Game Review: "Puerto Rico" by Rio Grande Games

So, I’m currently teaching Robinson Crusoe in my novel class. Because of this, I found myself thinking about "the new world" and a German-style board game I played years ago, Puerto Rico (published by Rio Grande Games), which simulates the efforts of colonists to settle Puerto Rico. This was just one of those games I played one time, and yet, and the experience of it lingered with me.

I remember loving the game. But the gaming group I was involved with at the time preferred to play a new game almost every meeting (and we met but once a week). Sadly, I never got a chance to replay it.

And so, before I allowed myself to reflect on all the other important things I should have been doing, I was in my car driving to Medina, Ohio with the intent of buying Peurto Rico , which I found at one of the only gaming stores in the area, Alter Reality Games.

I got my sister-in-law and wife to play it with me last night; and so, I’d like to review it.

First, I want to talk about the tone and feeling of the game, which comes through due to the unadorned yet very satisfying art. The game suggests “the new world” and--though historical accuracy or historical specificity isn’t that important in the game (the game simulates the creation of no “specific” colony on Puerto Rico) I do get the sense that the time period is the early 16th century.

What’s the point of the game? It’s a resource game and so you spend time growing sugar cane, coffee plants, indigo, corn, and tobacco, and shipping it back to the “old world.” Also, you spend time building plantations and production buildings—like coffee roasters and sugar mills—for the preperation of your agricultural output.

It should be clear: this isn’t a military game. The goal of the game is to build up Puerto Rico and not to fight each other. In fact, there is no military mechanic at all.

The gameplay. One thing that really endears me to this game is that its diceless. The only random element are the other’s players actions (which you have to react to) and a few piles of shuffled “plantation cards” (you never know what kind of plantations you have the option of establishing). With that said, this is a very “skill based” game. Because the goal of the game is to produce a functioning enterprise that turns out the most goods and profit in doubloons, the vast majority your gameplay efforts are centered around organizing and building yourself up.

In a way the game is similar in spirit to Mayfair Games popular The Settlers of Catan. Though I really like that game, I prefer Puerto Rico. Why? An excessively large element of Settlers of Catan is random luck. Although Peurto Rico is similar to Settlers of Catan in that its up to you to establish your colony any way you want, in Settlers, luck, I think, determines your success more than any strategy you deploy (folks will, of course, disagree with me here).

Conclusion: this game was as fun if not more fun than I remembered it. If you want a strategic, thought provoking game that will satisfy your desire to build, organize, and consolidate, but one that is less “combative” than, say, Axis and Allies, then this is your game.

A Review of "A Game of Thrones: The Board Game"

So, I really enjoy George R.R. Martin’s, A Song of Fire and Ice. I also enjoy the HBO’s adaptation of A Game of Thrones. And so, I was somewhat excited when my sister-in-law, Beth, got a copy of Fantasy Flight’s A Game of Thrones: the Board Game (2nd edition). It took us a while to get around to it, but last night Beth, my wife Nicole, and I gave it a try.

Sidenote: It should be made clear: this isn’t the board game adaptation of the HBO adaptation of A Game of Thrones. This is a board game based on the novel, and so folks coming to it expecting film stills from the HBO production—images of Sean Bean and Emmy-award winning actor Peter Dinklage—will be disappointed (not that there’s anything wrong with the HBO production. It’s great! I’m looking forward to season 2.)

A brief historical excursion: 

In the past I’ve tended to be less of a “boardgamer” and more of an RPGer. Although I’ve preferred tabletop roleplaying games since I started playing them, I’ve also greatly enjoyed strategy games like Risk, Axis and Allies, Squad Leader, and Shogun. But about seven years ago, after I graduated from undergrad, I made contact with a really great group of boardgamers through a co-worker of mine. They introduced me to all sorts of boardgames: The Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, Puerto Rico (yes, the game, not the country).

Since then, I’ve been eager to play more "euro" board games. Of late, my favorite game is Arkham Horror, published by Fantasy Flight Games. This is a great game set in the world of H.P. Lovecraft’s fiction and Cthulhu Mythos.

Back to the game:

Which reminds me: A Game of Thrones: the Board Game is published by Fantasy Flight Games. When I learned this, I was excited, because they have a very good reputation as a game company and their version of Arkham Horror is so fun.

Let me be up front: I loved the game. I think it has great potential for “cloak and dagger” intrigue (alas, not much of this happened with just 3 players).

Unlike other strategy board games, like, say, Axis and Allies, the point is not simply to build armies and deploy battle tactics. You could conceivably win this game by taking no military actions whatsoever. Also, the battle mechanic in this game is somewhat simplified, making players consider alternatives to victory.

That’s another important element of the game: it’s diceless. There is no random element, other than a few decks of cards that generate events each turn. I love that. I like the idea of diceless games.

I’m sure everyone who has played the Risk has experienced this irritating phenomenon: when you attack, say, Madagascar with 30 armies and your opponent--the dice having been bespelled by dark sorcery--defends with one army. Yeah. Statistics. Kind of silly.

There’s something to be said about diceless games: you can’t claim the dice were in your favor or they were against you. If you win, you win; if you lose, you lose.

Another thing that has to be noted about this game is the artwork. It’s beautiful! The tokens, the figurines, the cards, the game board map: all of it is just so-detailed, skillfully drawn, and truly captures the essence of Martin’s continent of Westeros.

I’m sure this artwork has been doctorted up digitally (who doesn’t do this these days?). And yet, theres that raw “brush stroke” quality to the artwork that is missing in a lot of the contemporary gaming art I encounter.

One last thing that makes this game fun: in spite of it being a cloak-and-dagger, stab-eachother-in-the-back sort of game, there is also a mechanic that forces you to occasionally come together in the name of Westeros: the wildling attack. There are some pretty horrible consequences for a wildling victory. This is a great additon for a game like this, I think. Taking out your enemy becomes more of a moral dilemma when you know they are all that’s seperating you from the hordes to the north.

Conclusion: 4.5 stars out of 5. 

By the way, here’s a link to my Boardgame Geek profile. I’m new on there, and so I’d be eager to make any connection! Jason's Board Game Geek Profile