Río de la Plata

About this board game

Río de la Plata is a strategy game for 2–5 players about defending and developing a Spanish settlement while competing for political prestige.

The game is set in Buenos Aires during the second Spanish founding of the city. Juan de Garay leads a new expedition nearly fifty years after Pedro de Mendoza’s settlers were forced to abandon the original settlement, which was later destroyed by the indigenous Querandies.

Resources are scarce, the Querandies are angry, and a further threat arrives from corsairs paid by the English Crown. Players take the roles of chiefs of Spanish settler families, facing these dangers while trying to establish the city.

• Work together to defend the settlement.
• Develop Buenos Aires despite limited resources.
• Build personal prestige to seek important political offices.
• Compete to become the new Governor.

This combination of shared responsibilities and individual ambition gives Río de la Plata a distinctive focus. The families must contribute to the city’s survival and growth, but each player also wants to emerge with enough prestige to claim the highest office.

A listed play time is 90 minutes. The description estimates approximately 150 minutes for a normal four-player game, while a first game may take 3–4 hours.

Released at Essen 2010, Río de la Plata offers a historically themed contest over the future of Buenos Aires, where cooperation is essential but only one player can become Governor.