How to Play The Pirates of Maracaibo

Firstly, this isn’t going to be an 100% overview of everything. There are some solid videos on that. And I’ll link one of those down below because there is a lot going on in this game. The basics of the game are pretty simple. Collect the most points and you win the game after three times sailing in to Maracaibo.

Movement

To do that, your general turn action is going to be pretty standard in everything that you do. You move your ship from left to right, and you always need to move at least one column right towards Maracaibo. You can move it up to three spaces, but, like I said, one needs to be to the right and it can be up and down in the columns as well.

Then you end on a spot. The spots offer various different things. There are upgrades of three types, goods, ship, and crew that you can add to your ship. Those will give you either an immediate action or an ongoing bonus. If you buy that card, you add it to your tableau and a new card replaces it.

Or the spot might be an adventure spot, I guess I’ll call it. This allows you to place an upgrade cube on your ship and then you take an action or grab some money, depending on what the options are. This card, however, doesn’t leave it’s spot. And we’ll talk about what those actions can be in a second.

Or you might land a spot that is a residence of sorts. These have a cost associated with them, but they will give you a scoring bonus if you take certain actions in the game.

Location Actions

There are a number of location actions, but generally, they are limited to a few things. So we’ll cover the most common ones here.

You can explore. There is an exploration track that all players move on. When you explore you explore a given distance, based off the card you are activating. It might be the spot you are on, or it might allow you to move a maximum number of spaces. This can be modified by any upgrades that you have. And you don’t need to move the whole distance, so you determine the spot you end on, and that gives you a bonus.

Next you can combat. The combat is not combat against other players. It is how you get treasure in the game. So you roll three dice, one yellow, one green, and one white. They each represent a different treasure type. You select one of those rolls and you spend the pips on the dice, and any bonus you might add to it, to gain gems, points, and coins, and possibly more.

I am going to stop here. There are definitely more spots where you can go and do different things. But generally, these are going to be the ones that standout as some of your bigger options.

Scoring Points

You score points in a lot of different ways in the game. At the end of the game you get points for the treasure you have and you have buried. Burying gives you a fixed number of points per treasure. The treasure in general though, each one has a “market” that goes with it and that is going to score you points.

You also score points at the end of each round for upgrades you have. Some upgrades are going to give you money, some give you points. And each round ends when someone reaches Maracaibo.

Another way to get points is by completing quests. Quests have two different scoring options. There is a easier option and a more difficult option. The more difficult option, generally just getting more of or going further on a track than the easier option. And these are scored at the end of the game.

If you want to know more, watch the video above. But that is some of the basics as to how this game works.

What Doesn’t Work

It’s not a negative so much as a beware for the game. There is a lot going on in the game. And the strategies can very greatly. So there is a lot to keep track of and think about as you play. I’ve played quite a number of games and I’m still finding strategies and realizing things that I should or could be doing in the game. And I try different strategies often in games. But it is going to feel overwhelming at the beginning and it is going to not be for some people because of that.

The game also has potential turns where you don’t do much. Now, you generally don’t do much because you ran out of money. And the game gives you money when you can’t do anything. But it doesn’t feel as good as when you can do something, obviously. So it might feel like you waste turns, and it kind of is, if you are just grabbing money and putting yourself behind the eight ball so to speak.

What Works

All the choices work in the game. I know I just said there is a lot going on in the game. But that’s more in terms of, this might look like a pirate game that you want to play, but it might not work for some gamers. We’ll talk about that more later. But the choices are fun and all of the choices, unless you get stuck gathering coins, can help progress a strategy. And you decide which way you want to go and how deep you want to go into all of them as you play.

That said, there are a lot of choices but the game is not too complex. I appreciate how straightforward a turn is. You move your ship and you do that action whether it’s explore, purchase a card, gain treasure, whatever it might be. You need to strategize in the game, but it isn’t so overwhelming that it bogs the game down because the turns are so straightforward.

The game also is a nice length. This is something that I think could get lost in it. It says it’s about 25 minutes per player, and that seems about right. So a four player game is going to take a while, but with the number of turns that happen in the game, it isn’t going to be excessive downtime, just a bunch of turns. And for a game with this much going on, there is a chance that you could end up with a lot of downtime if you aren’t careful.

Who is Pirates of Maracaibo For?

