Nail-biter @ Northampton

Kevin won a real nail-biter of a Puerto Rico game last night. Final score in this five-player game was 50-49-47-42-39.

There were several interesting and remarkable things about this game; the number of players (we rarely play with 5), the high scoring (was the tightest score I can recall in a while), and some of the strategies used.

Starting with myself in 1st seat, I opened with Settler/Quarry, then I bought the Hospice for the first time as my first building after Indigo plant. This was unusual for me, I thought I would try to see if I could avoid pulling the Mayor in the game, and benefit from the extra colonist when Settler is pulled. Later I purchased the Haceinda, and with it's bonus plantation pull each round, was able to have 12 spaces full at the end of the game. I used the Harbor, and was able to get ahead of Kevin to my right with Corn, Indigo, Sugar for 30 points. But despite having 9-buildings, was only able to cough up 17 more and no Large building meant no bonus. I came in third with 47 points.

Dave in 2nd seat went with a simple coffee-sugar play, and as it was his new game played mostly obvious options, and benefited from some nice trader-pulls, and did a fair amount of shipping with his Wharf purchased @ mid-game. Dave finished a respectable 39 points.

Jared played third seat, and with Indigo, Coffee as his main-stays, tried a hard-core quarry strategy. He ultimately had 4 quarries, and 2 large buildings - but was limited due to seating position and following Dave to only shipping 9 points. He bought 2 Large buildings, and if the game had gone another turn might have been able to buy a third (!) if there had been one available.

Kyle played 4th, and he took advantage of the "right-hand" effect, being a move ahead of Kevin in 5th seat. He started with Sugar, then moved to Tobacco, Kevin's cash crop. He bought the Wharf after Kevin's Harbor, never got shut out of shipping, and managed 2 Large buildings due to some good trader play as well. But he finished with 49!

Kevin, amazingly, pulled out a 1-point victory after counting his one large-building bonus, and 29 shipping points. Shut out most of the second half of the game in a large tobacco boat, he could not get more goods after Craftsman, because Jared and Kyle taking it all before he could produce. Therefore he could not clear the boat to put more in play, and never got to do much with his Corn.

But by enabling his early harbor, and shipping like mad in the beginning of the game, he was able to squeak out one of the best games of PR I've ever played. A real nail-biter! Good game Kevin!