How to Play

San Juan

2-4 players 45-60 min 7.2 Board Game Geek Rating

San Juan is a card-based building game where players construct production facilities and special buildings using a shared deck. Cards serve dual purposes: as buildings to construct or currency for purchases. Players take turns choosing roles that benefit everyone but grant the selector extra advantages. Victory comes from accumulating twelve buildings first, earning points through strategic construction decisions.

Published 2004

San Juan

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Choose starting player
Give one player the governor card to identify them as the starting player for the first round
2
Lay out role cards
Place the 5 role cards (builder, producer, trader, councillor, adventurer) next to each other in the center of the table
3
Prepare trading cards
Shuffle the 5 trading cards and place them face down in a stack next to the role cards
4
Prepare the deck
Remove one tomato plant from the deck for each player, then shuffle the remaining cards and place them face down as a supply pile
5
Distribute starting buildings
Give each player one tomato plant, placed face up in front of them on the table
6
Deal starting hands
Each player draws four cards from the top of the deck, kept hidden from other players
7
Set aside scoring materials
Put the score pad and pencil aside for end-game scoring

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Select a role
The Governor begins each round by choosing one of the available role cards and placing it nearby
2
Perform action and privilege
The player who chose the role performs both the role's action and its special privilege
3
All players take action
In clockwise order, each other player performs the role's action (but not the privilege)
4
Continue role selection
The next player clockwise chooses from remaining roles, and all players perform that action
5
Complete the round
Continue until all players have chosen one role each (in 2-player games, the Governor chooses a second role)
6
Build one building
Take a card from your hand, place it face up in front of you, and pay construction costs by discarding cards equal to the number shown on the card
7
Builder privilege
The Builder pays one card less than indicated
8
Building restrictions
You may build multiple copies of production buildings but never more than one of the same city building
9
Produce goods
Draw a card from the supply pile and place it face down (without looking) on any empty production building you own
10
Producer privilege
The Producer may produce goods on two empty production buildings instead of one
11
Good limitations
Each production building can hold only one goods card at a time
12
Reveal trading tile
The Trader turns over the top trading card to determine prices for this phase
13
Sell goods
Remove a goods card from a production building, discard it, and draw cards equal to that good's price shown on the trading tile
14
Trader privilege
The Trader may sell two goods instead of one
15
Cycle trading tile
After all players have sold, place the trading tile face down under the pile
16
Draw and choose
Draw 2 cards from the supply, keep 1, and discard the other
17
Councillor privilege
The Councillor draws 5 cards total (2+3 additional) and keeps 1
18
Adventurer privilege
The Adventurer draws 1 card from the supply to keep
19
No action
There is no action for other players during this phase
20
Return role cards
Place all used role cards back in the center of the table
21
Pass Governor
The governor card moves to the next player clockwise
22
Chapel reminder
The new Governor reminds chapel owners they may place one card from their hand under the chapel
23
Enforce hand limit
All players must discard down to 7 cards maximum (12 if they own a Tower)

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Trigger game end
The game ends immediately at the end of the builder phase in which any player builds their 12th building
2
Do not finish round
The round does not continue after someone builds their 12th building
3
Calculate building points
Sum the victory points shown on the bottom of all your building cards
4
Add chapel points
Score 1 victory point for each card placed under your chapel
5
Score special buildings
Calculate bonus victory points from triumphal arch, guild hall, and city hall
6
Score palace last
The palace owner divides their total victory points by 4 (rounded down) and adds that many additional points
7
Determine winner
The player with the most victory points wins
8
Break ties
If tied, the player with the most cards in hand plus goods on production buildings wins

watch & Learn

Let the pros teach you with these top videos.

San Juan - In Focus

San Juan - In Focus

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San Juan Quick Rules

San Juan Quick Rules

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FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

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