Game: Anno 1503

Thread: Re: More than one of a branch office allowed?

UnknownParkerBrother — 2008-08-02T21:12:36+00:00

Ah, thanks everyone. I did go through Prof. Easy to see how the game played, but missed that.

And I see that rolling the question mark allows you to choose anything including tobacco and spice, so you could never completely block out someone.

Thread: Re: More than one of a branch office allowed?

Aubigny — 2008-08-02T20:22:26+00:00

UnknownParkerBrother wrote:
But what I find interesting is that every single photo of this game shows all unique offices, I haven't seen a picture yet with a duplicate.

Professor Easy shows a duplicate: http://www.profeasy.com/Anno1503_Eng/html/anno44.html

Thread: Re: More than one of a branch office allowed?

mbuckingham — 2008-08-02T19:11:24+00:00

We have always allowed this. (Never even thought about it being not allowed).

Thread: More than one of a branch office allowed?

UnknownParkerBrother — 2008-08-02T18:47:00+00:00

Is it possible to have more than one of a particular branch office you find with your ship? IE, with luck could you find three tobacco offices and keep them all, so that your opponent would be completely locked out of upgrading to Merchants, etc?

The rules say you can only have four maximum of course, if you find a fifth one once you have four you have to leave it there.

But what I find interesting is that every single photo of this game shows all unique offices, I haven't seen a picture yet with a duplicate.

Thread: Re: Trading? Why not?

GaryP — 2008-06-26T20:55:55+00:00

I still have not tried it. I share Mark's concern of fearing anything that would slow the game down, but by assumption was the same as Douglas's. I think people will trade a fair bit in the early turns to get their islands populated. That will allow more growth in less turns. Players will be less willing to trade once they see their opponents getting closer to victory conditions, but should have a decent economy in place by that time. I would think the overall game time would decrease, but the opposite is certainly a concern.

My other concern is whether it will tip things too much in favor of building VPs and dissuade exploration. However, those initial trades can certainly go towards shipbuilding instead, and if no one else wants to grab those extra ports...

Hopefully I'll get to try it out soon. I welcome any other thoughts before then.

Thread: Re: Double Speed Ships - Too strong?

Big Huge Doug — 2008-06-26T20:47:20+00:00

If one were to modify the ship building, I was thinking of having the building make it so that peeking at tiles didn't cost a movement point. So you'd still only go four squares through empty ocean, but when you got to the islands you could peek at a large number of them if you wished.

FWIW.

Thread: Re: Trading? Why not?

Big Huge Doug — 2008-06-26T20:35:44+00:00

While each turn might take longer with trading, there would probably be fewer turns, since people would progress more rapidly toward what they wanted. I could easily imagine that trading would speed the game up!

Thread: Re: Trading? Why not?

gamemark — 2008-06-18T22:17:03+00:00

My gut response is that trading would slow the game down... as it is right on the edge of being too slow (and I love the gme), that would be a bad thing.

Thread: Trading? Why not?

GaryP — 2008-06-18T21:30:49+00:00

The rules clearly state that trading between players is not allowed. But why not? I would love a little more player interaction in this game, and trading would certainly bring it back to its Catanian roots.

Does anyone see a reason why this would be a bad idea? If needed, trading could even be limited by number of cards per turn or only allowing the active player to buy or sell using gold. I'm not sure such limits are needed, but they are easily added.

Obviously, trading makes little sense in a 2P game (even if the similar Starship Catan allows it). However, I was wondering if anyone else had tried it. I might attempt it in my next 4P game.

Thread: Re: Anno 1503 VS. Settlers of Catan the Card Game

talitha2 — 2008-05-05T09:49:08+00:00

Do you really mean, Anno 1701?!- the card game, as opposed to Anno 1503 the board game?

Thread: two-player game with wife

Alan Kwan — 2008-05-01T15:13:55+00:00

We haven't played for a while, but I suggested a game today. Before anything else, let me remind you that, I win over 90% in this game with my wife, and I'm expecting to win this one again before we started.

Kaoru took the #2 (windmill) board for herself, and gave the #1 board to me. She let me start first. I had a lucky start since a few "1"s were rolled, but soon the stream of "2"s also came, so it came out about even.

It's the sea board that really drove the game. I found a trading post at the first island, which I rejected. Kaoru went towards the other two nearby islands, and she found a trading post and took it. (Maybe she remembered that I won the last game with 3 trading posts and the School?) I sailed further and found a spice.

We were both building ships and making smooth progress. Kaoru soon got two more trading posts (one of them being the one nearest the start), plus a spice. I found a tobacco and another spice. Kaoru built her first building and took the anti-pirate. For her second building, she took the Fire Brigade. So she's immune to any disasters, which struck at an average (or perhaps slightly above average?) frequency.

For my first building, I took the Bathhouse. My next one was the Restaurant, just before Kaoru asked for it for her second. After some searching in the distant seas, I found a second tobacco to complete my board - and effectively sealed my victory.

I knew that I was so much ahead, that I deliberately allowed Kaoru to build her fourth building (even though I had piles of gold from my bathhouse), so that the game would seem closer. Then it was a race between my making my third merchant, against Kaoru getting 30 gold, and I was about five turns ahead, with already a Settler (?, the "3" man), 30 gold, and a tobacco card. Two spices were rolled, so I didn't win that turn (failed a roughly 60% chance). Next turn, I could win on any rolls but a disaster, and the disaster did strike, and then again on the turn after that, so I was always just one gold short. (I should actually have had enough gold to win, had I not forgotten that I had the Restaurant, which would allow me to sell my Spice for 1 gold more.) But I still won anyway when Kaoru was still about 2 turns away from winning.

