During the Builder role, players are allowed to buy a single building. Some of the buildings are seen here, but not all of them. Production buildings are also buildings that you can buy. At the start of the game, the number of each type of building placed out is dependant on the number of players, so that with fewer players there are fewer options. This means that there are never enough buildings of a particular type for everyone to get one.
Primarily, each building takes up either 1 or 2 spaces on the building section of your player board. The number inside the circle tells you how many dubloons the building costs you to buy. If you are the player who chose the builder, you get a 1 dubloon discount on anything you buy. Also, you may get a discount on buildings for having a MANNED Quarry. Note however that the price can never go below 1, so no matter what you must always pay at least 1 dubloon for anything.
The red number in the upper right hand corner serves 2 functions. First, it is the number of points that this building is worth at the end of the game. Secondly, it tells you how many quarries you can use to get a discount. For example, even if you have 4 quarries manned, if you buy the Hospice you may only use 2 of them for a discount, bringing the price from 4 to 2.
Each building either provides you some special benefit in specific phases that otherwise go against the rules, or allows you to obtain extra points at the end of the game.
As an example, the Construction Hut allows you to choose a quarry instead of a plantation when someone chooses the Settler action. Normally only the person who chose the Settler action can do this. The City Hall building, which is 4 points on it's own, also allows you to get 1 extra point for every building you buy that is purple (that is, not a production building).
Remember that in order for a building to be active so that you can benefit from it, it must have a colonist on it. Thus any new buildings you buy are of no benefit to you until the next time someone chooses the Mayor role.
Extra rules of the building phase are:
- Each player may build only 1 building per building phase.
- You may never have more than 1 of any type of building (including production building). So for example, you are not allowed to buy 2 contruction huts and then take 2 Quarries in the settler phase.
- If after building this building the building area of a players board is compeltely filled up, the game will end the next time the Governor card would move to the next person.
