Collection Status
Your Rating
Description
In Le Havre, a player's turn consists of two parts: First, distribute newly supplied goods onto the offer spaces; then take an action. As an action, players may choose either to take all goods of one type from an offer space or to use one of the available buildings. Building actions allow players to upgrade goods, sell them or use them to build their own buildings and ships. Buildings are both an investment opportunity and a revenue stream, as players must pay an entry fee to use buildings that they do not own. Ships, on the other hand, are primarily used to provide the food that is needed to feed the workers.
After every seven turns, the round ends: players' cattle and grain may multiply through a Harvest, and players must feed their workers. After a fixed number of rounds, each player may carry out one final action, and then the game ends. Players add the value of their buildings and ships to their cash reserves. The player who has amassed the largest fortune is the winner.
Year Published
2008
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 6
This page: 6
Sentiment:
pos 4 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 1
Showing 1–6 of 6
Video Klo3ck8dihU
Ball Games 4K game_review at 0:15 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 12577 · mention_pk 36693
Click to watch at 0:15 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- core simplicity with two core actions (scoop resources or enter a building)
- fast-paced turn sequence and quick rounds
- huge variety of buildings and a structured, scalable setup
- loan/interest system adds strategic depth
- ships/wharf mechanics reduce food costs and influence pacing
Cons
- poor scalability with five players; becomes a logistical puzzle
- a lot of buildings and icons can be unclear or crowded
- rulebook iconography is hard to read; small text and need for reference guides
- short game feels underwhelming; long game can feel overlong depending on player count
Thematic elements
- economic engine-building; resource conversion and shipping
- Port city of Le Havre, France, during the 19th century industrial era
- economic realism; logistics and growth narrative
Comparison games
- Agricola
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- building_purchase — buy buildings to unlock more powerful actions and expand tableau
- end_game_scoring_by_money — end of game winner is the one with the most money, with ships reducing feeding costs and loans impacting VP
- loan_and_interest — take loans with interest; paying back affects coins and end-game points
- set_collection — collect resources from offers or the town supply during the supply phase
- worker_placement — place workers on buildings to activate actions and gather resources
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- well it appears exceptionally simple
- there's essentially two phases to this game you've got the supply phase and then you've got the main action phase
- here you've got two different options you can either gather up all of the resources from one of the available offers and put it in your own personal supply or you can enter a build in by placing your work on that building
- you'll take the action associated with that building
- if you enter in a building this owned by somebody else and you all have to pay a cost if there is one on the card to the person that owns the building
- you'll pay the cost that's on the card and you'll put it base up in your tableau
- you'll get half the value of that building back in cash
- if you've got any loans at the end of the game then they will cost you seven coins which is victory points
- what happens with ships is that they will reduce the amount of food you will have to use to feed your workers at the end of the round
- more ships will be available to you in a game and at the end of the 20th round
- whoever's got the most money will be the winner of the half
- the first thing we really like about it is the why is so simple it's basically just two actions
- you gotta be careful that you don't gift your opponent's too much by entering their building
- the courthouse ... you can occupy the courthouse and you stop people from paying off their loans
- the varieties of buildings are absolutely enormous
- turns come around real quick
- it works best with three players
- it's probably one of the best three player games you can get
- the more people are involved the more of a mess it becomes
- the long game is perhaps a couple of rounds too long
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video OFtWnTbxmdw
Peaky Boardgamer rules teach at 0:26 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6068 · mention_pk 18055
Click to watch at 0:26 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- deep economic engine with meaningful decisions
- rich thematic integration with shipping, port operations
- variety of buildings and ships providing strategic options
- clear rules progression via board setup and round cards
- works well with mid-to-long play sessions
Cons
- long setup and heavy topic for new players
- rules complexity and potential for confusion
- long play time for higher player counts
Thematic elements
- economic management, shipping, resource production
- Port of Le Havre, a French port town
- procedural, instructional
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- construction/building upgrades — Buildings and ships with varying costs and effects; upgrades flip to enhanced sides.
- loan and finance — Loans can be taken to cover shortages with penalties at end of game.
- market/offer spaces — Supply and offer spaces where players claim goods, pay costs, and activate buildings.
- Resource management — Players collect and convert goods (fish, coal, wood, etc.) to build and upgrade in their town.
