Mombasa (board game)

Mombasa is a strategy board game designed by Alexander Pfister, published in 2015 by eggertspiele and Pegasus Spiele. The game focuses on economic development and expansion in Africa during the late 19th century.

Gameplay:

Players take on the roles of investors who acquire shares in four different trading companies based in the cities of Mombasa, Cape Town, Saint-Louis, and Cairo. The game revolves around acquiring company shares, expanding trading posts across the African continent, developing bookkeeping skills, and advancing along the diamond track.

Each round, players simultaneously select cards from their hand to perform actions such as acquiring new cards, expanding trading posts, increasing their bookkeeping skill, or earning money. The chosen cards are then executed in a specific order. Players must strategically manage their hand of cards and anticipate their opponents' actions to maximize their opportunities.

Components:

The game includes a game board depicting a map of Africa, player boards, company share tiles, trading posts, bookkeeping markers, diamond tokens, and various cards representing characters, locations, and actions.

Strategic Elements:

Mombasa requires careful planning and resource management. Players must balance their investments in different companies, strategically place their trading posts to control resource areas, and optimize their bookkeeping to generate income. The diamond track provides an alternative scoring path for players who focus on accumulating diamonds.

Replayability:

The game offers high replayability due to the variable setup of the company share tiles and the different card combinations that players can acquire throughout the game. The strategic depth and complexity of the gameplay ensure that players can discover new strategies and approaches with each playthrough.

Awards and Recognition:

Mombasa was nominated for the Kennerspiel des Jahres (Connoisseur's Game of the Year) in 2016. It has been well-received by board game enthusiasts for its engaging gameplay, strategic depth, and unique theme.