84 different people played Puerto Rico this year and supported using a new format and testing some new software. Thanks everyone for your support!
This year there were format changes in the play of the game and the GM tested new software to aid in running the tournament. After our machine overlords tried to sit everyone at 3 player tables, things settled down and the new software worked.
The rules changes discarded bidding for seats, exchanged the costs for the factory and university (to 8 & 7, respectively), and had the corn seat players start with one fewer doubloon. This has become the preferred format for playing Puerto Rico online at Board Game Arena. And significantly levels the seats’ win probablilities.
Eric Freeman won the Final Game with Guild Hall and Fortress giving him 49 points. David Platnik(43) and DJ Borton(41) had their shipping up and running, but the colonists ran out, too soon. Scott Saccenti(31) was fourth, enduring a very unkind set of plantation draws that hindered him early in the game. Although building seemed to be the dominant strategy this year, the Final winner is often the best at shipping, but not this year. The corn seats bought both small markets, but there was so little trading done that they only netted 2 doubloons each.Four of the eight times Trader was selected, no goods were traded. Only coins on the role changed hands.
Without the rules changes seat 3 has consistently had significantly more wins than the other seats. For example, in 2014 seat 2 won 6 games and seat 3 won 18. This was typical. Bidding did not seem to help as much as hoped.
This year, the distribution of wins for each seat was:
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
| 11 | 10 | 12 | 9 |
left-to-right: Eric Freeman(1), Scott Saccenti(4), Rich Shay(GM), DJ Borton(3), David Platnik(2).
| Turn | Seat | Role | Seat 1: DJ Borton | Seat 2: David Platnmik | Seat 3: Eric Freeman | Seat 4: Scott Saccenti | Plantations/Boats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Settler | Quarry | Sugar | Sugar | Sugar | 3S, 2I: IS3Cf |
| 2 | Prospector | $1 | |||||
| 3 | Builder | Sm Mkt-$0 | Sm Mkt-$1 | ||||
| 4 | Mayor | Q | C | C | C, Mkt | 4 to boat | |
| 2 | 2 | Settler | S | Q | Cf | Cf | C2I2S |
| 3 | Trader | $1 | |||||
| 4 | Builder | Sm Indigo-$0 | pass | pass | Sm Sugar-$1 | ||
| 1 | Mayor | Q,I,SmI | Q,C | C, SmMkt | SmMkt,S,SmS | 4 to boat | |
| 3 | 3 | Craftsman | I | C | $2, C,C | S | |
| 4 | Trader | C for $1 | S for $4 | ||||
| 1 | Captain | $2, I-2vp-7bt | c-vp-6bt | c-vp-6bt | |||
| 2 | Prospector | $2 | |||||
| 4 | 4 | Builder | SmSug-$1 | SmInd-$0 | Coffee-$6 | $1, Coffee-$5 | |
| 1 | Mayor | $1,2c+S,SmS | -C, +I, SmI | -SmMkt, +T, TobS | -SmMkt, +Cf,Coffee | 4 to boat | |
| 2 | Settler | I | $1, Q | C | I | 2C,T,2Cf | |
