Rio Grande Games

A Quest for Glory

in the Golden Age of Pirates

by Ken Hill, Production/Marketing Manager, Rio Grande Games (ken@riograndegames.com)

Glory Islands is a race and area-control game set in a whimsical world of pirates. Designed by Arve D. Fühler, the game imagines a contest between the restless crews of pirate ships in the Caribbean. Glory Islands is a fun and challenging game that plays in less than an hour.

Players are the captains of pirate ships racing around the mythical Glory Islands to prove who has the best crew in the Caribbean. They are trying to win the race and control the various islands by placing crew members on each island as they pass. Whichever player has the most pirates on the multiple islands will score points based on the size of the island.

Before each turn, the players select one card from their hand to play. The card they pick determines what the player can do on their turn. Once chosen, the cards are revealed simultaneously.

The first part of the card will determine the player order for the upcoming turn. The cards show a number between 1 and 5, and the lowest numbered card gets to go first. The second part of the card shows how far the ship can move on the track during the turn. Moving faster on the board gets the ship closer to the finish line, but it is also more expensive. A unique mechanism rewards (or penalizes) the players for how fast they move during the game.

The third part of the card indicates where a player’s pirates can be placed on the islands. Placing pirates on the island not only helps the player control the island but may also provide unique bonuses like collecting treasure or scoring points. The card used by the player on that turn is then placed in the discard pile and is not available again until the card with the “return cards to hand” special power is used. The game continues for several rounds until one of the pirate ships has crossed the finish line. However, the winner of the game is not always the player who crosses the line first. The points and values of the treasures collected during the game also help to determine the winner.

Glory Islands has a double-sided board to increase the fun and variety of the gameplay. The second board has special spaces that allow players to place pirates anywhere on the islands. There is also a special “mini-expansion” already included in the game. This expansion gives the players the option to explore shipwrecks along their route for further opportunities to score points. Glory Islands is a fast and fun game.

The rules are easy to learn, and the turns are quick with interesting decisions. Plot your course carefully but always keep one eye on your opponents as you try to outmaneuver (or outrun) them on your journey!

Glory Islands is coming to game stores everywhere starting in December 2021. For more information on Glory Islands or other Rio Grande Games titles, please visit riograndegames.com.