by davistylerr
Le Havre is a very successful worker placement and resource management game that deserves the praise it receives. It is straight-forward yet complex where you will have a slew of choices on your turn. Now what happens on your turn and what will you do with your turn?The game is about a port in France where you own a boat essentially, and you can either collect resources, construct buildings, carry out actions on buildings, or ship goods through constructed ships.
The first step of someone's turn begins with moving your ship further through the port. Each space has a tile that shows what resources (fish, wood, clay, iron, grain, cattle, and money) go from the resource's supply to the respective offer. Certain resources provide food or energy. These tiles are randomized at the beginning of the game but will stay there for the rest of the game. Each player also begins with a couple resources to help start things off. Now you will take your turn.
COLLECT RESOURCES
Some spaces have a starting supply to help out at the beginning of the game,because these resources are what is needed to construct buildings and boats and ship resources which I will explain in the not too distant future.
CONSTRUCTING BUILDINGS AND SHIPS
There are buildings that each player can construct. The cards are randomized then dealt into three proposal piles and, furthermore, sorted lowest on top based on the number in the top-right of the card. This makes it so the cheaper building will be able to be built before the later ones. To build these buildings, you need the required resources that is stated on the card. The building will then go into the play area in front of you. an is now yours. This can benefit you since some buildings require you to pay something in order to use it. This will be paid either to the player or the town. The other option is to buy the buildings and ships for a frankly inflated cost.
Ships act the same way but come out in later rounds. They allow you to have food in storage and you can ship goods with the ships for money.
NOTE: This is a game where food must be paid at the end of each round.
Now we will explain using the buildings.
ACTIONS ON BUILDINGS
The first three buildings you can place you worker on is in the area called the city. These buildings allow players to construct more buildings and they can only be bought, since every building in the city can only be bought. More buildings get put there through end-of-round conditions.
Once a building is either constructed or bought, you can place a worker on the card to carry out the action(s) on the building. Only one worker can be on a building and you cannot use the same building twice in a row. These buildings do various things that further your empire in the port.
SHIPPING GOODS THROUGH SHIPS
Once you acquire ships into your area, you need to have the "shipping port" card in play so you can ship goods you have to gain money. Different resources give more money and the more advanced ships can ships more goods.
NOTE: I did not talk about every action that can be taken, but this hopefully give you an idea about how the game is played.
REVIEW
I really like this game. It is easy to learn and teach, and you always have great options when it is your turn. It is fun to strategies and plan each action, and I really like when you feel like you are getting stronger and more powerful and you definitely feel it in this game when you see the buildings in front of you. The only thing I think would be problematic is with certain player counts, but that can be with many games. Great Game!