Puerto Rico, Game 01: Transit of Venus: GAME OVER

[Newcastle]

Man, I am getting lapped this game. I'm not sure what I've done wrong, but everyone has cash, except me. (Maybe it's because I'm sitting behind Chaos and LM, while El Guapo and Newcastle are playing footsies).

I *think* it's my turn, so I'm sorting through the available options now...

This your first time Q?

i felt that way when i was playing w/ the Detroit crew

. I learned from it. Its a weird game to get into, but once you have a feel for the nuances and can kind of plan multiple strategies then it gets a lot easier. Since i've pretty much developed 3-4 different variations of what i want to accomplish. The other fun part now is that i am trying to figure out what the other peopel are going to do and try to think what would be in their best interest. Thats when it gets fun, especially when I am right more often than not.

[Qantaga]

This your first time Q?.:

Aye, first time.

Isn't it painfully obvious?

[El Guapo]

I think actually Chaosraven has a chance to build now, then it's your (Qantaga's) turn to choose an action.

Oh, I think this means he wasn't going to build:

With 4 Dublnz I can't get what I want so no build

ah, right.

Then proceed.

[Qantaga]

Settler... Quarry.

[Newcastle]

Plantations:

-Quarry - Qantaga

sugar - ELG
corn
sugar
indigo
sugar - NEWC
corn

[El Guapo]

I'll take a sugar plantation.

[Newcastle]

Sugar

[LordMortis]

Man, I am getting lapped this game. I'm not sure what I've done wrong, but everyone has cash, except me. (Maybe it's because I'm sitting behind Chaos and LM, while El Guapo and Newcastle are playing footsies).

It takes a game to get the flow (probably longer without actually seeing the game).

The elegance of Puerto Rico is that there is exactly one random event on the board. That is the flipping of the plantations. So you take this one tiny random aspect of the game and you try to make that randomness work for you, through a combination of monetizing your resources to build stuff (markets, factories, offices, etc...) and through cashing in VPs at the old world through shipping. So the key to success is looking at that tiny random factor and predicting and forcing others to do what you want them to. I'd love to say I'm totally screwing you over because that's my job. My job is really to advance my game as best I can and in the process make your life inconvenient, setting you up to make life suck for Guapo. Look no further than what the tool who goes before me keeps doing. I'm not doing a great job of hosing you partly because you are learning and partly because I go someone who has effectively chosen the best "screw mortis" move every round but this one.

Aside from the early choosing and placing, the only bungle you made, IMO, is the Office. You want the office primarily as a reaction to my screwing your ability to trade. You should have held off for Coffee Roaster. Sadly this mistake will prove to be a bad one as cash isn't easy to generate unless you design yourself to generate it. Learning each building is important because every building has a use. To advance your cause, to react to someone else advancing their cause, or to force your opponents to react.

I'm sitting on cash because I haven't spent cash and I've been choosing cash generating options. I've been doing this because I am being forced to bide my time until I can see an opening into the game I like. This force mainly came because I was set up to produce and ship but both small warehouses were purchases before I got my alignment going. One of those warehouses is owned by the guy in front of me who chose to diversify his production. He can effectively stop me from putting any resource on any ship by filling a ship with a resource I don't have. He has forced me to react in such a way that I don't have the ability to work on forcing you to react.

When the game is done, we should go over the turn by and the results to see if the game still interests you. While I'm only a fair player, I completely love this game and how it plays out.

[El Guapo]

How long does PR take to play typically in real life?

[Newcastle]

How long does PR take to play typically in real life?

took a couple of hours i think. Went by really fast actually.

[LordMortis]

How long does PR take to play typically in real life?

A table full of new players might take 2 1/2 hours of learning the game together. A table full of people who played 3 or 4 games. Maybe 45 minutes to an hour. Maybe a little longer. A teaching game with experienced players. Some where in between. It's a pretty standard "euro style" game in its approach and length. However, it is the Euro style game for me in its approach for me.

[Qantaga]

Aside from the early choosing and placing, the only bungle you made, IMO, is the Office. You want the office primarily as a reaction to my screwing your ability to trade. You should have held off for Coffee Roaster.

I can certainly see that now. However, when that turn rolled around, only one coffee plantation popped and in observing the interaction at that time between you and Chaos, I misread it that buying a coffee roaster would be a bad thing, if I didn't get a coffee plantation straightaway (and misread that coffee plantations would be rarer than they are).

I was still happy with the Office (trading sugar when needed sounded good to me), but I neglected to foresee that you and Chaos would be Captaining away my supply before I could ever choose Trader (and that now those ahead of me can choose trader before craftsman, while I can't).

