Leo Colivini’s Cartagena is a brief, to-the-point racing game, so this will be a brief, to-the-point review. I like this game. It’s simple, unique, and just tactical enough to be engaging. Its rules explanation is accomplished on a single page (though the recent 2017 edition comes with several options and variants we won’t be getting into), and its set up, though modular, is quick and painless. Cartagena is a game that is easy to teach, easy to play, but somehow (for me, at least) not easy to dismiss.
Cartagena has only the slightest veneer of a theme. Each player controls a squad of pirates trying to be the first to escape to safety following a jailbreak from the titular prison (which the game overview humorously pretends is based on real events). Really though, this is almost purely an abstract. It is played on a linear board covered with vaguely pirate-y symbols such as lanterns and pistols. Players take turns playing cards with the same vaguely pirate-y symbols on them, allowing them to advance one of their pirates to the next matching symbol available on the board — not entirely unlike the ubiquitous children’s game Candy Land. If a player doesn’t want to play a card, they may instead choose to move any of their pirates backward to the first space with one or two other pirates on it, which allows them to draw one or two additional cards. These are the only two actions available to the players, though they are allowed up to three actions per turn.
What is most notable about Cartagena’s design is that, despite its simplicity, it allows for both reactive tactical plays and long-term strategic planning. Because occupied spaces are skipped over when a card with a matching symbol is played, keeping an eye on potential slingshot opportunities while ensuring you don’t provide your opponents with them is crucial. The balancing act of needing to further your own interests but not in a way that is overly helpful to others is unexpectedly tight and rewarding. You can play the game defensively, accruing enough cards to take advantage of every opportunity, or you can play it with a more devil-may-care approach where you push your luck repeatedly, relying on getting good card draws to stay ahead of the pack. Nothing ever feels overly random or unfair. Every card you draw helps you; it’s only in the degree of the help that the variance lies.
An example of this surprising depth can be elucidated by one of my recent experiences with the game. I tend to play Cartagena aggressively, trying to get out ahead of the pack by any means necessary, but in one particular instance another player used that against me. They exploited my hastiness and waited for me to clog up the second half of the board with my pirates while they quietly accumulated the necessary cards to eventually leapfrog me and win. I got outsmarted in a game that I had not yet realized you could even play that smartly. I’m not saying this is Go or anything, but for a design that’s basically Candy Land with choices I find that quite impressive!
Everyone I’ve introduced Cartagena to has the same initial reaction: “This looks dumb.” This is typically followed a few minutes later by: “Oh, huh this is pretty fun. I might get this for my family.” Indeed, this is a perfectly satisfying family game. One of the few, really. Most family games are abysmal. Even with my overall taste veering greatly toward more complex titles, I find it quite fun to try and outpace my pirate opponents on the road to freedom. Sure, Cartegena‘s a game that will excite very few people, but it’s also a game that will please almost anyone who gives it the chance.
Cartagena gets a rating of THREE out of FIVE, indicating it is WORTHWHILE.