-
By newish, I mean that my gaming history consists of Monopoly, Stratego, Clue, Risk, Scrabble, etc. I hear a lot of stuff about this game and I'm wondering if I should give it a shot.
-
Martin G
United Kingdom
London
-
It is a great game, but it would be quite a step up in complexity of rules from the games you mention. That might work out fine for you, but you might also want to consider first trying some well-established favourites that are somewhere in between, like The Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne and Ticket to Ride. Good luck starting out on your journey!
-
-
Thank you. I will do some research into those games you mentioned.
-
B Mendez
United States
Eau Claire
Michigan
-
By all means! Puerto Rico was the first Euro game I played when it came out 10 years ago. It is a straightforward game. Don't be afraid of it. Enjoy!
-
Ken Dilloo
United States
Washington
Always bet on Chorizo!
-
basm22 wrote: By all means! Puerto Rico was the first Euro game I played when it came out 10 years ago. It is a straightforward game. Don't be afraid of it. Enjoy!
I agree, just jump right in. If you are ready to wade in on BGG, you are ready to play Puerto Rico. Pretty great game for noobs, and just a wonderful game all around.
-
David Boeren
United States
Marietta
Georgia
-
Puerto Rico isn't very hard to learn. It might take you a little longer to get good with the strategy than someone with experience in more games, but so what? You'll only be playing with other beginners probably, so they're all in the same boat and you can improve together
-
Tadeu Zubaran
Germany
Berlin
-
The canonical gateway games (game that are most common buffers between only playing the games you like and more advanced ones) are the 3 Martin citred and I would add: Dominion and 7 Wonders.
If you should or not jump straight away into puerto rico is not a straight answer.
It is a bit of a steep jump you are doing here, I assume you will have to learn yourself from the rule book, than you might feel a little bit overwhelmed. If you decide to take the plunge I can't recommend enough N/A([edit]:I got a file not found in the bgg link, if you get the same you can find it here: http://howtoplaypodcast.com/episodes/episodes-1-10/episode-7...). It will be MUCH easier, he explains the whole game as if he was in front of and you are about to play the game, he is an excellent teacher and will make the whole process much much easier.
I say that if you listen to the how to pay podcast you may not have a big problem getting into PR straight away.
Welcome to a whole new world my friend, relax and enjoy the ride.
-
John Fred Obedoza
Philippines
-
I also don't recommend Puerto Rico for a 'next step' boardgame. The rules are not that simple, and there are a lot going on, boardgame-wise, with all those bits and pieces. You might want to try its little sister first -- San Juan, which shares many of the mechanics but is not that fiddly. Also recommending Carcassonne, Settlers of Catan, or Ticket to Ride.
-
Justus Pang
United States
Houston
Texas
-
My main concern is if you have overly experienced gamers who are not tactful at the table. If people aren't willing to accept that mistakes will be made by the new player that may or may not affect them, then it can be exceedingly uncomfortable for the learning player.
I say this from personal experience. I was so nervous about making mistakes that I did not enjoy the game until I borrowed the game and played a couple times with my girlfriend at home. (Despite what some people may say, it is a fine 2P game).
That said, even though people like to complain about accidental kingmaking, don't let it drag down your playing experience, one fairly experienced gamer told me he thought that whole aspect of PR is overrated -- this sort of stuff happens in all multiplayer games...and hell if the experienced players are so awesome, then let them figure out how to deal with the challenge!
Its a fun, fun game, I'd say its hard to learn from the rules, but the how to play podcast is a great resource for all these games you're about to stumble into!
-
-
qwertymartin wrote:
+1 vote to all these games too.
-
Shemp Fill-in: Chan?
United States
Fountain Valley
California
Which way did I go?
Pick a card.
-
Go ahead and play Puerto Rico. It's not brain surgery. Don't let anyone patronize you and tell you that since you're new to these games, you need to start at a "lower" level. Don't let anyone imply that you need to go through some kind of initiation before you can be considered "one of us". Don't let anyone tell you you aren't ready to play the games they consider more advanced. This isn't skydiving, you won't injure yourself if something goes wrong.
Welcome, fellow gamer!
-
Chris Heap Senhouse
United States
Somerville
Massachusetts
-
My main piece of advice would be to read the rule book carefully two or three times before trying to play - I've made too many rules mistakes in too many games, and have found it way less frustrating to just learn it right the first time by putting in a little more effort up front.
Chris
-
Gary Heidenreich
United States
Milwaukee
Wisconsin
-
Phil Fleischmann wrote: Go ahead and play Puerto Rico. It's not brain surgery. Don't let anyone patronize you and tell you that since you're new to these games, you need to start at a "lower" level. Don't let anyone imply that you need to go through some kind of initiation before you can be considered "one of us". Don't let anyone tell you you aren't ready to play the games they consider more advanced. This isn't skydiving, you won't injure yourself if something goes wrong.
Welcome, fellow gamer!
+1
Perfect game to start with. It starts slowly and builds.
-
Tibs
United States
Baltimore
Maryland
-
Don't play Catan. It's too random and too slow.
Or, if you have to play it, play Ticket and Carcassonne first so you won't be turned off of Euro games forever.
-
-
Phil Fleischmann wrote: Go ahead and play Puerto Rico. It's not brain surgery. Don't let anyone patronize you and tell you that since you're new to these games, you need to start at a "lower" level. Don't let anyone imply that you need to go through some kind of initiation before you can be considered "one of us". Don't let anyone tell you you aren't ready to play the games they consider more advanced. This isn't skydiving, you won't injure yourself if something goes wrong.