Now, don't take this as criticism of your advice. Your advice has been spot on and greatly appreciated. It's just that I am still learning the nuances amd implications of the intricate choices.

I absolutely love this game. I'm going to make my best effort this game (hopeless as it my chances may be), but I'm really looking forward to a future game when I've benefitted from the experience of this game.

[Grundbegriff]

Is there a finite supply of goods? Or is the reason that CR was worried he might not get any was due to them being held up in boats & the trade house?

This isn't a problem at the moment, but if all crates of a type are tied up on a ship or in the trade house or on other players' boards, and you wish to produce that type, you're out of luck. There is a finite quantity of crates per type, and whether they're already in play makes a difference!

[Grundbegriff]

I'll build a factory for 6 doubloons (7 - 1 quarry).

Grund, it looks like the write-up in the second post of the thread on buildings reversed the details of factories with universities - I believe the factory is the one that gives bonus doubloons based on production diversity.

Factory costs 8.

Remember the house rule (mentioned here and here and on every bank board and in the sign-up thread and especially in the tutorial: The costs of University and Factory are swapped.

The subsequent purchases are not in effect; we resume with El Guapo's Builder turn.

[Newcastle]

So, since I apparently can't build a factory, I'll build the final small sugar mill for 1 doubloon (2 - 1 quarry), leaving me with 5 doubloons.

Grund - he changed his order to this...we still need to reset back?

[Grundbegriff]

So, since I apparently can't build a factory, I'll build the final small sugar mill for 1 doubloon (2 - 1 quarry), leaving me with 5 doubloons.

Ah. You figured it out. OK!

[Grundbegriff]

Bank Board
Column 1
(1) [small indigo plant LM] [small indigo plant EG] [small indigo plant C] [small indigo plant]
(2) [small sugar mill C] [small sugar mill Q] [small sugar mill LM] [small sugar mill EG]
(1) [small market Q] [small market EG]
(2) [hacienda] [hacienda]
(2) [construction hut] [construction hut]
(3) [small warehouse N] [small warehouse C]
Column 2
(3) [large indigo plant LM] [large indigo plant] [large indigo plant]
(4) [large sugar mill] [large sugar mill] [large sugar mill]
(4) [hospice LM] [hospice]
(5) [office Q] [office N]
(5) [large market N] [large market]
(6) [large warehouse] [large warehouse]
Column 3
(5) [tobacco storage N] [tobacco storage EG] [tobacco storage]
(6) [coffee roaster] [coffee roaster] [coffee roaster]
(7) [university] [university]
(8) [factory] [factory]
(8) [harbor] [harbor]
(9) [wharf] [wharf]
Column 4
(10) [guild hall]
(10) [residence]
(10) [fortress]
(10) [customs house]
(10) [city hall]
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

• Builder (+1) LM
• Captain (+1)
• Craftsman (+1) C
• Mayor
• Prospector
• Prospector
• Settler Q
• Trader N

[El Guapo]

Settler should be crossed out on the actions, since Qantaga just chose it.

I think we're on Chaosraven to choose his settler action, right?

[Grundbegriff]

• sugar EG
• corn
• sugar N
• indigo
• sugar
• corn

We're in Qantaga's Settler phase, and the selection (if any) is on Chaosraven, followed by LordMortis.

[El Guapo]

Remember the house rule (mentioned here and here and on every bank board and in the sign-up thread and especially in the tutorial: The costs of University and Factory are swapped.

[Grundbegriff]

I skipped a few mentions so it wouldn't seem like I was piling on.

[Chaosraven]

Corn for me.

Hey, can I get a Factory for seven?

[El Guapo]

Corn for me.

Hey, can I get a Factory for seven?

[LordMortis]

I will take a manned corn.

chaosraven, because you are so "special" for this one turn and this one turn only you can get a factory for 7... If you can get a build in before the end of the turn... and you can get 7 doubloons...

Oh, governor passes after Grund resets the board.

[Newcastle]

I think its ElG's turn. Then the reign of the illuminative Newcastle is over...back to the dark ages of Pauper prince Chaosraven.

[El Guapo]

Is this the current state of the ships? This seems to be the latest - from the start of the turn, and captain's still open, so it must be, right?

http://www.baroquepotion.com/wp-content ... mmerce.jpg" target="_blank

It's hard for me to tell which good is which, since the crate colors don't really match the colors on the trade house. That's one corn ship, one sugar ship, and one empty ship, right? And the sugar ship has five while the corn ship has three?

[LordMortis]

Nothing has shipped the current state of ships should be the same as it was at the beginning of the round. I'll summarize in a moment.

