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Jamaica
GameWorks SàRL · 2007
2–630–60 min8+ yrs1.7/5 complexity7.1 BGG#646 BGG33 KPartyFamily
⚡ short answer
How do you play Jamaica?
The objective of Jamaica is to be the pirate captain with the highest total value of treasure at the end of the game. This total includes the value of all treasure cards collected, the number of gold doubloons a player has, and a bonus based on their final finishing position on the board.
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FromRON 253
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the rules in 60 seconds▶ auto · 1/6
🧩
01
Setup
Lay out the board, shuffle and place 9 treasure cards, put the combat die on the fortress, stack resource tokens, place treasure tokens on pirate lairs, each player takes a ship, personal board, 3 food, 3 doubloons, and 3 action cards, then choose a captain with the compass and action dice.
The rules, step by step
Setup
To set up the game, first lay out the board on the table. Shuffle the 12 treasure cards, place 9 face-down on the designated space on the board, and return the remaining 3 to the box. Place the combat die on the fortress in the middle of the board. Stack the gold doubloon, food, and gunpowder tokens into their own piles. Place one treasure token on each of the 9 skull rocks (pirate lairs) on the board. Each player takes a set of action cards, a matching colored ship, and a personal board. Players place 3 food tokens in one hold on their personal board and 3 doubloons in another. All ships are placed on the Port Royal space on the board. Shuffle the deck of action cards, and each player draws 3. Choose a random start player to be the captain, giving them the compass marker and the two action dice.
Objective
The objective of Jamaica is to be the pirate captain with the highest total value of treasure at the end of the game. This total includes the value of all treasure cards collected, the number of gold doubloons a player has, and a bonus based on their final finishing position on the board.
On your turn
At the start of a turn, the captain rolls the two action dice and places them on the two navigation boxes in any order, considering their own action cards. Each player then secretly selects an action card from their hand and places it face-down on their discard pile. Once all players have done this, the captain flips their chosen card face-up. Players then resolve their card in turn order, starting with the captain. First, the morning action (left side of the card, associated with the sun icon and the left die) is resolved. This can involve loading resources, moving, or other actions. After any movement, players must fight if on a space with another ship, then pay the cost of the space. Next, the evening action (right side of the card, associated with the moon icon and the right die) is resolved, following the same sequence of movement, combat, and paying costs. Once everyone has resolved both actions on their card, all players draw a new card, and the compass is passed to the player on the left to start a new round.
Scoring
At the end of the game, players add up their treasure. Each doubloon a player has in their holds is worth 1 point. Treasure cards are worth their printed value (positive or negative for cursed treasures). Players also score points for their final position on the board: Port Royal and spaces after it are worth 15 points, anything on or before the -5 space is worth -5 points, and all other spaces are scored as shown by their number. The player with the highest total score wins. Ties are broken by the player who is furthest along on the board at the game's end.
Game end
The game ends immediately when any player's ship passes Port Royal. The current round is then completed, allowing all players to take their final actions for that round. After the round concludes, final scoring takes place to determine the winner.
Tips
When loading resources, they must always be placed into an empty hold. If all holds are full, a player must discard all tokens from one hold to make room, but the discarded tokens must be of a different type than those being loaded. In combat, the attacker chooses a defender, and both spend gunpowder tokens and roll the combat die, adding the totals. The higher number wins, with ties resulting in no action. The winner can steal a hold's contents or a treasure card, or give a cursed treasure card. Rolling a star on the combat die results in an instant win. If a player cannot afford to pay for a space, they pay what they can and roll a shortage die, which dictates how far backward they move (to the nearest port, sea space, or pirate lair, or stay put). Moving backward due to shortage does not incur space costs but may trigger combat. In a 2-player game, a 'ghost ship' is introduced, controlled by the captain, which doesn't play cards, never pays space costs, and has specific movement and combat rules. If the ghost ship wins combat, it can take doubloons or treasure, but food/cannons are discarded. If it loses, players can take doubloons or treasure from it, or give it a cursed treasure card.
game anatomy
Complexity1.7 / 5
BGG rating7.1 / 10
Vibe
PartyFamily
Language dependence
No in-game text needed
Play time
30–60 min
Players
2–6
Recommended age
8+ yrs
BGG rank
#646
from Trișache · verified
Frequently asked questions
Q1What is the goal of the game?
