Objective
In Puerto Rico, each player takes on the role of a governor responsible for growing crops and building up the infrastructure on the island of Puerto Rico in colonial times. The main goal is to collect Victory Points, which are obtained by constructing buildings, shipping goods, and staffing your city and plantations with colonists.
Components
- A player board for each participant showing City and Plantation areas
- Building tiles
- Plantation tiles
- Coins in the form of Dublons
- Goods tokens (Corn, Indigo, Sugar, Tobacco, Coffee)
- Ships for exporting goods
- Role tiles (Settler, Mayor, Builder, Craftsman, Trader, Captain, Prospector)
- Colonist figures
- Victory point chips
Game Flow
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Setup: Each player receives a board, some Dublons, a starting plantation (Corn), and selected starting buildings. Role tiles are placed in the center, and the remaining building and plantation tiles are set aside.
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Rounds: The game consists of multiple rounds, each divided into phases. Each round, the starting player selects a role tile, and all players perform the action associated with it.
a. Settler: Players select plantation tiles to add to their board, which will generate resources in later phases.
b. Mayor: New colonists from supply are placed on plantations and buildings to activate them.
c. Builder: Players can purchase buildings to place in their City area. Buildings provide special abilities and endgame points.
d. Craftsman: Allows for the production of goods. Active plantations and corresponding buildings produce one good per colonist.
e. Trader: Players can sell goods to the Trading House for Dublons. Each type of good has a fixed price.
f. Captain: Players ship goods for victory points. Goods are shipped in bulk but only one type per round on each ship.
g. Prospector: Provides the selecting player a bonus of one Dublon.
- End of Round: Check if there are enough colonists or parts in the supply; the game ends if not.
End of the Game
The game ends when one of these conditions is met: - The colonist ship cannot be filled completely. - A player completely fills their building spaces (12 total) and the building phase concludes. - Victory point chips are depleted.
Strategic Considerations
- Timing of Role Selection: Choosing the right role at the right time is crucial to maximizing benefits.
- Plantation and Building Planning: Decisions on which crops to produce and buildings to construct can vastly affect success.
- Colonist Management: Efficiently placing colonists to maximize production and victory points is key.
- Trade vs. Shipping: Deciding whether to sell goods for Dublons or ship them for victory points affects whether you gain immediate money or end-game points.
