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new from Rio Grande ...
Hacienda has players competing for space on the South
America pampas, aiming to bring their livestock to the most markets.
Players get three actions a turn to buy cards which allow tiles
to be laid to control land and herds, or you may buy extras,
such as waterholes or the haciendas of the title for big bonus
points.
The game has two card decks, one showing the different land
types on the hex map, the other the different animals (pigs,
cows, horses and sheep). Some cards are laid face up and you
pay three pesos to buy the ones you want from among the visible
choices, or two pesos for an unknown card from the draw deck.
You spend the cards to put your markers on land, and to place
your animal tokens on the board. Animals of a type go together
to make a herd naturally, and each time a herd touches a market
town on the board, you earn money for the size of herd and land
attached. With careful hand and herd management, you can profit
and also block your opponents. You need the money to buy more
cards. 12 pesos also buys waterholes to place next to your herds,
or haciendas to go on your land or herds. If you run short of
money, you can harvest to get cash off your land at the cost
of other action.
But the game is not about money. You score victory points
halfway through and at the end. The more markets you are serving,
the more points you get. The herds and the land yield points,
the water and haciendas provide bonus points as well.
The game board has two sides. One has a dog-bone shape of
land types that makes for an easy starting game. The other side
has a more varied pattern which makes the game more of a contest.
Our tournament will feature two heats of 4-player games with
16 advancing to single elimination play. In all likelihood, all
winners will advance, but if not, standard WBC MESE tie-breaker
rules will apply.
MESE ADVANCEMENT TIE-BREAKERS: In Multiple Entry, Single Elimination
events for multi-player games, players possibly qualify for Single
Elimination play in the second round by winning any of up to
four preliminary Heats. Occasionally, players may advance wihout
winning a heat. Players can enter one or more Heats without limit.
All MESE events for multi-player games consist of three rounds;
an opening Round consisting of two to four Preliminary Heats,
a semifinal and a Final. The semifinal round will advance a predesignated
optimum number of players to fill the second round; i.e., 25
players for a five-player game, 16 players for a four-player
game, etc. but in all cases will advance no more than half of
all players which participated in the Preliminaries. If insufficient
players advance to warrant a semifinal round, the scheduled semifinal
will instead become the Final.
 NEW
MESE TIE-BREAKERS: A Preliminary Heat win will NOT in itself
guarantee advancement. All MESE events will advance the optimum
number of players to the next round based on the following tie-breakers
without exception.
1. Win in first Heat entered
2. Most Wins
3.Win in second Heat entered
4 has brought a copy of the game if needed for next round; otherwise
GM may substitute game specific tie-breaker
5. average finish in all heats entered
6.high dice roll
"Win and you're in" is no longer a given although
it is a strong possibility. This system of tie breakers encourages
repeat play in Heats without requiring it. A single win (especially
in the first Heat entered) will probably advance that winner
but is not guaranteed to do so. Conversely, players who continue
to play additional heats after winning a Preliminary game only
enhance their chances of advancement without damaging their prospects,
but a player who wins their only Preliminary game will probably
advance without investing further time in Preliminary play. Meanwhile,
non-winners who continue in Preliminary Heats will have additional
chances to qualify in search of that elusive first win since
in most events, a single win will still advance you to a semifinal
round.
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hacienda [Updated April 2006]
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Ballroom B 
Jim Vroom [1st Year]
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