Board Games
Libertalia — Set Sail for Adventure!
A review of Stonemaier Games' new take on a classic.
When I was given an opportunity to review the new reimagining of Libertalia by Stonemaier Games, my first thought was “How does this compare with the original Libertalia?” and that will be the big question for many gamers who approach this new version - Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest.
The Tale of the Tape
Libertalia Winds of Galecrest is a game for 1–6 players, and on BoardGameGeek, players have voted that it plays best at 4–6 players! That’s a really interesting preferred player count. Most popular non-party & non-social deduction games tend to favor player counts of 4 or less.
The game has a listed playtime of 45–60 minutes & this is one of the few games I’ve played in recent years that lives up to the playtime on the box. So far, I’ve played mostly at 3 players and at Solo but I can say that, even with the teach, our 3-player games were under that one-hour mark and my friends asked me to “run it back”!
One of the best indications a game designer can have that their game is headed in the right direction can be the number of players who ask to replay it, especially right away!
Recommended for ages 14+, Libertalia has a community suggestion of 10+ making it an acceptable suggestion for children. The weight is on the light side at 2.12/5.0 on BGG. Weight signifies a complex figure and can suggest the difficulty in teaching or playing a game that a player will experience. A “2” is certainly on the light side and means players can confidently jump in without any previous knowledge about the game.
This was a 2022 release but has already jumped into the BGG Top 1000 and holds a modest ranking of 7.6/10. A solid number.
The Art and Components of Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest
A popular point of discussion on Libertalia involves a comparison between the original art and the new art. Some vocal gamers adamantly (and sometimes belligerently) consider the original game and art style to be superior, based on a gritty pirate theme that reminds them of other pirate tropes ubiquitous in the popular representation. Think Treasure Island, Pirates of the Caribbean, and even Disney’s Peter Pan.
Some claim they want a classic gritty representation of Libertalia but others seem to be drawn to the imaginative approach provided in this new version with art by Lamaro Smith. Many others shrug their shoulders and are fine with either.
The cards themselves are linen finish. They are easy to pick up or lift from a deck and don’t tend to get stuck in clumps as some smoother cards have a tendency to do. For my part, I would not keep this game unless I committed to sleeving the cards. Even on our first play some of the cards became slightly bent and they might be of slightly thinner card stock than I would have liked.
The explanatory text is often straightforward and easy to understand which I appreciate.
I don’t personally mind the anthropomorphized character cards. That said, it doesn’t draw me in as a game like Etherfields or Endless Winter might with its card art alone.
The Treasure Chest components are really neat. They represent the “buried treasure” that can’t be removed by your opponents. You see, the resources acquired during the voyages are never quite safe until one of the three voyages has been completed. Then, all players convert their Doubloons into victory points.
The Loot Tokens look much different than the ones from the previous edition. Although they are a bit on the colorful side I think they work well and I like that they are thick and durable pieces well-designed for being pulled from a bag.
The main board itself is double-sided but nothing stands out for me especially, other than it opens up variability in the gaming experience.
What’s New in this edition?
On top of the graphics overhaul, there are some functional and mechanical changes as well in Libertalia: Waves of Galecrest. Stonemaier Games has added ten more cards for each player, representing a 25% increase in the crew cards that could be drawn during a game. This improves variability and replayability as players will have more different decision points and options involving their crew cards from game to game.
There is now a well-tested and elegant Reputation Track that not only resolves the crew card “tie” dilemma that occurs often enough, but also provides a system of resource generation based on defined positions on the track at the beginning of each voyage.
My favorite new addition to Libertalia is a well-thought-out Solo Mode that gives me a reasonable two-player experience. I’m one of those players who thinks this game is at its best at the higher player counts where crazy things happen and “take that!” occur that you didn’t see coming, but a hearty Solo Mode is much appreciated.
Thoughts on the Gameplay
The Solo Mode provided me with a puzzle so that I could take my time to make a good play and work out my best possible choices based on what I could easily remember was in the Automa’s hand, as I’m also playing their cards for them. This wouldn’t be a game I would normally play solo. I’m interested in Libertalia as an hour+ game with 5–6 players where lots of interesting and unexpected player interaction plays out on the island.
I really enjoy that it’s a fast-paced game where players have little “down time” and they are invested in what’s going on even with other players’ cards. It’s fun to watch one opponent slow down another one with an appropriately-timed Saber Loot Token, or to see a player discard a negative Relic Loot Token to bring back a strong crew card from their graveyard through the ability of the Necromancer crewmember.
Gathering the Loot Tokens is not a crunchy part of the game. It will feel light for many of us as the choices might be quite obvious but selecting when and which crew cards to play are really crunchy and interesting.
Overall, this game was better than expected. I hadn’t been particularly drawn to Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest when it had been released, but playing it with my local gaming group really showed me that this game can be both fun and thinky without being time-consuming nor particularly susceptible to Analysis Paralysis.
I currently would rate Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest a solid 7/10.
It’s a good game that I am enjoying and I expect to dive back in to see how much my playgroup likes it.
What do you think of the new Libertalia? Have you gotten a chance to play it yet? If not, would you like to?
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Full Disclosure — I received a review copy of this game and am writing a completely voluntary review with nothing held back. There are no expectations from the board game provider that I post anything but my real opinions, nor a requirement to write a review. I do so freely and under no obligation from anyone.
