2 Games of Puerto Rico

The set:

Assembly Line 1/1: You may add an additional colonist to each production building.

Small Fashion District 2/1: Sell indigo at +2.

Hacienda

Small Warehouse

Irrigation 4/2: Take an extra barrel when producing.

Commodity Exporters 5/2: +1 VP when shipping indigo or sugar

Inheritance 5/2: Take a manned plantation when buying corresponding production building

Discretionary Hold 6/2: a) store up to three barrels, b) place any one barrel onto a full ship for 1 VP

Super Market 7/3: Trade at +3

Large Business 8/3: a) -1 to build, b) +1 VP for first shipment during Captain

Large General Workhouse (2 circles) 8/3: Produce any goods with corresponding plantations

Wharf

various big buildings

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Irrigation, Inheritance, and Super Market are not our usual buildings. In addition, we've already decided that Commodity Exporters is rather strong in two or three player. But it's not overpowering, and I don't have better buildings for 5 spot.

Rachel bought CE both games, and lost both games, so there you go.

I won the first game 60 to 57. Rachel started. She took Commodity Exporters, while I took Irrigation and Discretionary Hold. Irrigation is enough of a balance to CE a long as only one boat has either indigo or sugar, which I ensured it did. I out-shipped her 30 to 22.

I won the second game 65 to 49. She started again, and again took CE. This time I took Super Market, which turned out to be a BOMB building in two player. I could sell corn for 4 doubloons. I got Large Business and a quarry, and easily out-built her. She out-shipped me by 5 points.

First Turn in 2 Player

First turn in 2 player is tricky. If player 1 starts with quarry, player 2 taking Builder only gives player 1 a manned indigo. If player 2 takes Mayor, player 1 uses his manned quarry.

If player 1 starts with Builder/Sm Indigo, player 2 may take Mayor to prevent the manned indigo, giving player 1 Settler/quarry anyway. It's in any case much easier for player 1 to skip the opening Settler/quarry if there's a corn (better yet, two corns) in the opening plantations.

Haven't yet figure out best practices here.