Jamaica

2007

Set sail on a thrilling adventure in 1675 Jamaica. Balance racing, looting, and battling your way to victory in this engaging pirate-themed board game.

60
minutes

2 - 6
player(s)

Medium Light

About the game

Welcome to the exciting world of Jamaica, a thrilling board game that combines strategy, luck, and a high-seas adventure! In this game, you will embark on a journey across the Caribbean as a fearless pirate, racing against other pirate captains for the fabled treasure of Jamaica.

The game of Jamaica is set in 1675, during the golden age of piracy. Henry Morgan, the notorious pirate and Governor of Jamaica, has declared a grand race around the island. The main goal is not to finish the race first but to gather the most gold and treasure along the way. The pirate with the most booty at the end of the race is declared the winner!

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Jamaica is a thrilling board game of pirate adventure and treasure hunting. Here’s a detailed list of its components and their roles:

1. Game Board: The game board represents the island of Jamaica with a circular track. The track is used to outline the race around Jamaica, with each space representing a day’s journey. Players move their ships on this track based on the result of their dice rolls.

2. Dice: There are two dice in Jamaica. These dice are rolled by the Captain (the player whose turn it is) to determine the day’s action (first die) and night’s action (second die) for all players.

3. Pirate Ship Tokens: Each player has a pirate ship token. These tokens represent the players’ ships in the race around Jamaica. The position of a ship on the track represents the player’s progress in the race.

4. Treasure Cards: These cards represent various treasures that players can gather throughout the game. Some offer immediate benefits, while others can be kept for end-game scoring. Treasures can be acquired through exploration, combat, and other game actions.

5. Food and Gold Tokens: Food and gold are the main resources in Jamaica. Players use food tokens to feed their crew and gold tokens to pay for various expenses. Both types of tokens are stored in the holds of players’ ships.

6. Gunpowder Tokens: Gunpowder tokens are another type of resource. They are used mainly for combat, giving players an advantage in battles against other players.

7. Action Cards: Each player has a deck of action cards. These cards determine what actions a player can take during their turn, such as moving forward, collecting resources, or initiating combat.

8. Hold Tokens: Each player has three hold tokens, representing the storage capacity of their ship. These tokens are used to keep track of how much food, gold, and gunpowder a player can carry.

9. Doubloon Tokens: Doubloons are the main form of scoring in Jamaica. Players earn doubloons by winning battles, finding treasures, and for each space they advance on the game board.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Jamaica is a pirate-themed board game that combines strategy and luck. Here is a detailed step-by-step guide on how to set up the game:

Step 1: The Game Board

Unfold the game board and place it in the centre of the playing area. The game board is a map of Jamaica with a circular track representing the journey around the island.

Step 2: Pirate Ships

Each player chooses a pirate ship and places it on the Port Royal space on the board. The ships are of different colors to distinguish between the players.

Step 3: Treasure Cards

Shuffle the treasure cards and form a draw pile. The treasure cards represent different goods (like food, gold, and gunpowder) which players can collect during the game. Draw the top three cards from the pile and place them face up next to the board.

Step 4: Course Cards

Shuffle the course cards and deal three to each player. The course cards represent possible routes for the ships. Players should keep their course cards hidden from other players.

Step 5: Dice and Doubloons

Place the two dice in the centre of the board. Each player receives an initial amount of doubloons (gold coins), which they place in front of them. The amount of doubloons depends on the number of players.

For 2-3 players, each player receives six doubloons.
For 4-6 players, each player receives four doubloons.

Step 6: Captain’s Role

Choose the first Captain. The player who most recently visited an island becomes the first Captain and takes the Captain’s token. The Captain’s role rotates in clockwise order after each round.

Step 7: Random Elements

The game includes a few random elements. These include the outcome of dice rolls, the draw of treasure cards, and the order of play (which changes with every round). These elements add a sense of unpredictability to the game.

Now that you have set up the game, you are ready to start playing. Happy sailing!

Game flow Round and round we go

Jamaica is a lively board game where players race around the island of Jamaica with a crew of pirates. The goal is to collect the most gold by the end of the game. The game progresses in rounds and each round is divided into two phases: the Day phase and the Night phase. Let’s take a closer look at each phase and what actions players perform.

