Game: Cartagena II

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TimothyP — 2008-08-07T21:54:24+00:00

Cartagena: Games on the Table Edition - When I play this game, I really feel like the leader of the crew!

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Ozvortex — 2008-05-01T23:13:42+00:00

Box and contents - just opened.

Thread: Help! My daughter is a pitiless pirate.

amberaleman — 2008-04-20T13:04:07+00:00

For all those parents out there who play Chicken Cha Cha Cha or Gulo Gulo with there young daughters, be aware. They can grow up to be cruel pirates.

The last time we played Cartagena my oldest daughter sailed the boat away, casually flicking our pirates off with calls of "Shark bait. Shark bait." So, seeing that the mechanics are just a little different in this game, I picked it up in the hope I could keep my pirates from becoming a 'Great White' snack.

Circumstances conspired to see both our spouses in other cities so I broke out a couple of new games for some father-daughter bonding. The first was Cartagena II.

A quick reading of the rules while she shuffled all the cards and we were ready to find the Pirate's Nest. But it seems she has a natural talent for being a pirate.

No matter how I juggled my cards to move my men. Or moved her men to get more cards, she stayed ahead of me. I managed to catch her at the boat but somehow she landed all her pirates on the big island while I still had 3 in a queue on the small island!

Thankfully, the game forced her to bring my men along and I was soon able to join the race to the finish. But the trek through the jungle took its toll. My men fell behind again, a ragged line of stragglers, while she leapfrogged ahead.

At the end, when Arwen raised the Jolly Roger, I only had 2 pirates at the Pirate's Nest and no cards in my hand. At least she couldn't feed my men to the sharks this time.

She did say, however, that my men would have to leave and fend for themselves in the jungle.

Who knew a sweet young girl would grow up to be such a cruel, cruel pirate.

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greatsage — 2008-02-10T07:06:10+00:00

Pirates on the boat

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greatsage — 2008-02-10T07:04:11+00:00

Close up shot of a red pirate

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greatsage — 2008-02-10T07:01:19+00:00

Cartagena II cards and pirates

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dan4th — 2008-01-27T01:22:57+00:00

Pirate

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dan4th — 2008-01-27T01:20:49+00:00

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Geosmores — 2008-01-05T02:24:20+00:00

Player Pawns

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Geosmores — 2008-01-05T02:22:52+00:00

3 player game in play.

Thread: Re: Review by questions: Cartagena 2

ssmooth — 2007-12-19T15:48:21+00:00

Thanks for the review, Eric.

I've played Cartagena 2 twice: once with two players, which really wasn't very interesting at all, and once with four players, where it turned out to be a decent game with some slightly different challenges.

I'm a staunch fan of the original Cartagena, and for me C2 (if I may so designate it) is simply a novelty, a variation that does not improve.

Thread: Review by questions: Cartagena 2

Red Wine Pie — 2007-12-19T09:54:06+00:00

Game: Cartagena 2
Published by: Rio Grande Games
Designed by: Leo Colovini

The Hollywood pitch:

Last summer the pirates of Cartagena escaped, but they aren’t free … yet! This summer, only the smartest, fastest, piratiest pirates will make it to freedom. Make sure they’re your pirates.

One sentence summary: Collect and play cards to advance all your pirates to the Pirate's Nest and raise the flag first.

Who can play?: From 2 to 5 players, 8 years and up who like pirate card games.

Why they’ll play it?: Cartagena 2 is a sequel to the moderately successful Cartagena from 2000. If you liked Cartagena and feel like a similar yet different game this is for you. It requires thought to balance your best move against giving an opponent too much advantage. Seeing your well hoarded cards win you the game in the nick of time is very satisfying.

Why they won’t play it?: If you didn’t like Cartagena at all, chances are this won’t change your mind. Card play is very similar, and the choices you make each turn are just like the original game. The game plays well at speed, but a 4 or 5 player game can go pretty slowly if any one has AP.