The objective of Jamaica is to be the pirate captain with the highest total value of treasure at the end of the game. This total includes the value of all treasure cards collected, the number of gold doubloons a player has, and a bonus based on their final finishing position on the board.
Q2How do you set up the game?
To set up the game, first lay out the board on the table. Shuffle the 12 treasure cards, place 9 face-down on the designated space on the board, and return the remaining 3 to the box. Place the combat die on the fortress in the middle of the board. Stack the gold doubloon, food, and gunpowder tokens into their own piles. Place one treasure token on each of the 9 skull rocks (pirate lairs) on the board. Each player takes a set of action cards, a matching colored ship, and a personal board. Players place 3 food tokens in one hold on their personal board and 3 doubloons in another. All ships are placed on the Port Royal space on the board. Shuffle the deck of action cards, and each player draws 3. Choose a random start player to be the captain, giving them the compass marker and the two action dice.
Q3How does a turn work?
At the start of a turn, the captain rolls the two action dice and places them on the two navigation boxes in any order, considering their own action cards. Each player then secretly selects an action card from their hand and places it face-down on their discard pile. Once all players have done this, the captain flips their chosen card face-up. Players then resolve their card in turn order, starting with the captain. First, the morning action (left side of the card, associated with the sun icon and the left die) is resolved. This can involve loading resources, moving, or other actions. After any movement, players must fight if on a space with another ship, then pay the cost of the space. Next, the evening action (right side of the card, associated with the moon icon and the right die) is resolved, following the same sequence of movement, combat, and paying costs. Once everyone has resolved both actions on their card, all players draw a new card, and the compass is passed to the player on the left to start a new round.
Q4How is scoring calculated?
At the end of the game, players add up their treasure. Each doubloon a player has in their holds is worth 1 point. Treasure cards are worth their printed value (positive or negative for cursed treasures). Players also score points for their final position on the board: Port Royal and spaces after it are worth 15 points, anything on or before the -5 space is worth -5 points, and all other spaces are scored as shown by their number. The player with the highest total score wins. Ties are broken by the player who is furthest along on the board at the game's end.
Q5When and how does the game end?
The game ends immediately when any player's ship passes Port Royal. The current round is then completed, allowing all players to take their final actions for that round. After the round concludes, final scoring takes place to determine the winner.
Q6What tips are there for beginners?
When loading resources, they must always be placed into an empty hold. If all holds are full, a player must discard all tokens from one hold to make room, but the discarded tokens must be of a different type than those being loaded. In combat, the attacker chooses a defender, and both spend gunpowder tokens and roll the combat die, adding the totals. The higher number wins, with ties resulting in no action. The winner can steal a hold's contents or a treasure card, or give a cursed treasure card. Rolling a star on the combat die results in an instant win. If a player cannot afford to pay for a space, they pay what they can and roll a shortage die, which dictates how far backward they move (to the nearest port, sea space, or pirate lair, or stay put). Moving backward due to shortage does not incur space costs but may trigger combat. In a 2-player game, a 'ghost ship' is introduced, controlled by the captain, which doesn't play cards, never pays space costs, and has specific movement and combat rules. If the ghost ship wins combat, it can take doubloons or treasure, but food/cannons are discarded. If it loses, players can take doubloons or treasure from it, or give it a cursed treasure card.
Q7How much does Jamaica cost?
Jamaica costs around 253 RON in Romania.
Q8Where can I buy Jamaica cheapest?
The lowest price for Jamaica right now is 253 RON at Red Goblin. The Prices tab lists every store currently tracking it.
Q9How do you play Jamaica?
Jamaica is a nautical game, for 2–6 players, taking ~30–60 minutes, featuring dice rolling. Check the Rules tab for setup, gameplay, and scoring, or ask Trișache anything about Jamaica — our AI assistant built by howtoplay.ro and trained specifically on board game rulebooks.
Q10How many players does Jamaica support?
Jamaica is played by 2–6 players.
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Regatul JocurilorStandard (EN)easyboxCultural voucher
Jamaica (2017 English First Edition)
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RON 179
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Price history
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Price trend over the last 90 days: minimum 139 lei, maximum 253 lei, now 150 lei.
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