Puerto Rico ... Prospector, captain, mayor, trader, settler, craftsman, or builder? Which roles will you play in the new world? Will you own the most prosperous plantations? Will you build the most valuable buildings? Your goal: achieve the greatest prosperity and highest respect! Andreas Seyfarth’s classic lets players choose the order of phases every turn. We play with 3-4 players in each 90-120 minute game.

2025 WBC PUERTO RICO TOURNAMENT

Advancement will be based on the Heats: Most Wins - Points Standard Tie-breaker listed below.

The Semifinal will consist of four 4-player games. There will NOT be bidding for seating position. Seats will be randomly assigned.

These are the official game rules for the WBC Puerto Rico tournament:

GETTING STARTED:

Players must sign in with the GM (or Assistant GM). Players with games will be asked to set up at designated tables as instructed in the Heats. All table and seat assignments will be random (except for player with their own game in Heats). Each table will be provided with a score sheet that players should start filling out once the seating is determined (first player’s name and badge information should go in seat 1, then around to the left, etc.). Please make sure to write players names and badge numbers LEGIBLY on the score sheet so that the appropriate player(s) will be credited with wins, seconds, etc.

PAIRINGS: All pairings and seat positions will be random except that players should not play with teammates in the Heats, particularly if one of them has selected Puerto Rico as their team game. Please see the GM before pairings are made. If you are randomly paired with a teammate, ask the GM to switch you to another table. You must play at the table and seat assigned.

WHEN YOU FINISH YOUR GAME: The rest of the information on the score sheet should be completed at the end of play. The score sheet will be used to track results and to compile statistics on the game. All information, particularly players’ names, badge numbers and final positions, must be LEGIBLE so that the appropriate result will be entered. Please add comments about the game on the back, and return completed score sheets to the GM. This is the only way you will receive credit for playing in the tournament.

Games must be completed in two hours or less. If a game is running long, players will be asked (about 15 minutes before the end of the two-hour round) to complete one more turn and determine scores as if the game had finished. An exception will be made if any player is deemed to be substantially responsible for the game exceeding the time available.

ADVANCING TO THE NEXT ROUND: Players are free to play in every Heat. Advancement to the next round will use the mandatory tie-breakers adopted by the BPA.

SEMIFINAL AND FINAL: There will be a Semifinal and a 4-player Final. All Semifinal games will be 4-player games if possible. The top 16 attending players will advance to the Semifinal. An Alternate List will be prepared in advance of the Semifinal and posted at the tournament kiosk; any player eligible to advance who will not continue in the Semifinal is urged to notify the GM/assistant GM and/or post such information on the tournament kiosk.

The four winners of the Semifinal (or alternates as needed) will advance to play a 4-player Final, and the two leading players (based on finish in Semifinal, then fewest points behind their Semifinal game winner) among the remaining 12 Semifinalists who do not qualify for the Final, will be awarded Fifth and Sixth place (Note: qualifying finalists not actually attending the Final cannot place in the top 6). Ties among runners-up for advancement to the Semifinal and/or the fifth or sixth place laurels will be broken based on the BPA tie-breaker rules.

INDIVIDUAL GAME TIE-BREAKERS: In the Heats, if two or more players are tied in points and in both doubloons and goods (published rules tie-breaker), then all such tied players will be awarded the tied position. Other players behind them do not move up a position, however. In the Semifinal and Final, if there is a tie for points and remaining doubloons plus goods, the tie shall be broken in favor of the player with the best result in all prior rounds games (all wins counting equally). If still tied, then go to a coin flip or random plantation draw.

RULES ADJUSTMENTS:

The following adjustments are made to the rules (based on extensive experience of online play) to mitigate historical seat position advantage:

• Corn seats (seats 3 and 4) start the game with one less doubloon
• University costs 7 doubloons (not 8)
• Factory costs 8 doubloons (not 7)

RULES CLARIFICATIONS: The 2002 Rio Grande standard game rules (in English) will apply, except as noted above. The following serves to clarify some situations that might raise questions:

• There is an error on the printed Guild Hall; the rules are correct—its bonus applies only to non-violet production buildings
• Use of a manned violet building (including the wharf) is always optional. If you opt to use the wharf, then you must ship all goods of the selected type, however. If you opt not to use the wharf, you must ship per the normal rules if an appropriate ship is available.
• When order within a phase or sub-phase is important (i.e., placement or movement of colonists in a Mayors phase, or warehousing at the end of a Captain’s phase), you start with the person who selected the mayor or captain and go clockwise around the table. Any player has the right to “call the order” during a Mayor phase. NOTE: Anyone playing in the Final should expect that this will be done in all Mayor phases in part because we will be keeping track for a likely Series Replay. If this is the case, players should expect that no more movement of colonists will be allowed once the decision is passed to the next player in sequence
• Reminder: if one of the three game-end triggering events occurs, you play until the end of a complete round (which means until everyone has had an opportunity to select a character card and all phases triggered by those cards are completed)
• VP chits are to be kept secret by turning them face down; all other items in the game are public
• Be sure to adjust the number of colonists and VP chits for the number of players
• If a player has an active harbor and a wharf, when shipping during the Captain’s phase it is permissible for that player to ship a type of good to fill a regular ship (thus obtaining the harbor VP bonus) and then in a subsequent shipping round to load the remainder of that same type of good on the wharf (again obtaining the harbor VP bonus for the same type of good)
• Use of all roles and privileges is always optional, with the exception of shipping during the Captain phase (which is mandatory unless using the Wharf). CHANGE FROM PREVIOUS RULINGS: In the event a player declines colonists, during the Mayor Phase, such colonists are available to be distributed to other players. A player planning to refuse colonists should ask that colonists be distributed one at a time as described in the rules. Refusing a colonist just passes the next choice to the next player
• Finally, if the VP chits run out on the last turn, be sure to record the number of virtual VPs on paper and add them to the score of the appropriate players
• Hacienda use: Although you may opt to not take the action, if the player flips a plantation, they must place it if a space is available. Please remember to take the Hacienda action before selecting a face-up plantation/quarry

HEATS: MOST WINS - POINTS (HMW-P):

1. Most Wins (e.g., total in all heats entered)
2. Total Points – Players earn the following pints in each heat they entered:
   • 1st Place - 1,000 points
   • 2nd Place - 100 points
   • 3rd Place - 10 points
   • 4th Place - 1 points
   • All other places - 0 points
   • e.g. player has a 1st, 2nd, and 4th in three heats: total points would be 1,101
3. GM Specific Tie-breaker: Highest % of winner score from best non-winning game. This rewards best performance but counts all wins as equal
4. High dice roll.

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