Santiago De Cuba Board Game Review

Recreation Overview

Once I first noticed the duvet of the sport together with a brief description and pictures of the elements, I used to be instantly intrigued to play it. The title appeared enticing too, as Cuba could be very distant from my nation (I reside in Greece) and that simply provides to the unique and thriller environment for which the nation is already celebrated. Let’s undergo some primary details about gameplay:

In Santiago de Cuba you’re a dealer within the metropolis of Santiago, the second largest metropolis of Cuba. Your objective is to make revenue by making offers with the locals and visiting (and even shopping for) buildings as a way to collect items and cargo them to the ships arriving within the metropolis’s port. Accessible items are: sugar cane (white) citrus fruit (orange), tobacco (inexperienced), rum (crimson), cigars (black) and wooden. On the sport board there are 12 constructing tiles, that are all the time shuffled when organising the sport after which positioned on the suitable containers within the outskirts of the town. There are additionally 9 Cubans who will aid you out and are additionally shuffled and distributed randomly on the 9 containers within the middle of the sport board. A road runs in entrance of the Cubans in a loop. A automobile, utilized by all gamers, will journey by this road and its 10 stops (stars), one for every of the Cubans and a cease on the port (yellow star).

There are 7 ships that can attain the town’s port one after the opposite and for every one, the kind and amount of products it accepts to hold are decided by rolling 5 coloured cube and selecting 4 of them to put on the ship. The colour of the cube signifies the kind of good and the quantity, the amount required. There’s a worth marker on the board in entrance of the ship, indicating the quantity of victory factors you obtain for every good delivered to the ship (2,3 or 4 victory factors). This marker is initially set to 2 and for every time the automobile passes from the port (yellow star) with out stopping there the marker is moved one flag to the correct. Nevertheless if the marker strikes from the worth 4 to the checkered flag, the ship leaves instantly even when it isn’t full. As soon as a ship has all objects loaded, it leaves the port and one other one arrives.

In the beginning of the sport, buildings and Cubans tiles are shuffled and positioned on the board, every participant chooses a coloration and the primary participant is set. Every participant is dealt 3 cash (pesos), 2 victory factors and one sugar cane, one citrus fruit and one tobacco. All items and cash are hidden behind particular participant screens. The automobile is positioned on the port and the primary ship arrives. The participant to the correct of the primary participant rolls the 5 cube to find out the ships cargo. Every spherical a participant should use the automobile to go to a location transferring clockwise by transferring as many “star” areas they like. Solely step one to a brand new place is free. For each house past the primary one, the participant should pay 1 peso. By stopping in entrance of a Cuban, you often get items, cash or victory factors. Then you definitely instantly go to one of many buildings of the colour indicated by the flower icon on the Cuban’s tile. In buildings, gamers do sure actions that assist them advance within the recreation similar to change several types of items, get victory factors or load items to the ship. By stopping on the yellow star (final cease within the loop, port) gamers set off a supply spherical, throughout which all gamers can ship items to the ship. Gamers get victory factors (the precise quantity is indicated by the worth marker talked about earlier) for loading the ship. Wooden can all the time be loaded to the ship as a substitute of anyone different good however gamers obtain just one victory level for every wooden loaded. The sport ends when all 7 ships depart the port. At that time any remaining items are transformed to victory factors (1 vp for each 3 items) and victory factors are counted. The participant with probably the most victory factors, is the winner.

First Impressions

Upon opening the field, I used to be impressed with the attractive paintings of the sport board and tiles. Setup was fairly straightforward, following the well-written rulebook. Tiles shuffled and positioned, colours chosen and right here we go. The sport flows easy and turns are fairly fast as there are solely 2 actions that should be made every spherical and selections are fairly straight ahead. Normally you do not wish to transfer many areas ahead with the automobile as this can price some huge cash after which there’s the selection of the constructing to go to that can depend upon the particular wants of the participant or could also be a strategic alternative as nicely. An fascinating facet is that gamers’ items and cash are hidden behind screens, so one should be alert and attempt to keep in mind what items the opposite gamers have gathered. That could be a huge a part of the sport’s technique. The sport has nice immersion because of glorious paintings and recreation mechanics. All of it feels a lot like Cuba! It additionally has a lot replayability as a result of shuffling of tiles at recreation setup.

