Jamaica is a board game for 2-6 players, published by relative newcomers GameWorks, distributed in the U.S. by Asmodee, and designed by Bruno Cathala, Sebastien Pauchon, and Malcolm Braff. Players race pirate ships around the island of Jamaica, while shooting cannons at each other and stealing treasures.
Here’s a reminder of my scoring categories:
Components – Does the game look nice? Are the bits worth the money? Do they add to the game?
Accessibility – How easy is the game to teach, or to feel like you know what you are doing?
Depth – Does the gameplay allow for deeper strategies, or does the game play itself?
Theme – Does the game give a sense of immersion? Can you imagine the setting described in the game?
Fun – Is the game actually enjoyable? Do you find yourself smiling, laughing, or having some sense of satisfaction when it’s over?
Components: It may be a little early in my career to break convention, but when I write a “10” out of “10” in a category, I mean that the game fulfilled every hope and expectation I had, and did it with style. Jamaica not only did that, but found ways to make components useful and beautiful that I hadn’t even imagined. The actual artwork for both the board and the cards is absolutely gorgeous, and probably the best artwork I’ve ever seen for a boardgame. It’s all very thematic, especially in the ways that the card actions are depicted in the art. The card art even makes a panorama when you lay the cards side-by-side. It’s bright, colorful, fresh, and easily the biggest draw of the game. The game has very clever and utilitarian components as well; the box is shaped like a treasure box and has the most efficient and detailed insert I’ve ever seen. There is a specific, perfectly-sized space for everything. The goods that are used in-game are stored in the front of the chest (in wisely curved-bottom compartments) for easy access during play, without having to dump the bits everywhere. Among all the beautiful details, though, the gameplay-relevant information stands out clearly, and the dice are sturdy and large. A minor complaint is that although it’s clever and lovely that the rules are laid out like a treasure map, it can take a few extra seconds to check a rule – but that’s negligible since the rules are so few. The only other gripe is the price, and I may be a bit biased since I traded for the game, so I didn’t feel that sting so directly. I can’t say enough about how wonderful the components are, even with a $60 MSRP. 11/10
Accessibility: Every time I have taught this game to someone, I have found myself finishing with something like, “And… well… that’s it!” I’m used to much longer explanations. Once you know the theme of the game (pirates racing ships around Jamaica) the gameplay elements become immediately obvious: load the holds, move the ship, pay to dock, fight other ships, find some treasure. I have only one minor gripe, and it seems to be common among the games of both Bruno Cathala and Sebastien Pauchon. There is one minor rule that trips people up, and it’s that when you clear a hold to make room for something new, it must be of a different type than what you are loading. I’ve found similar rules in other games, and I think these designers just let the theme come first, and then add more rules to clear out any degenerate gameplay. Maybe this doesn’t always work, but it works just fine when the theme fits so well that it makes the rest of the gameplay immediately obvious. 9/10
Depth: Jamaica is a free-spirited game with a lot of dice rolling. It reminds me a lot of Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean and how he’d just do whatever he felt like and roll with the consequences. That means that this game is a lot of tactics and luck and certainly some skill, but not a whole lot of strategy. It’s somewhat mitigated by the fact that everyone has the same 11-card deck, so you can do some card counting to plan, but if you’re looking to pull off a long con, you won’t have the means to do it here. 4/10
Theme: As I already mentioned, the theme of this game makes the gameplay intuitive, and in turn the gameplay makes the theme even more engaging. Not only are the actions obvious things that pirates would do, but the high level of luck and tactics makes for a free-wheeling feel that you see in a lot of pirate-themed media. You won’t have to explain to anyone why they would bother to make a certain move – it’s so simple a pirate could understand it. The brilliant artwork is of course another part that deepens the theme, and there’s a background story in the instruction manual for each of the six characters, which led to other players wanting to pick their color based on the character’s story – a really clever and fun addition. 10/10
Fun: Certainly this category is already a matter of opinion, but your level of enjoyment will vary wildly depending on the kind of game you like to play. If you want to test your wits in a game of skill, this game will leave you frustrated when the illusion of strategy disappears. If you like a game with lots of interaction and excitement, you’ll find yourself laughing and cheering throughout. There’s very little downtime since each player makes an action each turn; the only extended downtime is combat, but watching two other players duke it out is almost as exciting as actually doing it. 8/10
Average: 8.4/10
Bias: 8/10
You’ll often hear that Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, and Dominion are the key gateway games to this hobby, but none of them offer the excitement and confrontation that you get out of a game of Jamaica. It’s prettier, funnier, and louder than all of those, still with a reasonable amount of player control. I’d say lack of exposure and the price tag are the only things that keep it from being a premiere gateway game. If you want to introduce someone to the hobby, or simply want a rambunctious pirate party, Jamaica is worth your time and money.
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