How To Play Cacao: A Step-By-Step Guide

Welcome to the lush world of Cacao, often called the “fruit of the Gods.” In this game, you’re not just a player—you’re the chief of a tribe. Your mission? To cultivate cacao, trade wisely, and outsmart your opponents. The goal is simple: become the richest chief.

Sounds exciting? Let’s break it down step by step.

Getting Started: Setting Up the Game

Before the fun begins, you’ll need to set up the game. Here’s how:

• Pick Your Tribe
  Choose a colour to represent your tribe. Grab your worker tiles, a water carrier, and a village board. Set the water carrier on the water track at -10.
• Shuffle Your Tiles
  Mix up your worker tiles and place them face down. Draw three tiles to start your hand.
• Build the Jungle
  Place two jungle tiles in the middle of the table (opposite each other). Shuffle the rest into a draw pile. Flip two jungle tiles to form the display.
• Organize Resources
  Arrange cacao tokens, coins, and sun tokens in piles where everyone can reach them.

Ready? Let’s dive in.

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How To Play Cacao: Step-by-Step

The game moves clockwise, starting with the oldest player. Each turn has three simple steps:

1. Place a Worker Tile

Pick a worker tile from your hand. Place it next to one or more jungle tiles. The goal? Create a checkerboard pattern.

• Worker tiles can’t touch other worker tiles.
• Jungle tiles can’t touch other jungle tiles directly.

2. Add a Jungle Tile

If your placement creates a space bordered by two or more worker tiles, fill that spot with a jungle tile from the display.

3. Perform Jungle Actions

Your workers get to work! Activate them to:

• Collect cacao tokens.
• Sell cacao for gold
• Gain water (to move your carrier on the water track)
• Earn sun tokens (for bonus points later).

After your turn, draw a new worker tile to refill your hand.

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Winning the Game: Scoring

The game ends when everyone has placed their last worker tile. Here’s how to score:

• Temple Bonuses
  Have the most influence on temple tiles? You’ll earn extra gold.
• Sun Tokens
  Each token = 1 gold. Simple math.
• Water Track Penalties
  If your water carrier is still in the negatives, you lose points.

The player with the most gold wins!

Tips for Winning

Want to outplay your friends? Here’s how:

• Plan Ahead
  Think about where to place your worker tiles for maximum impact.
• Balance Your Strategy
  Collecting cacao is great, but selling it and gaining water can be just as important.
• Use Sun Tokens Smartly
  Save them for a game-changing moment.
• Watch Your Opponents
  Stay one step ahead by keeping an eye on their moves.

Why Cacao is a Must-Play

Cacao strikes the perfect balance between simple rules and deep strategy. Its vibrant design and interactive gameplay keep things exciting from start to finish. Whether you’re a newbie or a board game pro, this game has something for everyone.

The best part? You can gather friends, step into the world of cacao, and see who truly has the skills to lead their tribe to victory.

So, what are you waiting for? Dive in, strategize, and let the games begin!