I'm a big fan of Puerto Rico.
But one thing that bugs me a little bit in my (5 player) games is how stable the first round is, with regards to role choices.
It (almost) always goes:
- Settler
- Builder
- Mayor
- Craftsman
- Captain
The rationale is pretty straightforward:
- A quarry will be manned by round 2*, since Mayor will almost certain be chosen
- Guaranteed to have highest purchasing power, and all buildings are available
- Guaranteed to have an unmanned building (with a chance of a first round indigo)
- Practically guaranteed to have a manned corn, and no other player can produce 2 goods
- No-one can ship for more than 2 victory points
Every now and then we'll get crazy and swap the order on Builder and Settler.
My question is, are there any significantly different first round role orders that are just as viable?
*Which is great efficiency for a quarry.