Storm on the High Seas:

A real pirate should test their sea legs! At the beginning of the pirate party, all players sail through storm and waves: a child lies in a blanket that is swung by adults!

The Regatta Race:

The pirates form two or more teams. Each team gets one doormat, carpet remnant, or old towel per player. Single players get 2 mats. The mats are the ship. Anyone not standing on the mat is in the sea! By moving the mats, the ship can move forwards and backwards. The team that completes a chosen distance first wins. Of course, the pirate crew may only step on the doormats – the ship. Whoever steps on the floor has fallen into the sea and must sit out for a agreed time or sail one mat length backwards! Those who want to win must coordinate with their teammates and make a plan on how to place the mats most efficiently! The size of the mats depends on the age and skill of the players! Beginner teams can also "sail" with extra mats. For advanced players: The race track can be made more difficult by reefs and straits like chairs, tables, or garden furniture!

Giant Octopus:

Pirates experience many adventures on the sea! Sometimes they encounter a giant octopus: One player is the catcher, the giant octopus. He must tag the pirates. A tagged pirate becomes part of the giant octopus. He holds the catcher's hand and helps catch the other "free" pirates. Gradually, a "giant octopus" is formed from the tagged pirates. The pirate who remains at the end plays the octopus in a new game.

Pirate, how deep is the water?

The game is played on a rectangular playing field that is as large as possible. The playing field is the sea. One player is the pirate. He stands on one side of the field. On the opposite side stand the rest of the players. They call out: "Pirate, Pirate, how deep is the water?" The pirate answers with a number, e.g.: "Five meters deep!" - "How do we get across?" ask the other players. Now the pirate names a task that the players must fulfill to cross the sea. If the pirate says, for example, "Hop!", then all players must cross the field hopping without being tagged by the pirate. Whoever is tagged helps the pirate catch in the next round! Whoever remains at the end is the pirate in the next round! Here are some tasks the pirate could set: Running, walking backwards, crawling, duck walking, etc.

Walk the Plank:

Pirates were very cruel! Whoever was caught and could not pay a ransom had to walk blindfolded over a narrow board, over the plank. In our game, the pirates help each other: A player must balance over a board blindfolded. The other players must direct him so that he does not fall into the water!

Treasure Hunt:

A chest with a treasure is hidden at a secret location on the playground. The players get tasks that each lead to a place where another clue to the location of the treasure lies. Here is an example: A note says: The next message is in the galley in a cold place! The next clue is hidden in the kitchen in the fridge. Where the landlubbers throw in their bottle mail! This could mean the nearest mailbox near the play area. The possibilities are endless, let your imagination run wild! And what does the treasure look like? You can make a real gold treasure by painting pebbles with gold paint, that looks very real! Glass beads, marbles, and colorful stones also look very good!

Drinking Water Transport:

You need 4 large bowls, 1 drinking cup per player. A bowl of water is placed at the start, an empty bowl at the finish. Two teams are formed. Each team must transport water from the source -Start- to the ship -Finish- using the cups. The team that brings the water to the ship first wins. Of course, the way to the ship is filled with obstacles. For example, you have to crawl under a table, balance over a board, etc.

Message in a Bottle:

A pirate is stranded on a lonely island! His only hope: a message in a bottle! So that the pirate can be found, the crew must bring the found message in a bottle to the captain as quickly as possible, who is the only pirate who knows how to read and write! One player is the stranded pirate. He hides in a secret place, that is the lonely island. The hiding place is written on a piece of paper, rolled up and put into an empty plastic bottle. The pirate teams must bring the bottle to their captain in a relay race. He takes the note out of the bottle, reads the hiding place and runs there as quickly as possible. Note: To make the search more difficult, the hiding place can also be written in the form of a riddle or with invisible ink!

Shooting out Candles:

Candles are shot out with water pistols. Alternatively, table tennis balls can be shot from bottle necks. This action should be at the end of the games! Experience shows that with wild pirates, this action degenerates into a water fight. Only suitable for really tough pirates and for supervisors with strong nerves! A huge fun in summer in the garden or at the swimming pool: Water balloons filled with water as water bombs!

Tying Knots:

Who ties the most knots in a certain amount of time? Who knows the most knots? The play possibilities are unlimited! Forming human knots: All pirates form a circle and hold hands. On command, all players form a huge human knot. No one is allowed to let go of the other while knotting and during the further course of the game! A pirate chosen before the start of the game must now untangle this huge knot!

Costumes and Invitations:

Old fabric scraps for sashes and headscarves, old T-shirts to cut up. Theater makeup: Black, red, blue for beards, eyebrows, scars, blood and bruises. Construction paper and elastic for eye patches. Old broomstick, string and white fabric scrap for the pirate flag. Black water, opaque or fabric paint for painting. Here is a suggestion for a pirate party invitation: "Pirate Party" is arranged on an A4 page so that you can fold a paper boat with it and the lettering is then readable on both sides of the ship. The corresponding Word document: download

Pirate Dice Game:

Simple version: A "Ludo" (Mensch ärgere Dich nicht!) board serves as the basis for the game. Some of the moving fields of the game are marked with a special color. If a player lands on this field, he must draw a pirate card! This card corresponds roughly to the event card in Monopoly: The player reads the card aloud and fulfills the task. Now your imagination is required! Invent tasks that the player who lands on this field must do and write them on the card! An example of a card: The drinking water is running out! Move back 3 spaces to the next island! Great calm! The player misses x turns! Crafted version: Material: Dice, cardboard, game pieces, pens, compass or coins or beer mats, index cards or notes. Fields are drawn on a cardboard or suitable surface with a pen and compass. If no compass is available, you can also trace a coin with a pen. These are connected with straight lines! The first field is the starting point, the last field the goal. Each player gets a colored game piece.

Pirate Links:

• The novels "Treasure Island" and "Robinson Crusoe" can be read online!
• Pirate fonts for your computer exist like sand by the sea! Here is a small selection of the best fonts: A whole collection of pirate fonts can be found on the pages of "Moorstation.org"
• Beej´s Pirate Image Archive with pictures of various pirates, battles and treasure maps
• The Pirates from Asterix!

Reports, Questions, Ideas?

Have you ever hosted a pirate party? Were you able to use the suggestions? Do you have other, new ideas? Do you have questions about the games or the topic? Have you discovered errors or do you have constructive criticism or even a good pirate link that is missing here? If so, I would be happy to receive an Email to bulabong.de!