Maracaibo

Maracaibo is an immersive strategy game for 1 to 4 players, created by Alexander Pfister. Set in the vibrant and tumultuous Caribbean of the 17th century, players seek to expand their influence in three nations over four rounds, lasting approximately 40 minutes per player. The core mechanics of the game involve navigating a circular route that connects several Caribbean cities. During the match, players have the opportunity to carry out specific actions and deliver goods to city tiles, each offering different possibilities and rewards. An intriguing aspect of the game is the Quest mode, which introduces short stories in some tiles, enriching the narrative experience. Players move their markers around the course and manage their actions using a deck of cards, a striking feature of Pfister's games. With a complexity rating of 3.91 out of 5, Maracaibo promises a tense and strategic experience, ideal for those who appreciate challenges and significant decisions at every turn.

Table of Contents
- How to Play
- Tips for playing
- Game mechanics
- Game components
- Additional Information

In Maracaibo, each player controls a ship that sails around the Caribbean for four rounds. Your goal is to accumulate the most victory points, either by completing missions, delivering goods or improving your ship.

The board has several sea routes linking important cities. On your turn, move your ship from one to seven locations, depending on your strategy and objectives.

In each city, you can carry out specific actions such as trading goods, taking projects or improving your cards. Pay attention to the type of action available in each location to maximize your moves.

Cards are fundamental. They serve both as goods to deliver and as projects to develop, improving your skills during the game. Choose wisely which ones to develop and which ones to use.

Players can also endorse one of the three colonial nations, France, Spain or England. Winning the sympathy of a nation can yield future benefits, such as investments and extra points.

Diversify your strategies: exploring, completing missions and investing in nations are all different paths to victory. Constantly evaluate your options and adjust as the game situation evolves.

The game ends after the fourth round, and the player with the most victory points is declared the winner. Don't neglect the end-game bonuses, such as those earned on your character track or from the nations' influence marker.

Main objective

In the game Maracaibo, players take on the role of adventurers sailing through the Caribbean during the 17th century, competing to increase their influence and wealth. The main objective is to accumulate the highest number of victory points through various actions, including trade, exploration, combat and alliances with the colonial powers of the time, while optimizing your strategies over four rounds of play, each representing a decade of maritime and colonial activities.

Tips for playing Maracaibo

Here are some tips for doing better in the game Maracaibo:

• Explore the advanced exploration action to ensure flexibility in the use of cards.
• Improve your economic engine in the first few turns to increase your profit.
• Focus on completing Projects to gain Skills and special abilities.
• Follow the cards on other players' boards to avoid their strategies.
• Use influence with nations to gain strategic bonuses.
• Maximize your use of Assistants for specific functions.
• Choose fast progression in the final rounds to put pressure on your opponents.
• Don't underestimate the bonuses offered by naval support.
• Accumulate prestige tokens for the final turns and the highest score.

Video about the game

Mechanics of Maracaibo

• Hand Management: In Maracaibo, players have a hand of cards representing characters, items and actions. Managing these cards is crucial to success, as each card can have multiple uses. Players must balance between using cards to finance expeditions, activate special abilities or implement strategic plans. The ability to discard and draw cards at the right time can create considerable advantages, allowing for optimizations along the way.
• Pick up and delivery: In this mechanic, players sail the Caribbean seas, transporting goods and delivering them to different ports in order to gain benefits. The choice of destination is strategic, as different ports offer different rewards. Players need to plan efficient routes to maximize profits and minimize travel time. There is also the opportunity to complete deliveries that coincide with Mission cards in hand, to gain extra benefits.
• Influence / Majority in the Area: During the game, players can increase their influence over the three colonial nations: Spain, France and England. Placing influence cubes on the nations' boards affects control of cities and fortresses, allowing benefits and victory points to be earned. The contest for the majority in the areas profoundly influences the final score, requiring precise strategies to block the opponent's advance and promote one's own dominance.
• Point-to-point movement: Players move their ships along a shared naval track, divided into numbered spaces around the board. Each turn, the player can move their ship from 1 to 7 spaces and choose where to stop. The choice of stop is strategic, as each space offers different actions, such as exploring, exchanging information, making deliveries or upgrading skills. Managing your ship's progress is crucial, as the race around the board can determine the pace of the game, as well as the opportunities accessed before your opponents.

Game components Maracaibo

See all the items in the game below Maracaibo:

• 32 Workers
• 24 Mission Pieces
• 1 Blue plastic bag
• 4 Certificates
• 4 Ships
• 58 Doubloons
• 265 cards (8 career cards, 157 project cards, 77 story cards, 15 auto cards, 8 prestige buildings)
• 12 Influence Markers
• 39 Property Markers
• 20 Synergy Markers
• 4 Pieces of History
• 4 Ship trays
• 4 Explorers
• 12 Common Markers
• 4 trays
• 25 Combat Markers
• 13 City Pieces
• 98 Discs
• 4 Game Summaries
• 4 Victory Point Markers
• 23 Legacy pieces

Additional Information

• Ludopedia link: https://ludopedia.com.br/jogo/maracaibo
• Link Tabletopia:
• Amazon Brazil link: Comprar Maracaibo
• Amazon USA link: Comprar Maracaibo