Originally posted 21 April 2012

What better way could there be for the family to spend an evening than pretend to be pirates? The British board game Buccaneer premiered in the 1930s, and allowed players to compete for diamonds, rubies, gold, pearls, and barrels of rum.

One wonders whether a game that encourages children to fight over barrels of alcohol would be accepted in current society. The game was sold until the 1980’s in Britain but never caught on elsewhere, and early sets in good condition fetch a substantial amount among collectors.