Overview

Gold am Orinoko (also known as Orinoco Gold) is a tactical children’s board game published by HABA. Players are adventurers trying to cross the Orinoco River by jumping onto floating logs, then collecting gold coins from the dense jungle on the other shore. The clever use of two dice determines where adventurers can jump onto logs and how far the logs drift downstream. The player who brings their adventurers safely across and collects the most valuable gold wins.

Components

• Game board (river with jungle shores)
• Pre-painted wooden adventurer meeples (2 per player, in 4 colors)
• 5 log tiles (floating in the river)
• 4 Jeep tiles (one per player color)
• Gold coins (various values)
• 2 dice
• Instructions

Setup

1. Place the game board in the center of the table.
2. Position the 5 log tiles on the river.
3. Each player takes 2 adventurer meeples and 1 Jeep tile in their chosen color.
4. Place adventurers on the starting shore.
5. Arrange gold coins on the far shore of the river.
6. Determine a starting player.

Turn Structure

On your turn:

1. Roll both dice to determine your available actions.
2. Choose how to use the dice results:
   • Use one die to move a log downstream (drift).
   • Use the other die to jump an adventurer onto a log or move an adventurer between logs.
3. Collect gold if an adventurer reaches the far shore.

Actions

Jumping onto Logs

• Adventurers must jump from the shore onto a floating log to begin crossing the river.
• The dice determine which log positions are available for jumping.
• Multiple adventurers (from any player) can share a log.

Log Drifting

• One die result is used to drift a log downstream along the river.
• All adventurers on a drifting log move with it.
• Strategic log drifting can help your adventurers reach the far shore or push opponents’ adventurers downstream.

Crossing the River

• Adventurers ride logs across the river.
• They can jump between adjacent logs when dice allow.
• The goal is to reach the far shore where gold coins await.

Collecting Gold

• When an adventurer reaches the opposite shore, the player collects a gold coin.
• Gold coins have different values.
• The adventurer is then returned to the starting shore to attempt another crossing.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

When all gold coins have been collected, the game ends. Each player totals the value of their collected gold coins. The player with the highest total gold value wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Two dice, two actions: Each turn provides exactly two dice results, one typically for log drifting and one for adventurer movement, though the player chooses how to allocate them.
• Shared logs: Multiple adventurers from different players can occupy the same log, meaning drifting a log affects all riders.
• Tactical depth: Despite simple rules, the game offers genuine tactical decisions about which logs to drift, which adventurer to move, and when to help or hinder opponents.
• Return trips: After collecting gold, adventurers return to the start to cross again, allowing multiple collection runs.
• Age range: Designed for ages 7+, with rules simple enough for children but strategic enough for adults.
• HABA quality: Features pre-painted wooden components characteristic of HABA games.

Player Reference

Dice: Roll 2 dice per turn; allocate one to log drift, one to adventurer movement

Goal: Cross the river on floating logs to collect gold coins

Adventurers: 2 per player; return to start after collecting gold

Win condition: Most total gold value when all coins are collected

Log sharing: Multiple adventurers can ride the same log