Pieces of Eight Errata
Targeting an Empty Crow's Nest: In the rules under "Game Play" in the section "First Crow's Nest Phase," it says that if you play without a crow's nest coin, your opponents can't use coin abilities that target your crow's nest. This is meant to explain the benefits of not having a coin in your crow's nest (which, at first glance, might seem to simply limit your options), not to introduce a rule restricting actions that would otherwise be legal. For example, you can still legally use a Bomb (which targets both the crow's nest and fore coin together) to attack an opponent who doesn't have a crow's nest coin. The crow's nest part of the attack is simply wasted, in that case.
Negation Example: In the second paragraph of the rules under "Negating Abilities," there is an example of a Mate attack negated by a Treachery. Point (b) of that example states that the Mate is not destroyed in such an exchange. That is wrong; the Mate is destroyed. Although the Mate is not destroyed by its own ability (which is negated by the Treachery), it is destroyed by the Treachery.
Captain's Monkey: The Captain's Monkey's special ability should be re-worded so that the coin "prevents" its own destruction rather than "negates" it. The intention of the Captain's Monkey is that it should be able to withstand any attack, not that it should entirely undo attacks against it, as it would be able under a close reading of the rules for negation. (The difference is important, for example, in cases where a coin attacking the Monkey must sacrifice itself to attack. Under this new wording, the sacrifice is made even if the Monkey is saved.)
Pieces of Eight FAQ
Q. Is Pieces of Eight collectible?
Nope. Each copy of The Maiden's Vengeance contains the same 16 coins as every other The Maiden's Vengeance box, and each of The Cursed Blade sets contains the same 16 coins as every other instance of The Cursed Blade.
Q. Is Pieces of Eight customizable?
Yes! For each game, you choose any 13 coins you want (well, with some limits) to make your pirate ship. You can get those 13 coins from any combination of the coins available in The Maiden's Vengeance, The Cursed Blade, and any future Pieces of Eight expansions.
Q. Can I use whatever coins I want to build my ship?
Absolutely. You can mix and match coins from The Maiden's Vengeance with coins from The Cursed Blade and vice versa. In fact, if you have one of each box, you'll have a set of coins that will allow you to create any legal 13-coin ship (because this gives you the limit or more of each type of coin).
Q. Is Pieces of Eight a two-player game, or a multi-player game?
Both. You can play with two or more players, as long as each player has at least 13 coins to build a ship with. Since The Maiden's Vengeance and The Cursed Blade boxes each have 16 coins in them, think "one box, one player." (But note that if you have one of the promotional Captain coins we gave out at the summer 2006 conventions we attended, you can play a five-player game with four boxes.)
Q. So can two people both play The Maiden's Vengeance set in the same game?
Sure. Each player can choose any 13 coins, no matter where they came from. (If it helps, don't think of it as "playing The Maiden's Vengeance," since you're like to choose different coins and put them in a different order.)
Q. Which is better, The Maiden's Vengeance, or The Cursed Blade?
Neither. They're pretty well balanced against each other. The difference is mainly in their mode of attack. The Maiden's Vengeance relies on Cannons, and The Cursed Blade relies on Mate/weapon combinations.
The Maiden's Vengeance may be slightly better in multi-player games than in two-player contests because of how different players' Cannons can gang up, and because Full Sail (which only comes in The Maiden's Vengeance) isn't useful in a two-player game.
Q. What coins are in each box?
The back of your set's box has this listed in the bottom left corner:
The Maidens' Vengeance contains 1 Bomb, 1 Broadside, 1 Buried Treasure*, 1 Call to Quarters*, 3 Cannons, 1 Captain, 1 Cutlass, 1 Full Sail*, 2 Mates, 2 Pillages, 1 Pistols, and 1 Treachery.
The Cursed Blade contains 1 Barrel of Grog*, 1 Black Spot*, 2 Bombs, 1 Broadside, 1 Captain, 1 Captain's Monkey*, 2 Cutlasses, 3 Mates, 1 Pillage, 2 Pistols, and 1 Treachery.
The coins marked with asterisks are the ones that are unique to that set. Also, each ship's Captain has a different portrait (though they work exactly the same in the game).Q. Can a Captain's Monkey save itself if a Broadside destroys it while it's in the middle of my deck?
No, because coins can only use their abilities when they're in active positions. Broadside attacks to the inside of an opponent's ship -- especially against the coin directly in front of the Captain -- are often called "monkey hunting" for that reason.
Q. Can I start with my Captain in my crow's nest?
Sure. It's risky, but legal.
Q. Can I put my last coin in my crow's nest?
Yes.
Q. Is there any way to get coins back down from my crow's nest?
Only by destroying them.
Q. Can I use Buried Treasure or other coins that bring coins back from my hold if my hold is empty?
Yes. Nothing happens, and you sacrifice the coin you're using as usual.
Q. When I use Broadside to destroy a coin I can't see because it's in the middle of my opponent's ship, do I get to find out what it is before it goes to the hold?
Yes. In fact, coins are revealed any time they're destroyed, so this applies to hidden aft coins when they're destroyed, coins behind the fore coin that are destroyed by multi-Cannon attacks, and so on.