Puerto Rico 1897 is set one year after Puerto Rico gained political autonomy from the Spanish colonial government. In this engaging board game, you step into the shoes of an independent Puerto Rican farmer in a new era. Compete with others to hire workers, grow valuable crops, and engage in trading to sell them. As you play, you'll also have the important task of reviving the country by constructing vital city infrastructure. The goal? Out - earn and out - prestige your opponents to become the nation's most prosperous farmer.
Each player gets a small board with spaces for city buildings, plantations, and resources. There are three shared ships, a trading house, and a supply of resources and doubloons among the players.
The game's resource cycle is simple yet strategic. Grow crops and exchange them for points or doubloons. Use doubloons to buy buildings that let you produce more crops or gain special abilities. Remember, buildings and plantations need workers to function.
During each round, take turns picking a role card like 'Trader' or 'Builder' from the table. When a role is chosen, all players can take the associated action. The player who selects the role gets a small perk, like a discount when choosing the 'Builder' role. Unused roles get a doubloon bonus at the end of each turn, encouraging players to use all roles.
The game uses a variable phase order mechanism. A token is passed clockwise at the end of a turn, and the player with the token starts the round by choosing a role and taking the first action.
Players earn victory points for owning buildings, shipping goods, and occupying 'large buildings'. Shipping chips are kept face - down, hiding your exact score from others. Goods and doubloons are visible, and you can always ask for their totals. As the game nears its end, the unknown shipping tokens make you think carefully before choosing a game - ending role.
To start playing Puerto Rico 1897, first, each player gets their small board. Place the shared ships, trading house, resources, and doubloons in the middle. Then, decide who gets the token to start the first round.
During each round, it's your turn to pick a role card from the table. Think about what action you and other players will take with that role and the bonus you'll get. For example, if you choose the 'Builder' role, you can build a building at a discount. After you choose a role, all players can take the action related to it.
When it comes to the resource cycle, focus on growing crops. Exchange them for points or doubloons and use the doubloons to buy useful buildings. But don't forget to hire workers for your buildings and plantations so they can work.
As you play, keep an eye on your victory points. You get them for owning buildings, shipping goods, and occupying 'large buildings'. Be careful with your shipping chips, as they're kept face - down to hide your score. If you want to know the totals of goods and doubloons, just ask.
When the game is close to ending, think twice before choosing a role that might end the game because of the unknown shipping tokens. Have fun playing and try to become the most prosperous farmer in Puerto Rico!
