Recently Played: Cartagena

[ellyssian]

Cartagena: designed by Leo Colovini

I've played this game a number of times now, with a variety of age groups (adults, 8 and 14 year olds) with four, three, and two people. The four player games seem to have the best dynamics, although three player isn't that far from the mark. Two players are doable, but it's much more fun with more. As the game runs with two to five players, I'd really like to give it a shot with all five playing and see how that works out.

This is a quick game - quick to learn, and quick to play through. The rules are simple: be the first to get all six of your pirates from Cartagena to a waiting boat that will take you out to your ship and away. It is a race game, and you leap over piratical symbols, such as a flintlock pistol, a dagger, a skull, a key, a bottle, and a bicycle seat. I mean a ruby. I mean a - forget what kk1raven thought it was. I mean a red tri-cornered hat.

Anyway, there are two types of moves: you play a card to get to the next pirate-free symbol matching the card. The other move is to slide back to the first space behind you with one or two pirates. If the space has one pirate, you draw one card; if two, draw two. You get from one to three moves per turn. You can't move backwards off the board, and if there's no further space with your chosen symbol, you get into the boat. That's about it for rules.

There's a luck element with the selection of cards - a harder Tortuga version has players and 12 cards from the deck laid out in the open, removing the luck element and providing an extra level of strategic thinking that, from what I've heard, slows the game to a glacial pace as everyone studies all the cards and positions prior to making a move. Bloodthirsty, but not really needed. The game's power comes in its simplicity, its mix of strategy and luck, and the fact that it makes a fun pick-up game or a warm-up for a more serious gaming session.

The kids love playing it, and the luck element provides a leveler when playing against people of different strategic thinking capabilities - such as playing against younger kids.

Comments

[corwinok.livejournal.com]

That sounds pretty nifty! I've saved the link to it for the next time I'm looking for a present for my daughter.

[kk1raven.livejournal.com]

I thought the red triangular thing looked like a slice of watermelon.

I enjoyed the game and would be more than willing to play it again.