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July 18, 2025
Guns or Treasure Game Review | Bluffing, Backstabbing, & More
Tabletop
July 18, 2025
Guns or Treasure review: Outsmart rivals in this fast-paced pirate card game using ships, traps, and the occasional guns (cannons) to steal treasure.
>Guns or Treasure review: Outsmart rivals in this fast-paced pirate card game using ships, traps, and the occasional guns (cannons) to steal treasure.
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Ready for adventure on the high seas?
In the bluffing card game of Guns or Treasure, you and your crew of pirate captains take turns outwitting rivals with traps, treasure, and heavily armed ships. This clever new game, originally designed by Castillo Games (also the same creator as the award-winning Rescuing Robin Hood), delivers fast-paced action, cartoony art style, and a whole lot of fun in one compact package.
If you’re the type of person who enjoys talking like a pirate, springing traps, or sending an opponent’s ship straight into a cannon with a smug grin, then Guns or Treasure might just become your next game night favorite.
This isn’t just a pirate-themed filler game—it’s a strategic party game filled with bombastic moments, surprising twists, and clever tactics. It’s a game of bluffing, shipbuilding, and outmaneuvering your enemies, all while pretending you’re not about to maraud their treasure pile.
Let’s dive into this Guns or Treasure Game Review and see if it’s worth setting sail!
TL;DR
Our Rating: 5/5 Doubloons (because we’re pirates now)
Guns or Treasure is a brand-new pirate card game full of bluffing, backstabbing, and surprise attacks. Ideally played with 4–6 players, it’s a fast, replayable pirate party game, which is packed with tension and is the kind of game that leads to plenty of laughs (unlike many other versus-type games that leads to arguing). It's perfect for fans of the critically acclaimed Rescuing Robin Hood, party-style games, or anyone who wants to secretly build a fleet and blow up bombs (slightly literally and figuratively) on their friends.
What Is Guns or Treasure?
Guns or Treasure is a bluffing and deduction card game where each player takes on the role of a pirate captain. Your mission is to build your pirate fleet, protect your loot, and outsmart your fellow captains. Every round, you secretly choose cards to place in front of you—some are ships, some are treasure, and some are cannons designed to obliterate your opponents.
On your turn, you’ll send your fleet to raid another player’s setup. If you target their treasure-filled ship, you might score big. And if they outgun you? Well, let’s just say your fleet is heading to the bottom of the sea (but not your treasure, they will be taking that—we're all pirates here after all).
Guns or Treasure is all about reading your opponents, second-guessing their intentions, and knowing when to risk everything for a shot at that shiny gold.
Gameplay Breakdown
Here’s a quick rough look at how a round plays out and a rough idea of how to play:
- Setup: Each player is dealt a set of ship cards, either guns (cannons), treasure, or the occasional bomb.
- Deploy: You are given 6 cards in your hand, where then you place three of these cards in front of you, the bow of the ship face-up and the rest of the ship face-down. Redraw 3 cards and repeat until everyone plays 12 cards. These all together will represent your “fleet.”
- Raid: On your turn, you choose an opponent to raid and send one of your ships toward one of their ships.
- Reveal & Battle: Both ships in combat reveal their cards. The ship with the most guns wins all the treasure cards in the combat, unless of course there's a bomb card on board—both ships sink alongside all the treasure!
The game ends after a set number of rounds, and the pirate with the most treasure wins!
It’s a game of guts, timing, and deception. You need to decide how much treasure to carry, who to attack, and when to retreat. It’s a sneaky game and endlessly entertaining.
What Makes It Fun?
1. Quick and Snappy Rounds
Each round is fast, with minimal downtime. You’re constantly engaged, watching what people do, trying to read facial expressions, and deciding who to mess with next.
2. Bluffing That Actually Works
This isn’t one of those games where the bluffing mechanic feels like an afterthought. In Guns or Treasure, it’s front and center. Every ship is a question: is it a trap ship with a bomb, is it full of guns, or is it filled to the brim with treasure? It creates moments of tension and hilarity that most games would kill for.
