Kickstarter can be a great thing. Since its creation it has allowed gaming creators to create more unique and individual games than could ever be stocked in a retail store. The types and stories created and backed have evolved into so many unique forms. One of the latest creative games is the game Embarcadero. The description of the game is as follows:

Embarcadero
Build an Empire with Embarcadero

This game feels very unique. Players essentially take over derelict ships in an attempt to build a waterfront empire. The style looks like San Francisco during the era of the Gold Rush. The board seems pretty impressive in that same 1800s style.

embarcadero gameboard
embarcadero game layout

Playing as one of six game characters, 1-5 players play over three round with 5 actions per round. They can either dock a ship to gain real-estate, construct a building for points or scrap a card to take certain actions. You then buy a card from the market and store a card for the next round. Watch the video below for a better idea of what you’re doing:

Embarcadero – What You get For the Price

For only $60 you get the base game to start. This includes 160 plastic structures (buildings), 80 double layered building tiles, 1 double sided gameboard, 4 player boards, 6 character cards, 53 building cards, 53 ship cards, 13 landmark cards, 9 goal cards, 53 double layered ship tiles, 30 wharf tiles, 25 sunk tokens, 4 100pt tokens, 8 score markers, 50 coins, 15 resource tokens, and a 1st player token. Sounds like quite the kit for empire building, but that is not all!

With the $60 base kit, you also get the expansion, Unsinkable, for free! That will save you $20 right there. The expansion adds 40 plastic structures, 20 double layered building tiles, a fifth player board, 9 ship cards, 18 entrepreneur cards, 8 event cards, 2 score markers and 1 100pt token.

While I have not been able to preview this game yet, it does look both impressive and unique. The Kickstarter ends in 8 days so you need to move quickly. Embarcadero should release March 2021, so the wait is short in Kickstarter terms.