Avast ye defenders o' the free archipelagos, ye knights-errant o' the briny deep!

I be the gilded pirate Goldtooth Glittersleeves, Secretary o' the Treasure, and this be an official-like announcement - so set yer deadlights on me words and mark 'em well... It be my great honour to announce the release of the Gold Box!

Ah, the plunder has been a'flowin' heavy of late, and we at the Department have taken a portion of the surplus and appointed the finest of goldsmiths to fashion it into loot befitting our noble pirate natures and pack it into shiny Gold Boxes!

Aye, noble indeed! For hasn't it fallen upon us to put our courageous hearts to the test and battle the wickedest forces on the high seas, the fiercest of sea-monsters and to repeatedly send the Empire the message that they don't yet rule us all? Indeed, be we not the last free folk o' the sea, robbin' from the rich and givin' to the poor? True, the poor has mostly meant ourselves since most of us were as poor as wharf-rats when we first went "on the account" - but that don't take away the fact that we're an honorable and princely lot, says I!

It be in this spirit that we've created the Gold Boxes and distributed them to banks across the ocean, installing a shiny new golden safe in each bank to hold these grand new glittering goodies!

And in addition to the lustrous loot, we've engaged the services of exotic beast-tamers from the furthest reaches o' the world to add a rare few magickal beasties to the fare!

We've also employed gifted ship designers and ye'll be able to turn in yer Gold Box trinkets for glorious Gold Class Ship designs at ye olde Trading Post.

The first shipment be ready now, but after that, the Gold Box will only be available for a two week period every other month, since "acquiring" the raw materials takes a wee bit o' effort and not a few deeds of daring-do!

SO! If ye be needin' even more explanation than all that, feast yer eyes on this summary o' all the fiddly details. Otherwise, put on yer fancy boots, stump yer intrepid ol' bones down to yer island bank and TREAT YERSELF. Ye've earned it, mate!

T. Hieronymous "Goldtooth" Glittersleeves
Secretary, Department o' the Treasure

A Sweet Ship for Your Sweetheart! Prepare for February's Decadent Chocolate Class Sloop! Based on the winning design by Slartibartfa of Meridian, it's guaranteed to melt in yer mouth, not in the sea!

Here we see the lovely Theobroma aboard her very own rich, velvety vessel. Which is the box of fine chocolate bonbons and which is a crate of classy cocoa-colored cannonballs? Only taste-testing will tell!

Just imagine the ambrosial aroma that enveloped our dear Theobroma as she strode into this luxuriantly chocolate-laden cabin! Can she resist the temptations before her?...

...Yes! But only long enough to go down to the hold and see what other smooth, delectable wonders await her. Now she only needs to decide what to nibble on first, and with whom to share this exquisite chocolatey bounty! There's plenty enough for two my dear, care to invite me aboard?

The Chocolate Class Sloop is only available until 3 PM PST on Wednesday, March 1st. Get one for that special someone, even if that someone is you!

If you haven't already guessed from the title, the next new seasonal color will be called Plum! It was a nail biter all the way to the finish, ending up in the closest vote in Puzzle Pirates history, closer even than yesterday's office lunch order, in which "Chinese" beat out "a knuckle sandwich" 4 votes to 1.

Keep your eyes peeled for a Mystery promotion featuring Plum later this summer. An enormous thank you to everyone who voted! You're the real heroes.

Congratulations, Plum! Don't blow it.

Stand up and be counted!

It's time again for the annual Pirate Census!

Every year, we here at Three Rings like to make this little survey available to Puzzle Pirates players asking for information about themselves, what they like about the game, and what they want to see more of. Our goal is to use the data we get from the Census to help shape the development of the game over the next year or so, as well as to build up a good batch of material for in-office trivia nights*.

Participating in the Census is optional, and your answers are completely anonymous. The survey will only be available until 11:59 PM PDT on Friday, July 30th, so please take a few minutes to help us build a better Puzzle Pirates by filling out the survey right now!

* How many tentacles are there on Cephalopod's desk? The correct answer is the 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers.

Here at Puzzle Pirates headquarters, we love our players almost as much as we love our rum*. We wouldn't be in operation today if it weren't for players just like you making purchases from us, and we've been wanting to come up with a good way to reward such players for their continued support of our game with more than just a subscription or a pack of doubloons. That said, I'm happy to be able to announce that just those sorts of loyalty rewards start today!

The Monthly Rewards program!

Effective as soon as you read this, all of our current subscribers will receive a special reward item as a thank you for being such an important part of Puzzle Pirates. Not only that, but players who are subscribed in subsequent months will receive additional reward items! Exactly which reward item will be received will be determined on a monthly basis, suffice it to say the items will be unique to the Monthly Rewards program, will not repeat, and will frequently feature the special promotional color Royal Blue.

Don't worry, though: we haven't left out doubloon oceans! From now on, each month our doubloon players will have a special offer made available to them in our Billing Center that will give them the Monthly Reward item for free along with their first doubloon purchase of $9.95 or more! These will rotate each month along with the subscriber Monthly Reward, so if you primarily play on a green ocean, you won't miss a thing!

What's the Monthly Reward item for June? Why, it's this lovely Royal Blue and White tricorne, in either gender, depending on the pirate from which you claim the reward.

We have some pretty interesting ideas for future Monthly Reward items, as well, so be sure to watch the Spyglass blog in the coming months for teasers!

The answers to some specific questions you may have on this new program can be found below the fold, but otherwise, thank you for supporting Puzzle Pirates, and your Monthly Reward item should be waiting for you in-game**!

