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WARNING:
CHOKING HAZARD -- Small parts. Not for children under 3 yrs. |
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Product Description
From the Manufacturer
In Havana you acquire victory points by constructing buildings, available as tiles displayed on the table. To take a building you must pay its requirements - some combination of money, workers and building materials. More difficult combinations yield more victory points. Furthermore, not all of the available buildings on the table are ripe for the taking, as only the ones on the right and left hand border of the 2 rows of buildings are available for selection. The game's core mechanic revolves around identical decks of 13 cards for each player, of which only 2 are played per round. But in addition to the card's function, the numerical combination of cards played is important (e.g. a card with a value of 3 and 4, result in the value 34) as the player with the lowest combined number acts first. So not only is the start player constantly changing, but it is also possible that a planned action cannot be taken, as another player has already used the same role. Not all roles are exclusive, so the turn order will also determine whether your "half of all pesos in the middle" is half of eight, or half of four (if a player before you played the same card). Some roles allow you to tax others or steal from them, and some cards defend against this, so it's not all just collecting pieces in a solitary manner. Some combinations require the presence of an architect, so you must choose whether to use one of your two card spots for him. Other cards add different twists. What and when to choose, who to hurt, and what you're aiming for, make up the game's main decisions.
Product Description
Havana, from Rio Grande Games, is an easy-to-learn game of strategy that is never predictable. In order to make Cubas capital city, Havana, gleam in renewed splendor, many magnificent buildings are under construction. Players can obtain Pesos or building materials, hire workers, bring the architect into play, collect taxes, send out thieves, hinder the construction of buildings or simply have a siesta while being protected by their body guard. Havana stands out due to its minimal rules and ingeniously simple mechanism that calls for different approaches each time you play. It is equally important to use intuition and rapidly find new strategies as it is to carefully plan ahead. No two games are alike, and in the end, exact timing will determine victory or defeat!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A simple, tactical card & resource game,
By
= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars
This review is from: Havana (Toy)
One measure of quality with a German strategy game is the amount of attention a player must pay to his opponents' moves. In a good game, you must pay attention and react. In a great game, you must anticipate. Havana is a simple game, but if you don't recognize what your opponents plan to do next, you're likely to get screwed.In Havana, players collect building material, workers and pesos in an effort to build the most valuable collection of buildings. To get these resources, one has to play action cards from his deck. Everyone has the same set of 13 action cards, but a player may only play two at a time. The twist is that each card has a different value -- with higher values going to the more powerful cards -- and whichever player has the least valuable cards for the round gets to go first. Which means he gets the first shot at the available buildings. Then, after each round, more money and material are put out, and a new round begins: each player replaces one of the two cards in front of him, discarding the old one, and the turn order is determined anew. There isn't much more to it. Due to the simple rules, players can concentrate on the two things they need to win: how many resources they need, and what their opponents are going to do next. REPEATABILITY: High. Because the available buildings change every game, and the building material is often pulled randomly out of a bag, each game is different. Players who take a certain tack one game will need to reassess and plot again during the next one. DESIGN: High. They took pains to commission different drawings for each building card, which is impressive. The cost symbols on each building card are large and clear, and readable from any angle. The action cards have some amusing artistry, including a cigar-chomping matriarch named Mama. The building material and worker pieces are wooden, not plastic, and the former stay hidden in a pleasant cloth bag. Where English text is needed, it's concise and well-written. INSTRUCTIONS: Moderate. For a simple game, they're a little long and a little heavy on the prose. I would have preferred to see more diagrams and symbols. (A common complaint with most board game rules.) Still, shouldn't take more than 10 minutes for you to learn the rules and 5 minutes to teach them to others. COMPLEXITY: Moderate. Even though there are only 13 cards to choose from, picking the proper one to play can require a few brain cycles spent traversing the decision tree. LUCK: Low. Randomness determines available building and material type, but a good player should be able to roll with whatever comes up. OVERALL: The game takes only 30-45 minutes, and scales well between two to four players. (Though I think it plays better with three or four.) I'd recommend this game for people who are just diving into strategy games, have mastered Settlers of Catan, and want something new but not too complicated. If you're already building a collection, and you're looking to expand, I'd still recommend Havana, but keep in mind that it's more tactical than strategic. FINAL RATING: 8 out of 10
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rebuild the "Paris of the Caribbean" in this fun and engaging game,
