'Tis Mutiny!

Drink, Fight, Then Feed the Crew to the SHARKS!!

(Or work together in peaceful coexistence, your choice)

"What a treat! This was one of those playtests that reminded me just how much fun it is to discover a new game" - Eight Sided Games

‘Tis Mutiny is a semi co-operative game set in a fictionalized golden age of piracy for 3 to 6 players. Players fight with each other to ensure their own victory, work together to avoid deadly hazards, and occasionally cooperate for mutual benefit. A single player can win by betraying the rest of the crew, some or all can win by safely landing at port, or everyone can lose when the ship is surrounded.

LoadingReadyRun did a livestream playing 'Tis Mutiny:

Some choice clips from their stream:

"I wish to reveal an aspiration!"
"I think we should give ourselves up to the cops..."
"I STILL HAVE EIGHT RUM!"

You can see their whole playthrough here on Youtube.

Each game takes 30-45 minutes and is filled with twists and turns, as each player tries to complete their aspiration before the ship is surrounded and captured by Pirate Hunters... or betrayed by a desperate crewmate. Each player has their own aspirations, their own motivations for joining the crew on this voyage, and their own goals, leading to over 30 different unique win conditions. 

Every turns helps some players move closer to victory and cuts off paths for others. The game plays like the third act of a pirate movie, where things start to go very wrong very quickly and players need to scramble to maintain their tenuous grip on victory in an ever-changing and vengeful sea. 

Our artist and graphic designer Tobias Vyseri has created a unique and beautiful world, filled with whimsy and depth. Choose one of twelve characters to represent you in this world.

Each of the three nations has their own theme to adds depth and feeling to this world. Every bottle of rum feels like it has it's own backstory, every weapon its own tale.

Each player begins the game with unique goals, called Aspirations, that represent what ‘winning at piracy’ means to them. Some want fame, some want fortune, some want adventure, and some just want to watch the world burn. Aspirations are simple. Some examples: 

• Raid all three ports (so you can stay outlaws forever) 
• Collect some treasure and Land at Côte du Maillard (and retire as a wealthy merchant)
• Raid Finisterre and the Sao Paulo, then land at Côte du Maillard (as a hero)

There are three ports in the game. Completing the first part of your aspiration (e.g. find some treasure) is straightforward; 'convincing' the rest of the crew not to raid Côte du Maillard may prove more difficult. Perhaps a well timed Mutiny to seize command and raid Finisterre would make the choice to Land at Côte du Maillard more...inevitable. 

Each player starts with two aspirations, giving them a fallback plan and choice of how to play, and more may be acquired along the way. One might start out with dreams of wealth or fame, but find out that true victory comes from going mad and feeding the rest of the crew to the great White Whale. 

Each player has a role on the ship, from Captain to lowly Swab. Each role has a duty that they perform each round, and every role has a unique impact on the game. Most player roles change from round to round, but the Captain remains captain unless overthrown in a Mutiny. 

Mutiny Begins With Drinking and Ends with Violence

Mutiny is a fight between players to determine where the ship goes that round and what happens when the ship gets there. Players may fall in line behind the Captain's choice, or can choose to fight to become Captain themselves and sail in another direction. Mutiny is the difference between burning down your beloved Tungstall Bay or burning down the wicked port of Finisterre. Mutiny begins with alcohol and ends in violence.

As each port or ship is raided the angry survivors call on their nation's armada for protection and revenge - pirate hunters that stalk the players and fill the sea with dangerous enemies instead of plodding cargo vessels. Players must race to complete their aspirations and land safely at port before they are surrounded and captured. Multiple players may all complete aspirations and win, but is it really worth another risky turn just so your friend can win too? 

For more details about the game please download our rules.

"What a treat! This was one of those playtests that reminded me just how much fun it is to discover a new game" - Eight Sided Games played with us at ProtoCon here in Vancouver.

"I believe it was you that told me there was treasure there. But given that you are a lying liar of lies" LoadingReadyRun did a livestream playing 'Tis Mutiny. You can see their whole playthrough here on Youtube.

Listen To These Nerds did an in depth discussion and review:

"I ran [the ship] a bit like a democracy, and it got us all eaten by a whale" Listen to These Nerds

Each game comes with 5 modular 'story packs'. When playing you add 3 stories into the game, giving a new experience for each game. Coral Shoals, The White Whale, Treasure Island, Pirate's Cove, and Longitude 51 each have their own aspirations, unique hazards, and mechanics to make your adventure different every time. 

Our first stretch goal ($15,000CAD) is additional card art.  We currently have 64 pieces of unique art across all our card decks.  This art has worked to bring unique character to the game, but more art would bring additional style to the unique mechanics. We look forward to the possibilities of additional stretch goals: Additional story packs, upgraded game components.  

We'll announce our second stretch goal after we reach our first.

Your shipping cost will be charged by the Pledge Manager when your game is ready to ship (estimated in January 2027), and is not included in your pledge amount. The total cost to you is your pledge (charged at the end of the Kickstarter campaign) plus the cost of shipping (charged when we are ready to ship). The actual cost of shipping will be determined when we are ready to ship, and you can request a refund of your pledge if the actual cost turns out higher than expected.

Applicable local taxes on the game will also be applied at the time of shipping.

• Local Vancouver BC pickup - Free! If you live in the Greater Vancouver Area, you can pick up your copy at Rain City Games.
• Canada $20-$25 USD (including Vancouver, if you don’t want the hassle of picking it up)
• US $20-$25 USD
• Australia / New Zealand $20 - $30 USD
• UK $22 USD
• EU $20-$30 USD
• Asia $8-$15 USD 

We will be looking for the least expensive way to get your game to you. Our shipping cost estimate is based on quotes from our printer for direct shipping to you from China, at the current rate. Shipping costs tend to be less after Christmas, so we are planning on shipping after the Christmas busy season. Bulk shipments to Canada and the US are less expensive than a single copy, so we will be making larger shipments to North America and distributing from here. 

We made 'Tis Mutiny for ourselves and for the friends and family we play with. It has all elements of the kind of games we like to play, combining roleplaying, social deduction, strategy, cooperative gameplay and, frankly, betraying each other in a moment of weakness, just like we've been doing to each other for 30 years. Some key design elements are:

• The game should be fun, even when things aren't going your way. Even when your friend betrays you, you should still be having a good time.
• Each player should be able to choose how they want to play, either cooperatively or competitively, and they should be able to change their strategy as the game proceeds.
• Actions in the game and winning should be narratively meaningful. There should be an 'in game' reason that your character has decided to cooperate or betray their friends, and a story that explains why one player won and another one lost.
• Players should always have a path to victory, however unlikely, until the end of the game.
• New and casual players should have fun and have a good chance to win while playing with experienced players, but that there is a depth of strategy for experienced players to enjoy.