I think this is a game for people who enjoy a good thinky game. It reminds me of the weight in some ways of Lost Ruins of Arnak. And I think I think of it some because of the theme in the game. But also I think of it because that one has a bunch going on in the game, and you need to know what they are, but generally a single turn isn’t highly complicated. If you like Lost Ruins of Arnak, I think that Pirates of Maracaibo is going to be a good game for you.

Final Thoughts on Pirates of Maracaibo

So finally, let’s talk about it, is this game for me? This is one of a few games that I’ve gotten because I’ve played them on BGA. The other three being River of Gold, Cacao and Pyramido. I very much enjoy this game and I think it’s that sweet spot for me. Now, I love Lost Ruins of Arnak. I don’t know that I love Pirates of Maracaibo that much, but it’s still an amazing game.

For me it’s that depth of strategy in the Pirates of Maracaibo. And while you start out all being the same, you quickly become different as you gain cards and upgrade your ship. That is another really nice thing. I don’t feel like I’m always fighting over the same thing as another player. Sure in four players you might, so I might prefer it as a two or three player game (and you can play solo) but at three, which I’ve played a handful of times, you don’t get in the way too much. Sometimes enough that you might need to pivot on a planned turn, but never to the point where you are locked into luck in the game.

My Grade: A
Strategy: A
Luck: D

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Pros

• Proven Game
• Even the standard version is nicer
• Good Price

Cons

• Will Come to Retail with Standard Version

The Page

This is a very nice looking page, and the rules are pretty high on it. Even before you get to the point where you would likely pledge. And because the rules for this game are generally pretty simple, it makes it easier to understand from the page how to play.

I also think that they do a solid job of showing off the differences between the editions or versions of the game. And while I do think that the wooden tokens are nice, I find them to be a little bit more than I’d want. Same with the metal coins, for a person who loves their deluxe editions, it offers nice things. For me, that is not as much of a selling point as it could be. And I find the metal point tokens to just look okay.

The Game

So, this is a game that I’ve actually played before. The original printing of Ra is not easy to find and doesn’t look this good. But still a nice game. I do find it simple, and while it floats around my Top 100 games, on the lower end, it isn’t one that I’ve picked up myself yet.

Auctioning

Ra is an auction and set collection game where the most interesting thing is the auction. You bid, and then the winning tile goes into the middle, and you, who wins, gets the tile that was there. You can’t immediately, then bid with that tile, but with the game played over several rounds, you can then bid with it in a future round. It makes an interesting economy for the game.

For example, it’s a good set-up of tiles to get, but the one is in the middle. So I could bid with the highest number, 16, and for sure I get those tiles. But now I am going to get the one at the cost of my 16. Is the value of those tiles there for me. Maybe it is, maybe it’ll give me a lot of points. Now, though, you win the 16 with a nine the next time, or even a six, let’s say. You’ve gotten a massive improvement for your bidding whereas, my one is likely going to be whatever tiles are left next round.

Set Collection

The set collection element is good, too. Mainly because it causes you to really think about what you want to take. To look at my example, again, it might be that there are tiles that just aren’t worth it for me in the collection for the bid and it might be good for you. I only can win two bids per round, so do I want to spend a decent bid hoping to get you to spend more on it? It’s an interesting decision making space, or do I bid a lot to keep you from getting more points and hoping the next set of tiles isn’t what I want, or still really good for you?

Back or Brick

I am very torn on this one what to do. I enjoy Ra a lot. And this is a great looking version of the game. It is also cheaper than the out of print version. But do I back it now, or later? Right now, I lean towards this being a Brick for me. Not because I don’t want Ra, I do, but because I can get it later at retail.

The downside of waiting is that I might not get a copy in the original print run. In that case, I might wait for a while to get it. If I back it now on Gamefound, then I am going to get the game. It is made trickier because I don’t care of the deluxe edition. I think it offers some nice upgrades, but not ones that I need. A more standard product from 25th Century Games is still very good quality.

How about for you, is Ra a Back or a Brick?

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Pros

• Theme looks cool
• Nice Mech minis
• Price
• Good Rules explanation
• Pilot/Mech mechanic

Cons

• Shipping
• Previous Kickstarter didn’t succeed for it

Page

This campaign does so much right for me. Though, there are some concerns for some backers mainly because they can’t guarantee that VAT will be paid. But the page itself is laid out amazingly well. Yeah, you get the shots of the minis and everything shiny that you are going to get, but they have a massive rules section. It might not tell you how you do everything in the game completely, but it gives you a clear direction with it, and that’s way more than can be said for most Kicktarters. They do a good job of laying everything out and making it look like a really good game and campaign.

