2017 · Civilization
Santa Maria
Players establish and develop a colony in a medium-weight Eurogame of engine building and dice drafting. Polyomino building tiles are placed on a personal colony board and dice (migrant workers) activate entire rows or columns of buildings; activated buildings trigger production and effects in a strict order, and the activating die then blocks the last activated space. Placement and activation order are central to planning. Over three rounds players produce resources, establish shipping routes, send conquistadors, and expand religious influence to recruit specialists who become scholars, missionaries, or bishops with differing benefits. Variable buildings, specialists, and end-game bonuses change each session, with minimal direct conflict and low randomness.
- Players
- 1–4 best 2
- Playing time
- 45–90 min
- Age
- 12+
- Complexity
- 3 / 5
Where to buy it
Shop prices and second-hand copies, checked every day.
On Ludoya's tables
Full stats in Ludoya- 242
- Plays logged
- 251
- Players
- 1h 28m
- Average play
- 80
- In collections
- 7
- On wishlists
7.4/10
from 52 Ludoya reviews
Garfield2.0 Very abstract, ugly board game. [c] Theme: ★☆☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]No --> Gameplay: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> Interaction: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Very little --> Artwork: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Not very good --> Luck: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Dice rolling, random marker revealing --> Strategy: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Very little --> Components: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]The board, the laughing faces --> Play duration: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Very good --> Easy to teach: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> Rules quality: <!-- size 7]not read --> Setup time: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> No downtime: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> Replay value: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]A little bit of random stuff --> [/c]
No plays logged
- Base -
First impressions · 1 play
Great game that combines dice placement, combos, resource management,.. awesome and unknown Eurogame, one of the best of 2017.
No plays logged
Rules questions
Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.
Do I have to use the exact die value to activate a row/column, or can I change the die first?
You may pay 1 coin per pip to increase or decrease the chosen die’s value (no wrap‑around) and then activate the matching column (white die) or row (blue die); the buildings are activated in order and the die is placed on the last vacant building (pages 3, 5).
If a building already has coins on it (or a die), is it activated when I use a row/column or single‑building action?
No — only vacant buildings are activated; buildings covered with a die or coins are skipped (page 5).
Can I hold more than three of the same resource in storage, or do I lose extras?
Your storage can never hold more than 3 identical resources; any excess resources are converted to coins at the selling price (1 coin for a basic resource, 2 coins for an advanced resource) (page 4).
When I place a monk on a common space, do I always have to pay other players 2 coins?
If you are the first to place a monk on that specific space it’s free; otherwise you must pay 2 coins to each player who already has a monk on that space (and you may not place a monk where you already have one) (page 5).
If I retire, can I still use free actions that turn, and can I use a blue die I just unlocked?
You may use free actions (and scholar abilities) on the turn you retire, but any blue die you unlock during the year (for example by passing monk symbols) cannot be used until the next year (pages 5–6).
How do shipment tiles get refilled and when do I get their income/points?
When you take a shipment tile from a dock you immediately pay its cost, place it face down in your harbour, and draw a replacement from the stack to refill that dock; shipment tiles give income when you retire (applied top to bottom) and their printed points are scored at game end (pages 4, 6).
Free, on web, Android and iOS
Play Santa Maria with Ludoya
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.