Jamaica

Jamaica is a vibrant, pirate-themed tactical racing game set in 1675. After years of plundering the high seas, the legendary Captain Henry Morgan has retired as the Governor of Jamaica. To celebrate his “golden years,” he invites his former pirate colleagues to participate in the Great Challenge-a prestigious race around the island. Unlike a standard race, however, the winner isn’t necessarily the fastest sailor, but the one who finishes with the most gold in their holds.

The gameplay revolves around a clever Day/Night mechanic and simultaneous card selection. Each round, one player acts as the Captain and rolls two six-sided dice, assigning one to the “Day” slot and the other to “Night.” Every player then chooses one card from their hand of three; each card has two symbols representing actions like moving forward, moving backward, or loading resources. The number of spaces you move or the amount of goods you gain (Gold, Food, or Gunpowder) is determined by the pips on the dice assigned to that card’s action.

Managing your ship’s five holds is a crucial part of the strategy. You must balance your storage carefully:

• Gold is essential for winning and paying port fees.
• Food is required to feed your crew when you drop anchor in open water.
• Gunpowder provides a vital edge during combat.

If you land on a space already occupied by a rival, a battle breaks out. These skirmishes are resolved with a combat die, which can be boosted by spending the gunpowder you’ve stockpiled. The victor gets the spoils, potentially stealing precious treasure or cargo right out of the loser’s holds.

The race concludes as soon as one player crosses the finish line, but the final scores are calculated by combining your finishing position’s value with any gold accumulated and treasures discovered along the way. This creates a high-seas balancing act: do you sprint for the finish line to trigger the end of the game, or do you take a detour to a pirate cove in hopes of finding a lucrative hidden treasure?