Game Rules for Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery

Hey there! Welcome to the game rules for Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery. I’m here to guide you through the ins and outs of this exciting game. So, let’s dive in and explore the wonderful world of Age of Empires III!

The Basics

In Age of Empires III, you take on the role of an ambitious leader during the Age of Discovery. Your goal is to build and expand your empire across the vast and untamed lands of the New World. To achieve this, you’ll need to gather resources, construct buildings, train armies, and wage strategic battles against other players.

Resource Management

Resources are the lifeblood of your empire. They help you build, research technologies, and train units. There are three primary resources in the game: Food, Gold, and Wood. Food is essential for training units and researching technologies. Gold is used for advanced technologies and hiring mercenaries. Wood is needed for constructing buildings and training units.

To gather these resources, you’ll need to send your villagers to work. They can chop down trees for wood, hunt animals for food, and mine gold from mines. Efficient resource management is key to your success!

Exploration and Colonization

The New World is filled with uncharted territories and hidden treasures. Exploring and colonizing these lands is crucial for your empire’s growth. You’ll need to send your units to explore new areas, establish colonies, and claim valuable resources. However, be prepared to face challenges from other players who have their eyes set on the same riches.

Diplomacy and Trade

Interacting with other players is an essential aspect of the game. You can form alliances, negotiate trades, or declare war. Building strong alliances can provide you with protection and new trading opportunities. But beware of betrayals and deceitful players who might stab you in the back!

Military Might

As the saying goes, “might makes right.” In Age of Empires III, a strong military is vital for your empire’s survival. Train different types of units, from infantry to cavalry, and use them strategically to defend your territories or launch attacks on your enemies. Battles are fought in real-time, so quick decision making and clever tactics are essential for victory.

Victory Conditions

There are several ways to achieve victory in Age of Empires III. You can win by accumulating a certain number of Victory Points, which you earn through various actions, such as building wonders or completing objectives. You can also win by eliminating all other players or by completing a unique victory condition specific to your civilization.

Conclusion

So there you have it, the game rules for Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery. Now that you have a good grasp of the basics, go ahead and start your journey towards building a mighty empire. Remember, resource management, exploration, diplomacy, and military prowess are the keys to success. Good luck, and may your empire stand the test of time!

In the late 15th century, something incredible happened. Explorers from Europe embarked on a search for a new path to India, but instead stumbled upon an entirely unknown land. The tales they brought back were remarkable – tales of unusual people, fantastical creatures, and unimaginable riches. These stories ignited a spark of curiosity and greed in the hearts of brave captains and remarkable adventurers, who journeyed to these newfound lands in search of an elusive treasure: gold.

Not long after, another wave of individuals arrived. Colonists, soldiers, merchants, and missionaries all flocked to this land, each driven by their own desire for wealth and success. As these newcomers established colonies and claimed territories, a fierce competition between the great European nations began to take shape. It was a race to dominate this new frontier, where power and riches awaited those who could seize them.

Imagine you’re transported back in time to the era of European colonial powers. You take on the role of a leader and it’s up to you to make your nation prosperous and victorious. There are multiple paths to success. You can explore and settle new lands, gather valuable trade goods, and strengthen your economy. Back home, you can develop advanced technologies and build essential infrastructure. Dominate the trade routes with a powerful merchant fleet, and protect your territory with a mighty army.

The ultimate goal is to achieve wealth and glory, making sure your name goes down in the history books. This is an age of exploration, an age of building empires!

What’s inside the box

The Game Board

Hey there! Let’s take a closer look at this cool map on the left side of the board. It’s divided into 9 regions, each with its own trade good. For example, Peru has silver. On the right side, we have these neat event boxes. Throughout the game, us players can place our colonists in these boxes to do different things.

City Capitals

Have you ever wondered about the importance of city capitals? You might be surprised to learn just how crucial these cities are for a country and its people.

City capitals, also known as capital cities, hold a special significance. They are the political, economic, and cultural centers of a country. This means that they have a significant impact on a nation’s governance, trade, and art. A capital city is where a country’s government is headquartered, making it the center of decision-making and policy creation.

When it comes to trade and economy, capitals play a vital role. These cities often have the largest and most vibrant economies in their respective countries. They attract businesses, investors, and tourists, boosting the overall financial health of the nation. Additionally, capitals are known for their cultural richness. They house iconic landmarks, museums, theaters, and art galleries that attract visitors from all over the world.

Understanding the importance of capital cities is crucial when it comes to choosing the right location for businesses, industries, and infrastructure development. As a result, the selection of a capital city is a strategic decision that governments carefully consider.

Overall, the meaning and influence of capital cities cannot be understated. They are the heartbeat of a nation, pulsating with political, economic, and cultural energy. Next time you visit a capital city, take a moment to marvel at its significance and the vital role it plays in shaping a country.