I have never performed Cuba which appears to have so much in widespread with Santiago de Cuba (the designer and the artist of Santiago have additionally labored on Cuba) so I could not examine the 2 video games, however after enjoying a few video games of Santiago, I’ve a transparent impression of the sport which I’m able to share with you! Let’s undergo our traditional ranking classes:

Elements:

Recreation elements are very good and of fine high quality. The sport board is sort of a portray, depicting the town and the port with nice element. The constructing and Cuban tiles are of comparable high quality from a design perspective and manufactured from thick cardboard, as are victory level tokens, pesos (cash) and property markers. Enjoying items and items are manufactured from wooden which feels very good. All in all, the sport elements are all that one might hope for and much more. 9/10

Gameplay:

The guts of each recreation in fact. Gameplay is quick and there’s sufficient house for strategic pondering and planning forward. Upon deciding which Cuban to satisfy, you need to make a number of issues such because the deal you’ll make with them, the buildings which can be accessible to go to afterwards and what cease the subsequent participant would possibly select. You even have to consider which often is the most worthwhile buildings to grab with Alonso (the lawyer) which can also be an fascinating facet of the sport. Your reminiscence abilities might be placed on a check with Santiago as a result of as a way to do nicely on this recreation, you need to keep in mind what items your opponents have gathered. That might be an important issue as a way to resolve if you wish to cease on the port or not and a miscalculation could price you a number of victory factors. Only a thought concerning the constructing tiles: I believe it will be fascinating to have a constructing tile, working within the simply reverse manner from the Customs Workplace, that’s to have the ability to flip a cube of your alternative on the ship to no matter quantity you need (besides 0). The sport appears very balanced in its mechanics and there appears to be no obvious technique that may all the time result in victory. Shuffling of the tiles at recreation setup ensures that each recreation might be a totally completely different one. 8/10

Studying Curve:

The rulebook could be very nicely written and solely 8 pages lengthy, together with some illustrations and examples. After studying by the principles and enjoying the sport as soon as you’ll really feel very snug about it and possibly by no means have to seek the advice of the rulebook once more. 8/10

Theme:

The theme of being in Cuba and act as a dealer could be very nicely supported by stunning paintings in addition to plausible mechanics. The usage of the automobile is a really intelligent concept that contributes to the theme too, making issues really feel extra actual. The buildings have been nicely thought, by linking the buildings’ use with an acceptable identify. For instance, it feels very pure and in-theme to go to the “Financial institution” constructing as a way to get 2 pesos or go to the “Cigar manufacturing facility” to commerce tobacco for cigars. That could be a nice design aspect that enhances the texture of the theme contained in the destiny 2 trials carry recreation. 9/10

Replayability:

Only a repetition right here of what was talked about earlier. Because of shuffling of the Buildings and Cubans tiles throughout setup, it’s assured that no two video games would be the identical. The final technique of the sport nevertheless will keep fairly the identical, as some buildings such because the Newspaper writer or the Workplace and a few Cubans like Alonso will all the time stay favourite locations. I do not suppose that could be a minus although, it appears fairly logical. All in all I believe I’ll by no means be bored to play this recreation. 8/10

Enjoyable:

I had a lot enjoyable enjoying Santiago though there’s no interplay in any respect between gamers besides when visiting El Zorro (every participant should offer you 1 victory level, 1 good or 1 peso). It will likely be enjoyable at factors, when speculating about every others belongings and certainly sufficient whimpering might be current when somebody visits the Newspaper writer to make Alonso inactive. Quick gameplay (~40 minutes) is not going to tire gamers and makes the sport simply be used as a filler between longer video games. An ideal recreation for the entire household too! 8/10