Author Topic: Cacao board game with similarities to Carcassonne  (Read 65657 times)

Offline jungleboy

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Re: Cacao board game with similarities to Carcassonne
« Reply #30 on: February 01, 2016, 08:27:34 AM »
As I see it, it was several mini expansions you can implement whichever you want to have mor variation for each game.

Yep, exactly. Here is the BGG description:

Cacao: Chocolatl features four modules for the Cacao base game, and these modules can be used individually or in any combination with the other modules.

1. The chocolate module includes three chocolate maker tiles, three chocolate markets and twenty wooden chocolate markers. Chocolate is made out of cacao at the chocolate maker tiles and can be sold at a high price but only on special markets.

2. The huts module includes twelve double-sided huts you can acquire during the game. They give their owner special powers during the game or extra points when fulfilling specific conditions.

3. The irrigation module includes three special plantations where you can harvest a lot of cacao fruits but must pay with water.

4. The maps module includes a preview board for two more tiles that are visible near the draw pile. Each player receives two map tiles at the beginning of the game, and for each tile spent he can also choose from the preview board when filling up spaces on the board.

Offline Decar

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Re: Cacao board game with similarities to Carcassonne
« Reply #31 on: February 01, 2016, 08:43:25 AM »
Im a big fan of modularized expansions. Alhambra did this too. It looks like some of these might address some of the 2-player weaknesses I mentioned before.

Offline Decar

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Re: Cacao board game with similarities to Carcassonne
« Reply #32 on: February 19, 2016, 10:04:45 AM »
BGG released a preview just now.  It's a tad underwhelming because you have to remove tiles to apply some of these new mechanics.

The huts look good though.

« Last Edit: February 19, 2016, 10:06:21 AM by Decar »

Offline jungleboy

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Re: Cacao board game with similarities to Carcassonne
« Reply #33 on: February 19, 2016, 10:52:11 AM »
BGG released a preview just now.  It's a tad underwhelming because you have to remove tiles to apply some of these new mechanics.

The huts look good though.

I'm not bothered at all about removing tiles. But I'm not a mega-Carcassonne player either so I'm fine without having lots of tiles in the game.

Also, I think the huts might be my least favourite of the four modules.

So basically, I disagree entirely with your post good sir :)

Offline Paul

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Re: Cacao board game with similarities to Carcassonne
« Reply #34 on: February 19, 2016, 11:33:33 AM »
I'm looking forward to play this again. We've not had a chance to play it enough, even without the expansions.
World record holder for a single game of Carcassonne using 10 007 tiles!

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Re: Cacao board game with similarities to Carcassonne
« Reply #35 on: February 19, 2016, 12:05:26 PM »
So basically, I disagree entirely with your post good sir :)

It would be a dull place if we all had the same opinions! Or the world would be much more efficient. Im not sure....

What didnt you like about the huts? Their mechanic seems intriguing: accessing special powers, i wasn't blown away by randomly scatter them. I suspect some of them will be OP.

I didn't like how 3 market places are replaced with three  identical market places which you can sell chocolate at.  The module basically makes the old tiles redundant.

Offline jungleboy

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Re: Cacao board game with similarities to Carcassonne
« Reply #36 on: February 19, 2016, 12:21:13 PM »
What didnt you like about the huts? Their mechanic seems intriguing: accessing special powers, i wasn't blown away by randomly scatter them. I suspect some of them will be OP.

I guess it's the very aspect of special powers themselves that I'm not super keen on. Again I want to use the word 'unintuitive' to describe the huts. The chocolate and irrigation make perfect sense to me within the theme. If you make chocolate out of your cacao, it takes more time and effort, but you get more money at the market for it in the end. Or if you want to build an irrigation system, this is costly so you move back down the water track, but it has long-term benefits in the ability to harvest more cacao. But the huts is just: buy special powers.

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Re: Cacao board game with similarities to Carcassonne
« Reply #37 on: February 19, 2016, 12:28:06 PM »
I guess the huts were meant to show a crude form of industrialization. You have to spend money (VPs) to get access to more efficient labour.  "Take the cacao back to our village where our poorly payed slaves will make it more valuable".

 I'm not sure chocolate suite the 'aztecy/mayan' theme. I could be wrong but wasnt chocolate a European development?

Offline jungleboy

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Re: Cacao board game with similarities to Carcassonne
« Reply #38 on: February 19, 2016, 12:32:20 PM »
I'm not sure chocolate suite the 'aztecy/mayan' theme. I could be wrong but wasnt chocolate a European development?

From Wikipedia:

Cacao has been cultivated by many cultures for at least three millennia in Mesoamerica. The earliest evidence of use traces to the Mokaya (Mexico and Guatemala), with evidence of chocolate beverages dating back to 1900 BC.[1] In fact, the majority of Mesoamerican people made chocolate beverages, including the Maya and Aztecs,[2] who made it into a beverage known as xocolātl [ʃoˈkolaːt͡ɬ], a Nahuatl word meaning "bitter water".

Offline Decar

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Re: Cacao board game with similarities to Carcassonne
« Reply #39 on: February 19, 2016, 12:35:24 PM »
Right, so as a beverage not like the chocolate bar on the box!

https://boardgamegeek.com/image/2859079/cacao-chocolatl

Offline dirk2112

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Re: Cacao board game with similarities to Carcassonne
« Reply #40 on: February 25, 2016, 11:44:51 AM »
My wife and I love this game.  We played a demo at the boardgame store and bought it immediately. She wants to get the Chocolat expansions, but it doesn't really look worthwhile to me.  The volcano expansion looks ok, but not $10 for 3 tiles.

Offline quevy

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Re: Cacao board game with similarities to Carcassonne
« Reply #41 on: February 27, 2016, 03:12:50 AM »
Today I received the volcano from bgg store, I also ordered the core game and the expansion of the advent calendar, I hope it will come soon.
A knight is sworn to valour.
His heart knows only virtue.
His blade defends the helpless.
His might upholds the weak.
His word speaks only truth.
His wrath undoes the wicked.

 :white-meeple: My works.

Offline jungleboy

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Re: Cacao board game with similarities to Carcassonne
« Reply #42 on: March 05, 2016, 11:55:20 AM »
I finally played my first game of Cacao today. It's a delight to play with beautiful artwork and a great theme. The game moves quickly and has a nice amount of strategy for my liking. Unfortunately my wife's opinion was that 'it's just math'.

« Last Edit: March 05, 2016, 02:35:31 PM by jungleboy »

Offline Decar

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Re: Cacao board game with similarities to Carcassonne
« Reply #43 on: March 09, 2016, 06:20:22 AM »
Carcassonne Chocolat + Die Lichtung are available at 10% off from Spiel Offensive!!!!

Limited numbers available - Paul - please save some for the rest of us ;)

https://www.spiele-offensive.de/index.php?cmd=gruppendeal&grid=200

Offline Paul

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Re: Cacao board game with similarities to Carcassonne
« Reply #44 on: March 09, 2016, 06:32:37 AM »
I think you all are safe. Honing in on Catan collection. But rest assure going to buy one copy of Chocospansion for Cacao. ;)

Those that pre-order also get a box of chocholate. Mmm!
« Last Edit: March 09, 2016, 06:38:32 AM by Paul »


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