Lata

The Portuguese canning industry developed throughout the 20th century, going through periods of great splendor and of extraordinary importance in the social fabric of communities close to fishing centers. After the huge growth due to the immense supply of troops in Europe that World War II brought, the industry went through a period of stability with the consolidation of the quality of the products and the establishment of markets abroad.

Lata (“tin can” in English) is the name of the raw material for the containers in which the fish is packed, and it also turned out to be a popular designation for the product. In this game, players manage local canning companies in the 1950s and produce and sell the famous canned sardines or canned mackerel, the two main canned fish in the first decades of the industry, before the appearance of the very popular tuna.

The game takes place over six rounds. In each round, players buy a batch of fish, tomato or olive oil, which they then can use in their factory. These preserves will then be sold to markets. This operation will result in money that will be used to buy scorecards and increase the factory’s production capacity.

The order in which each batch of raw materials is chosen is given by an auction of action points that players secretly make by sliding their disk to the left on the action track of their individual board. Whoever gives up more opportunities for action chooses the best lot, but it is clear that having more possibilities for action is vital to produce more and reach the best markets!

The player with the most victory points (VP), which are awarded at the end of the game by the scorecards, wins.

Lata is the second game in the “Quinas Collection”, following the success of Café, the first game in the line.