Description

Embargo is a pick up and delivery game with play mechanics similar to Monopoly or Easy Money, but laced with political jabs...just look at the box cover. The game challenges players to deliver 9 barrels of oil to a port in each country, while trying to avoid going broke. Landing on a competitor’s port (occupied by their colored barrel) makes you roll and multiply the dice together, then multiply them again by one thousand- ultimately paying that cost to the owner of that port.

While the goal is to deliver a barrel to each country you can forego that objective by placing all your barrels as strategically as possible, hoping to bankrupt the other players. This is a risky endeavor since you are preventing yourself the opportunity of an outright win, and you may end up going broke yourself while pursuing the rapid acquisition of ports.

With 4 players, ships are divided into pairs which navigate the oceans in opposite directions. Collisions with other ships are just one of the hazards when seafaring around the globe. Landing on an "Embargo" space causes you to pay $25,000 or lose your precious cargo of oil. Choosing the latter causes you to lose a turn the next time you want to reacquire another barrel of oil. Other spaces can reward you with a cash payout, which you can possibly double or triple with another roll of the dice...but beware, the wrong dice roll means you get nothing. Some spaces allow you to draw a card, most of which are fortuitous but some will be detrimental to your pocketbook.

Money can be tight in this game unless you land on a money space or the start space (yes, passing start nets you nothing), you draw a card or you have other players land on your ports. The player that delivers 9 barrels first or forces everyone else into bankruptcy is the winner.