When you play Age of Empires, each capital building has an Age specified on the back of the tile. This tells you when the building is available for use. Capital buildings are important because they give you special bonuses like extra people, gold, or victory points.

Let’s talk about colonists.

Colonists are the basic unit in the game. There are 30 of each color: red, yellow, green, blue, and orange. You use colonists to claim spaces and perform actions during your turn. You place them in the event boxes and do whatever the event box tells you.

Now, let’s talk about specialists.

Specialists also serve as colonists, but they have special abilities. Each color has 5 Captains, 5 Merchants, 10 Missionaries, and 10 Soldiers. These specialists can do everything a regular colonist can do, but they also have extra unique abilities.

Ships and Money

There are various types of ships in the game. We use one ship to keep track of the turns and another ship to mark the areas where we can’t place colonists. The remaining eight ships represent trading ventures on the sea. These ships can be combined with trade goods to create sets that earn us money.

Imagine this: you stumble upon a treasure chest filled with silver and gold coins. There are 50 shiny silver “Pieces of Eight” coins, each worth 1 Spanish Dollar, and 40 gleaming gold “doubloon” coins, each worth a whopping 10 Spanish Dollars.

Valuable Commodities

Imagine this: you are back in the age of sail, exploring the vast oceans and embarking on dangerous adventures. As you navigate the treacherous waters, you come across valuable resources like gold, silver, cattle, cocoa, fish, sugar, fur, coffee, tobacco, rice, and indigo. These goods represent the trade conducted by each Colonial Empire, and the number on the counter shows the quantity of each trade good in the game.

Discovering New Territories

(16 cardboard tokens) I use these to figure out how dangerous and rewarding it is to explore each area.

Deck of Discoveries

(16 cards) These cards are what you use after you’ve found all of the regions on the board. They show discoveries that go beyond the early colonies.

Getting Set Up

Players: Pick a color and put your pieces in that color near you (this is your “unused supply” of pieces). You start with 10 Spanish Dollars (10 silver coins or 1 gold coin) and five basic colonists. One extra colonist from each player is placed (in a random order) in the “Turn Order” Area at the beginning of the game.

The Board: When starting a game in each region (except the Caribbean), I’ll place one random discovery counter face down. Remember, the Caribbean Region doesn’t require a discovery counter as it’s available for colonization from the beginning. Additionally, I’ll place one trade good face up in each region.

The specific trade good for each region can be found on the game board. For example, Peru will always have one silver trade good placed in its region at the start of every game.

Capital Buildings: The capital buildings are divided into three ages, indicated by the icons I, II, and III on the back of the tiles. I’ll separate them and create three piles (one per age). Then, I’ll randomly draw five Age I capital buildings and place them face up at the top of the board.

Trade Goods: Take the remaining trade goods and put them face down next to the gameboard. Shuffle them well so that they are mixed up. Now, randomly pick four trade goods from the pile and turn them face up. Put them next to the Trade Goods event box on the board.

Merchant Ship: Put a Merchant Ship in the Merchant Shipping Box.

Colonist Dock: In the game, there are only a limited number of places where Colonist Docks can be built. The number of available spaces is determined by a simple equation. Take the number of players, multiply it by two, and then subtract one. That’s how many spaces you have (2xPlayers-1).

When playing the game, place a Merchant Ship on the first unused space of the colonist dock to indicate which spaces are not available. For instance, in a game with 5 players, only 9 spaces would be open. This means that the 10th, 11th, and 12th spaces would be blocked off. However, the X and Y spaces are exceptions and remain open, but only for the player who owns the corresponding special capital building.

Starting Order: To determine the turn order at the beginning of the game, each player’s color is assigned a randomly determined number. The player who receives the number 1 does not get any extra money. The player who receives the number 2 gets an extra $1, in addition to the $10 they already have. The player who receives the number 3 gets an extra $2, the player with the number 4 gets an extra $3, and so on.

Playing the Game

Welcome to The Age of Discovery! It’s a super exciting game that you can play with your friends. In this game, you get to be in control of one of the big powers that started colonizing after Columbus discovered the new world.

Your goal is to discover and explore new regions in the new world. How cool is that? You’ll colonize these regions, become their rulers, and build strong economies and trade routes. The best part is that you’ll use all the wealth you accumulate to make your home country prosper like never before.

Here are the nations you can choose from:

As we play, we’ll each take turns placing our colonists and specialists in the Event Boxes. Once everyone has placed all their people, we’ll start executing the Event Boxes from top to bottom, one by one.

When an Event Box is executed, each colonist or specialist on that space will perform a special action assigned to that box. It’s going to be so much fun!