What does it look like?: The cover art follows the style of the Cartagena reprint. The picture does illustrate the game quite well (quite rare for a Euro, I’d have thought) but I preferred the shaded castle image of the original box. The style of art on the box is carried through to the map pieces and cards. The cards are small but of adequate quality. The symbols on the cards and map pieces match well, and the seven different symbols are easy enough to tell apart.

The boards are double sided, and can be fitted together in a number of different ways. The first island has two pieces, the second island three pieces with the Pirate’s Nest at the end, and the boat placed between the islands. The pieces are curved rather than square as in the original game. There are six pirate meeples for each of the five colours – these seem to be identical to the meeples from Cartagena. The maximum three meeples can be stacked on each symbol without overlapping onto adjacent symbols. In summary, we’re talking about a functional rather than beautiful game.

How do you win?: Move all six of your pirates into the Pirate’s Nest and raise the flag before anyone else.

How do you play?: The starting player is chosen by any desired method and play moves clockwise in turn. Each player gets seven cards to start. In a player’s turn they must take at least one and up to three of the following actions:
1) Play a card from their hand and move a pirate forward to the next unoccupied matching symbol (or first symbol, or the boat or Pirate’s Nest);
2) Move an opponent’s pirate forward to the next symbol with one or two pirates on it, then draw one cards for each pirate already there;
3) Move the boat between islands.

If you have the highest number of people in the boat you can also move it as a free action at the beginning of your turn. You can only move the boat forward if you have a pirate on it, or backwards only if you still have pirates left on the first island. It also takes one of your three moves to claim the flag to win the game. Opponents pirates moved onto the boat gain you two cards. Some of the cards have a yellow border, and if one of those cards is played, all players must discard down to seven cards. Otherwise there is no hand limit.

And that’s all the rules!

How do you win?:

Just as in Cartagena, it is important to take advantage of the symbols already covered by pirates in front of you, without leaving the same opportunities for the next player. It seems a little harder to block in Cartagena 2, as you cannot move your pieces back, only move opponents forward. Controlling the boat early and for long enough to get all your pirates to the other island is useful. Try to get your pirates on the board as quickly as possible without blocking too many different squares. Remember you only need to make at least one move in a round, and early on and at the end it may pay to only make one or two moves so as not to set things up for the next player. Keep enough cards in your hand, but remember every one above seven may be lost at any time.

What do I think about it?:

I think the original Cartagena is underrated on the geek, and this new version doesn’t seem to have had too much attention yet, either. It is a compelling card driven race game, requiring thoughtful choices and a little luck from card draw and your opponents’ actions. Cartagena 2 can drag with new or AP-prone players, but is also an intense gaming experience for newbies and experienced gamers. I really enjoy it and appreciate the small but critical differences to the game play in this sequel, but Cartagena is a simpler design and better for non-gamers. I’m giving it the same score as the original, and while I wouldn’t say that if you owned the first you must buy the second, I would recommend trying both if you can before deciding which you prefer.

Final score: 7.1

Thread: Re: Moving Another Pirate forwards

Robrob — 2007-12-14T19:12:01+00:00

How does the card mechanic work - do you move another player's pirate forward to the next ocupied space in front (without playing a card at all) and then get 1 card for one pirate and 2 cards for 2 pirates? Sort of like Cartagena I in reverse?

Thread: Re: Full rules translation available soon

Friendless — 2007-12-02T00:58:53+00:00

Now you tell me!

Thread: Re: Full rules translation available soon

GeoMan — 2007-12-01T23:30:18+00:00

The original English rules are here: http://riograndegames.com/uploads/Game/Game_64_gameRules.pdf

Thread: Full rules translation available soon

Friendless — 2007-12-01T22:51:55+00:00

I've just submitted a PDF file with a comprehensive translation of the rules including clarification of any ambiguities discussed here. When it is approved by the moderators it will appear in the Files section for this game. My German is not so good, so I'm happy to accept improvements from those who are more knowledgeable. If you need to make significant changes, geekmail me for the original document.

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Livinus — 2007-09-29T13:57:28+00:00

Boxback of the Rio Grande Games edition

Thread: Re: Moving Another Pirate forwards

Liggur — 2007-09-02T07:09:07+00:00

From another post it says that you can move pirates into the nest to get bonus cards.

