Description

Set in 1897, Puerto Rico: A Year of Autonomy is a board game that occurs a year after the island gained political autonomy from the Spanish colonial government. Players assume the role of independent Puerto Rican farmers during this transformative period, competing against one another to hire labor, cultivate, sell, and trade valuable crops. Additionally, players must work to rebuild sections of the country by constructing essential city infrastructure. The ultimate goal is to accumulate more wealth and prestige than your competitors, becoming the most prosperous farmer in Puerto Rico.

Each player receives a personal game board with designated spaces for city buildings, plantations, and resources. The game also includes three shared ships, a trading house, and a communal supply of resources and doubloons.

The core gameplay revolves around players growing crops, which they can exchange for points or doubloons. These doubloons can then be used to purchase buildings, enhancing crop production or providing other benefits. However, buildings and plantations only function when staffed by workers.

During each round, players take turns selecting role cards (e.g., "Trader" or "Builder") from the available options. Once a role is selected, every player performs the corresponding action. The player who chose the role also receives a small advantage; for instance, selecting the "Builder" role allows all players to erect a building, but the selecting player enjoys a discount that turn. Unpicked roles receive a doubloon bonus at each round's end, which is awarded to the next player who selects that role. This mechanic encourages players to utilize all roles throughout the game.

Puerto Rico: A Year of Autonomy employs a variable phase order mechanism, where a token is passed clockwise to the next player at the end of each turn. The token-holder initiates the round by selecting a role and taking the first action.

Victory points are earned by owning buildings, shipping goods, and occupying "large buildings." Each player's shipping chips are kept face down and come in denominations of one or five, keeping opponents in the dark about each other's exact scores. However, goods and doubloons are openly visible, and their totals can be requested by any player. The concealed shipping tokens and their denominations force players to strategize carefully when choosing roles, especially as the game nears its end.