Well, had I seized the fourth building, Kaoru would not have enjoyed the game as much. Let's just make sure that she doesn't read this report.

Thread: Re: Anno 1503 - Review

viesits — 2008-03-28T23:25:51+00:00

I like this game to, I would like to buy expansion, bad that expansion is not in English.

Thread: Latvian review of Anno 1503

viesits — 2008-03-26T18:43:59+00:00

Anno 1503 ir Katanas ieceļotāju radītāja Klausa Toibera spēle, kura ir bāzēta uz datorspēli Anno 1503. Šajā spēlē ir gan kauliņa mešana, gan resursu ieguve, gan iespējams pirātu uzbrukums, gan jaunu salu atklāšana. Spēle sastāv no vienas lielas kartona plāksnes, kas ir jūra ar neatklātām salām un 4 mazākām plāksnēm, kas ir mājas salas spēlētājiem. Spēlētāju skaits ir no 2 līdz 4. Spēlē ir 6 veidu resursi: koks, māls, darbarīki, audums, garšvielas un tabaka. Resursu kārtis pēc izmēra ir tikpat lielas kā Katanas ieceļotājos, tāpēc var paņemt kāršu trauciņu no Katanas ieceļotājiem, jo šajā spēlē tāda nav. Resursi ir nepieciešami mājas salas kolonistu attīstībai, kuģu būvēšanai un vēl tos var pārdot bankai, lai iegūtu papildus naudu. Šajā spēlē nav atļauts mainīties spēlētājiem savā starpā, tikai ar banku.
Spēlētāji nodarbojas ar kolonistu attīstīšanu uz savām mājas salām. Kolonisti tiek attēloti ar kartona žetoniem un tiem ir 4 līmeņi: pionieris, ieceļotājs, pilsētnieks, tirgonis. Katram spēlētājam spēles sākumā uz mājas salas jau ir pionieris un ieceļotājs. Tad par resursiem ir jāpērk jauni pionieri, tie jāattīsta par ieceļotājiem, ieceļotāji par pilsētniekiem, pilsētnieki par tirgoņiem. Kolonistu attīstīšana izpaužas kā kartona žetonu likšana tam paredzētajās vietās uz mājas salas, par to samaksājot bankā attiecīgos resursus. Piemēram, lai uzliktu jaunu pionieri uz mājas salas, bankā jāsamaksā 1 koka resursu kārts un 1 darbarīka resursu kārts. Lai pionieri attīstītu par ieceļotāju, jāsamaksā 1 drēbes un 2 māla kārtis.
Spēles gaitā uzliekot uz savas mājas salas otro pionieri, zem tiem var likt dažādas ēkas. Tie ir kartona žetoni, uz kuriem attēlotas celtnes – krogs, baznīca, laivu piestātne, kalve. Ēkas dod dažādus bonusus – aizsargā pret pirātiem, ugunsgrēku, ļauj atsevišķus resursus bankai pārdot dārgāk.
Kuģus būvē, samaksājot bankā koku, darbarīku un audumu. Kuģi pārvieto pa spēles laukumu(jūru) un atklāj salas. Spēlētājs paņem salas žetonu, apskatās un izlemj vai to ņems vai neņems. Salu žetoniem otrā pusē ir tirdzniecības līgumi, plantācijas, 12 naudas vai viena kolonista bezmaksas attīstīšana uz nākamo līmeni. Tirdzniecības līgumus un plantācijas pievieno savai mājas salai. Tirdzniecības līgumi ļauj pirkt no bankas resursus par zemāku cenu, plantācijas ļauj izvēlēties starp dažādiem resursu veidiem, ja uzkrīt kāds konkrēts cipars.
Sava gājiena laikā spēlētājs drīkst no bankas iegādāties 1 vai 2 nepieciešamas resursu kārtis. Nevajadzīgos resursus var pārdot saviem kolonistiem, katrs kolonists gājiena laikā var nopirkt vienu resursu. Piemēram, pilsētniekam var pārdot vienu garšvielu, tirgonim vienu tabaku. Ja spēlētājam ir divi tirgoņi uz mājas salas, viņš drīkst atdot bankā divas tabakas kārtis un paņemt 8 naudas. Vienu tabaku var pārdot par 4 naudām. Nauda nav kā žetoni, bet uz spēles lauka ir josla ar iedaļām no 0 līdz 40. Ja spēlētājam ir 10 naudas, viņa marķieris tiek uzlikts uz iedaļas 10.
Pie mājas salām ir 4 iedaļas plantācijām un 3 vietas tirdzniecības līgumiem. Uz mājas salām ir cipari no 1 līdz 5. Piemēram, pie 1 ir māls, pie 2 ir audums, pie 3 ir darbarīks, pie 4 jautājuma zīme(uzkrītot šim ciparam, var ņemt jebkuru resursu pēc savas izvēles), pie 5 ir koks. Ja tabakas plantāciju uzliek pie cipara 5, tad uzkrītot 5, drīkst ņemt vai nu koku, vai nu tabaku. Katrs tirdzniecības līgums samazina resursu iegādes cenu bankā par 1 naudu. Ja nav neviena tirdzniecības līguma, resursu pērkot, jāšķiras no 6 naudām.
Spēlētāja gājiens sastāv no sekojošām fāzēm:
1) Kauliņa mešana, lai noteiktu resursu ieguvi vai notikumu. Ja no 1 līdz 5, spēlētāji saņem resursu kārtis, ja uzkrīt 6, tad ir notikums. Ja ir notikums, kauliņu met vēlreiz un nosaka vienu no 3 iespējamiem notikumiem. Ja uzkrīt 1 vai 2, tad ir pirātu uzbrukums un jāsamaksā viena nauda bankā par katru mājas salai pievienoto tirdzniecības līgumu vai plantāciju. Ja uzkrīt 3 vai 4, jāsamaksā viena nauda bankā par katru neaizsargāto kolonistu uz mājas salas. Ja uzkrīt 5 vai 6, katrs spēlētājs paņem no bankas vienu resursu pēc savas izvēles.
2) Būvniecības, pirkšanas un pārdošanas fāze. Šajā fāzē drīkst pirkt un pārdot resursus, būvēt kuģus, attīstīt savus kolonistus.
3) Kuģu pārvietošana un salu atklāšana. Šajā fāzē tiek pārvietoti kuģi un apskatīti salu žetoni. Tos apskatās, citiem nerādot, izlemj vai paņemt vai nolikt atpakaļ. Ja paņem salas žetonu, tad noņem arī kuģi, kurš atklāja attiecīgo salu.
4) Resursu nolikšana. Sava gājiena beigās spēlētājam nedrīkst palikt rokās vairāk par 5 kārtīm. Pārējās jāatdod bankā. Praksē šī fāze ir ļoti reti, jo pārsvarā liekās kārtis tiek izlietotas gājiena laikā kolonistu attīstībai, kuģu pirkšanai vai pārdotas.
Lai spēlē uzvarētu, jāsasniedz trīs no pieciem iespējamiem uzvaras nosacījumiem. Tie 3 tirgoņi uz mājas salas, 4 ēkas uz mājas salas, 3 tirdzniecības līgumi, 4 plantācijas vai 30 naudas. Kurš pirmais sasniedz 3 no šiem nosacījumiem, gavilē un sauc sevi par uzvarētāju.
Spēles noteikumi ir angļu valodā un PS tuvākā nākotnē nedomā šo spēli lokalizēt. Bet noteikumi ir vienkārši un saprotami. Globālajā tīmeklī ir pieejama ļoti laba pamācība, kuru noskatoties, katram kļūs skaidrs vai viņu šī spēle interesē vai nē - http://www.profeasy.com/Anno1503_Eng/index.html . Mūsu spēlētāju kompānijā Anno 1503 dažiem patīk pat labāk par Katanas ieceļotājiem, jo te viens otru nelaupa, resursus saņem vai nu visi vai neviens(tikai divu notikumu gadījumā neviens nesaņem resursus). Ir gan pieejama ēka, kas ļauj spēlētājam sava gājiena laikā no kāda vilkt kārti, samaksājot viņam par to 2 naudas, bet tas reti tiek praktizēts. Nav arī bubuļa septītnieka, kas liek nolikt pusi kāršu, nav iespējams kādu bloķēt. Spēlei ir paplašinājums Anno 1503 Aristokraten un Piraten. Ir doma, ka to arī vēlāk vajadzētu iegādāties.

