6 PLAYER PUERTO RICO


You will need extra items.

Easiest way is to borrow them from a second (friends?) set - I cannot believe that in any gathering of 6 games players there are not at least two who own this game. So, next time, instead of splitting into 2 x 3 players - join together and play with 6. (If you don't have any friends then you will have to work out your own substitutes or maybe ALEA/RIOGRANDE will publish an expansion kit!!)

FIRSTLY ,and obviously, you will need a sixth board for the extra player.

START.

Everyone starts with 5_Doubloons. (The amount of money supplied for 5 players has ,so far, seemed sufficient for 6 but if you find that you need more then just add extra [2x5's; 6x1's?]).

The first three players start with a INDIGO TILE each, the 4th. 5th &6th with a CORN.

PLANTATION TILES.

You will need 3(three) extra each of SUGAR &INDIGO
and 2(two) extra of each of the others.

(7 tiles should be face up at all times.)

Also 2(two) extra QUARRY TILES.

GOODS. (wooden barrels)

You will need 3(three) extra each of SUGAR &INDIGO
and 2(two) extra of each of the others.

VICTORY POINTS.

You need 150 total - i.e. 28 extra,(I use 4x5's and 8x1's but the mix is up to you).

COLONISTS.

You need 115 in supply and 6 on the ship (this is also the minimum number on the Colonists ship.)- total 121.
(N.B. the rules state that there are 100 of these supplied but everyone that I know has some extra. So, don't believe all that you read, count them, then make up the number to 121.)

CARGO SHIPS.

You need three ships with 7, 8, and 9(nine) cargo spaces respectively.

The 7 and 8 ships are supplied.To make the 9 take the 4 AND the 5 spaces ships and place, or preferably clip them together - (I use a short length of the plastic 'slide-on' loose-leaf binders - the sort of thing that AH etc. used to clip their boards together.) - think of it as a large ship with two holds - but both holds have to contain the same type of goods. (A possible variation is that while you have to continue into the second hold if you have excess goods, if the first hold is full then you may choose another cargo for the second, providing it is NOT one on either of the other ships.

BUILDINGS.

You also require one extra of each of the production buildings and one extra of each of the small violet ones. (You may prefer to add/substitute some of your own or ALEA's 'best of').

In my set (RIOGRANDE) there is a spare/blank large violet building - this you need for an extra one. Again you can use your own idea, I use:-

CHURCH.

Cost 10. VP's 4.

At game end you may make donations to the Church.
Each 2(two) doubloons donated equal 1 VP.

These VP's do NOT count towards the CUSTOMS HOUSE and doubloons donated do NOT count in any TIE BREAK, situation.

ROLE CARDS.

Finally you need an extra role card. - the easiest way is to add another PROSPECTOR but you may prefer my suggestion:-

POLITICIAN.

As politicians like to jump on any band wagon and have a finger in every pie, (photo opportunities?), they can re-use a role that has previously been used - but they do NOT get the privilege.

e.g. if the Builder has gone before then the Politician may start a building round but he does NOT get the discount, similarly if Mayor, then NO extra colonist. (The other players have the option to use the repeated role in the usual way.)

The Politician may, instead, decide to be a Prospector in this case they get the extra Doubloon as normal. (I have made this card double-sided. The player either takes the card and announces which role they are re-using OR they flip it face down and take the money. In either case it is returned face-up to the centre for the next round.)

All other rules are as in the standard game.


N.B. As requested here is the relevant section from my COUNTER article. A number have tried and liked it but, of course, not all.

Since it was written two things have happened:-

1.The Extra Buildings from Alea/Rio Grande have appeared and some have used them instead. One of these small buildings is the CHURCH, where you get VP's for buying buildings - although what that has logically to do with the Church I can't imagine - an Architects or Designers Hall might have bee more apporiate. If you want to use my large building and the clash of names worries you then just re-name one or t'other.
2. Our group find that we like the POLITICIAN so much that we use him instead of a PROSPECTOR in both the 5 & 4 player games.

Kendall Johns

I'm a newbie who has played a few 3 and 4 player games of Puerto Rico. We think it's great. I'll be having a 6-player group together soon. Can anyone give me feedback on your games using this 6-player variant? Thanks.

We played the 6-player variant yesterday and the finesse and fun of the original game is still kept. The game took 19 turns to end, due to a shortage of victory points. There were at that point only 5 colonists left so it might have ended that way as well.

We all feared an increase in downtime but that did not occur. The main strategy problems however that occur in a 5-player game, are even more clearly present. Expect to be the starting player about three times. This is too little to have a strategy based upon this. So get the best out of your opponents role picks.

Quarries are still very important so consider buying a building to get them. Also make sure you get cash from other places than the trader. Chances are high that when it's your turn to sell, the trader's house is full or you don't have the correct good to sell. The factory filled this void very well in our game.

The wharf still remains interesting. Not only for its well-known reasons but also because you will be faced with full ships several times.

The game ended with scores ranging from 42 to 65. The winner had a factory to generate his money and had a good tabacco production which generated most of his points. To get the most out of the factory, he produced exactly one of all other goods, except coffee. This made it possible to have two large 4-point buildings in the end, assuring his victory.

This 6-player variant is very good and even makes me think of making the extra parts you need, myself.

I am also very much interested in this variant now. More feedback would be nice and I hope to try it this Friday. I will report our experience.

I played vary times with politician in a game of 6 players. Aparently the game was more dynamic due the actions repeated for the politician. With little alteration of the strategies.

I design the referring graphs to this variant (PT-BR).
They are in links
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/171126

This is initial setup of a game for 6 players:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/171125

If somebody to want version in English please it sends me a message...
tnks

In EN...
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/208568?size=original
Good game...

I just played this game with 6 players using this variant. My group just did not enjoy it, including me. Just too many thing for set up and break down. It just became a logistical nightmare. THe amount of effort to put in the game is just not worth it. The game play is reduced to lucky opportunities. With so many players between your next turn, you can't really plan ahead. The politician role also doesn't help with the planning aspect as anyone can reuse any role that has already been chosen.

So, atleast for my group, this variant to add a 6th player was not successful.

setup in the PR is bad for 3,4,5 or 6 players. The politician really confuses therefore allows the reutilização but also he became the game most dynamic. My group likes very and it did not see much difference.

I think setup was made worse because we were using two copies. Ah well. I am glad you are enjoying it though. As for me, I have to find a different game to turn into a 6 player.

Neat ideas and image but on the image there are two forests.
Do you use them as non-producing plantations?

the two new forests are to Puerto Rico Expansion