By Hannah (USA) - See all my reviews Here's a quick overview of the rules: players begin the game with a full set of 13 numbered action cards. They each select two and simultaneously play them face down. The player with the lowest combined number on the action point cards begins, taking both the actions they selected and then having first pick at the buildings available for purchase. The following players then take their turns in order of ascending combined action card points. When all the players have completed their turns, they must select action cards again, only this time, from a deck of only 11 cards instead of 13 (two were played the previous turn on the table). This means that is they chose "Collect Pesos" last turn, it is no longer available in their hand. And there's another catch: for the remainder of the game, their two actions will consist of one old action and one new. Each turn they must choose which of the previous two actions to nix. Once nixed, these action cards remain unusable in the discard pile until the player runs low on cards or plays the Refreshment card. These short rounds of two actions each continue as players accumulate workers, pesos, and materials in hopes of making the combinations that are required to construct the buildings. The more difficult the combination, the more victory points a building is worth. When one player accumulates the set number of victory points needed for victory, the game ends immediately, and he or she is the winner. Havana is a short in length with a fast-paced feel. It's perfect as a relaxing game to enjoy between longer more demanding games. It's light enough to provide a bit of a break from some of the more complex stuff, although it certainly presents its own challenge and requires a fair amount of planning and concentration. It has a good amount of luck, prediction, calculation, and player interaction, and it also offers great replay value, since only a handful of the 36 buildings are used each game. And a perk that I particularly love are the beautiful illustrations on the cards and tiles. The beautiful art makes it a joy to play and really adds that finishing sparkle to the experience. I highly recommend Havana for its quick gameplay and strategic depth. It lacks neither strategy nor replay value and can be enjoyed by the serous gamer as well as the casual one. For its versatility and quality I think it stands out as a game that can be enjoyed in many situations while not compromising its strategic appeal. I have greatly enjoyed the challenge of rebuilding this "Paris of the Caribbean." **For reviews on other games I recommend, visit my blog, "Advantage Games." The link can be found by visiting my Amazon profile page!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rebuild the "Paris of the Caribbean" in this fun and engaging game,
By Hannah (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Havana (Toy)
The devastation of the Cuban revolution has ended, and a new era of development has enveloped Cuba's capital city, Havana. Numerous efforts are underway to construct buildings and restore this charming coastal city, known as the "Paris of the Caribbean." You are competing in a race to accumulate pesos, workers and materials and invest them in valuable buildings worth victory points at the game's end. You must choose which action cards are optimal for your strategy. Will it be hitting up the black market for materials, hiring workers, collecting taxes, or robbing your opponents of their pesos? The best choice depends on the buildings available to be crafted, your intuition regarding your opponents' next actions, and the strategic timing of selecting action cards. Gain the most victory points by constructing the right combination of building points and claim the victory!Here's a quick overview of the rules: players begin the game with a full set of 13 numbered action cards. They each select two and simultaneously play them face down. The player with the lowest combined number on the action point cards begins, taking both the actions they selected and then having first pick at the buildings available for purchase. The following players then take their turns in order of ascending combined action card points. When all the players have completed their turns, they must select action cards again, only this time, from a deck of only 11 cards instead of 13 (two were played the previous turn on the table). This means that is they chose "Collect Pesos" last turn, it is no longer available in their hand. And there's another catch: for the remainder of the game, their two actions will consist of one old action and one new. Each turn they must choose which of the previous two actions to nix. Once nixed, these action cards remain unusable in the discard pile until the player runs low on cards or plays the Refreshment card. These short rounds of two actions each continue as players accumulate workers, pesos, and materials in hopes of making the combinations that are required to construct the buildings. The more difficult the combination, the more victory points a building is worth. When one player accumulates the set number of victory points needed for victory, the game ends immediately, and he or she is the winner. Havana is a short in length with a fast-paced feel. It's perfect as a relaxing game to enjoy between longer more demanding games. It's light enough to provide a bit of a break from some of the more complex stuff, although it certainly presents its own challenge and requires a fair amount of planning and concentration. It has a good amount of luck, prediction, calculation, and player interaction, and it also offers great replay value, since only a handful of the 36 buildings are used each game. And a perk that I particularly love are the beautiful illustrations on the cards and tiles. The beautiful art makes it a joy to play and really adds that finishing sparkle to the experience. I highly recommend Havana for its quick gameplay and strategic depth. It lacks neither strategy nor replay value and can be enjoyed by the serous gamer as well as the casual one. For its versatility and quality I think it stands out as a game that can be enjoyed in many situations while not compromising its strategic appeal. I have greatly enjoyed the challenge of rebuilding this "Paris of the Caribbean." **For reviews on other games I recommend, visit my blog, "Advantage Games." The link can be found by visiting my Amazon profile page!
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