3. Surprisingly Strategic
At first glance, it might seem like a light party game, but there’s a good amount of tactical depth here. You’re deciding how many ships to build, whether large ones full of guns and treasure, but risking to lose it all to a single bomb, to build many small ships, to retreat, to attack. There's a lot to think about, which gives some strategic depth to the game.
4. No Player Elimination
You’re always in the game, even if you lose a few ships early. Since rounds are short and losses are limited, it’s easy to bounce back—and that keeps the energy high. The marauding phase is happening all at the same time, so when you do eventually get knocked out or finish, most people are too.
5. Portable and Affordable
This is a small-box game, which means it’s easy to throw in a backpack or suitcase. It also comes at a reasonable price point, especially for the amount of fun and replay value you get out of it.
6. High Replayability
Each game feels different depending on how your group plays. Aggressive captains? Defensive turtlers? Sneaky backstabbers? The fun shifts every round, giving Guns or Treasure a ton of replay value.
What Could Be Better?
Even though we had a blast playing, there are a few areas where the game could improve (especially for those who love more complex mechanics):
- Limited Card Variety: The base set includes a solid range of cards, but after 10+ plays, you might start craving some expansion cards or alternate ship/cannon effects to shake things up. Luckily you can get the Parrots and Monkeys expansion here at Poggers!
- Not for Everyone: If you or your group isn’t into bluffing, misdirection, or confrontation-heavy games, this might not land quite as well. A lot of the fun comes from reading your opponents and taking risks.
- Luck Can Be Brutal: Sometimes, you just pick the wrong ship to attack, and boom—your ship’s gone. It’s part of the chaos and charm, but players looking for pure strategy might get a little frustrated.
Best Player Count and Game Group Fit
We found that Guns or Treasure shines best with 4 to 6 players. You can technically play it with 3, but the mind games really kick into high gear with more people at the table. More players means more ships, more treasure, and more chances for sneak attacks and surprise revenge plays.
This game is a great fit for:
- Families with older kids (ages 10+ is a sweet spot)
- Game nights where you want something light but interactive
- Pirate fans who want a thematic experience without a complex ruleset
- Casual groups who love bluffing and party-style energy
- Fans of Rescuing Robin Hood looking for another unique game with a similar art style
It’s probably not ideal for:
- Hardcore Eurogame players who hate luck or confrontation
- Very young kids (bluffing can be a bit advanced for younger players)
- Groups that prefer co-op games over competitive ones
Component Quality & Art Style
The cards are well-made and durable, which is important since they’ll be handled a lot. The artwork has a fun, colorful pirate vibe that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It adds to the lighthearted mood and helps set the tone—this is a game about sneaky pirate antics, not naval simulation.
Everything fits nicely in the box, and setup/cleanup takes no time at all. If you’re someone who appreciates games that are easy to store and quick to get on the table, you’ll appreciate the simplicity here.
Final Thoughts on Guns or Treasure
Guns or Treasure is a hidden gem. It combines bluffing, combat, strategy, and chaos into a game that’s easy to teach, quick to play, and endlessly fun. Whether you’re luring a rival into a ship with a bomb, yelling those fun included pirate-phrases, or plotting your next sneaky move while pretending to be harmless, this game is full of laugh-out-loud moments.
If you want a lightweight game with a casual vibe with a bit of depth, social interaction, and clever plays, you need to play this game. It's hard to compare to another game due to the unique gameplay of literally using the cards as pirate ships, but it’s a lot of fun. So hoist your flag, grab your weapon, and prepare to defend your loot—because the seas are full of enemies, and only the smartest (or sneakiest) pirate wins.
If you want to buy the Guns or Treasure, then click the image below, it's affordable and priced only at $19.99!
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many players can play Guns or Treasure?
+How long does a game of Guns or Treasure usually take?
+What age group is Guns or Treasure best for?
+Is it easy to learn for new players?
+Is there a lot of strategy in Guns or Treasure or is it mostly luck?
+Is Guns or Treasure competitive or cooperative?
+Can younger kids play with adults and still have fun?
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