Puerto Rico 1897: Special Edition

A small confession: I had somehow managed never to play Puerto Rico, which feels almost criminal for someone who plays board games. Yes, yes, keep the fashionable comments coming and take away my credentials. It is one of those iconic, genre-defining names that simply never said much to me. But in honour of the distinguished fellow player who always wants to go one step further and paid up for this super-wow production, we sat down to give it its chance.

At its core, it is an honest worker-placement game. You make your choices, try to squeeze as much value as possible out of them, and generally follow a very familiar, satisfying process of management and placement. It works. It is solid, and it keeps you engaged without needing fanfare to prove that it is a game.

The interaction, though, has that one point where I completely understand why people cite it as a negative: a player who passes can hand the victory to someone else. I saw it first-hand. It is not the only game in the world with that feature, of course, so I will not present it as a revelation or a disaster; it is simply there, and it can get under your skin.

Overall, I found it like hardtack: honest and filling, but it makes you wonder whether you would rather have had a better focaccia. I did not have a bad time, and I would play it again. Mostly, though, I would play it again for the bling. The eye candy in this edition is next level—probably even better than the excellent Burgundy. Sue me, I am shallow: when a game looks this good on the table, I want to set it up again.