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viesits — 2008-03-18T21:52:31+00:00

ships

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viesits — 2008-03-16T11:58:49+00:00

Red completed 3 victory conditions and won the game.

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viesits — 2008-03-16T11:37:48+00:00

3 victory conditions completed.

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viesits — 2008-03-16T08:25:30+00:00

Ships are exploring.

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viesits — 2008-03-16T07:56:52+00:00

Ready to read rules and play game.

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viesits — 2008-03-16T07:54:34+00:00

Opened box.

Thread: Anno 1503 - 2 players session report

Barad_the_dwarf — 2008-03-10T13:55:09+00:00

Last night, we sat down to play a game of Anno 1503. I like playing the game, so does my wife and since we were alone, it became a two player game. I think this was the fifth time we played the game and the second time we used the two player version.

My wife had the opening roll en we were off to a bad game for me. In the begin turns number 5 was thrown a lot and all I got was Cloth. My wife had better luck and got stone. With buying some wood she was off with her settlers and got a good head start on me. Because I was behind she could build her shipyard before I could get a chance. From that moment on I used two ships so I could keep up with her here, but she only needed one ship and always gained on me when I was heading for an island. I decided I needed the trade Post or Islands and went for those, but so dit my wife. I made the mistake of using an island on number 5, because from that moment on, number 5 wasn’t rolled that much any more.

Soon my wife found three trade agreements and I had only one. Luckely I found my second when she had no boat and my second boat was on the way to the back of the islandmap. She could keep her advantage in the buildings and got to have 4 buildings.

I took buildings that earned me money, but it wasn’t enough because I had to buy a lot of stuff. I cound’t get a lot off spices or tobacco so it took me a long time to evolve to the higher levels. I planned on taking the money, the trade agreements or tradeposts and finishing with evolving to all 4th level buildings.

I was searching for an extra tradepost or trade agreements. I still needed one of the two if I wanted to make a chance on victory. Still my ships couldn’t get me there quick enough but I got one last chance. Only two islands remained and my ship got in between them. I could look at one last of the two cards and I piked the wrong one. It was a treasure. My wife sailed in, took the other one and that was a trade post. So she had 4 special buildings, 3 trade agreements and was heading for 30 gold. There was no islands left so I had no chance at all to win the game any more. Later I saw that there were still two tradepost left in the box and 1 trade agreement, so I had not much luck with the game.

Thread: Re: Double Speed Ships - Too strong?

JimF — 2008-02-07T10:40:47+00:00

I don't think the speedy ship tiles are over-powered.
They obviously speed up your exploration and give you a chance to see more island tiles before selecting one. However, you still get just 1 island tile for the cost of your ship.
Not going to be my first choice of building to take.

Thread: Re: Reserve Tiles

JeffyJeff — 2008-02-04T05:08:01+00:00

wow, I also missed this in the English rules translation. The EasyProf slides do go through the action also though of replacing one after the Pirates hit but I really needed to read it.