Welcome, fellow gamer!
Also, don't dismiss cautionary tales from people who have had different experiences.
Phil is right. You are an adult and you can make up your own mind. However, your question is valid and Puerto Rico is a great game, so don't dismiss it if it seems too dry, complex or indecipherable at first.
-
Ron
Austria
Vienna
ASL ... yes, this is my Desert Island Game. If I have to give up all my 3000+ games and only allowed to keep one, this would be it. This bloody game stood the test of time. Around for more than 25 years - simply the best.
Devote follower of the most holy church of the Evil Bob. Possessed and down the road to become chaotic, evil & naughty. All hail the Evil Bob and his stargate.
-
namecid wrote: By newish, I mean that my gaming history consists of Monopoly, Stratego, Clue, Risk, Scrabble, etc. I hear a lot of stuff about this game and I'm wondering if I should give it a shot.
In short: YES, ABSOLUTELY
In will open you a whole new world of board gaming 
-
Martin G
United Kingdom
London
-
Phil Fleischmann wrote: Go ahead and play Puerto Rico. It's not brain surgery. Don't let anyone patronize you and tell you that since you're new to these games, you need to start at a "lower" level. Don't let anyone imply that you need to go through some kind of initiation before you can be considered "one of us". Don't let anyone tell you you aren't ready to play the games they consider more advanced. This isn't skydiving, you won't injure yourself if something goes wrong.
I run a large games club that frequently has people coming along who've only played the kind of games the original poster lists. I try to get them into a game of about the rules complexity of Settlers or Carc. They usually enjoy it, often come back and may decide they like more complex games (though there's nothing wrong with sticking with lighter ones!). Sometimes that doesn't work out and they end up in a group of experienced players playing a heavier Euro (Troyes was a recent example). Those people often don't come back.
Like I said to the original poster, Puerto Rico might work out fine. But I don't think there's any harm in pointing out that there are some games that are better known for being good introductions to the genre. There's a reason we call them 'gateway games'.
-
Ben Bateson
United Kingdom
Ross-on-Wye
Owner of original 'crappy art' GtR and pleased about it.
-
One thing I like about Puerto Rico is how intuitive it is, but that might not apply to learning from the rulebook. If you can get someone to teach you and two-three other new players, you'll find it very easy to pick up.
In terms of picking up the basic mechanics, I'd say it's quite possibly more intuitive than Carcassonne, Catan or Ticket to Ride, and certainly easier than 7 Wonders.
-
Conrad
United States
New York City
New York
Who is bought and sold? Who is beyond the law? Who is free to choose? Who follows orders? Who salutes longest? Who prays loudest? Who dies first? Who laughs last? -Barbara Kruger
"Now a question of etiquette: as I pass, do I give you the ass or the crotch?"
-
Be aware of a little bit of selection bias here - a lot of people responding are doing so because they monitor new threads on Puerto Rico. Asking them whether Puerto Rico is the game for you may be a bit like walking into an insurance salesmen's convention and asking whether you should buy insurance.
Personally, I'm agnostic. I'd recommend trying the games Martin suggested first, but for a minority, Puerto Rico works fine as a gateway to complex games, and you might be one of those people.
-
United States
Norwood
Massachusetts
-
namecid wrote: By newish, I mean that my gaming history consists of Monopoly, Stratego, Clue, Risk, Scrabble, etc. I hear a lot of stuff about this game and I'm wondering if I should give it a shot.
Monopoly ==> Urban Sprawl
Risk ==> Axis and Allies
Stratego ==> Hammer of the Scots
Clue ==> Scotland Yard
You've been called up from the minors. grab your bat and glove...
-
PJ Killian
United States
Cambridge
Massachusetts
-
A reasonably smart person, even one without a lot of experience with board gaming, will be able to pick up the rules to Puerto Rico without too much difficulty. The main downside is that it's a very low-luck/high-skill game, so if you're playing with experienced players, you will lose for a while. And it's an older and uber-popular game, so pretty much every experienced gamer you run into will have played it.
If it looks interesting, by all means play it. It's great.
-
Andy Latto
United States
Foxboro
Massachusetts
-
You might consider trying San Juan first. San Juan is "Puerto Rico Lite". It's a good game, but it has about half as many rules and half the playiing time of Puerto Rico. After you've played San Juan a few times, you'll discover when you read the rules to Puerto Rico that you already know half of them, and it will go very smoothly.
-
Tibs
United States
Baltimore
Maryland
-
In San Juan you have a secret hand, so you'll be less inclined to ask others what a card does if you're unsure.
-
Kevin Shillinglaw
Canada
Kitchener
Ontario
-
If you want, you can play PR at Board Game Arena to give it a try. Just let everyone know that you're learning the game. That's where I learned PR and loved it ever since. And yes, it's a great 2-player game.
But the other games mentioned are excellent suggestions.
Good luck!
-
Len
United States
Austin
Texas
-
namecid wrote: By newish, I mean that my gaming history consists of Monopoly, Stratego, Clue, Risk, Scrabble, etc. I hear a lot of stuff about this game and I'm wondering if I should give it a shot.
Here is a great video that explains Puerto Rico, and should help you decide if this is a good game for you....
http://www.boardgameswithscott.com/?p=80
It is an excellent instructional video....the best out there for this game. If you think you will buy it, then listen to the How to Play podcast.
-
|
|
