Do you love yer Pet? Really? Whether it be a sheep or some other fine beastie, you can now show the true depths of yer affection by having a portrait commissioned with yer four legged (or, less commonly, six clawed) friend.

That's right! Puzzle Pirate Pet Portraits are here! Preposterous!

Monkeys seem to be the theme of this release!

In addition to the petulant piece rearranging monkey in the new Foraging Puzzle, we've also added something of a rogue element to the Seas. Henceforth, certain Pirate ships will find themselves facing off against vessels filled with hungry simians. I know! Crazy monkey on Pirate ship action! It's armageddon!

The Pirate community at large will be relieved to note that these voracious monkeys have so far limited themselves to flinging cannon shot. They have also shown a preference for vessels that have already shown themselves ready for heated battle, so they should not interfere with the pillaging activities of the average Pirate.

For those wondering why a ship full of monkey's might be warranted on the Ocean, the answer is fairly simple: From time to time, wily Pirates hit on ways to earn their loot without facing a challenge or two. Monkeying with the game in this way is, of course, an entirely Piratey thing to do. But we don't want those Pirates losing their edge! Rather than putting further limits on the comings and goings of this crew or that, we thought something a little more fun might do the trick. Who doesn't love the prospect of crossing swords with a band of angry monkeys?

The latest release brings significant change to one aspect of the Puzzle Pirates economy: Henceforth, Pirates will use the new Foraging Puzzle to extract wild fruits, gems, and gold nuggets from the uninhabited Islands they visit.

Skillfully maneuver baskets to the bottom of the puzzle to collect delicious fruit!

That's right! A new Puzzle! Knowledgeable Pirates will notice some similarity with the other "extractive" puzzles we have deployed (Bilge and Treasure Haul). However, there are several significant differences in Foraging. Perhaps the biggest is that scoring for the Puzzle is based exclusively on clearing the baskets of tasty goodness that you'll find as you forage an Island for it's natural treasures. So the Puzzle takes a little more planning to make sure you don't strand a big ol' bucket of gold on the board.

But beware! As was the case before the release, Foraging is a laborious activity and will consume its allotment of Piratey labor hours, so don't leave one of those baskets uncollected! It would be a terrible waste and yer captain only pays on results! If you'd like a chance to learn the ropes, the Puzzle has a practice version that you can play any time yer ship reaches uninhabited land.

Be on the look out for some of the more surprising aspects of the Puzzle. Those uninhabited islands are treacherous: Killer ants! Earthquakes! and even a surprisingly clean monkey or two. Keep yer head and have the right tools to hand. You'll have a machete and a shovel to help you clear a path to riches.

As many Pirates have noted, Foraging has a special place in the game: It's an important way to feed wealth into the economy in a way that encourages sailing from Island to Island. We hope that the new Puzzle encourages more Pirates to get out and see the strange and wild Islands on their Ocean!

Offer is no longer available.

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Ah Fall, a fine time to be a Pirate!

Pirates, young and old, turn their thoughts to their schoolin' in September and start gatherin' supplies for the arduous journey cross the rough Seas of Education (or so we be told — never been there).

To set them in good stead, we here at Three Rings HQ have decided to be most generous with our treasures: for the next two weeks (from August 19th to September 2nd) a very special bounty will be on offer:

We'll add a bonus of an additional 25% more doubloons to purchases made with the Three Rings Target Game Card before September 2nd.

Treasure indeed! So never again say we give no quarter: That 25% be way more than a quarter... Right? Eh, we'll have to ask one of them smarter pirates.

You can learn a little more about the Game Card here, if ye be intrigued. The offer is open to all Pirates that can find their way over to our mates at Target. Just don't tell them yer planning to blow the lot on extra cannon balls! That sign of theirs sure is tempting...

The Pirate Summer Games are now in full-swing, and although we've seen tremendous participation so far, it seems a few of you are still a bit confused about how the Games actually work. I suspect ye soft noodley types have been spendin' a wee too much time with the rum bottle, but we'll go over the Games once again for good measure!

Read the full article...

This month's Pirate Summer Games are hot hot hot, but the fashions are even hotter! Don't be caught in the cheering section wearing your drab old buccaneer hat — treat yourself to an Olympian make-over and purchase a Laurel of Triumph from the Palace Shoppe! Available for a limited-time in seven luxurious colors.

All dressed up with no place to go? Strut your stuff over to the Palace Shoppe and take a commemorative portrait with four of your most fashionable friends. The expansive Pirate Games background (shown on the left) sets a grand Olympic scene for your piratey Summer memories.

Wondering where you can get your hands on the svelt little portrait shown on the right? You must enter yourself in one the many Puzzle Competitions taking place throughout the Festival of Piracy for a chance to capture your likeness in that triumphant scene! The Pirate Games Victory portrait is awarded as top prize in select events — you simply can't put a price on the thrill of victory.

16th century depiction of Hydra

For the duration of the Summer Games, we will be holding a Team Competition with something of an Olympic feel. Players will be allocated to the following teams:

Cyclops: Keep your eye on the prize!
Gorgon: It's game face time!
Cerberus: Victory will take dogged determination!
Hydra: Put your heads together!
Minotaur: You're a giant bull. Get on with it.

While not everyone will answer the siren call of the Pirate Summer Games, no Pirate worth their name can pass up the chance to test themselves in head to head combat with another Pirate. So, as in previous events, scoring for the Team Competition will be based on the victories won by Pirates from each team in one on one challenges.

But wait, there's more! In addition to points for winning challenges, your team will also score (big!) based on how you and your team mates do in the Summer Games. Participate and earn glory for you and your team!

The Puzzle Competition feature added during the last release enables Pirates to participate in OM-organized competitions from anywhere on an Ocean. Prizes are awarded either to the top performers during the competition or on a tiered basis, with prizes going to the best scores in each puzzle performance tier.

Unsurprisingly, there was much discussion internally on the best way to award prizes for the Puzzle Competition. In fact, the discussion continues: we may find ourselves adding additional variants to create more interesting (or fair) competitions in the future.

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Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

An important announcement for Pirates of all stripes: This month, Puzzle Pirates will be holding the first official Pirate Summer Games.

The Summer Games are a series of organized Puzzle Competitions run by the Ocean Masters. Special prizes will be awarded for the winners of each event.

The Games will occur over three weekends starting Friday, August 8th. The first two weeks will feature events as part of the Festival of Piracy, including Ocean-wide competitions for each of the Puzzles used in the game and a couple of extra unique events here and there. During the Festival, prizes will be awarded by category in each event.

During the final week of the Games, we will hold competitions with prizes for the top three performers in each event. Each competition will be based on puzzling skill and will be open to all Pirates.

Please join us next weekend for the kick-off of the Summer Games! And in the meantime feel free to discuss in the forums.

Check out the winners of Feylind's recent Botanical Arrrt contest! Entrants were asked create a piratey sculpture or model decorated with botanical (plant) material. Can I eat one?