Pirates of the High Teas

Pirates of the High Teas, a worker placement game set in a pirate tea party

Pirates of the High Teas is a board game designed by Emily Vincent and published by Pink Hawk Games, blending the world of piracy with the tradition of afternoon tea. Players take on the role of pirates tasked with preparing the best possible spread for their captain, pairing Dish cards with Tea cards according to their flavors and flag colors. The game is built around worker placement and set collection, while adding thematic actions such as sending a monkey to steal a card, using a parrot to sneak a card to the captain, or firing a cannon to clear cards from the pantry.

Setup and gameplay in Pirates of the High Teas

Each game of Pirates of the High Teas is played on one of the two pirate ship boards, with an individual treasure mat for each player. Over the course of the game, players place their pirates to draft Dish cards from the galley or Tea cards and action tokens from the smugglers' hold, before combining their cards to serve the captain in his quarters. Monkey, parrot, and cannon tokens let players disrupt their opponents' plans or secure a favorable combination.

Victory conditions and end of game in Pirates of the High Teas

Players earn doubloons by serving combinations of dishes and teas that match the captain's preferences, based on the flavor and flag associated with each card. The game ends after a set number of rounds, and the player with the most doubloons wins the game.