Saint Petersburg

The Basics
Description: Saint Petersburg is a card game in which you acquire workers for income, build buildings for fame, and attract aristocrats to your city in order to gain the most fame at the end of the game.

Santiago deals with 'gracious living along the river Neva': the baroque palaces, wide boulevards, and imposing bridges of St. Petersburg. On May 16th, 1703, Czar Peter laid the cornerstone for the first building. Quickly, glorious buildings were added, always being expanded, so that Nobility (as well as victory-bringing Fame Points) may want to move in. But to accomplish this, one needs merchants who can bankroll the necessary Rubles, or the glory is over. The competition isn't sleeping either, and can sometimes steal a desired card right out from under your nose.

How to Play

• Spielezeit (Power Point)
• Yucata (Online Rules)
• Rio Grande Games (Official Rulebook)

Where to Play Online (I play it on Yucata, download is a good tool for solo play.)

• Yucata (Free - Registration Required)
• Brett Spiel Welt (Free - Registration Required)
• West Park Gamers (Free - A download for PC Freeware)

Cheat Sheets (from the Geek)

• Player Aid (Downloads a Word doc)
• View of all Cards (Downloads a jpg)
  

Game Hints

• Basic Strategy: Thread at the Geek
• Advance Strategy: Thread at the Geek
  
• My Tips: Remember that different Aristocrats score at the end. I always forgot that when I started playing.

Views

• Opinion: I enjoy this game. I just don't like play with any St. Pete sharks.
• Online: Works fine online, and the PC version is very good.
• Work: Could be to long the first time, but should be fine after that for lunch time play.
• Home: Great game to play, if no one takes it to seriously.
  

Other Info

• Plays best with: Works fine with 2-4 players, best with 2 or 4.
• Gateway Suitability: Easy to learn, might take two games to grasp when to buy and taking cards to hand instead of playing them.
• Spouse Suitability: Chrissy hasn't played it yet.
• Re-playability: If your into it, very high. Otherwise a monthly regular. But worth a try to see where it falls.
  
• Real Life Setup: A few minutes, just sorting cards and giving folks pieces.
• Real Life Time/Length: 45 minutes (with or without expansion)
  
• Geek Link: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/9217 .