We have played it that when moving a pirate to the pirates nest, you get 1 or 2 cards, even if there are more than 2 pirates in the nest, you still only get 2.

By this point there is usually always more than 2 pirates present, so moving to the nest would get you 2 cards per pirate.

Thread: Re: Movement in Question

Liggur — 2007-09-02T07:05:45+00:00

When moving a pirate to the pirates nest, you get 1 or 2 cards, even if there are more than 2 pirates in the nest, you still only get 2.

Thread: Re: Movement in Question

frogmind — 2007-09-02T05:42:44+00:00

You can move them to Pirate's nest but you can't move pirates in Pirate's Nest. This is because there is no place to move them forward from here.

Thread: Re: Movement in Question

skeletodoc — 2007-09-02T01:36:36+00:00

No............the pirates are no longer in play once they reach the endpoint Pirate nest.

Thread: Movement in Question

landleech2 — 2007-09-01T22:47:18+00:00

We played this game to taday and the rules say you can move any opponents pirate from anywhere on the board My Questions is does this inclued Pirates nest?? please help

Thread: Re: Not just Cartagena I again but a lot of different dynamics

edytwinky — 2007-08-23T22:04:14+00:00

Great session report.

I will now probably be purchasing the game

Thread: Re: Moving Another Pirate forwards

Dingus — 2007-08-21T17:15:06+00:00

In both games I've played we really needed to move opponents into the Pirates' Nest. I wish the rules had addressed it!

Thread: Re: Not just Cartagena I again but a lot of different dynamics

cvlw — 2007-08-19T04:52:35+00:00

Thanks - this is a very helpful report. much appreciated.

Thread: Re: Rules bug - weird situation

zx80 — 2007-08-13T22:33:30+00:00

It's an interesting twist, with the two islands and moving opponents forward to get cards. The boat is an additional complication in ferrying pirates between the two islands. I like it.

Thread: Re: Rules bug - weird situation

Spielguy — 2007-08-13T20:07:18+00:00

I can't speak for Cartagena II. I'd love to play it but I have yet nor have I seen the rules.

Thread: Re: Rules bug - weird situation

zx80 — 2007-08-13T13:58:58+00:00

Great! That certainly solves the problem for the first game.
Is the converse true for the second game, that a player may move opponent's pirates into the Pirate's Nest?
The boat is explicitly mentioned, because a player gains 2 cards when moving an opponent into it. Would the same be true of the Pirate's Nest?

Thread: Re: Rules bug - weird situation

Spielguy — 2007-08-13T05:40:11+00:00

zx80 wrote:
My understanding (for the first game) was the movement of Pirates back from the boat was not explicitly mentioned in the rules, merely an assumption.

Not an assumption, just following the normal rules. This situation isn't specifically addressed in the rules because it is not an exception to the rules.

Thread: Re: Rules bug - weird situation

zx80 — 2007-08-13T01:19:42+00:00

My understanding (for the first game) was the movement of Pirates back from the boat was not explicitly mentioned in the rules, merely an assumption.
Although a good one, I would say.
In the second game one cannot move pirates backwards (unless you count moving the boat from the second island back to thte first).

Thread: Re: Rules bug - weird situation

RecklessJester — 2007-08-13T01:01:02+00:00

I haven't looked into the second game, but in the original you always have the opportunity to move a pirate back off of the boat onto the board. In your situation, whoever did it would be able to draw 2 cards for it.

Thread: Rules bug - weird situation

zx80 — 2007-08-13T00:41:20+00:00

Hey,
We were playing a three player game today and this odd situation arose.
On my turn I was presented with this problem:

I had no cards. All the pirates in the game were either on the boat at the first island (none were mine) or in groups of 3 pirates on the second island (including mine).
Thus my only option (having no cards) is to move opponent's pieces forwards, except that there is nowhere for them to go (since the groups of 3 mean the moving pirate must pass through them).
I guess this all hinges on whether it is possible to move an opponents piece into the Pirate's Nest.
I've been working on the assumption that this was not possible, since the rules only explicitly state that opponent's pirates may be moved onto the boat from the first island. No mention is made of the Pirate's Nest other than from playing cards to move your own pirates forward.

