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In Havana you acquire victory points by constructing buildings, available as tiles displayed on the table. To take a building you must pay its requirements - some combination of money, workers and building materials. More difficult combinations yield more victory points.
Furthermore, not all of the available buildings on the table are ripe for the taking, as only the ones on the right and left hand border of the 2 rows of buildings are available for selection.
The game's core mechanic revolves around identical decks of 13 cards for each player, of which only 2 are played per round. But in addition to the card's function, the numerical combination of cards played is important (e.g. a card with a value of 3 and 4, result in the value 34) as the player with the lowest combined number acts first.
So not only is the start player constantly changing, but it is also possible that a planned action cannot be taken, as another player has already used the same role. Not all roles are exclusive, so the turn order will also determine whether your "half of all pesos in the middle" is half of eight, or half of four (if a player before you played the same card). Some roles allow you to tax others or steal from them, and some cards defend against this, so it's not all just collecting pieces in a solitary manner. Some combinations require the presence of an architect, so you must choose whether to use one of your two card spots for him. Other cards add different twists. What and when to choose, who to hurt, and what you're aiming for, make up the game's main decisions.
These different ideas make Havana its own game even if some of it is familiar. It's shorter and lighter than many similar games, as well.
- tight, tactical city-building with focused two-player-to-four-player playtime (30-45 minutes).
- delightfully unpredictable central supply bag adds tension and planning depth.
- flexible end-game scoring with clear, decisive finish.
- distinct action-cards drive varied strategies and planning ahead.
- memory-driven planning gives opponents opportunity to anticipate intent.
- complex for newcomers due to many action-altering cards and phase rules.
- scaling and simultaneous planning can feel dense at lower player counts.
- board setup and card management may slow down play for casual groups.
- city-building, resource management, action-card driven engine
- Havana, Cuba; historic/urban development theme
- competitive, planning-forward with simultaneous actions
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- central supply bag and resource randomness — A bag holds bricks and other resources; draws add unpredictability to the central supply.
- end of round planning and memory — Single card is kept; the other is discarded; all players reveal their new two cards simultaneously.
- end-row structure layout and refresh — Two rows of six structure cards with end cards; when two left, draw four and replace ends.
- five-for-one resource conversion — Exchange five vessels or five bricks for a replacement of a worker or material.
- hand and resource management — Players manage pesos, bricks, construction materials, and workers to acquire and build structures.
- phase-based play and initiative order — The round unfolds in four phases: initiative, structures and actions, central supply, replacement.
- scoring and end-game conditions — Game ends when a player reaches target prestige (25/20/15 depending on player count) or all structures are built.
- Special action cards — Action cards grant unique abilities (Siesta, Wardas Palas, Mendigo, Recycle, Ruina, etc.), shaping round strategy.
- structure-building with end costs — Pay costs listed on structure cards and immediately gain prestige; can build from either end row with constraints.
- two-card action drafting and initiative — Players secretly select two action cards each round and reveal; turn order is determined by the smallest two-digit number formed by the two card values.
- Variable Phase Order — The round unfolds in four phases: initiative, structures and actions, central supply, replacement.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- To begin laying the foundation of your growing city
- This bag is your city supply chain, and it is delightfully unpredictable.
- Havana is flexible, but not that flexible.
- No questions, no negotiations.
- After revealing your new action card, if you now only have two action cards left in your hand, you immediately take all cards from your discard pile back into your hand.
- You can never turn a worker into five pesos or a material into five rubble.