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Players: 2 to 4 players
Age: 8 and up.
Length: 30 mins.
Contents: 1 game board, 6 pirate ships, 4X7 bribing cards, 4 card holders, 16 treasure chests, 35 Coins
It's been nearly 7 years since the release of Caribbean, and it's hard to believe that this gem is now just starting to pick up steam within the gaming community. Many have dubbed it one of the most underrated games of all time, really an understatement that does it no justice. The brainchild of Michail Antonow and Peter Schliemann, Caribbean is a very fun game that pits players against one another in trying to bribe as many different pirate ships to pick up and offload treasure onto their own "safe haven" ports.
The object of the game is quite simple: the player with the most accumulated treasure at the end wins. Players don't actually own their own ship, and it is through the bribing of the pirates with rum that determine who controls the movement of what ship, and by how many spaces. This is accomplished by players bidding for all 6 ships at once by comparing each others' bribing cards, the highest bidder winning the right to move the selected ship the number of spaces indicated on the card. Pirates are anything but honorable, and will do whatever it takes to get their hands on their rum. This includes the swapping of treasure between ships, and the unexpected robbery of treasure from other passing ships.
Because the game is broken down into rounds, anyone has a chance of coming from behind to hit payday by out-maneuvering and out-planning their opponents. It's also more tactical and strategic than expected, but easy enough for kids of all ages to learn and play. The game is a bit predictable, since you know what ships other players are trying to bribe, but this is augmented by the option of bluffing which adds some excitement back into play.
The components of the game are for the most part of high quality and manufactured in Germany. The artwork of the game board is quite nicely done, a colorfully laid out map with spaces marking individual movement of the ships. The bribe rack works well enough to accomodate the well-constructed durable cards. and the treasure tokens fit easily on the ships. The ships' cardboard construction, however, are somewhat flimsy and prone to falling apart with prolonged play. This is only a minor inconvenience, and can be rectified with a little Elmer's Glue.
Part of the fun in Caribbean is re-creating the real life actions of a historical period in time, such as sailing a pirate's ship through the treacherous oceans of the scaled-down world. This brings back very fond memories of a Life board game that we used to have lying around the house. I was only 5 years old at the time, and didn't really understand the rules of the game. I just loved moving the car token on the road, especially crossing the bridge over the river.
Overall, Caribbean is a very fun, solid game that isn't overly complex or too long, and the few surprises that come along with it, such as having your treasure stolen from you when you least expect it adds some tense and exciting moments throughout. It's also a great teaching tool for children as it re-inforces certain concepts which they will need later in life, such as counting and making bids. Whether you're a serious gamer or an occasional player, or you just have some time on your hands to kill, Caribbean will offer countless hours of entertainment, and is a wonderful addition to any game collection! I can easily recommend this game for family nights, social gatherings, or even just to get the kids away from the videogame console for just a few hours.
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The board shows the Caribbean in the 18th century. Six pirate ships lie in wait on the sea, ready to pillage the rich ports, or to rob the booty from other ships.The sea is divided into spaces. Each player is in possession of three safe havens, marked in his color on the board. If only two or three players are playing, the safe havens in the vacant color(s) are treated as normal sea spaces.The aim of each player is to lure the pirates to deliver treasure crates to one of his own safe havens, and not to the safe havens of the opponents.
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