* And we really love our rum. Seriously, there's a bar in the back of our office. :D
** And if you haven't made a purchase with us yet, there's still time! You can snag your Monthly Reward item right over here.

Read the full article...

"Dexla's Cherry Blossoms" background, still available!

This is the last weekend of the May Mystery Promotion! Have you got your Mystery Box yet? This is your last chance this year to snag something Spring Green!

From now until May 17th at 3 PM PDT, every purchase of $9.95 or more will earn you a special present with a random Spring gift inside! The top prize this month is a Spring Green/Spring Green Parrot, but there's also a unique Spring Green-garbed White Elephant available, as well as some Spring Green furniture and clothing prizes. Not only that, but participating will also net you a special "Bloomin' Skull" trophy, as pictured here!

You can read the full promotion rules right over here, and you can get your Mystery Box right now from our Billing Center!

Celebrate Arrrbor Day with a new and very floral ship!

May's Limited Edition ship is the Verdant Class Cutter, and it has to be seen to be believed! Thankfully, our renegade reporter Quicksilver is back from his brief involuntary stay aboard an Imperial Navy vessel and has some great images of this new ship to share!

Here's an excellent picture of the ship's deck and helm. That's right: the whole ship is in bloom! It's also covered with a wonderfully soft blanket of grass, perfectly comfortable for those long sessions at the helm or rigging. Note also the custom sun sigil on the hatch leading below decks. Before we head down there, however...

Here's the bow of the ship, and its lovely Queen of May figurehead! As lovely as she is, I'm afraid she's only available on the Verdant Class Cutter; she can't bear to be seen on less floral vessels. This image also showcases the special white rigging found all over the ship.

On that note, let's take a peek downstairs, shall we?

Sadly, the interior has fewer wildflowers than the deck, but it makes up for it in sheer arboreal might! There are a number of tress spread around the belly of the Cutter, but don't worry: they shouldn't impede your Carpentry or Bilging! Just take a deep breath and enjoy the scenery.

The Verdant Class Cutter is available right now from your local Shipyard, but only until the end of May, so get your order in soon!

Puzzle Pirates' latest release brings with it a wide variety of new furniture for display in your favorite hideaway or ship! Want a sneak peek at what awaits you at your local Furnisher? Read on!

Here's a dining room set up with some of the new items! Pictured are three of the four new desktop 'food' items: the place setting, the fancy meal and the meal with wine. These delicious-looking plates are being served up on the new large table, furnished with enough maroon upholstered chairs for the captain and his best mates!

Here's a bungalow back-room all laid out for piratey plotting. Using the torn wall map, desktop map and large desktop map that are now available, it'll be easy to make your captain's cabin, hideout or shipyard look that much more authentic! It also goes without saying that they go great with any of the existing globe furniture items.

Finally, here's a small sitting room fully appointed for entertaining guests! Keeping the striped chairs company are a planter of wildflowers, a small vase of wildflowers and a bowl of fruit. The centerpiece in this room, however, is the majestic Captain's clock, which is modeled after the antique grandfather clock that graces the very unique Three Rings offices!

All of these items are now available for purchase from your local Furnisher, so head on down and check them out!

"Sharktail's Blooming Meadow", Spring '09 contest winner!

Ahoy there, pirates!

A whole slew of special Spring-themed bonuses are now available from Puzzle Pirates! For a limited time, you can earn a fine bonus gift in our seasonal Spring Green color just for picking up a package of doubloons or some subscription time!

Remember, new bonus offers like these sail ashore every week, so make sure you check our website or press the Buy Doubloons! or Subscribe! buttons on your Ye panel to find out what's up!

From everyone here at Puzzle Pirates, have a great weekend, and we'll see you in-game!

In the on-going struggle against Imperials, pirate shipwrights have been studying captured vessels in order to better understand the enemy. The fruits of their labor are here, and they can produce a perfect counterfeit of an Imperial ship!

April 2010's Limited Edition Vessel is the Imperial Class War Frigate!

To show off these new ships and prove how real they look, we've convinced an Imperial Admiral that these are all on the up-and-up and that we're fresh recruits to his side. We turn now to Admiral Squid for the grand tour:

The Imperial Class War Frigate

"Normally Seaman Quicksilver would be taking you on a guided tour of the facilities, however the enlisted feel a pesky need for shore leave on occasion, so such duties have fallen upon the Admiralty."

"Here, you can get your first taste of the Imperial way: ships are kept neatly painted, ropes are regularly cleaned, and pesky symbols of piracy are kept at bay. On the main deck, you can even see the gaze of His Excellence the Emperor watching over His domain."

"Inside, a ship's captain is provided a calm place to collect his or her thoughts and reflect upon the responsibilities of command. As always the great visage is there to remind one to always ask: What would the Emperor do?"

"But lest you think the Imperial forces only favor their officers, you can see here the accommodations provided for the enlisted. Proper bunks and fine furniture! A pirate captain would never provide so graciously for his crew."

"Unfortunately, as fair and generous as the Imperials are, there are those bad apples that would ruin it for all. Below decks you will find brigs for dealing with such scoundrels. You can see here a sorry soul that refused to give up his piratical ways. But that's nothing that wee need to worry about, right? Harr!"

"Glory to the Empire!"

Order Yours Today!

The Imperial Class War Frigate can be ordered from your local shipyard, but act quickly; it'll only be available for purchase until the end of April. Get yours before the Imperials catch on!