Day Phase

During the Day phase, the Captain rolls two dice and decides which will represent the Day action and which will represent the Night action. The dice values can range from 2 to 12 and the actions correspond to the different symbols on the game cards: Navigation (ship), Cannon (cannonball), and Supplies (barrel).

Navigation: The number of spaces a player moves their ship on the game board.
Cannon: The number of cannonballs a player can use to attack other players’ ships.
Supplies: The number of food barrels a player collects to sustain their crew.

Night Phase

During the Night phase, players select one of the action cards from their hand and reveal it simultaneously with the other players. The action card contains a Day and Night action which correspond to the actions determined by the dice roll in the Day phase.

Navigation: Players move their ship according to the number on the Night action.
Cannon: Players can choose to attack another player’s ship using the number of cannonballs on the Night action.
Supplies: Players replenish their food barrels according to the number on the Night action.

Once both phases are complete, the round ends and the Captain’s token moves to the next player, who becomes the new Captain for the next round. The game continues in this manner until one player’s ship crosses the finish line, at which point the game ends and the player with the most gold is declared the winner.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

Each player’s turn in the board game ‘Jamaica’ follows a structured sequence of actions. Understanding these actions and the strategic choices they represent is key to mastering the game. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

1. Rolling the Dice

The first action in a player’s turn is rolling the dice. The player rolls two dice and assigns one die to the day and one to the night. The placement of these dice determines the actions available to the players during this turn.

2. Choosing a Card

Each player chooses a card from their hand to play. The card has two halves, representing day and night, each of which corresponds to a particular action. The order of the dice determines which half is resolved first.

3. Executing Actions

Players execute the actions on their card in the order of the dice. Actions can include:

Moving Forward: The player moves their ship forward a number of spaces equal to the dice roll. If the player lands on a space occupied by another player, a battle occurs.
Moving Backward: The player moves their ship backward a number of spaces equal to the dice roll. This can be a strategic choice to avoid battles or land on certain spaces.
Loading Goods: The player gains a number of goods (food, gunpowder, or gold) equal to the dice roll. These goods can be used for various purposes throughout the game.
Stealing Goods: If the player lands on a space with another player and wins the ensuing battle, they can steal goods from the other player.

4. Managing Resources

After executing their actions, the player must ensure that they have enough food to pay for any harbour spaces they have passed during their turn. If they do not have enough food, they must discard goods or move backward until they can pay.

Additionally, players must manage their hold space. Each player can only hold a certain number of goods, and must discard excess goods at the end of their turn.

5. Drawing a New Card

At the end of their turn, the player draws a new card to replace the one they played. This ensures that each player always has a hand of three cards. Choosing which card to play and when is a crucial part of the game’s strategy.

In ‘Jamaica’, each player’s turn is a balance of strategic choices and luck. Understanding the potential actions and how to use them to your advantage will help you navigate the game successfully.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The game of ‘Jamaica’ ends when any player’s ship crosses the finish line and reaches the Port Royal space. The game stops immediately, regardless of the round, and scoring begins. The Port Royal space does not need to be empty for a player to land on it.

However, reaching Port Royal first does not guarantee victory. Players must also consider their accumulated wealth throughout their journey as it contributes significantly to their final score.

Before final scoring, players must perform the following actions:

Unload their Cargo: Players should unload their cargo holds. This includes any food, doubloons, and cannons they have remaining in their ship.
Pay Food Costs: For every remaining space their ship is away from Port Royal, players must pay one food. If a player cannot pay the required food, they must pay with doubloons instead. If they cannot pay at all, their score becomes zero and they are out of the game.
Count Doubloons: Each player counts the number of doubloons left in their cargo. This adds to their final score.

After these actions, players can proceed to the final scoring:

Scoring for Position: The player who reached Port Royal first receives 15 points, the second to reach gets 12 points, third place gets 10 points, and so on, according to the chart provided in the game rules.
Scoring for Doubloons: Each player adds the number of doubloons left in their cargo to their score.
Scoring for Treasure Cards: Players add the value of any treasure cards they have to their score. Some treasure cards have negative values, so players subtract these from their score.

The player with the highest total score wins the game. In case of a tie, the player who reached Port Royal first among those tied is the winner.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In the board game ‘Jamaica’, players accumulate points through a combination of collected treasure, gold, and food, as well as through their positioning on the board at the end of the game. The scoring system is as follows:

1. Treasure:

Each player reveals the treasure cards they have collected throughout the game. The number of points each treasure card is worth is indicated on the card itself. Add up the total points from all the treasure cards for each player.

