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Santa Cruz box art

Base game

Santa Cruz

Replay index

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Published
2012
Players
2–4
Play time
45 min
Reach
Niche
Evaluations
0
Themes:
ExplorationTransportation
Mechanics:
Route buildingHand management

How it plays

No rules summary yet for this game.

Main mechanics explained

  • Route building: You connect points on a map and defend the connection.
  • Hand management: Timing which card to spend is the core puzzle.
Full publisher description

Santa Cruz is played in two independent rounds in which players build homes, churches and lighthouses on the island while also developing valuable resources. Players each start with a hand of cards, comprising traveling cards and scoring cards. They then explore a board showing three islands, which have tiles laid face-down representing buildings and places, such as churches and lighthouses. On a turn, players must play either a traveling card to explore and place buildings in their color or play a scoring card to score a particular type of building, resource, or other game condition for all players. Spaces near the central volcano are more valuable, but are vulnerable to a negative eruption scoring card. If that volcano does erupt, the magma might clear away the buildings already constructed. Bad luck? Well, use your experience from the first round to build better in the second. You won't make the same mistakes a second time, will you? Concentrate on the further colonization of Santa Cruz and score while you can!

What players say

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