Cartagena Board Game (Color and Picture May Vary) Review

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(More customer reviews)Cartagena is one of my favorites of the "designer games" I've tried so far. The theme of a pirate-led jailbreak from the fortress of Cartagena is a bit pasted on - at its heart, this game is really more abstract. For me, however, that doesn't deter from the game at all. The components are high quality - wooden "pirates", heavy cardboard gameboard and sloop. The cards are surprisingly small, however, for those not used to some of the eurogames (approx. 2 1/2" X 1 1/2") but this does not detract from the game in my opinion. The cards are also a bit thinner than I would like, but they have held up fine so far.
The goal of Cartagena is to be the first to get your 6 pirates through the underground passage and on to the sloop to sail away from the fortress. The board is modular (6 pieces) and double-sided (fantastic, since every game will be different from the last) and has a sequence of symbols such as a bottle, pistol, keys, etc... Players start the game with 6 cards (which depict the symbols seen on the board) and can make from 1 to 3 moves per turn. A move consists of either playing a card and moving a pirate to the next vacant symbol pictured on the card or moving a pirate backwards to a space with 1 or 2 other pirates in order to pick up new cards from the draw deck (this is the only way to obtain new cards). Thats it! Pretty simple rules, but plenty of strategy involved.
There are also 2 versions of the game which can be played. First is the Jamaica version in which all players keep their cards hidden in their hand (more luck involved). Second is the Tortuga version in which all cards are exposed so all players know what moves other players can make (slightly more strategy involved).
Overall, a fantastic game that is easy to teach and learn, works for kids (probably from about age 7 and up) and new gamers, and plays well as a "filler" for more experienced gamers. Game time typically lasts 30 - 45 minutes depending on the number of players. 5 stars overall, 4 stars for educational value simply because I think this is a good game to start teaching kids some simple strategy. Highly recommended!

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The game represents the famous 1672 pirate-led jailbreak from the fortress of Cartagena. It is said that a game celebrating the great escape became popular in the pirate coves of the Caribbean. Each player has a group of 6 pirates and his objective is to have all 6 escape through the tortuous underground passage that connects the fortress to the port, where a sloop is waiting for them.

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