original Dynamic”

24th June 2019

To Win Just Once Magazine

I met Paul Evans at the UK Games Expo Press Preview. Paul writes and edits a monthly tabletop games magazine called To Win Just Once and there is an incredible amount of content considering it all seems to be done by Paul.
On Page 13 of the June Issue, Paul mentions X~Arrr! in the UKGE roundup.

10th June 2019

Polyhedron Collider Podcast

It was great to meet Jon and Rory of the Polyhedron Collider podcast at the UK Games Expo Press Preview. Polyhedron Collider is one of the tabletop game podcasts that I regularly listen to because of its mix of fun and informative discussions.
At 1hr 45mins into their UKGE Roundup podcast Jon and Rory chat about X~Arrr!

1st June 2019

On Tabletop Video Interview

I was video interviewed about X~Arrr! by Justin for OnTabletop at the UK Games Expo Press Preview.
This was my first ever video interview so I stumble a bit at times, but it's not too bad.

30th May 2019

UK Games Expo

I playtested X~Arrr! for three days at my UK Games Expo stand and got some great quotes from my players.

Shortest Game: 18 min
Longest Game: 36 min
Average: 25 minutes

Facebook links: Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

Matt
“Great Idea!"

David
“Fantastic game, flows well, looking forward to KS.”

Duncan
“Doesn’t outstay it’s welcome. Great filler-length game.”

Simon
“Strategy + planning with interaction with players.”

Emily
“Method for travelling different coloured paths is fun + not seen this before.”

Phil
“From a simple ruleset you have a lot of choices of actions and tactics."

Annabel

“Enjoyed that! Like games my husband has to think about to win!!!”


Mim

“You can see an opponents proposed path + try to delay them getting to their ship.”


Mikey

“Simple but engaging. I lost but I enjoyed it. Short but excellent game.”


John

“I really like the ‘chess-like’ long-term strategy, and the ability to try and meddle with the attempted win of other players.”


Rachel

“[Particularly Liked] Being able to change the port to stop your opponent from winning!”

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