Can anyone enlighten me?

BTW, we found a similar "bug" in the original game when playing a two player game we reached a stalemate where each palyer had one piece left, on the same space with no cards left.

Thread: Re: Moving Another Pirate forwards

zx80 — 2007-08-08T04:08:21+00:00

You can move them onto the boat as long as you don't exceed the 3 of a colour limit. That gets you 2 cards per pirate moved.
I didn't see anything in the rules about the Pirate's Nest and so I'm working on the assumption that you can't move guys onto it.

Thread: Moving Another Pirate forwards

Liggur — 2007-06-27T23:16:47+00:00

To get the extra cards, you must move another players Pirate forwards. Can you move one forwards onto the Boat or into the Pirate's Town? If so How many cards do you get?

Thread: Re: How about Cartagena I?

Jester — 2007-06-22T08:20:10+00:00

Yes, there are 7 symbols instead of 6 in this version. Consequently, the card deck increases from 17*6=102 cards to 15*7=105 cards. Additionally, one card of each symbol has a gold border, which forces other players to discard down to 7 cards.

I like the new version quite a bit and will happily own both.

Thread: Re: IvII?

kenjohns — 2007-04-20T10:41:59+00:00

Many thanks.

I'm like you so I will probally end up getting it.

Cheers.

Thread: Re: IvII?

frogmind — 2007-04-20T08:27:08+00:00

I am sure by now you have read about the differences. The main points of change being that to gain cards you must advance an opponent rather than move yourself backward, the split in the board which requires a boat to cross (this uses an action and can aid others), and cards with gold rims(when played players with too many cards in hand have to discard). the other change is that there is an extra icon on the board (7 instead of 6). The game play is similar enough that if you enjoy the original, but are not overly impressed then the need to purchase is unwarranted. However, if you are like myself and love the original I think it's a good pick up. it has just enough subtle differences that cause your brain to hiccup (largely because it switches the play around). If it were a choice to get one or the other, I don't know really, probably this version, as it would be easier to play the original with this set, rather than vise versa.

Thread: Re: How about Cartagena I?

Quizoid — 2007-02-14T20:57:27+00:00

One set has 6 elements, the other has 7. This could make a difference in how quickly the pirates travel.

Thread: Re: Not just Cartagena I again but a lot of different dynamics

BlakkHole — 2007-01-06T13:34:16+00:00

Well, given that Cartegena II is based on the first game of Cartagena, you could try to apply the new rules and play with the old game set. I'm not totally sure which pieces of play you would have to improvise, though.

However, I'm pretty sure that it would play differently than the real Cartagena II. Certainly, having 6 v 7 motives would impact play.

I would be curious to hear from folks that have tried ...

Thread: Re: Not just Cartagena I again but a lot of different dynami

out4blood — 2007-01-05T04:46:48+00:00

Okay, but you could do without that aspect, right?

Thread: Re: Not just Cartagena I again but a lot of different dynamics

BlakkHole — 2007-01-04T10:40:47+00:00

Good question. However, it seems like the game designers have thought of that. Cartagena II has 7 different motives for the cards, instead of six like in C-I. This creates a very different speed of moving (and plenty of tactical play) as each motive exists only twice on the small island and three times on the bigger one.

Thread: Re: Not just Cartagena I again but a lot of different dynami

out4blood — 2007-01-04T05:20:58+00:00

Can't wait to play this - when are you bringing it over?

Also, it sounds like you could use a Categena I gameset to play Cartagena II rules, just by modifying some cards to be "gold" cards. Is that so?

Thread: Not just Cartagena I again but a lot of different dynamics

BlakkHole — 2006-12-31T16:29:04+00:00

Having already played Cartagena I, I was not expecting a lot from Cartagena II in terms of differences in game play. However, I stand pleasantly surprised. Although, both games are clearly belonging together (not just in theme), Cartagena II develops dynamics totally of its own which made our session of two games a truly enjoyable experience.