| 3 | Craftsman | SI | I | CT, T | S,Cf | ||
| 5 | 1 | Captain | $1, i-2vp | i-1vp | c-1vp, 2t-2vp | cf-1vp (5boat) | |
| 2 | Prospector | $2 | |||||
| 3 | Settler | C | C | Q | T | 3C,2T | |
| 4 | Mayor | +C | +Q | +Q | +C,SmMkt | 4 to boat | |
| 6 | 2 | Builder | $1, Harbor-$5 | SmInd – $0 | |||
| 3 | Trader | $2 | |||||
| 4 | Prospector | $1 | |||||
| 1 | Settler | Q | C | C | C | I,2S,2T | |
| 7 | 3 | Mayor | +C | +C | $1, +C,SmMkt | +C | 4 to boat |
| 4 | Craftsman | cis | ci | 2c,cf | $2, 2c,s,cf, cf | ||
| 1 | Captain | $1, c-2vp | c-2vp, i-2vp | c-1vp | 2cf-2vp, -2c,s | 5,6 bt clear | |
| 2 | Settler | I | Q | Cf | Cf | IS2TCf | |
| 8 | 4 | Builder | Harbor-$6 | SmSug-$1 | SmWhs-$2 | $1, Tobac-$4 | |
| 1 | Settler | Q | S | I | T | 2I,2S,T | |
| 2 | Prospector | $2 | |||||
| 3 | Trader | $1, cf-$6 | |||||
| 9 | 1 | Mayor | $1, +Q,Har | +C | -SmMkt +I,SmI | -C +T,Tstr | 6 to boat |
| 2 | Prospector | $1 | |||||
| 3 | Builder | LgInd-$1 | SmWhr-$2 | Guild Hall-$8 | |||
| 4 | Captain | s-2vp | $1, s-2vp | ||||
| 10 | 2 | Mayor | not 2I | all but 3Q | -GH, xtra CSCf | not ITCf | 7 to boat |
| 3 | Settler | I | I | $1, Q | T | CIS2T | |
| 4 | Builder | SmSug-$1 | SmInd-$0 | ||||
| 1 | Trader | $1, no trades | |||||
| 11 | 3 | Prospector | $2 | ||||
| 4 | Craftsman | c2is | 3cis | cit | $3,2cstcf,s | ||
| 1 | Captain | $1,2i-4vp,s-2vp | 3c-4vp(5bt),s-2vp | 2c-2vp | 2s-2vp(t left) | all boats clear | |
| 2 | Mayor | all but 2I | all but 1I | all but 2C,Cf,GH | all but 2T, 1Cf | 8 tol boat late | |
| 12 | 4 | Trader | $1, t-$5 | Clear TH | |||
| 1 | Builder | $1, Tobacco-$1 | Tobacco-$2 | Lg. Indigo-$1 | Factor-$8 | ||
| 2 | Settler | T | $1, T | C | I | I2STCf | |
| 3 | Prospector | $1 | |||||
| 13 | 1 | Captain | $1,c(5ship)-3vp | i(7ship)-2vp | i-1vp,cf-1vp | ||
| 2 | Craftsman | c2is | $1, 3cis | 3cscf | 2csitcf | ||
| 3 | Trader | s-$2 | cf-$6 | t-$4 | |||
| 4 | Mayor | all but 2I | all but 1I | all but LI,T,GH | $1,all but 2T,TS space | 11 to boar | |
| 14 | 2 | Builder | Wharf-$6 | $1, Res-$6 | Fortress-$8 | ||
| 3 | Captain | 2i-3vp | i-2vp | $1, 3c-4vp | c-1vp, i-1vp,cf-1vp,-c | 5 bt clear | |
| 4 | Prospector | $2 | |||||
| 1 | Mayor | -Q | -I | -LI, bigs | -TI | 8 to boat | |
| 15 | 3 | Settler | Cf | S | $1, I | T | 2ISTCf |
| 4 | Builder | LI-$2 | CH-$9 | ||||
| 1 | Prospector | $1 | |||||
| 2 | Captain | c-2vp | 3c-5vp | ||||
| 16 | 4 | Trader | $2 | ||||
| 1 | Craftsman | $1,c4ist,t2 | 3cit | 2cscf | S2t2cf,$2 | ||
| 2 | Captain | 4i-5vp(wharf) | i-3vp | c-1vp, 2cf-2vp | 2cf-2vp | all boats clear | |
| 3 | Mayor | all large buildings manned, not enough colonists to fill boat | |||||
| VP | 29vp, not 28 | 24vp | 16vp | 12vp | |||
| Building | 13 | 13 | 19 | 16 | |||
| Bonus | 0 | 6 | 14 | 3 | |||
| 42 | 43 | 49 | 31 |
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