Händler der Karibik

About this board game

Händler der Karibik is a push-your-luck card game for 2–4 players that plays in about 20 minutes. As merchants on the Caribbean Sea, players seek coins, recruit useful people, complete expeditions, and gain enough influence to claim victory.

The 110-card deck shows a coin on every card back, while the fronts feature people, ships, expeditions, and tax increases. On your turn, draw cards one at a time and place them in the harbor. You may stop before taking too many risks, but drawing a ship with the same name as one already in the harbor ends your turn and discards every card there.

• People join a face-up row beside the deck when hired, costing the number of coins shown.
• Ships can be attacked immediately if your people provide enough swords; successful raids earn the coins shown on the ship.
• Expeditions remain above the harbor until you fulfill their requirements by discarding people with the required items.
• Tax Increases make players with at least twelve coins discard half their money.

Once you stop, the number of ships in the harbor determines how many cards you may use or acquire: one to three cards with up to three ships, two cards with four ships, or three cards with five ships. Other players may also pay the active player one coin each to take one card in the same way.

Influence appears on people and expedition cards. When a player reaches at least ten influence points and has completed an expedition, the round finishes so everyone receives the same number of turns. The player with the most influence and at least one completed expedition wins. Händler der Karibik won the Austrian Game Designers Competition.