# Cuba Libre

Cuba Libre is a board game for 1–4 players. It plays in 180 minutes and is meant for ages 14 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. It is rated 8.3 out of 10 by 12 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $82.16 (United States).

- **Players:** 1–4 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 180 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 14+
- **Complexity:** 3.6 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2013
- **Categories:** Political, Wargame, Economic, Modern Warfare
- **Mechanics:** Solo / Solitaire Game, Area Movement, Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, Area Majority / Influence
- **Ludoya rating:** 8.3 out of 10, from 12 reviews
- **Owned by:** 28 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 47
- **Unique players:** 77

**Designers:** Volko Ruhnke, Jeff Grossman

**Artists:** Rodger B. MacGowan, Xavier Carrascosa, Chechu Nieto

**Publishers:** GMT Games

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Spelexperten | 795 kr | https://www.spelexperten.com/sallskapsspel/strategispel/cuba-libre.html |
| Alphaspel | 799 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/63263-cuba-libre-4th-printing |
| Zatu Games | 64.79 £ | https://zatu.com/products/cuba-libre |
| World of Board Games | 949 kr | https://www.worldofboardgames.com/cuba-libre |

## Expansions

- [Cuba Libre: Calixto Bot Update Pack](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cuba-libre-calixto-bot-update-pack)
- [Cuba Libre: Invierno Cubano – Castro's Counterinsurgency, 1959-1965](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cuba-libre-invierno-cubano-castros-counterinsurgency-1959-1965)
- [Resisting Revolution: A Cuba Libre Expansion](https://www.ludoya.com/games/resisting-revolution-a-cuba-libre-expansion)

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## Rules questions

### How do I set up the board, buildings and player pieces at the start?

Follow the setup steps: place the board and 25 building tiles, set out ships, markers and goods, then give each player their pieces, plantation board, starting money, resource cubes and character cards as listed in the setup section (p.4–5).

### What are the phases of a round and how many rounds are there?

The game is played over 6 rounds and each round has five phases: the Bills phase, the Action phase, the Parliament/Statute phase, then ship/stock adjustments and the end-of-round cleanup; see the round structure and phase details (p.6, p.12).

### If I activate plantation fields can I still use the Lot or the Tradeswoman in the same turn?

Activated plantation fields produce goods when used, while the Lot and the Tradeswoman are separate action options or alternative uses defined on the character cards; you must follow the specific rules and alternative-use text for each card (p.7–8).

### What exactly does the Mayor action do — can it change who starts the next round?

The Mayor action has a normal effect and an alternative use described in the rules; one of the alternative Mayor uses allows changing the starting player marker, so follow the Mayor action text to change the starting player (p.9).

### How do you buy votes and pass statutes in Parliament — do I pay money or something else?

During the Statute (Parliament) phase players buy votes and propose/statute effects as shown on the statute cards; vote purchases and the Tax and Duty (and other) Acts’ costs and effects are resolved according to the statute rules (p.10–11).

### When does a round end, how are ships and stock handled, and how is final scoring done?

A round ends after Parliament and any ship movement/stock adjustments are carried out according to the ship/stock rules, then proceed to the end-of-round steps; final scoring and victory-point sources are applied at game end as described in the end-of-game and scoring sections (p.12).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cuba-libre-2)
- [Cuba Libre in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/cuba-libre-2)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/111799)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._