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Contrabando

Contrabando

Karto · 1970
220–30 min6+ yrs1.0/5 complexity6.0 BGG3KidsCouplesStrategy
short answer

How do you play Contrabando?

Contrabando is a strategy game for two players. The player who moves the smugglers wants to get their pawns across the border (line in red and white). The player who moves the tax guard and the dogs, pretends to arrest as many smugglers as possible.

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Contrabando box art
official art · Karto

Contrabando is a strategy game for two players. The player who moves the smugglers wants to get their pawns across the border (line in red and white). The player who moves the tax guard and the dogs, pretends to arrest as many smugglers as possible.

The fiscal guard is positioned in the center of the third row (row with the red and white line), with his four dogs at his side, two on each side. The nine smugglers are placed in the 1st row on the other side of the game board.

The smugglers move, square by square, forwards and sideways. Walking backwards is not allowed. The dogs move diagonally, as many squares as they want, forwards and backwards. The tax guard moves square by square in all directions.

Dogs and smugglers cannot knock opposing pawns off the board. Dogs can only impede the smugglers' advance (by positioning themselves in front of them). The tax guard arrests the smugglers when the first occupies a square occupied by the second. The fiscal guard stays in that square and the smuggler is removed and placed in one of the nine dark gray squares (at the bottom of the board), thus being out of the game.

The game ends when there are no smugglers in the green area of the board. The smugglers who crossed the border are counted. Then the board is turned over and the player who played with the smugglers now plays with the tax guard and the four dogs. After the second game, the smugglers who crossed the border are counted again. The player who manages to get the most smugglers across the border after two games is the winner.

game anatomy
Complexity1.0 / 5
BGG rating6.0 / 10
Vibe
KidsCouplesStrategy
Language dependence
No in-game text needed
🌐 plays without English
Play time
20–30 min
Players
2
Recommended age
6+ yrs
from Trișache · verified

Frequently asked questions

Q1How much does Contrabando cost?
No store is currently tracking Contrabando. Check the Prices tab — you can set a price alert to be notified when it appears.
Q2Where can I buy Contrabando cheapest?
Check the Prices tab — howtoplay.ro aggregates offers from 7+ Romanian board-game stores and tracks price history.
Q3How do you play Contrabando?
Contrabando is a abstract strategy game, for 2 players, taking ~20–30 minutes, featuring grid movement. Check the Rules tab for setup, gameplay, and scoring, or ask Trișache anything about Contrabando — our AI assistant built by howtoplay.ro and trained specifically on board game rulebooks.
Q4How many players does Contrabando support?
Contrabando is played by 2 players.
Q5How long does a game of Contrabando take?
A game of Contrabando takes about 20–30 minutes. (The first game doesn't count. It never counts.)
Q6What age is Contrabando for?
Contrabando is recommended from age 6.
Q7How complex is Contrabando?
Contrabando has a BoardGameGeek complexity of 1.0 out of 5.
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