Monday August 11, 2014


PANAMAX

An economic game of shipping via the Panama Canal!

After one hundred years in service, the Panama Canal is still one of the most important and impressive engineering achievements in modern times.

Built in 1914,the Canal's opening hull designs were influenced accordingly; ships fell into three categories, those that could travel through easily and in groups (Feeder class), massive ocean going ships too big to enter the Canal (ULCV or Ultra Large Container Vessels), and the new standard - designed to the maximum limits of the Panama Canal. These ships are called PANAMAX.

In Panamax each player manages a shipping company established in the Colón Free Trade Zone. Companies accept contracts from both US coasts, China and Europe and deliver cargo in order to make money, attract investment and pay dividends. At the same time the players accumulate their own stock investments and try to make as much money as possible in an effort to have the largest personal fortune and win the game.

Panamax features several original game mechanics: Chain-reaction moving ("pushing") of ships through the locks and waterways of the Panama Canal, dice/action selection for both actions and cargo loading, and pickup-and-deliver along a single bi-directional route. It also features great player interaction with both the ships and economics of the game. Finally, Panamax has a unique theme, timed for the 100th Anniversary of the Panama Canal this year, and it marries that theme to the mechanics perfectly!