Thread: Re: Double Speed Ships - Too strong?

steveoliverc — 2008-01-17T14:02:22+00:00

The double speed ship looked great my first few games...until I was crushed by someone who went for the bonus goods. The ship is a ruse, a distraction, a taunt! Stay away from it!

And in any case, it certainly doesn't need to be changed by a house rule.

Thread: Re: Anno 1503 VS. Settlers of Catan the Card Game

Lightstorm — 2008-01-16T02:42:01+00:00

Settlers of Catan Card Game. The only thing Anno 1503 adds is that it allows more than two players. I think you'd be best off spending your money on the Settlers of Catan Card Game expansions.

Thread: Re: Double Speed Ships - Too strong?

eclementi — 2008-01-15T18:12:48+00:00

Totally Agree... the double speed card is too strong.

Try switching the benefit to only moving ONE extra square in ONE of your ships... still will be an interesting card but won't be a card that decides so much the result of the game.

Designers can be wrong sometimes... even Teuber (I'm a big fun of him by the way).

Image

patrel — 2007-11-10T01:31:54+00:00

Anno 1503 Mayfair Boxfront

Thread: Anno 1503 VS. Settlers of Catan the Card Game

M.ciccotti — 2007-09-04T04:30:49+00:00

Hello

I am a happy owner of Settlers of Catan the Card Game and I am considering purchase of Anno 1503.

I was wondering whether these games are any simmilar ad if yes, which is better?

Marek

Thread: Re: Anno 1503 - Review

steveoliverc — 2007-06-19T17:53:58+00:00

denverarch wrote:
I still would like to try this and see if I enjoy it.

You should. This turned out to be one of my most-played games this year. I've enjoyed each game and the strategies get deeper after a few playings.

Thread: Re: Anno 1503 - Review

Alan Kwan — 2007-06-19T12:34:24+00:00

gschloesser wrote:
While the game works and has some interesting aspects, it somehow lacks spark. The exploration aspect is rather lifeless. Generally, you are searching for a particular type of tile, and will often just keep sailing, looking, and sailing again. This is actually a bit frustrating, especially when an opponent seems to find the tiles he is seeking quickly.
See my session report "2-player game won with School". The game is not about searching for what you want, but really about choosing what to build based on what you find.

Thread: Re: Anno 1503 - Review

denverarch — 2007-06-12T22:15:40+00:00

Love exploration, want to love this game, but the reviews just make it sound like I can get a similar expereince playing Settlers then Entdecker which I already have. It's too bad, it has such a nice cover and a great theme. I still would like to try this and see if I enjoy it.

Thread: Anno 1503 - Review

gschloesser — 2007-06-12T14:31:01+00:00

ANNO 1503

Designer: Klaus Teuber
Publisher: Mayfair / Kosmos
2 – 4 Players, 1 ½ hours
Review by: Greg J. Schloesser

Designer Klaus Teuber is obviously enamored with exploration. He has utilized the exploration theme in many of his games, including Entdecker, Oceania, Die Neuen Entedecker and even numerous Settlers of Catan variants. It was no surprise when he was tapped to develop a board game based on the popular German computer game Anno 1503.

Set in the exciting period when Europeans began their historic voyages of discovery, Anno 1503 cast players in the role of the brave settlers who were attempting to establish colonies in the newly discovered lands. Ships must be sent into the unknown to discover uncharted islands and bring back their resources or establish outposts and trade agreements. Armed with the proper resources, hardy pioneers become settlers, townsmen and ultimately merchants. Various victory conditions give players sufficiently wide latitude and strategic paths.

A central board depicts a sea dotted with islands. The reverse of these island tiles will yield resources, gold or trade agreements. Each player receives a home island board, which he populates with one pioneer and one settler tile. The top of this board depicts various workshops that will produce commodities when the appropriate resource number is rolled. There is also space for six more colonist tiles and four public buildings. In addition, there are spaces for outposts and trade agreements, which may be found on the voyages of discovery.

Each turn follows the following sequence:

1) Roll for production. Each player receives the commodity depicted on their island board that corresponds to the number rolled. If a “?” is rolled, the player may choose the commodity he desires, even the valuable tobacco or spice, which isn’t initially produced on the islands. If a “6” is rolled, a random event occurs, which can cause pirates or fires, which cost players gold, outposts or settlements, or good fortune, which awards extra commodities. Fortunately, players may acquire public buildings to protect against pirates and fire, but there is a limited availability of each type of building.

2) Spend and Build. The active player may build ships, recruit pioneers, promote colonists, and buy and sell commodities. Ships are needed to sail the seas to explore the various islands, while recruiting new pioneers and promoting colonists will ultimately yield different types of commodities and public buildings. Gold is often needed to acquire resources, so the selling of commodities is often quite important.

3) Move Ships and Explore Islands. A player may move his ship 2 – 4 spaces, depending upon the number of players. These points can also be used to explore islands. When adjacent to an island, the player may spend a movement point to look at the tile and decide whether he desires to keep the tile. The tiles will either yield gold or allow a free colonist promotion, a new outpost or a trade agreement. Outposts are placed above existing workshops, and give the player more flexibility when receiving resources. Trade agreements reduce the price players must pay for commodities. When a player keeps a tile, his ship is dismantled, forcing players to constantly rebuild them.

As mentioned, players may recruit new pioneers or recruit existing colonists. There are four levels of colonists: pioneers, settlers, townsmen and merchants. Each promotion requires a specific combination of resources, and each allows a specific type of commodity to be sold. Further, once a player recruits his fourth colonist, he may begin acquiring a public building for each additional colonist added to his island. Public buildings grant special powers, including protection from pirates and fires, additional commodities, increased income when selling, increased movement of ships, etc. Each player can only possess four buildings, and there is a limited quantity of each. So, choosing which buildings to acquire and at what point is very important.

