- BGG rank
- BGG #455
- BGG rating
- 7.2
San Juan
- 2–4 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2004
- BGG rank
- BGG #534
- BGG rating
- 7.4
San Juan (Second Edition)
2014
Rules assistance for San Juan (Second Edition)
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 45–60 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.1/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for San Juan (Second Edition)
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
San Juan (Second Edition) is a board game released in 2014 for 2–4 players, 45–60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Andreas Seyfarth and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Variable Phase Order.
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About the game
San Juan is a card game based on Puerto Rico. The deck of 110 cards consists of production buildings (indigo, sugar, tobacco, coffee, and silver) and "violet" buildings that grant special powers or extra victory points. Cards from the hand can be either built or used as money to build something else; cards from the deck are used to represent goods produced by the production buildings, in which case they are left face-down. A seven-card hand limit is enforced once per round. In each round (or governorship), each player in turn selects from one of the available roles, triggering an event that usually affects all players, such as producing goods or constructing buildings. The person who picks the role gets a privilege, such as producing more goods or building more cheaply. Though similar in concept to Puerto Rico, the game has many different mechanisms. In particular, the game includes no colonists and no shipping of goods; goods production and trading are normally limited to one card per phase; and trades cannot be blocked. Victory points are gained exclusively by building, and the game ends as soon as one player has put up twelve buildings. This second edition of San Juan includes all the cards of the original game as well as the additional building cards from the alea Treasure Chest but not the event cards from that expansion. This edition also contains a new building card not previously available: "The Hut," a building that grants a card when nothing is sold in the trader phase.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Broadway Toys LTD
- Grow Jogos e Brinquedos
- Swan Panasia Co., Ltd.
- Ravensburger AG
- Giochi Uniti
- alea
- Möbius Games
- Lacerta
Questions and answers
San Juan (Second Edition) supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for San Juan (Second Edition) is 45–60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists San Juan (Second Edition) for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
San Juan (Second Edition) has a complexity rating of 2.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
San Juan (Second Edition) belongs to these categories: Card Game, Economic, and City Building. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Variable Phase Order. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of San Juan (Second Edition) are: Andreas Seyfarth. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists San Juan (Second Edition) as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.