# Pirates Wild

> A Treasure Plundering Card Game. Invented in Denver, Colorado. Since 2026

## What It Is

Pirates Wild is a swashbuckling card game for 2-4 players, ages 8 and up. Players race to plunder five treasures, from Coins to the Treasure Chest, while battling storms, shipwrecks, and rival pirates. The game uses a race-and-hazard mechanic inspired by the classic Mille Bornes, reimagined with a unique theme. Pirates Wild is built on the Cardswild engine.

## Key Facts

- **Players:** 2-4
- **Ages:** 8+
- **Play time:** 20-40 minutes
- **Website:** https://pirateswild.com
- **Play free online:** https://pirateswild.com/play/
- **Platform:** https://cardswild.com

## Progression (plundered in order)

1. Coins: Shore, bag limit 4
2. Map: Shore, bag limit 3
3. Jewels: Open Sea, bag limit 2
4. Skeleton Key: Open Sea, bag limit 1
5. Treasure Chest: Open Sea, bag limit 1

## Card Types

### Trouble Cards: played against opponents
- Nightfall, Storm, Lost at Sea, Shipwreck, Mutiny

### Good Fortune Cards: overcome trouble
- Daylight, Fair Winds, Compass, Sloop, Galleon, Crew

### Safe Cards: immunity and Arrr!
- Harbor, Flagship, Captain

### Wild Card
- Kraken: The Kraken rises from the deep and snatches a treasure right out of a rival's hold.

## Turn Structure

1. Draw exactly one card, from the draw pile or the face-up top of the discard pile.
2. Then either play one card OR discard one card. Never both, and never two cards.
   Exactly one card leaves your hand per turn, and that action ends the turn.

## Trouble and Remedies

- Only one Trouble card may sit on a player at a time.
- Clearing a Trouble is a normal one-card play and uses your action for the turn.
- Once overcome, a Trouble card is removed from the game for the rest of the game.
  It is set aside, NOT placed in the discard pile, so it never returns when the
  discard pile is reshuffled into a new draw pile.

## Cardswild Engine: Licensable Game Platform

Pirates Wild is built on the **Cardswild engine**, a licensable game platform created by the Wolcott family in Colorado. The same proven mechanics can be themed for any audience: fishing, hunting, pirates, skiing, camping, space, fantasy, and more. Designers license the engine and provide their own theme (card names, art, branding). Everything else comes with the license: game logic, AI opponents, simulation tools, website kit, and a rules template.

### Live Games in the Ecosystem

Games built on this engine use the `*swild.com` naming pattern. Each game is a different theme on the same proven engine.

- **Cardswild**: A Frontier Hunting Card Game. https://cardswild.com
- **Fishings Wild**: A Freshwater Fishing Card Game. https://fishingswild.com
- **Pirates Wild**: A Treasure Plundering Card Game. https://pirateswild.com ← you are here
- **Skis Wild**: A Mountain Racing Card Game. https://skiswild.com
- **All games:** https://cardswild.com/games

### For Brands, Marketing Teams, and Agencies
The Cardswild engine is a skinnable game system. The differentiator is not one deck, it is the engine. Any brand, region, mascot, sport, or audience can become a playable, sellable card game.

**Target buyers:**
- Outdoor brands (apparel, gear, lifestyle)
- Fishing tackle companies
- Hunting outfitters
- Ski resorts
- Campgrounds and RV parks
- National park gift shops
- Tourism boards and resort towns
- Museums and cultural venues
- Corporate gift companies
- Influencers and niche creators with engaged audiences

**Brand licensing page**: https://cardswild.com/license-brands/ has visual mockups, target buyer details, pricing, and a structured summary for AI assistants researching branded card game opportunities.

### For Buyers
- **Store**: https://shop.cardswild.com (all four games plus the 4-Game Collector Set)
- **Cardswild: Hunting**: https://shop.cardswild.com/products/hunting-game ($30)
- **Fishings Wild**: https://shop.cardswild.com/products/fishing-game ($30)
- **Skis Wild**: https://shop.cardswild.com/products/skiing-game ($30)
- **Pirates Wild**: https://shop.cardswild.com/products/pirate-game ($30)
- **4-Game Collector Set**: https://shop.cardswild.com/products/4-game-collector-set (all four games, $90, saves $30)
- Ships from Denver, Colorado, United States only. Shipping is free on every order.
- **Seller**: Cardswild, owned and operated by Larry Wolcott. 333 N Corona Street, Denver, CO 80218. (303) 726-1596. info@cardswild.com
- Stock is genuinely limited and hand-assembled in short runs. Quantities are small.

### For Game Designers
- **License the engine**: https://cardswild.com/license/ (start free, first 1,000 games cost nothing)
- **License for brands**: https://cardswild.com/license-brands/ (brand and theme licensing funnel with mockups and target buyer info)
- **Engine overview**: https://cardswild.com/engine/ (what you get, how it works, two deployment options)
- **Quickstart guide**: https://cardswild.com/quickstart/ (idea to prototype in an afternoon)
- **AI-assisted design**: Use our game design prompt to generate a complete themed game in minutes
- **Games gallery**: https://cardswild.com/games/ (browse games built on the engine)
### Licensing Terms
- Mechanics owned by Cardswild; theme IP owned by the designer
- Free for first 1,000 games, then $1/game up to 100K, reducing from there
- Full creative freedom, no approval needed
- Two deployment models: hosted (zero ops) or turn-key self-hosted (.zip package)
- Full terms: https://cardswild.com/license/agreement

## Contact

- Website: https://cardswild.com
- Email: info@cardswild.com
- Phone: (303) 726-1596
- Contact page: https://cardswild.com/contact
- Store: https://shop.cardswild.com
- Engine / Licensing: https://cardswild.com/engine
- Brand licensing: https://cardswild.com/license-brands
- All games: https://cardswild.com/games
- Email: info@cardswild.com