Ultimately, players are attempting to be the first to satisfy three of five possible victory conditions:

• 30 or more gold
• 4 outposts
• 3 trade agreements
• 4 public buildings
• 3 merchants

I am particularly fond of games wherein there are numerous methods in which to achieve victory. This generally allows players some latitude in pursuing various strategies, and while it works in Anno 1503, it is not without its problems. There is a very limited quantity of outposts and trade agreements. Several tiles are not actually placed onto the board, and may actually never appear. If two players are pursuing the same tiles, it may well be possible that one player is unable to acquire the needed tiles, and be forced to change his strategy late in the game. Often, it is usually too late, and the player will effectively be out of contention.

While the game works and has some interesting aspects, it somehow lacks spark. The exploration aspect is rather lifeless. Generally, you are searching for a particular type of tile, and will often just keep sailing, looking, and sailing again. This is actually a bit frustrating, especially when an opponent seems to find the tiles he is seeking quickly.

Other aspects of the game aren’t as potentially frustrating, but again, seem to lack excitement. While there is a race to achieve various victory conditions, the end can be anti-climatic. Often, a player can sell numerous commodities to quickly acquire the gold needed, or simply get lucky in finding a needed outpost or trade agreement. I found the ending unsatisfying.

Anno 1503 is one of those games that is decent, but not spectacular. For the most part, the mechanisms work fine, and it does present the players with some interesting decisions. Unfortunately, there is nothing here that generates a high degree of excitement or challenge. The game simply doesn’t rise above the “slightly above average” category. The fact that it is limited to four players also limits its appeal. As such, it is a game that has languished on my shelf for a long time, and its prospects for further play are bleak.

Thread: Re: Anno 1503 2-player game won with School

steveoliverc — 2007-06-03T19:56:33+00:00

Very interesting! I've only played this 5 or 6 times but I agree with you that you must pick a strategy to fit what you've found, rather than try to fit your sea discoveries to a predetermined strategy.

I also think Anno 1503 makes a great 2-player game.

Thanks for the session report.

Thread: Anno 1503 2-player game won with School

Alan Kwan — 2007-06-03T15:29:53+00:00

We haven't played a game in quite a while, being busy withour baby and my job and such. Towatake was sleeping in the afternoon, so we took our chance to play Anno 1503.

Players: Alan (me), Kaoru (my wife)

Being a nice gentlemanly husband, I let Kaoru go first. (Actually, I don't mind letting her go first since I win over 90% in this game anyway. ) And in fact, that worked in my favor since, with a couple of lucky rolls, I bought a ship on my first turn. Kaoru built her second ship a little bit later.

The closest island was a Trade Agreement, and we both decided to pass it, hoping to find a spice for 'the perfect start'. The next island was again a Trade Agreement. By this time, I almost had the resources to build a third ship, so I took the Trade Agreement in order to be able to build the new ship.

The die rolls were bad for me: Kaoru's windmill was rolled several times, while I amassed only a surplus of stones and tools. I found another Trade Agreement, and at that point I decided my strategy: I took it, and took also the first Trade Agreement nearest the starting point, and proceeded to build a School (sell wood/tool/stone for 2G).

The School allowed me to sell off my excess stones and tools for good money, and with the money I could buy spices (and whatever else I need) cheaply thanks to the 3 Trade Agreements, so I won't need to build any more ships! Meanwhile, Kaoru was discovering the nice spice and tobacco islands which were further out in the sea. Kaoru picked the Fire Brigade for her first building, while for my second building I took the Restaurant (sell cloth/spice for 4G). These two buildings helped me generate the cash to utilize my Trade Agreements, and I could even buy a cloth/spice for 3G and sell it for 4G, generating 2G out of thin air every turn.

From this point on, it was an easy cruise to victory for me. Even though Kaoru eventually completed her board with two spice and two tobacco islands, I was way too far ahead for her to catch up. I soon completed my city with four buildings, and then easily made 30 gold. She next built the Smithy, and her two buildings protected her a few times while my Church never reaped any harvest, but the gap was too wide to be closed by these minor events.

This game was very satisfactory for me, not just because I won, but really because it was my first time playing with this layout of 3 early Trade Agreements with the School (and no resource islands). This game again prove the point that, one's strategy with the buildings should be guided by what he finds at sea, and that the buildings are finely balanced; the victory goes to the player who chooses the right buildings for the situation.

Thread: Re: Double Speed Ships - Too strong?

DrakeStorm — 2007-05-24T10:18:41+00:00

I have only played a handful of times - mostly 4 player and once or twice 3 player.

I have never gone for the fast boats, and I have won over 50% of the games I played (all against people who have played the game more than me - they always go for the ships).

I also never get fire protection or pirate protection unless there is nothing else useful to get.

So what does that leave? All the tiles that give a bonus when selling goods. Any or all of them are good.

Add in a little luck and you are good to go.

Thread: Anno 1503 - Session Report

gschloesser — 2007-05-23T00:02:14+00:00

Editor's Note: My full review of Anno 1503 will be published soon.

Designer Klaus Teuber is obviously enamored with exploration. He has utilized the exploration theme in many of his games, including Entdecker, Oceania, Die Neuen Entedecker and even numerous Settlers of Catan variants. It was no surprise when he was tapped to develop a board game based on the popular German computer game Anno 1503.

Set in the exciting period when Europeans began their historic voyages of discovery, Anno 1503 casts players in the role of the brave settlers who were attempting to establish colonies in the newly discovered lands. Ships must be sent into the unknown to discover uncharted islands and bring back their resources or establish outposts and trade agreements. Armed with the proper resources, hardy pioneers become settlers, become townsmen and, ultimately, merchants. Various victory conditions give players sufficiently wide latitude and strategic paths.