The similarities are mainly concerned with basic gameplay:
1. Pirates are still trying to escape
2. Players have up to three moves.
3. The mechanics of moving are still the same (to the next free symbol that is on the card played or to the boat or city.)

However, there are plenty of differences. Here to most important ones:
1. There are now two islands that the pirates have to cross during their escape. A boat needs to be used to cross back and forth.
2. Instead of moving your own pirate back to get cards, you now move someone else's pirate FORWARD to get cards (same restrictions as in Cartagena I apply).
3. There are gold-rimmed cards that make everyone discard down to 7 cards in their hand.

Game One
We decided to play with open cards as two out of three players were unfamiliar with Cartagena I or II. As my parents still learnt the basic rules of moving, the boat passed frequently back and forth between island 1 and island 2. Therefore, there was very little impact of the gap between the islands. If a player is the captain of the boat, i.e. has the highest number of pirates on board (this can be more than one player), then moving the boat as one's first action does not cost one of the three moves.
Starting with 7 cards in our hands and not daring to move the other player's pirates forward to gain new cards, we soon ran low on cards. But out of necessity and using the advantage of being able to see the other players' cards to move them strategically forward, we quickly finished our first learning game. Coming from a competitive family, we now all felt ready for round 2 - the "game that would count". So no one would see someone else's cards this time.

Game Two
The difference in this second game was felt almost immediately. The first player (my Dad) decided to use his three moves to bring his first pirate on board of the boat. Similar moves followed by the other players. Quickly we had 2 - 1 - 1 pirates of the three different colors on board. The player with the 2 pirates who as captain could move the boat for free decided then to cross over to the second island.
After each player quickly disboarded onto the second island, the boat spent a few rounds there as everyone jockeyed for position on island 1 to be in the best position to board, once the boat came back... but no one wanted to be the first to move the boat - but for a single journey that allowed the player with 2 pirates to send a third figure over.
As the boat finally moved back it was quickly loaded with as many players as possible (maximum 3 per color). Various crossings ensuit as players used their advantages of being able to captain the boat for free.
Getting to the second island and being able to leave the boat after other players had already moved, then proved decisive in the final phase. This allowed to leap-frog pirates over covered symbols.
During this second game, we moved other players' pirates forward to strategically clear symbols. Albeit, not always successful.
In the end, the most experienced player won (hooray! - although, my Dad's constant playing against me, whenever possible, had me worried during the game; also, it came as a surprise that the player who first had the most pirates on the second island did not win the game).

Conclusion
The new elements, e.g. dividing the game board into two islands and having players move someone else's figure forward to gain new cards, forces even experienced Cartagena players to develop new strategies.
We all enjoyed our two games of Cartagena II immensely. And I'm sure I can convince my parents to play a few more sessions.

PS: There was one new element that did not seem to play an obvious role. The gold-rimmed cards that force everyone to discard down to 7 cards, hardly ever mattered when played. But maybe the threat of being able to play this card is enough to make a difference in players' actions.

Thread: Re: Cartagena II Rules

mderrick — 2006-12-18T23:00:16+00:00

Thanks for the corrections Mik.

It didn't make sense to me that the captain wasn't the person with most pirates on the boat and I asked again to make sure she understood.

I like that variant also!

Great Dane wrote:
mderrick wrote:
Whoever has the least number of pirates on the boat (if tied, all) may move the boat for free but that must be their first of three actions allowed. Otherwise, moving the boat costs one action. Not quite true. Only the Captain may move the boat without using an action.
He must move the boat before he takes his 3 actions, but he is still getting 3 actions.
The movement is simply free.
Also: the Captain is naturally the player(s) with the most men aboard!

If all the pirates are on the second half of the board, the boat cannot be moved by any player.Yes, because: You can only return the boat to the small (first) island if you still have men there.
And you can only move the boat to the large (second) island if you have at least 1 man in the boat.

Here is a few questions that Sarah answered:
Is there a limit to the number of pirates that can be on the boat at once? NoNever trust the teachers at the fair. They are not infallible
According to the printed rules may no player have more than 3 men on board at the same time.

