Score (if you like abstract games): 8;
(if you do not like abstract games): 6


I have not played Puerto Rico before, and thus cannot compare San Juan with it. I think that San Juan is quite an interesting game. Basically, in each round every players in the table takes roles of being a producer of goods, seller of goods, builder (build with the money you earned by selling goods)...

Ultimately, I found that this game is all about making combos. At the begining of the game, you may build a production building that gives you money later in the game, and then you can use the money to build other types of buildings that give you more points/scores. (Points/scores are important because the players with most point win the game.) Alternatively, another player may choose to build buildings that help lower the future cost of constructions... Different cards give you different power, and what you build earlier can give you advantages later when you build (e.g., lower cost, more points when combined with earlier buildings). That is why I set ultimately this game is about making combos.

Although I find the game interesting, I find the theme of the game abstract. While I am playing San Juan, I do not feel like I am really building anything. Instead, I just feel like making combos, and combos make more combos, and more combos, ultimately translating to higher scores at the end of games. In addition, I do not like the fact that you do not really know how well you are doing, compared to other players, during the game. That is, I find the in-game feedback of my performance is rather weak in this game. You only know how well you do at the end of the game when you count points/scores.

Don't get me wrong: San Juan is a good game. I am just not very used to the abstractness of the game. I am looking for a game that makes me feel:
(1) I have a relative sense how well I do compared to other players during the game,
(2) less abstract,
(3) I feel that I have accomplished something (e.g., by building a city or rail network) at the end of the game.

"Ticket to ride" is able to give me this satisfaction. At the end of each game, I feel like "Wow! I have made such a long railroad across America!" I have also tried Carcasonne but do not get the same feeling of Ticket to ride. (Carcasonne is still abstract to me: I do not know why I have to place maaple in the board to score points.) However, I start to get sick of Ticket to ride because I have played it too many times. I wonder if any of you know anygame that gives me such a satisfaction (the three points listed above)?

Thanks in advanced.