Karuba is a tile laying, route building game.

Title: Karuba

Year Published: 2015

Designer: Rüdiger Dorn

Publisher: HABA

Players: 2-4

Game Time: ~40 minutes

Set-up Time: ~3 minutes

Ages: 8+

Theme: Tropical Island

Mechanisms: Grid Movement, Route Building, Tile Placement

How to win: Score the most points by moving Adventurers to Temples as well as collecting Crystals and Gold Nuggets.

Game Description

Many moons have come and gone since your boats departed on the journey to Karuba. Once you arrive on the island, each player will lead an expedition team of four adventurers. Now you just have to navigate your way through the dense jungle to make it to the temples. The ancient jungle trails have to be found and uncovered first! Hurry up and be the first to reach the temples to collect the most valuable treasures. Many paths have dead ends and you need to be patient to find the best way through the jungle.

Set Up, Game Play & Game End

Karuba Round Up

Easy setup, hardly any rules but very strategic gameplay.

EVERY single tile is a choice of placement or movement. Then you have to think about where to place it… Near an adventure? Near a temple? In the middle? If you’re moving, which Adventurer do you move?

The components are quite nice for such a simple game. They could have easily cut back on production. The Meeples are fine and the crystal/gold nuggets are really nice. They didn’t have to do that.

I like games with this ‘Bingo’ mechanism. Where players all have the same thing and whoever uses it best will win. NMBR 9 is up there with some of my favourites as well as a few others both thematic and abstract.

I can’t help but wonder if you can develop a system, and stick to it? Probably not due to the tiles being so random but I guess you’ll eventually develop a ‘best practice’ that you follow game to game.

Also, it’s only 4 player which is a shame. But, I bought 2 copies so I can play up to 8 🙂 Still not 100% sure how to work out the Treasure tiles with more than 4 players but it’s no less fun, or any slower.

Rating I give it 8/10

Jesta ThaRogue