[LordMortis]

http://www.baroquepotion.com/wp-content ... mmerce.jpg" target="_blank

Corn 3/6 open
Sugar 2/7 open
Space Ship can take any good

Crates On Hand

El G Corn: 00, Indigo: 01, Sugar: 00, Tobacco: 02, Coffee:00
NC Corn: 01, Indigo: 00, Sugar: 00, Tobacco: 02, Coffee:00
CR Corn: 01, Indigo: 01, Sugar: 02, Tobacco: 00, Coffee:00
LM Corn: 01, Indigo: 02, Sugar: 00, Tobacco: 00, Coffee:00
Q Corn: 01, Indigo: 00, Sugar: 01, Tobacco: 00, Coffee:00

Spoils Prevention at end of turn

CR manned small warehouse
NC manned small warehouse

So you would start the 8 boat with either tobacco or indigo (likely the former) 2 or 3 VPs and one doubloon.
Probable (but not necessarily) result
EG Tobacco 2/8
NC Corn 4/6
CR Sugar 7/7
LM Corn 5/6
Q Corn 6/6
EG Pass
NC Tobacco 4/8
CR pass
LM pass
Q pass
NC pass

LM spoil 1 indigo
Sugar ship empties
Corn ship empties

CR has one corn
LM has one indigo
Q has on sugar

[Grundbegriff]

It's hard for me to tell which good is which, since the crate colors don't really match the colors on the trade house.

[Newcastle]

oooh oooh, could grund process a turn during the day?

[El Guapo]

Thanks Grund. What's odd is why the pictures of crates on the trading house card do not match the actual crates, and sometimes (most notably coffee) aren't even close.

That said, I'll choose captain. I take 1 doubloon, and load two tobacco onto the open ship. Smoke 'em if you got 'em.

With my captain's privilege, I take 3 VPs, and have 1 indigo stored on my board.

[Newcastle]

Ship my 1 corn - then ship my 2 tobacco

[Grundbegriff]

oooh oooh, could grund process a turn during the day?

As it happens, yes.

Action on Chaosraven to ship
(a) nothing, or
(b) one corn, or
(c) two sugars


BTW, we should decide how to handle my absence. I'll be away and probably AFK from tomorrow morning until next Thursday.

Our options are three:
1. Suspend until then
2. Sustain momentum without management
3. Sustain momentum with a volunteer providing updates after each Governorship. (Photos not required!)

Any thoughts on that issue?

[LordMortis]

Any thoughts on that issue?

I'd say we can go and correct each other in your absence, right up until the next plantation reveal. That's the one thing we can't do without you. (Though we can come pretty close if we looked up the plantation quantities and what's been played so far).

If available, redrun, remus west, and bb2112 have all played enough where they should understand plantations enough to proxy for you.

Holding for a week is fine, though.

[Grundbegriff]

Actually, there's no particular reason I can't reveal the plantations now. I should have done that already!

In Settler, the following were taken:
Qantaga: quarry
El Guapo: sugar
Newcastle: sugar
Chaosraven: corn
LordMortis: manned corn

Discarded were indigo and sugar.

Here's the new deal:

• tobacco
• corn
• corn
• tobacco
• coffee
• coffee

[Newcastle]

I'd like to keep the flow going as much as possible....am seriously digging this game. If i had to wait more than 48 hours...well lets say thats a very un-preferable option.

I'll volunteer to help do whatever GMing duties and updates as needed (seems pretty simple from what i've seen so far, just dotting the i's and crossing the T's). I think LM and i (yeah i volunteered him) can kind of set things up for the following rounds.

IF we need a new "draw" of plantation stuff, maybe rope in Remus to take care of that.

[LordMortis]

IF we need a new "draw" of plantation stuff, maybe rope in Remus to take care of that.

If needed, all a proxy would need to know is what is in the buried stacks and what has been discarded, just in case the need to be shuffled and stacked before grund's return.

Aside from that we just need to double check each other's work.

[El Guapo]

I'm all for keeping things going, and what Newcastle and LM have said seems generally sensible.

Speaking of keeping things going, it's chaosraven's turn to ship, yes?

[LordMortis]

I'm all for keeping things going, and what Newcastle and LM have said seems generally sensible.

Speaking of keeping things going, it's chaosraven's turn to ship, yes?

I'm going out on a limb and guess he's sleeping. IIRC he we works 19:00 to 07:00 Eastern. So most of his posting ought be before going to work or after coming home.

[Grundbegriff]

Speaking of keeping things going, it's chaosraven's turn to ship, yes?

yes.

I can provide the shuffled discards to a third seventh party for use in my absence.