Makers of a 'piratical' board game based in Penryn celebrated the successful kickstarter campaign which saw their project finally hit the shelves in time for Christmas.

Cait Russell and Matt Tweed started making Pirates of Penryn three years ago. It was a long and sometimes tumultuous journey for the pair, having failed to meet their target in an earlier attempt at crowdfunding last year.

This time round, they managed to exceed their goal of £9,000 and reach an impressive £11,365, which Cait says allowed them to buy extra copies ahead of the holidays. She said: "It was very much down to whether the crowdfunder worked or not, and it was a huge huge relief when we met the target. We are really really delighted.

"It's just a wonderful feeling to actually do it and walk down Falmouth high street and see it in shop windows."

 

Pirates of Penryn invites players to captain a boat and sell various rums to the ports of Flushing, Falmouth, Ponsharden and of course Penryn.

Each of the ports buys the rum at different rates, and the game also allows people to steal from other players.

Different elements affect gameplay such as wind direction and the mythical creature Morgawr who from time to time launches attacks on players to steal their rum.

The game features a cloth board which is easily stowed away that has been proving popular with early players, according to Cait.

There is also a range of hand-drawn character cards with locally inspired names such as Mabel Burnthouse and Red Ruth.

 

Starting at £29, the game is available now from the National Maritime Museum, The Cornish Store, National Trust (Trelissick and Boscastle), Bailey's Country Store and Trebah Garden.

There will be copies available at The Front's craft fair and Jubilee Wharf, and Cait and Matt hope to have a stall at Penryn's Friday market this week.

It can also be purchased online from the Pirates of Penryn website (piratesofpenryn.com). Orders should be placed before December 17 to arrive in time for Christmas.

Cait told the Packet that the launch is far from the end for the game developers, and that they may consider a spin-off in the future.

She said: "There's such a rich world of content there – we might develop into new areas.

"We would absolutely love to make new games, we would love it to be our job."