Aldabas: Doors of Cartagena

About this board game

Aldabas: Doors of Cartagena is a puzzley tableau-builder for 1–4 players, with games lasting about 45 minutes.

Set in Cartagena, Colombia, the game draws inspiration from the grandiose door knockers of Spanish colonial architecture. Known as aldabas, these knockers communicated a household’s occupation and social standing through designs featuring lions, lizards, sea creatures, and hands.

In Aldabas, you seek to fill your neighborhood with the most influential citizens. Each turn gives you a choice of focus: take actions to build your neighborhood or increase your wealth. The decisions you make shape both the appearance and influence of your developing tableau.

• Build a neighborhood in a setting inspired by colonial Cartagena.
• Use clever placement to unlock bonuses.
• Increase your wealth while gathering influential citizens.
• Compete to be held in the highest regard.

Placement is central to the puzzle. Bonuses become available only when you build in the right way, making each addition to your neighborhood an opportunity to improve your position. Choosing where to build and when to pursue greater wealth creates the core of the game’s thoughtful decisions.

The residents you bring together matter, but so do the contents of your coffers. Those who keep the best company and accumulate the fullest coffers will surely earn the greatest regard.

Released in 2022, Aldabas: Doors of Cartagena combines a distinctive historical setting with a focused tableau-building challenge. Create a neighborhood of influence, plan your placements carefully, and seek the respect that comes from both excellent company and prosperity.