Each turn follows the following sequence:

1) Roll for production. Each player receives the commodity depicted on their island board that corresponds to the number rolled. If a “6” is rolled, a random event occurs, which can cause pirates or fires or bring good fortune in terms of extra resources.

2) Spend and Build. The active player may build ships, recruit pioneers, promote colonists, and buy and sell commodities. Ships are needed to sail the seas to explore the various islands, while recruiting new pioneers and promoting colonists will ultimately yield different types of commodities and public buildings. Gold is often needed to acquire resources, so the selling of commodities is often quite important.

3) Move Ships and Explore Islands. A player may move his ship to explore the various islands on the central board. When adjacent to an island, the player may spend a movement point to look at the tile and decide whether he desires to keep the tile. The tiles will either yield gold or allow a free colonist promotion, a new outpost or a trade agreement. Outposts are placed above existing workshops, and give the player more flexibility when receiving resources. Trade agreements reduce the price players must pay for commodities. When a player keeps a tile, his ship is dismantled, forcing players to constantly rebuild their fleet.

Once a player recruits his fourth colonist, he may begin acquiring a public building for each additional colonist added to his island. Public buildings grant special powers, including protection from pirates and fires, additional commodities, increased income when selling, increased movement of ships, etc. Each player can only possess four buildings, and there is a limited quantity of each. So, choosing which buildings to acquire and at what point is very important.

Ultimately, players are attempting to be the first to satisfy three of five possible victory conditions:

• 30 or more gold
• 4 outposts
• 3 trade agreements
• 4 public buildings
• 3 merchants

I am particularly fond of games wherein there are numerous methods in which to achieve victory. This generally allows players some latitude in pursuing various strategies, and while it works in Anno 1503, it is not without its problems. There is a very limited quantity of outposts and trade agreements. Several tiles are not actually placed onto the board, and may actually never appear. If two players are pursuing the same tiles, it may well be possible that one player is unable to acquire the needed tiles, and be forced to change his strategy late in the game. Often, it is usually too late, and the player will effectively be out of contention.

While the game works, and has some interesting aspects, it somehow lacks spark. The exploration aspect is rather lifeless. Generally, you are searching for a particular type of tile, and will often just keep sailing, looking, and sailing again. This is actually a bit frustrating, especially when an opponent seems to find the tiles he is seeking quickly.

Other aspects of the game aren’t as potentially frustrating, but again, seem to lack excitement. While there is a race to achieve various victory conditions, the end can be anti-climatic. Often, a player can sell numerous commodities to quickly acquire the gold he needs, or simply get lucky in finding a needed outpost or trade agreement. I found the ending unsatisfying.

Anno 1503 is one of those games that is decent, but not spectacular. For the most part, the mechanisms work fine, and it does present the players with some interesting decisions. Unfortunately, there is nothing here that generates a high degree of excitement or challenge. The game simply doesn’t rise above the “slightly above average” category. The fact that it is limited to four players also limits its appeal. As such, it is a game that has languished on my shelf for a long time, and its prospects for further play are bleak.

Gail, Rhonda and I sailed the seas in search of outposts, trade agreements and wealth. Gail seemed poised to claim the victory, as she possessed four public buildings and three trade agreements. She was closing in on the 30 gold requirement, but I was the beneficiary of a series of fortunate production rolls, and was able to sell numerous commodities on my turn to reach 30 gold and claim the victory.

Finals:

Greg: 4 Outposts, 4 Buildings, 31 Gold
Gail: 4 Buildings, 3 Trade Agreements, 27 Gold
Rhonda: 3 Outposts, 2 Buildings

Ratings: Greg 6, Gail 6, Rhonda 5.5

Thread: Re: Should I buy the expansion?

Kevin_Whitmore — 2007-05-07T02:46:03+00:00

The expansion makes the game twice as long. I played it once, and actually had fun. But other players in the game felt it took way too long. I traded my expansion away a while back. The core game is quite good. The expansion lowers it a notch (or two).

Thread: Should I buy the expansion?

benwang — 2007-05-07T02:36:35+00:00

I love the game and the PC game. I want to buy the expansion even though it is in German. I just want to know how the expansion play out? How long does veteran players need to finish this game?

Thread: Re: Double Speed Ships - Too strong?

greensage — 2007-05-07T01:50:37+00:00

The game is well balanced, with a number of strong strategies besides fast ships that can be played competitively.

Fast ships are a solid strategy against good play only if utilized carefully. Using the fast ship to rapidly acquire tiles I see as generally losing to most well executed strategies in the game. To best utilize fast ships, an exploration mode is needed. Map the board. Look for a special tile (upgrade or 12 gold) as your first tile. Treasure money can displace insurance, an upgrade can yield an additional building choice sooner and a strong increase in the likelihood of getting all buildings before they are gone. Neither tile increases your disaster liability, which is very important in the initial game because money is so hard to generate.

The fire insurance is often the first pick and is in the running for the most powerful building. It directly supports the build strategy which can lead to three victory points (all buildings, 3 at level 4, and 30 gold via buildings that allow you to sell more effectively).

Thread: Re: Double Speed Ships - Too strong?

Pz V — 2007-04-19T04:08:15+00:00

My wife and I played this quite a bit. In the beginning, we felt that whoever got the x2 ship would win. But play it a bit more. There is a lot more strategy to it. Now we almost never pick the x2 ship because there are several superior strategies that usually beat the x2 ship strategy.

Thread: Re: 2-player Anno 1503 review

Alan Kwan — 2007-04-09T14:43:55+00:00

I'm sorry that my tone went too strong.

