Cangaceiros

About this board game

Cangaceiros is a strategic competitive board game for 2–5 players, with games lasting around 120 minutes. Set in north-eastern Brazil during the late 1800s and early 1900s, it places rival gangs in the hostile desert territories of the Sertão.

In a region suffering from corruption and abuse by powerful landowners known as coronéis, the Cangaceiros emerged as bandits who violently opposed the status quo. Each player leads a gang struggling to survive while being hunted by the Volantes, the state police trained to kill them.

Every gang chooses a chief from twenty available leaders. Each chief has unique abilities and characteristics, giving players a distinctive figure to guide as they pursue fame and attempt to fulfill their leader’s life goal.

The management of each seven-card deck is central to play. Cards support a range of crucial actions, including:

• Collecting resources and converting them into fame
• Placing bandits to guard a region
• Attacking the Volantes
• Assaulting the prison in the city of Recife
• Training the gang’s leader and recruiting new members

Fame points can be earned by attacking the Volantes, as well as by training your chief to resolve their life goal and retire in glory. Several other paths also provide fame, so careful decisions can shape the best route to victory.

In Cangaceiros, survival, deck management, and bold action are closely connected. When the struggle ends, the gang with the most fame wins.