# Jamaica: The Crew ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2017 - **BGG Rating**: 7.8 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 2-6 (Best with: 5) - **Duration**: 30-75 min - **Weight**: 1.93 / 5 - **Designers**: Bruno Cathala, Malcolm Braff, Sébastien Pauchon - **Artists**: Mathieu Leyssenne - **Publishers**: GameWorks SàRL, Space Cowboys, Popcorn Games, Rebel Sp. z o.o. - **Categories**: Expansion for Base-game, Nautical, Pirates, Transportation - **Mechanics**: Dice Rolling, Hand Management, Race, Simultaneous Action Selection ## Verdict Perfect for those who own the base game and want more strategic variety without complicating the rules. The highlight is the balance between gold bonuses and space risk.Characters with fun special powersEasy to learn and implementIncreases the game's replayabilityGold bonuses that shift scoringRequires the base game to playCan make navigation frustrating if overdoneRECOMMENDED ## Description If you already love the vibe of Jamaica, get ready to upgrade your crew! Jamaica: The Crew isn't the kind of expansion that flips the game upside down with complex rules; instead, it injects more flavor and personality into the treasure race. The heart of this content is a set of twenty new characters, each bringing a special power that can shift the dynamic of your match. It works in a very intuitive way: you hire these characters by paying the harbor fee, and they occupy space on your ship exactly like any other common resource. This is where the big strategic dilemma comes in: is it worth crowding the deck with people? The answer is: it depends on your risk appetite. Most of these crew members guarantee a valuable gold bonus at the end of the game, which is very tempting. However, remember that every character hired is one less slot for regular resources. If you overdo the hiring, your navigation can become much more unstable and risky, turning your voyage into a nautical roulette. It's the perfect addition for those who feel the base game needed a bit more 'organized chaos'. You get more layers of decision-making without having to read a hundred-page manual. It's more challenge, more laughs from absurd situations, and, of course, much more pirate spirit. If you want your games to have more variety and that touch of 'is this actually going to work?', The Crew is the way to go. It's basically taking the fun you already know and giving it an extra boost, making the struggle for the Caribbean even more vibrant and competitive. ## How to Play Game Objective Morgan's great challenge has attracted pirates from the 7 Seas, and the island inns are full of adventurers waiting to become crew members and participate in the most famous race in the Caribbean. As a ship captain, your goal is to recruit new members for your crew, who will be very useful in your quest for victory. The main victory condition is to accumulate the most doubloons at the end of the game. However, if you have Calypso on board and all 3 cursed amulets, you immediately win the game! Preparation (Setup) Shuffle the 20 characters face down. Replace the original treasure cards with the 12 The Crew expansion cards. Place the bottle of rum in the space at the top of the ladder. Keep the characters face down and place them in the empty spaces of the track. Reveal 3 characters directly adjacent to the bottle of rum. The rest of the setup remains the same as the base game. Game Flow Refer to the manual for details on this section. Actions and How to Play Character Recruitment Every time you pay a full port fee, you can recruit a new crew member and take them aboard. This is not mandatory. If you recruit a new crew member, place them as a resource in an empty hold. Recruiting a character follows exactly the same rules as any other resource: You cannot store more than one per hold. You cannot replace one character with another. You can throw one overboard only if all your holds are full and you have to load another type of resource. A character taken from your hold is removed from the game. You can recruit any character adjacent to the bottle of rum. After recruiting a character, immediately reveal any character bordering the recruitment zone. Before recruiting a crew member, you can move the bottle within the recruitment zone. Each movement costs 1 doubloon paid to the Bank. The recruitment zone is formed by all spaces the bottle can reach. All characters bordering the recruitment zone must always be face up. Special Character Powers Each character has a special power: The Cartographer: You can have 4 action cards in your hand instead of 3. The Seafarer: When you are the captain, you can choose the value of one of the two dice (morning or night) before rolling the other die normally. The Prussian Merchant: When paying, you can freely substitute gold for food and vice versa. Can be combined with other merchants. The Helvetian Merchant: When paying, you can freely substitute food for gunpowder and vice versa. Can be combined with other merchants. The Venetian Merchant: When paying, you can freely substitute gunpowder for gold and vice versa. Can be combined with other merchants. The Anchoree: If desired, you can completely ignore the backward movement shown on your card. The Oracle: You can use the action dice in any order. This does not change the order of the dice for your opponents. The Strategist: You can re-roll your own combat die OR make your opponent re-roll theirs. The second result must be accepted. The Shipowner: At the end of the game, each character in your hold is worth 3 doubloons. The Shipowner also counts. The Nosey Parker: When you buy a treasure card (in a lair or from an opponent's hand), you can look at up to 3 cards and keep 1. Calypso: If you have Calypso on board and all 3 cursed amulets, you immediately win the game! The Buccaneer: You can attack a ship in an adjacent space. If you win, your opponent discards the contents of a hold of their choice. If you lose, nothing happens. Sir Beth: Add 2 points to your roll on the combat die. The Cooper: When obtaining resources, you always receive 1 more resource than indicated by the die. The Bishop: You can collect a treasure even when stopping in an adjacent space. The King !: You automatically win any combat if you are the attacker. The Witch: During any movement (forward or backward), you can choose to move 1 space more than the die value. The Old Seadog: During any movement (forward or backward), you can choose to move 1 space less than the die value. The Look-Out: During any movement (forward or backward), you can choose to move 1 space less than the die value. Treasures There are 12 treasures in The Crew. 8 of them earn points when revealed at the end of the game, with values ranging from 2 to 7. 3 of them are cursed amulets, which you also only reveal at the end of the game. They cost points, but if you have all three in your possession and Calypso on board, you immediately win the game! The final treasure is the Youkounkoun. This diamond earns 12 points at the end of the game. When you obtain it, you must reveal it and keep it face up. For the others, the rules apply normally. Get into the habit of storing your treasure tokens next to your holds. They will be profitable if you end up with the bishop on board. End of Game and Scoring The main victory condition is to accumulate the most doubloons at the end of the game. However, if you have Calypso on board and all 3 cursed amulets, you immediately win the game! The scoring of characters in the hold is indicated by two numbers: Top number: if your ship reached Port Royal (example: +5 doubloons). Bottom number: if your ship did not reach Port Royal (example: +2 doubloons). The Shipowner also counts for the score of 3 doubloons per character in the hold at the end of the game. For the treasures: 8 treasures earn points (from 2 to 7 doubloons) when revealed at the end of the game. The 3 cursed amulets cost points at the end of the game, unless you have Calypso and all 3, which results in immediate victory. The Youkounkoun earns 12 points at the end of the game. The The Bishop: At the end of the game, for each treasure token you collected you receive 2 doubloons. The Saran has no power and can earn a lot of gold. But he is very disappointed (-3!) if he doesn't reach Port Royal. Tips for Winning Carefully consider recruiting characters, as they can offer significant advantages through their special powers, such as The Cartographer for more action cards or merchants for payment flexibility. Keep an eye on the treasures, especially the cursed amulets and the Youkounkoun, as they can be decisive for immediate victory or a high score at the end of the game. If you have The Bishop on board, prioritize collecting treasure tokens, as each will be worth 2 doubloons at the end of the game. ## FAQ ### Do I need the base game to play? Yes! This is an expansion, so you need Jamaica to use these characters. ### Do the rules change a lot with the expansion? Not really; the core of the game remains the same. The characters just add new options and powers without altering the basic structure. ### Do the characters make the game harder? They add a layer of risk. Since they take up cargo space, you'll have less room for resources, making the voyage more dangerous. ### How many characters are included? There are 20 different characters, each with their own special ability. ### Is it worth it for family gaming? Absolutely! Since implementation is simple, it won't scare off casual players and adds a fun spice to the matches. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 22.13 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6917380&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/20201/jamaica-the-crew?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com