May I point out that mine is still a valid counterpoint to your review, because all my arguments are there, and they're sound. Not liking the tone in a few sentences of mine is unrelated to the validity of my arguments, or yours.

djflippy wrote:

I don't need to "go back to school" as you say, because I know how to interact with other human beings in a civil manner.

I didn't say that you need to go back to school to learn manners, for I found your manners perfect; I said you need to go back to school to study "Risk Management", and (even though I might have said it too rudely, sorry for that) this is not a "personal attack", but rather a comment on your mathematical/analytical ability, lack of which is evident from reading your point on disasters and die-rolling.

You were criticizing the game, the author's work, unfairly. You only deserve to be fairly criticized. Your review might be doing a disservice to those who could have bought and loved the game, were they not dissuaded from purchasing it by your review.

Thread: Re: 2-player Anno 1503 review

djflippy — 2007-04-09T01:08:17+00:00

Alan Kwan:

This could have been an interesting counterpoint to my review, if you hadn't resorted to unprovoked personal attacks. I don't need to "go back to school" as you say, because I know how to interact with other human beings in a civil manner.

Thread: Re: Double Speed Ships - Too strong?

grandslam — 2007-04-08T17:25:08+00:00

Alan,

Agreed the EV of the improved efficiency shipyard was way too high.

Thread: Re: Double Speed Ships - Too strong?

Alan Kwan — 2007-04-08T17:13:16+00:00

grandslam wrote:

We are trying a new building tile that gives the player two ships for the price of one (for 2 player games only).

No need to try. Such building is 10 times as strong as the Shipyard, and 7 times or so as strong as any other building.

Alan Kwan wrote:
In the early game, you need to get the basic resources to build ships and people, so getting resource islands very quickly doesn't help much.
In the late game, in certain situations the Shipyard can help you win several turns faster. But in most situations a sales-bonus building can help you win several turns faster, or allow you to buy your ship earlier to accelerate the wait for it to find the last VP.

Thread: Re: 2-player Anno 1503 review

Alan Kwan — 2007-04-08T17:04:55+00:00

I disagree with this review. We play this game mostly 2-player, and we love it.

djflippy wrote:

My other major complaint with the pacing is the constant backtracking. All of the negative events that happen can potentially destroy all of the hard work you’ve done. There was a similar mechanism in Elasund, when your buildings were destroyed or your trade slots were overtaken by the opponent, but for some reason, it worked pretty well in that game. Anyway, this backtracking is part of what makes this game drag.

Risk/Reward Mechanisms – Having a risk/reward mechanism in which the player can choose to take a risk for a potential reward is simply good game design, in my view. On the other hand, forcing a player to complete a task that may reward them, but may also punish them is actually quite frustrating. Why am I being punished for rolling the die, when I’m required to roll the die every turn? I mean it really gets to the point where no one wants to roll the die, but they have to. I would much rather have the choice to take a risk.

The risk is in spending all your money or not. If you spend all your money (and you don't have the relevant buildings to protect yourself), you risk getting smoked, it's that simple. Allowing a player to forgo rolling the dice is a dumb way to take out the risk. (Not to mention that, if no one wants to roll the dice, the game becomes a stalemate. And why would one want to forgo rolling the dice? It doesn't get him out of trouble, for one needs to get resources from the dice to raise money to defend against disasters.)

And if you backtrack all the time to the extent that a 2-player game "drags", you're playing very poorly. Go back to school and take "Risk Management 101". Negative events occur only 1/9 of the time, less than Settlers, and they knock you back only if you have lots of holdings and no money to pay.

Usually, the only reason I spend all my money, against the risk of a disaster, is because I need to get a key building before my opponent. (And that key building is usually the Bathhouse or the Restaurant, not the Shipyard, unless it is the last building left.)

Balance – Here’s a tip...when you play, be sure to get the Shipyard, because otherwise, you will get smoked. In a 2-player game, ships move two spaces, which is barely enough to get anything done. Half of the goodies I need to win this game are on those unexplored islands, so how the frock am I supposed to win when my opponent’s ships move four spaces? Gee, do I want the Shipyard or do I want the Smith, so I can have 1 more paltry gold when I hock my wood? (Hmm, that’s catchy and vaguely dirty…)

That's the concept of a novice - just like a chess novice who opens the game with his queen. I win often without the Shipyard against my opponent who has it. The Shipyard allows you to get a tile faster. It doesn't allow you to get more tiles. It doesn't even help you get more resources to build more ships. (Will you take the Cloth island when you find it?) Getting a trade treaty a few turns earlier might save you a buck or two, but getting a sales-bonus building instead of the shipyard can earn you $10 or $20 throughout the game.

What the shipyard actually does for you, in practice, is to allow you to quickly get the tiles with your ships, and then waiting many turns with no ships to sail while you wait for the resources for your next ship. Meanwhile, your opponent just sail his ships slowly, and gets his tiles several turns after you. But from whichever building he gets instead of that Shipyard, he gets some real benefits, ones greater than whatever benefits you get for getting your tiles a few turns earlier.

My other balance complaint is in regard to the Public Buildings. Let’s see, there are four slots for buildings and 7 building tiles available in the 2-player game and…wait…so, I’m gonna get screwed out of obtaining the goal I’ve been working toward the whole game?!? And with the other win conditions, there are enough tiles for every player to complete the goals? Frustration.

There might not be enough outposts or trade treaties for both players, because some tiles are left over during set-up. I have won games in which I lose the 7th building: the three buildings I've got are supposedly useful, and getting three craftsmen does get me closer to the "4 merchants" victory condition.

I don’t mean to be too heavy-handed in this review and everyone should feel free to give it a try to see if you have a better experience, but for me, this was a good theme, explored by a good Designer, with some good ideas that was marred by some inconsistencies and possibly a lack of playtesting. I would wholeheartedly recommend any of the other Klaus Teuber games I’ve mentioned here, but sadly, this one just doesn’t do it for me as a 2-player game.