- round cards and phase structure — Rounds are determined by round cards and progress through seven turns per round.
- scoring and end-game — End scoring based on built cards and remaining francs.
- variable player count scaling — Game length and elements scale with player count.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I really love this game.
- The game is played over a specific number of rounds as dictated by the round card.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video MvUAri5EAbw
Pam's Game Design top_10_list at 29:19 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5644 · mention_pk 16753
Click to watch at 29:19 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Rich engine-building with subtle tension
- Multiple viable paths to victory
Cons
- Can be finicky with rules and edge-cases
- Not ideal for four players due to interaction structure
Thematic elements
- resource management, shipping logistics
- port city / economic harbor
- industrial, macro-management
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- engine-building — Layered actions build up efficiency and output over the course of the game.
- Resource management — Players gather resources and manage a budget of actions to develop their harbor.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- one of the biggest things you know as being a good game designer you want to give players interesting choices
- Gamers or people in general they want to feel rich they want to feel powerful they want to feel smart
- there's value in playing terrible games
- you can create a system that can be re-themed to different things to make more money
- it's like watching film... you break it down to see how they do it
- this is a monumental feat of game design
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video --kWaNv_Wlc
Three Minute Board Games top_10_list at 7:28 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5448 · mention_pk 16223
Click to watch at 7:28 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Quick acceleration
- Critical early decisions
- Easy to pick up due to limited decision points
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Resource collection and shipping
- French harbor town
- Economic simulation
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Resource management — Collecting resources and dominating industry
- worker placement — Limited actions as boat sails the market canal
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Do not adjust your set
- This list is quite different to last year's and I think that mostly reflects what an absolute 2020 has been
- My subjective opinion is biased skewed irrational and probably wrong
- It is very political all war games are political
- So say we all
- What am I doing with my life
- Squishy squishy squish squish squish
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video JVDpniY8kcw
Before You Play playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 3043 · mention_pk 8880
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Rich engine-building and resource-management
- High variability through a stack of special buildings
- Strong two-player balance and pacing
- Theme-integrated mechanics (ships, harbor, markets) with meaningful decisions
Cons
- Long playtime; can be time-consuming to finish a full game
- High complexity; risk of analysis paralysis for new players
- Late-game resource synthesis can be brutal and expensive
- Primarily designed for 2-5 players; 2-player is very different from larger games
Thematic elements
- economic engine-building through resource conversion, building, and shipping
- harbor city; ships, buildings, and exchange in a port setting
- harbor management with evolving technology and supply chains
Comparison games
- Agricola
- At the Gates of Loyang
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- building ownership and entry costs — Entering a building requires paying a cost (often food) to the owner; buildings can be bought or entered with varying fees.
- Card-driven actions — Players use buildings and cards to perform actions or access specific effects; only one action per turn.
- harvest and feeding cycle — End of round harvesting and mandatory feeding introduce ongoing resource pressure; players must manage food to survive rounds.
- resource management and upgrading — Resources can be collected, stored, and upgraded (e.g., wood to charcoal, coal to coke) to increase energy value and options.
- ships and shipping line — Ships provide food and end-game scoring; shipping lines allow selling resources for points with energy costs.
- special buildings — A stack of special buildings adds variability and can dramatically alter strategy; not all are present in the short version.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is basically a card game in which we are going to be working at a harbor
- it's a big economic game
- the ships are very important
- it's a long game
- two-player is the sweet spot
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Ttpw1MBgVjc
Adam Porter (inferred from speaker) analysis at 19:17 sentiment: negative
video_pk 133 · mention_pk 409
Click to watch at 19:17 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
- Immediately identifies as Lookout game
Cons
- Blank space at bottom serves no purpose
- Zoomed-out art style makes characters look small
- Avatar (man carrying crate) doesn't look fun
- Dog doesn't look happy
- Great game deserves better cover
- Doesn't draw players in
Thematic elements
- Economic development
- Harbor town
- Pastoral
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- worker placement — Harbor development game
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The box cover makes a promise to the customer
- Every box cover tells me what I'm going to be doing and how I'm going to be feeling
- This artist is one of the best board game artists working in the industry right now
- This is how you do it
- This cover is a mess
- Striking iconic design
- The box cover is not selling the game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–6 of 6