Red Tail Pirates Sets Sail — Kickstarter for Strategic Animal-Themed Pirate Tabletop Game Launched Today

Today, board game designer Jerry Mendheim launched the Kickstarter campaign for Red Tail Pirates, a war tabletop strategy game that has players set sail with a crew of hardened, patchy beasts as they embark on perilous adventures across the four seas. Running through to September 30, players can back the Kickstarter now ahead of its near-future launch.

Designed for 2–4 players, Red Tail Pirates is a game of ferocious pirate warfare. Players are tasked with building a crew of anthropomorphic animal scallywags and facing off against rival captains in the pursuit of the legendary Gum Crown. Only the most vicious will conquer the four seas.

Spearheaded by six fearsome pirates such as Captain Red-Tail and Captain Gold Horn, the crew will journey across the ocean, explore its mysteries, unearth buried treasure, and build out their merry band of heroes. From the Titan of the deep Gooseberry (Elephant) to the Northern warrior Okra (Bear), each member is packed with personality, making adventures into uncharted waters one to remember.

However, it’s not just this rag-tag bunch of pirates that sail to glory, as rival captains roam the waters, looking for unsuspecting prey and treasure to plunder. Players can declare war on such adversaries, letting the power of their dice determine the victor. Across intense 60–90-minute sessions, players must build an unstoppable armada to claim the ultimate prize, a golden crown that awaits in the centre of the map. By amassing a total of 50 powers, or risk losing it all in a high-speed, perilous dash for 25 Gum-Drops, players must strategically plan and think carefully to emerge victorious.

Red Tail Pirates began life as an illustration project at Savannah College of Art and Design. Seeing potential in the project, the student team fleshed out the project and partnered with crowdfunding strategy expert Renato Franchi. The design team includes artists Ethan Prather, Ava Bettermann, Jack Thompson, Jack Moore, design lead Jerry Mendheim, and product lead Mina Pangini. Featured collaborators include online influencers and creators Saberspark (Stephen Carver), ProZD (SungWon Cho), Nia Suzune, CottontailVA, Splashana, and Things Get Dicey! (Paula Deming). 

Red Tail Pirates Key Features

• Build a Swashbuckling Crew: Form the Red-Tail Pirates, made up of an array of viscous war-mongering beasts eager to take home bountiful treasure
   
• Explore the Four Seas: With the crew in tow, venture into unknown corners of the map, hunting down treasure and rival captains to overthrow
   
• High-Stakes Naval Battles: Roll to victory in exciting ship combat, with the winner choosing which rival crewmate to wipe from the roster
   
• Endless Replayability: Choose from 4 player boards, 6 captain cards, 36 crew cards, 50 items and hustle cards, and 6 meeples for nearly infinite combinations to keep every session fresh and your experience catered to your liking
   
• Gorgeous and Colorful Artwork: Red Tail Pirates is brought to life through expressive and detailed illustrations and animated visuals

“Red Tail Pirates started as an illustration project at Savannah College of Art and Design, and I’m beyond excited to now bring it to players around the world through Kickstarter,” said Jerry Mendheim, creator of Red Tail Pirates. “This simple project with friends has quickly led to us starting an independent studio, where we are partnering with industry veterans such as Launchboom, Renato Franchi, and now tabletop gamers to make Red Tail Pirates a reality. The game is all of our love and hard work in one package, featuring 100% human-made art, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to share this adventure with everyone today.” 

About Red Tail Pirates

Red Tail Pirates is a strategic high-seas tabletop adventure, thrusting players into an exciting adventure as they assemble a crack team of critters to conquer the Gum Drop Sea. Across the journey, players will explore the ocean, fight bandits, unearth buried treasure, and most importantly, find other colorful critters to join their merry band. With two to four players, sessions take around 60 to 90 minutes; each match thrusts those participating into a land of war, piracy, and opportunity, as they work to claim the crown deep in the center of the map.

For more information, follow the Kickstarter or on socials via Instagram.

About Jerry Mendheim

Jerry Mendheim is a concept artist and illustrator passionate about building imaginative worlds and visually driven stories. His previous work includes collaborations with studios such as Coca-Cola, DigitalDreams, and Michael Lynn Animations, with his latest foray into the world of board games being the next step in his journey. Jerry is inspired by stylized worlds, cinematic storytelling, and the intersection of traditional art and modern tools, with Red Tail Pirates encapsulating their hard work and imagination over the years.