Puerto Rico Variant Buildings
for the board game
Merchants Guild
Cost: 4
VP: 2
Phase: Captain
Text: Receive 3 Doubloons for returning an empty ship
New Rule:
When a ship is filled, its contents are immediately removed and it is flipped upside down, to show that the ship is traveling to Spain. When flipped upside down, a ship may not be loaded. When the captain is subsequently taken, any player may, instead of placing goods on a ship, flip a ship back face up. In fact, if he has nothing to load, he must do this. A player receives 1 doubloon for doing so.

A player who has the Merchants Guild receives 3 Doubloons for doing this.

Historical Notes:
The Merchants Guild had a monopoly on European imports and could set prices as high as they liked, a lucrative arrangement.
Play Notes:
This building adds another wrinkle to the consideration of when to take the Captain.
Pirate's Nest
Cost: 4
VP: 2
Phase: Captain
Text: May takeover a loaded ship
Rules:
The Pirate's Nest has space for up to 10 settlers.

During his turn during the Captain's Phase, a player holding the Pirate's Nest may attempt a takeover. The requirements are that at least one ship be full and the total of unused ship spaces is an odd number. To represent the taking of the ship, its contents are removed and the ship card is flipped upside down. It becomes available again the next time the Captain is chosen. (Victory Points awarded for this ship remain intact.)

The benefit of taking over a ship is that the owner of the Pirate's Nest receives victory points and/or doubloons (owner's choice) equal to half the number of settlers on the Pirate's Nest.

Historical Notes:
San Juan was the final provisioning point for ships headed back to Spain. Pirates would lurk in the surrounding islets and coves hoping to occasionally pick off a merchant ship from the Carrera de las Indias (convoy system). They didn't succeed very often, only sometimes managing to take 1 or 2 ships. In the entire history of Puerto Rico, a royal galleon was taken fewer than 12 times and the entire fleet taken only thrice. However, we can be sure that the plucky pirates who turned the trick earned themselves both infamy and plenty of booty.
Play Notes:
This building represents a new strategic path to try. It is a considerable investment since a relatively large number of settlers must be committed to it for it to pay off. It only works when the number of spaces left over is an odd number to represent the chanciness of the operation. This building should generate extra planning and reflection when choosing the captain. It might be a good way for a player who has made a big mistake early in the game to try to catch up.
Tue Dec 17 14:41:03 PST 2002
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