We love exploration/tile placement games and Karuba has fun illustrations, great mechanisms, and is a really fun family game!
Players set up the game by taking turns placing one explorer and one temple at least 3 spaces apart on the board. Explorers go along the beach (sandy edges) and temples go in the jungle (green edges).
Each player takes a turn placing a set of pieces until all four explorer/temple sets are placed. Each player’s board should be set up in the exact same way.
Each player chooses a colored set of tiles – there are 4 identical sets of path tiles numbered 1-35 with different colored backs for the different players.
One player is selected as the Expedition Leader, and he mixes up his tiles and draws them at random, one at a time, announcing the number each time to all players. All other players find that tile from their face up deck and place (or discard….keep reading!)it anywhere on the board without changing the orientation of the tile.
The goal of the game is to create paths to connect explorers to their temples. Be careful with tile placement, it’s possible to create a wall instead of a path!
Some tiles have gems – when players land on those tiles, they add the gems to their cache of glittering jewels. Gold is worth 2 points and crystals are worth 1 point at the end of the game.
Players can choose to discard a tile instead of laying it down and move an explorer the number of exit points on the discarded tile.
The first player to get the explorer of a single color to their matching temple gets the 5 point token for that color. The next player to arrive gets the next available token.
Players have to make choices in this game, and that’s one of the things I love about playing games generally. Most actions in most games have an opportunity cost and players have to weight the benefit of one action against the benefit or consequence of another. It’s great practice for real life decision making!
Do you get the explorer to his temple as quickly as possible to score the maximum point value? Or do you take a little extra time, stopping to pick up gold and crystals, and maybe not get the 5 point token? Hmmm.
Karuba is a great gameschooling resource to add to a study of explorers, South American culture, geography, and architecture, ancient buildings, and more. And as always, practice math, cooperation, logic, analytical thinking, decision making, problem solving, and FUN while playing!!
Thanks to HABA for sharing with us!
