The fellas I’m staying with for Gen Con 2024 got a copy of Pirates of Maracaibo from their launch here in Indy (in addition to some con-specific promo bowsprits). It’s a nautical exploration game with a pirate theme. The mechanisms are dice rolling, increase value of unchosen resources, multi-use cards, pieces as map, and a race element. Like Catan, the board shifts every time.

Pirates of maracaibo as a game takes a significant learning curve to figure out the various icons and the like. Setup didn’t take all that long, but getting an understanding for the multiple purchase mechanics, compounding mechanics, and literal moving pieces took a long time.

That said, once we’d learned it the game moved incredibly smoothly and brought about an ease of play not often seen in compounding resources. Unlike other systems, it ends up with multiple compounding curves function more like a market than those with merely two or three options. It reminds me in a way of Chicago express, but the pirate element had me hooked.

Check it out. Great release from a great team.