Age of Booty™

This game is old. I got it for pennies in a Humble Bundle. I like it. Sorry.

GREAT GAME!!!!!!!!

If you keep your expectations low and don't mind the lack of Multiplayer (due to GameSpy not existing anymore), then you might be able to enjoy the strategy element in Age of Booty. The game is pretty simple, you basically need to capture towns whilst preventing your enemies from doing so. You will be fighting against the AI most of the time, but occasionally they will be helping you out in some missions. The AI won't be the smartest companion ever, but it brings some diversity into a game that online multiplayer isn't available anymore (and hotseat isn't an option, so offline multiplayer is non-existent, as well). Gather the three resources available - wood, gold and run - to fortify either your ship or your towns, turning them into important outposts. The game's board is a hex map, and correctly positioning your ship is crucial for victory. You may find yourself in a dilemma whether or not you should be exploring the map, attacking the opponent or defending your towns. Sometimes, balancing between these three possibilities is key, and some maps definitely favour one of them (meaning that, no matter your style of play, there can be wrong choices). If you like simplicity and some micromanagement, Age of Booty may entertain you for a few hours. I was able to finish all the Easy maps (which weren't *that* easy, to be honest) and a few maps from Medium and Hard difficulties. It was enough to get a gist of what the game is about, and it reminded me that not every strategy game needs to be overly complex to be enjoyable.