Le Havre (2008)

Overview
How to Play
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About the Game

Le Havre is a bustling harbor city, and a growing one, at that. A constant stream of food, materials and livestock arrive into the jetties, ripe for the taking. Manufacturing businesses lie in wait for those who want to expand the city’s rate of productivity – as well as lining their own pockets.

In this worker placement game by Uwe Rosenberg, you’re going to try and grow your own little empire of warehouses, factories and local businesses within the city. You’ll also be aiming to ship goods out of the harbor for a glorious profit. It’s all about the French Francs, here. The player with the most wealth, as well as the most valuable business assets after a predetermined number of rounds, will win the game.

Le Havre board game | Source: Look Out Store

How to Play Le Havre

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.

Close-up view of Le Havre board game | Source: shutupandsitdown.com

Le Havre Review

“This is a relatively straightforward medium-heavy weight game. The clear, easy to follow rules make it more approachable to someone newer to this type of game, but the complex strategy keeps it engaging for experienced players. Overall this game is well-balanced and based on the number of awards and reviews over the past decade, it has a wide appeal.”

twomomsgame.com

“We said earlier that Le Havre is fairly straightforward to grasp. It is, but the marvellous thing is that it’s also difficult to master. This makes it one you’ll want to play again on your next games night. But next time, you’ll try a different approach…

This 2008 worker placement game might well now be seen as a ‘classic’ in among the barrage of board games released in the 10 years since it first hit our tables. It’s aged well though, like a fine wine. Or maybe more like a magnificent ship, still afloat after the storm, hull as strong as ever, sitting proud on the horizon.”

Tom Harrod, board-game.co.uk

“There’s just so much I really love about Le Havre. The theme is cool, it’s strategic and methodical (I’m a sucker for both those things), it’s really fun, and despite having to feed your workers it’s still a significant improvement over Agricola obnoxious hunger/begging systems. It’s a spectacular engine-building game, and it’s without hesitation that I call it my absolute favorite game from Uwe Rosenberg so far.”

Rob Rich, gameosity.com

The content of this article is originally from Board Game Geek and board-game.co.uk. For more information and a better understanding of the game, you can watch the videos below.