Puerto Rico 1897

The year is 1897 and Puerto Rico stands at the start of a new era. You are an independent farmer who wants to get the most out of this young country. You hire workers, grow crops and ship your harvest overseas. At the same time you build your own town, stone by stone. Whoever has gathered the most wealth and standing at the end may call themselves the most prosperous farmer in the land. Every player has their own board with space for plantations, buildings and goods. Together you also share three ships, a trading house and a supply of goods and doubloons. Each round a player picks a role, such as builder or trader. Everyone may then take that action, but the player who chose gets a little something extra. So one player builds more cheaply and another sells at an advantage. Roles that nobody picks become more and more attractive, because doubloons keep piling up on them. You score points with your buildings, with the goods you ship and with large buildings that are full of workers. You keep your shipping tiles hidden, so nobody knows exactly how you are doing. That makes the ending exciting, because any role could suddenly bring the game to a close. Puerto Rico 1897 is a game for enthusiasts who like to think ahead and want to compete for the best moves. Four expansions are already included in the box.