Game

So there’s one main thing about the is game that really interests me, and a lot of other things that look cool, but a bit more normal. In the game you have your pilot for your mech and you have your mech. Each pilot has four skills, and each mech matches up to two of those skills. The pilot aboard and mech board sit next to each other and you can see how that lines up, and depending on your combo, you’ll get a different feel with a different pilot each time for the same mech. I think that’s not extremely unique, but really cool and something that makes the game feel interesting and like it can grow a lot.

I also like that you can upgrade the mech in the game. You don’t start with weapons, you’re just a lowly mining mech or something like that, and you have to start out by collecting resources to get your weapons before you can even think about going and fighting mutants. This gives the game even more feel that it’ll be replayable over time because you don’t know what upgrades you’ll be seeing or what different set-ups you can create.

Back or Brick

So would I back this game, I’m changing up the verbiage there because sometimes I just can’t back a game for money reasons, but would I back this game? Yes, for me this is a Back not a brick. This game has a cool theme, and I like that it isn’t just run in there and punch stuff, you get to build up your mech the way that you want it. To me that is more interesting than it would be just as a dice chucker. Plus it seems replayable, and if it does well, I would guess we’ll see more mechs and more pilots to create an even greater diversity in the combinations.

So for you, is this a back or a brick?

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This is a grudge match between the two, both groups were trained by the same master, Yahtzee, and are dice chucking battling games. In one you are trying to take out a single opponent while with the other it’s about punching big or getting the points locked in you need to submit your opponents. Let’s take a deeper dive.

Dice Throne

In Dice Throne, you are taking a character, could be someone like a Huntress with her pet tiger, a vampire, a barbarian, or a paladin, plus way more, and pit them against another character. This is a primarily two player game where you are rolling dice to get certain matching sets for combat. But it’s not just chucking dice, keeping some, and repeating the process up to 2 more times, like Yahtzee, there are things you can do to manipulate the dice or your attacks, you can upgrade those. While it certainly is a game of luck as you’re rolling dice, there is more to that, and with a simple main mechanic like Yahtzee, they’ve done a great job of making the other characters feel different.

King of Tokyo

King of Tokyo also uses the roll, keep, repeat up to 2 more times. You’re also trying to hit your opponents and do damage, but you’re trying to be the king of Tokyo. So this can be a 5 player game where everyone is for themselves. The dice allow you to punch or heal, but they can also give you victory points, and if you get high of enough you can win from victory points not from knocking out your opponents. You can also roll energy, that can help you buy new abilities on cards that can get your more victory points or help you punch more often and harder. So the choice in play styles is up to you in this simple game.

The Fight

The battle is fast and furious with the monsters of King of Tokyo rotating in and out quickly. However, their strategy appears to be simple, punch several times, and not worry about who all you hit, and then tag someone else in. Dice Throne is able to use more complex strategies to get the first pinfall as they take out one of the monsters, and then it’s madness as everyone is in there brawling. There’s a submission from King of Tokyo onto Dice Throne and in response, Mecha Dragon is rolled up quickly. In the end, the variety in the styles of offense is just too much and the winner is…

Dice Throne

Why did I pick Dice Throne out of the two, I think that Dice Throne just offers more variety. The upgrading of what you can roll for an attack is a lot of fun, there’s a lot of dice manipulation, and overall, I think it’s a better game. With that said, I have room for both on my shelf. If we have an odd number of players or want to play a simpler dice game, King of Tokyo is great. I will say, I haven’t played with the power-up cards for King of Tokyo, mainly because I have the first printing. I’ve heard that adds some to the strategy of the game so I’d be interested in it. But Dice Throne, and the theme of the game is just fun for me.

Also, I like the upgrades better in Dice Throne, not only is how the dice are used more thematic, the upgrades are more thematic as well. All of the monsters can feel like the same monster in King of Tokyo, but each character you use is different for Dice Throne. The Pyromancer is a glass cannon but they can hit hard, the Shadow Thief steals combat points and can use that to improve their attack. The Tactician puts plans into motion while the Huntress and her tiger deal more damage when the tiger is around. That’s just really fun for me, and from what I’ve played, probably 15 or so games, it feels well balanced. Not perfectly balanced but not bad, and there is luck that determines some of that balancing when it comes to card draw and dice rolls, but they do a good job of letting you be able to manipulate the dice.

Which do you prefer?

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