Choosing what the round does
Two games on this shelf let the players decide which parts of a round happen. They do it in opposite ways.
Hobby terms, after the idea: simultaneous action selection and variable phase order for the secret version; role selection for the public version. BoardGameGeek also files both games under variable phase order, which hides the difference that matters at the table.
Secret and simultaneous
Everyone hides one phase card, then the cards are revealed together. A phase happens only if someone chose it. Two people can choose the same phase: it still happens once, and both of them get the chooser’s extra.
You are guessing. Call the phase you need yourself, or leave it and hope someone else calls it so you can spend your choice on a different extra.
This is how Race for the Galaxy works. The teaching steps are in the draft Learn to play guide.
Public and one at a time
One person names a role out loud. Everyone at the table takes that action. The person who named it gets something extra. Then the next person names a different role. You can see what has already been taken.
You are timing. The useful question is whether to take the role you need now, or leave it and risk someone else taking the extra.
This is how Puerto Rico works. A teaching guide for that game is not written yet.
Side by side
| At the table | Race for the Galaxy | Puerto Rico |
|---|---|---|
| How you choose | Secret, all at once | Public, one person at a time |
| If nobody picks it | That phase is skipped | That role waits until someone names it |
| What you watch | Other people’s rows, then the reveal | Which roles are still open |
Do not carry the steps across. Paying with cards, shipping goods, and building are different procedures. This page only compares how the round is chosen.