Review: Rule the Docks in Unique Ways in EMBARCADERO and the UNSINKABLE EXPANSION
To be totally honest, I didn’t think this game was going to be all that complicated or involved. With all the piece stacking and relatively simple resource systems, I figured Embarcadero would be a fun, medium-level game that could be played in under an hour. Oh boy, I was wrong. The game is far more complicated and deep than I imagined and had more intertwined systems than I expected, all for the better. While I think things can snowball a little bit for those who have some strong luck and it requires a bit more time learning symbols than it needs to, the game is fairly balanced, terribly engaging, and introduces some game mechanics I never tried before.
Embarcadero’s gameplay is simple in premise, but complicated in execution. Players will build ships and buildings to gain a variety of points. Playing these buildings and ships is straightforward: players will need different types of currency to place and build cards. The most complicated part is when and where to build them. Each round consists of five turns and a player's hand depleting in options as they plan their hand for the next round. It is a truly unique idea that I’ve never dealt with before, and it is incredibly strategic. Along with that, players will be buying a new card at the end of every turn, this makes the pool of available ships and buildings relatively an extension of your hand. This buy phase, its importance, and consequences seem to add a level of drafting into the game too. There are other mechanics like unique characters, a council track that gives planned rewards, and end-of-round points that culminate to a surprisingly deep experience that’ll challenge even the most experienced players. The rules act as a way to challenge players to make tough decisions and plan ahead instead of just being complicated for complexities sake.
Along with the really great gameplay, the aesthetic overall is really nice. The detailed structures, the semi embossed boats, the classic art style, and general history throughout come together very nicely. All of the pieces in the original game and expansion are pretty high-quality, and look and feel good to use. The game does require a lot of off-board real estate, and organizing that for a larger group can be a little tedious and awkward. However, it isn’t so bad that it significantly impacts the gameplay.
Other than the large area required to play the game, the only other issues come in a large amount of symbology, slightly off-balanced character cards, and some minor luck-based snowballing. There are a lot of different symbols in this game. Each card has a bunch of different symbols on it. Some of them are obvious or are well explained in the rule book, but some are never explained at all. I think because of their complexity, a larger glossary or at least in-depth explanations online would be necessary for each symbol or card.
The expansion, Unsinkable, adds a number of elements to the game. Event cards can shape the following rounds in unexpected ways. Ships and buildings are added to the main deck with unique abilities and features. Lastly, another player color and board are added. While I think that these things could have been added into the base game, they are fun and welcome editions and might be worth leaving out for people struggling with harder board games. It is a huge bummer that we don’t get more historical characters to be in the expansion, but it is fine for a moderately low price.
Embarcadero surprised me. Each turn had big consequences and allowed for a lot of options. The great visual design and intertwined mechanics make this game feel polished and well thought out. Yes, there seems to be a bit of imbalance with some really lucky cards or goals, but things float mostly smoothly. For anyone who wants a complex game that really puts your economic and planning skills to the test, I’d highly recommend looking into Embarcadero.
