- Publisher : Super Meeple
- Designer(s) : Daniel de Lucca
- Artist(s) : Carmen Ferreira Martinez
- Players : 1–4
- Playing time : 60 Min
- Weight BGG : 2.00
What's this?
Marajoara is a unique strategic board game inspired by the pre-Columbian culture of the Marajoara people, who lived on the island of Marajó at the mouth of the Amazon. Players take on the role of museum curators seeking to reconstruct, restore, and exhibit the magnificent ceramics discovered during archaeological excavations. The goal? Manage your collection as best you can over 14 turns to accumulate as many victory points as possible thanks to restored vases, ceramic fragments, and excavation bonuses.
How do you play?
⏳ A game in 14 rounds
Each round is played clockwise, and each turn consists of:
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From a mandatory main action , including:
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Capture a die on the board by making it jump over another die,
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Increase the value of the die that jumped (+1 or more depending on the arrival square),
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Activate a possible search bonus (depending on the box where the die landed),
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Perform the action related to the color of the captured die :
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🔴 Display a vase (red),
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🔵 Restore a ceramic fragment (blue),
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🟡 Collect money (yellow die, used to pay for certain actions),
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⚫️ Move forward on the excavation tracks (grey).
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Unlimited number of optional free shares :
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Exhibit one or more vases (for credits),
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Restore ceramic fragments,
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Fund the restoration or move a die on the board for credits.
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From the Recycling stage :
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Spent dice return to the main board in specific areas, or to your Search tokens if the priority areas are full.
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🏛️ Objective of the game
Players score points:
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By displaying vases (each vase gives VP according to its value),
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By restoring fragments (with blue dice meeting certain criteria),
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By advancing on the excavation tracks to obtain immediate and end-game bonuses,
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And depending on the majorities (larger number of vases exhibited, fragments restored, etc.).
At the end of the 14 rounds, a final count is made: the player with the most points wins the game.
Is it good?
Marajoara is an abstract game that stands out firstly for its abundant material , with a profusion of colored dice, and for its cleverly designed box , magnetized and serving as the main board.
Its mechanical heart is based on a dice capture system by “jumping” , inspired by solitaire. Simple to understand but clever to master, it encourages you to plan and optimize your actions : the more high-value dice you accumulate, the more points you can score.
The game is accessible and easy to learn , even if a first game will be necessary to fully grasp all the optimization possibilities and here no luck despite the dice. It offers a light strategy , centered around three scoring axes: the exposed vases , the restored ceramic fragments and the progression on the excavation tracks . That said, some players could criticize it for limited or repetitive replayability , due to this fixed structure.
On the weak points side, we can note a fairly significant manipulation , especially during the dice recycling phase . We can also regret a slight lack of combos as well as a somewhat slow pace , especially with 4 players, despite an end of the game which arrives very (even too) quickly.
But taken for what it is, Marajoara remains an elegant and calm abstract game , perfect for a quiet afternoon with family or friends. It will particularly appeal to fans of games with original dice mechanics , with beautiful production quality , optimization and a well-measured hint of reflection .
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Review Marajoara
Positives
- Abundant and quality material
- Original dice capture mechanics
- Accessible rules
- A good dose of optimization
- Accessibility and depth
Negatives
- Numerous manipulations (especially when recycling dice)
- Repetitiveness and a bit slow pace
- An endgame that comes quickly
- Installation a bit long