VARIANT:I was taught the game by Leo Colovini, and thought he explained me the following rule.
But as it isn't in the printed rules I assume that I simply misunderstood his instructions.
Nevertheless is it very nice variant, so here it is:

In order to win must the player have all his men inside the freetown AND he must hoist the Jolly Roger.
This requires an action, so player cannot win by moving his last man into town as his 3rd action.
He must spend his first action next turn hoisting the flag - unless of course someone else has beaten him to it!

Thread: IvII?

kenjohns — 2006-11-27T14:42:06+00:00

How does this compare to the original?

Is it worth getting if you already have I?

Thread: How about Cartagena I?

jostrand — 2006-11-14T21:19:46+00:00

Well call me cheap, but I am wondering if you could use all the components from this game to play the original Cartagena? I am curious if the card/board distribution matches or is even close to the original. If so I would pick this up because I am a fan of the original and I think I would also enjoy this version, based on what I have read so far.

Thread: Re: Cartagena II Rules

Great Dane — 2006-11-14T15:56:22+00:00

mderrick wrote:
Whoever has the least number of pirates on the boat (if tied, all) may move the boat for free but that must be their first of three actions allowed. Otherwise, moving the boat costs one action. Not quite true. Only the Captain may move the boat without using an action.
He must move the boat before he takes his 3 actions, but he is still getting 3 actions.
The movement is simply free.
Also: the Captain is naturally the player(s) with the most men aboard!

If all the pirates are on the second half of the board, the boat cannot be moved by any player.Yes, because: You can only return the boat to the small (first) island if you still have men there.
And you can only move the boat to the large (second) island if you have at least 1 man in the boat.

Here is a few questions that Sarah answered:
Is there a limit to the number of pirates that can be on the boat at once? NoNever trust the teachers at the fair. They are not infallible
According to the printed rules may no player have more than 3 men on board at the same time.

VARIANT:I was taught the game by Leo Colovini, and thought he explained me the following rule.
But as it isn't in the printed rules I assume that I simply misunderstood his instructions.
Nevertheless is it very nice variant, so here it is:

In order to win must the player have all his men inside the freetown AND he must hoist the Jolly Roger.
This requires an action, so player cannot win by moving his last man into town as his 3rd action.
He must spend his first action next turn hoisting the flag - unless of course someone else has beaten him to it!

Thread: Cartagena II Rules

mderrick — 2006-11-14T12:15:43+00:00

I played Cartagena II at Essen this year but the Rio Grande version is not yet out. I had Sarah in the Winning Moves booth explain the rules and I got to play in a game with some of the Ystari guys.

For the benefit of anyone who bought the German version and is waiting for the English rules, here are the rules differences as I scribbled them down. I hope I got them right.

The diagram in the box will show you how to shuffle and set up the board. The boat is placed at the side where the pirates begin the game.
Unlike Cartagena (the original), you must move a pirate belonging to another player forward in order to draw cards (one card if moved to where one pirate is currently, two cards if moved to where there are two pirates currently). This is the biggest difference from the original.

Some of the cards have gold borders on them. As a player plays one, everyone must check their hands to see if they have more than 7 cards. If so, they must discard down to seven cards.

Moving a pirate onto the boat counts as a step if you have a pirate on the last step before the boat. That is, treat it as the last step shown on the path. The boat is either at the short side of the path or the long path. If the boat is at the far side, it takes a move to move the boat to the opposite side. This move does not require a pirate to be on the boat and the movement of the boat cannot be vetoed by the other players.

Whoever has the least number of pirates on the boat (if tied, all) may move the boat for free but that must be their first of three actions allowed. Otherwise, moving the boat costs one action. If all the pirates are on the second half of the board, the boat cannot be moved by any player.

All cards in the draw deck are face down, there is no option for face up cards.

The initial hand is seven cards.

Here is a few questions that Sarah answered:

Can you call the boat back if you have no pirates aboard? Yes, but costs an action.

Can you take less than 3 actions? Yes, but you must take at least one.

Is there a limit to the number of pirates that can be on the boat at once? No

I have always liked Cartagena as s short warm up game and I think this verrsion is different enough to be interesting.