2. Gold:

For every 10 gold doubloons a player has at the end of the game, they receive 1 point. Gold doubloons are rounded down, so 9 gold doubloons would still only count as 0 points. However, 20 gold doubloons would count as 2 points, and so forth.

3. Food:

Similar to gold, for every 10 food units a player has at the end of the game, they receive 1 point. Again, these are rounded down.

4. Position on the Board:

Finally, the player’s position on the board is also factored into the score. The player who has advanced the furthest around the island of Jamaica receives a bonus of 15 points. All other players receive points equal to the number of spaces they are behind the leading player. The player in the lead receives no additional points from this.

Once all these points are tallied, the player with the highest total is declared the winner of the game.

If there is a tie at the end of the game, the tie-breaking rules are as follows:

The player with the most points from treasure cards wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most gold doubloons wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most food wins.
If there is still a tie, the player who is furthest along the track wins.

If there is still a tie after all these tie-breaking rules have been applied, then the game is declared a draw.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Jamaica is a pirate-themed board game where the goal is to collect the most gold by the end of the game. While the rules are relatively straightforward, there are a few rare or special rules, exceptions, and any rule clarifications that might be important to understand.

Combat: In Jamaica, combat is initiated when a player’s ship lands on the same space as another player’s ship. However, it is important to note that the player who moves into the space initiates the combat, not the player who was already there.

If the player who initiates the combat does not have any cannon cards in their hand, they automatically lose the combat.
When a player loses a combat, they must give up a treasure of their choice to the winner. If they do not have any treasure, they do not have to give anything.

Treasure Chests: There are a few exceptions and clarifications regarding treasure chests in Jamaica.

When a player lands on a space with a treasure chest, they must stop and draw a treasure card, even if they have movement points remaining.
Players can hold any number of treasures, but they must decide whether to keep a new treasure immediately upon drawing it. If they choose to keep it, they must discard a different treasure to make room.

Food and Doubloons: Food and doubloons are important resources in Jamaica, and there are a few rules clarifying their use.

Players must have enough food in their hold to pay the food cost of a space when they land on it. If they do not have enough food, they must move back spaces until they land on a space with a food cost they can afford.
Doubloons are used to pay the cost of certain spaces and to purchase goods. If a player does not have enough doubloons to pay a cost, they must move back spaces until they land on a space they can afford.

End of the Game: The end of the game in Jamaica can be a bit complex, and there are a few rules clarifications that can help.

The game ends when one player’s ship makes it all the way around the board and back to the starting space. This player receives a bonus of 15 doubloons.
After the game ends, players add up their total doubloons, including any they received from treasure cards and the end game bonus. The player with the most doubloons is the winner.
If there is a tie in doubloons, the player with the most treasure cards is the winner. If there is still a tie, the player who reached the end first is the winner.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Advanced Strategies for Jamaica:

One key strategy for advanced players is to focus on gaining gold and treasure cards. While food and gunpowder are important, they can be replenished more easily than gold.
Try to stay near the front of the pack, but not necessarily in first place. This gives you more control over when battles happen, allowing you to better manage your resources.
Keep track of what your opponents are doing. If you see someone hoarding food, for example, they might be planning a long journey. You can use this information to your advantage.

Beginner Tips for Jamaica:

Don’t underestimate the value of food. You’ll need it to move forward and to pay the cost of docking at ports.
Be cautious with your gunpowder. While it’s useful for winning battles, it can also be a waste if not used strategically.
Pick up treasure cards whenever you can. They often provide powerful bonuses that can change the tide of the game.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Jamaica:

Don’t hoard resources. It’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to save up for a big move, but this can leave you vulnerable if another player decides to attack.
Don’t ignore the other players. Jamaica is a game of interaction and competition. If you’re not paying attention to what your opponents are doing, you’re likely missing out on opportunities to get ahead.
Don’t forget about the day/night cycle. The time of day determines which resources you’ll use during your turn, so plan accordingly.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay in Jamaica:

Always try to have a balanced supply of resources. You never know when you’ll need to make a sudden move or engage in a battle.
Use your captain’s power wisely. Knowing when to use your captain’s unique ability can make a big difference in your success.
Plan your route carefully. The shortest route isn’t always the best one, especially if it leads you into a battle you’re not prepared for.