There is a lack of playtesting, but not on the part of the production team. Rather, it's you who have not played and understood the game enough.

Thread: Re: Double Speed Ships - Too strong?

Alan Kwan — 2007-04-08T16:02:29+00:00

I play mmostly two-player, and I get the ship speed only sometimes. The point is that, you get one tile per ship, and ship speed only allows you to get it faster, but does not give you more tiles. Getting the tiles faster is not always useful. In the early game, you need to get the basic resources to build ships and people, so getting resource islands very quickly doesn't help much. In fact, it sometimes even helps to get a tile later, after seeing what number has been rolled repeatedly, so that you can put the island on that number to avoid getting more of that redundant resource. And getting trade treaties early make little difference because you have little money to buy stuff.

My first choice is usually an income booster. I get the ship speed only if all the tiles near the start are bad, so that everyone is sailing very far to get tiles. in such case, I need ship speed because I cannot build a new ship if I have two ships out.

Thread: Re: 2-player Anno 1503 review

cgund — 2007-04-04T05:44:31+00:00

Thanks for the review - we only play 2p games so I think I'll give this one a miss for now.

(PS I live in Irvine too!)

Thread: Re: Phase 2

Kevin_Whitmore — 2007-03-24T15:54:23+00:00

We continue to play this game; and we still freely mix activities between phases 2A & 2B. Whatever distinction was intended has eluded us. So if we are playing a variant, we now do not care.

Often games that are three years old fail to keep getting played. But Anno is one of my wife's favorite 2-player games. We also like it as a 3-4 player game. But the 2-player version is welcome due to the blazing speed at which it runs.

Thread: Re: Pirate question

Argus Panoptes — 2007-02-11T04:31:07+00:00

They lose 1.

"If (and only if) you do not have enough gold to pay, then you must remove one outpost or trade agreement of your choice. If this happens, you do not pay any gold."

Thread: Pirate question

Racinrod — 2007-01-31T12:16:06+00:00

If a player has built 2 outposts and has acquired 2 trade agreements and has NO money when a pirate is rolled what happens?

Does the player lose all 4 island tiles for having no money to pay for them? Or are they only limited to losing 1 of the 4 island tiles?

Thread: Re: How many goods can you sell to each settlement/house?

fizzix — 2007-01-11T20:56:15+00:00

Argus Panoptes wrote:
i7dealer wrote:
The translation here on the geek states that you can sell one type of good to each person, not one of each good. What rules do you have?

fizzix seems to be referring to the rules included with the Mayfair (English-language) edition. The Prof. Easy walkthrough also mentions this rule on page 28.

Yes I'm quoting the rules out of the (Mayfair English Edition) box.

As an aside, to allow selling multiple goods to the same buyer each turn would be a broken mechanic. Tobacco would become insanely powerful.

Thread: Re: How many goods can you sell to each settlement/house?

Argus Panoptes — 2007-01-08T19:10:43+00:00

i7dealer wrote:
The translation here on the geek states that you can sell one type of good to each person, not one of each good. What rules do you have?

fizzix seems to be referring to the rules included with the Mayfair (English-language) edition. The Prof. Easy walkthrough also mentions this rule on page 28.

Thread: Re: How many goods can you sell to each settlement/house?

i7dealer — 2006-12-28T22:35:04+00:00

The translation here on the geek states that you can sell one type of good to each person, not one of each good. What rules do you have?

Thread: Re: How many goods can you sell to each settlement/house?

fizzix — 2006-12-13T23:50:21+00:00

It's on page 2 of the rules. It says you can sell one good to each colonist(their emphasis).

Thread: Re: How many goods can you sell to each settlement/house?

tejasm — 2006-12-13T23:01:12+00:00

OUCH! That changes the game quite a bit!

Thanks for this correction Michael!
Do you have pointers/links to this rule clarification so that I may show it to my fellow gamers - I know my word of mouth isn't going to be convincing enough.

Thread: Re: How many goods can you sell to each settlement/house?

fizzix — 2006-12-13T00:39:58+00:00

so you can only sell ONE cloth to a #2 house. To sell a second cloth, you need to have another #2 house, as each house can only be sold ONE card

This is the correct interpretation. You may only sell goods if there is a building that wants the goods and that building will only buy one good per turn.

Thread: How many goods can you sell to each settlement/house?

tejasm — 2006-12-12T19:35:37+00:00

I've been taught, read the rules and always played that you can sell as many good of one type to each pioneer/settlement/whatever. So for example:
-- I can sell as many brick cards I want to my #1 house (Pioneer, I think) but I cannot sell wood or tool to that house this turn.
-- I can sell as many wood cards I want to my other #1 house.
-- Similarly I can sell as many cloth cards I want to my #2 house.

My friend recently read a strategy article somewhere that seemed to suggest that you could only sell ONE good to each house -- so you can only sell ONE cloth to a #2 house. To sell a second cloth, you need to have another #2 house, as each house can only be sold ONE card.

We're really lost and confused -- how do you play the game?
Does anyone have the "official" translation of the german rules and what is intended?

Thread: Re: 2-player Anno 1503 review

familywontplay — 2006-11-29T17:46:08+00:00

Thanks for the thoughtful and well-done review. Will spend my money on better 2-player games. Will look at it again if I need a 4-player game.

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ddkk — 2006-11-20T06:53:16+00:00

Anno 1503 - Inhabitant Tiles

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ddkk — 2006-11-20T06:49:07+00:00

Anno 1503 - Island Tiles (2 of 2)

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ddkk — 2006-11-20T06:49:00+00:00

Anno 1503 - Island Tiles (1 of 2)