Historical Note: Back in the day, nations had to figure out where to put their people and resources and come up with a plan for colonizing new lands.

Turn Phases

The game is divided into 8 turns. The first 3 turns are called Age I. Turns 4 to 6 are Age II. Turns 7 and 8 are Age III.

Each turn has its own set of actions that players need to take:

A. Placing Colonists/Specialists

First, in the order shown on the Turn Order box, players choose one of their available colonists or specialists and put them in one of the event boxes on the right side of the board.

Ready to embark on your colonization journey? Let’s dive into the key elements that will guide you on your way! We’re talking about Initiative, Colonist Dock, Capital Buildings, and Warfare Event Boxes. These are the foundations of your new world, and it’s crucial to understand how they work.

Hey there! Let’s talk about colonists and specialists in the game. They play a significant role in the development and strategy of the game. Want to know more? Keep reading!

Merchant Shipping and Discovery Event Boxes: In this part of the game, you can place colonists anywhere within the designated area. It gives you the freedom to explore and expand your influence.

Specialist Event Box: Here’s where you can place a colonist in the slot of the specialist you desire. Each turn, you have a total of five specialists to choose from. You can have one of each specialist or use five gold to train a specialist of your choice. The choice is all yours!

Colonists and specialists are placed like this until all players have used all of their resources. Just remember, you can’t save any extra colonists or specialists for the next round. Use them wisely!

Psst! Some players may start with more colonists and specialists than others due to Capital Buildings and specialists gained in the previous turn. These extra colonists will be played in turn order along with the starting five colonists until there are none left.

B. What happens next?

I’m going to walk you through how each event box is resolved, step by step. We’ll start with Initiative, then move on to Colonist Dock, Trade Goods, Merchant Shipping, Capital Building, Discovery, Specialist, and finally Warfare. Each box has its own set of special rules that we need to follow.

Once we’ve resolved all the Trade Goods, Merchant Shipping, Capital Building, Specialist, and Warfare boxes, it’s time to clean up. We’ll remove all the colonists and specialists from these boxes and put them back in the players’ unused supply.

But there’s an exception to this rule. We don’t remove colonists and specialists from the Discovery box, unless they’re sent on expeditions of discovery.

After we’ve resolved all the event boxes and cleaned up, it’s time for some rewards:

C. Show me the money!

All the income from Trade Goods and Merchant Ships is collected by the players. It’s time to get paid!

D. Benefits of Capital Buildings

When you own a Capital Building, you get recurring benefits each turn.

Here’s what happens at the end of each turn:

E. Refreshing Capital Buildings

To make sure there are always five Capital Buildings available for purchase at the beginning of each turn:

• Take face-down Capital Building counters and draw them randomly from the correct stack.
• Place the drawn counters face up on the board.

In the first Age (turns 1-3), only Age I buildings are available for purchase. At the end of Turn 3, the first Age ends.

Remove any unpurchased Age I capital buildings from play. Then, draw five Age II capital buildings at random and place them face up on the board.

Hey there! It’s time to wrap up Age II. As Turn 6 comes to an end, we bid farewell to all the unpurchased Age II capital buildings. Don’t worry, though, because we’re bringing in some fresh faces for Age III. Five Age III capital buildings, randomly selected, will make their appearance on the board, all face up and ready for action. But hold on a second, if all the buildings available for an age have already been snatched up, then no new buildings will be added. Fair enough!

Now, here’s an important piece of information: once you make the decision to purchase a capital building, it’s yours to keep. Yes, even if it’s a one-time-use building like New World Cartography. Keep it right in front of you for the rest of the game, and let it work its magic.

A little side note: Those purchased capital buildings that bring you benefits every turn will continue to do so throughout the game. Cool, right? So, imagine this: let’s say you purchased an Age I building that gives you an extra colonist, like Settlers. Well, guess what? You’ll keep enjoying that extra colonist in Age II and even in Age III. Sweet deal!

Example: At the end of the second turn, three Capital Buildings are still standing.

Original: People often debate whether it is better to work as an employee or start one’s own business. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages, and the choice ultimately depends on personal preferences and circumstances.

Rewritten: Many folks argue about whether it’s better to be an employee or to have your own business. Each option has pros and cons, and the decision really depends on what you prefer and the situation you’re in.

When Turn 3 begins, we select two new Age I Capital Buildings randomly and add them to the three remaining buildings from Turn 2.

F. Replenish Trade Goods

We take four trade goods at random and place them face up next to the trade good box on the board. Any leftover trade goods from the previous turn are mixed back into the pile of unselected goods before selecting the new four.

G. Refresh the Merchant Ship

If the Merchant Shipping box is empty, we place a new Merchant Ship inside it. (Note: We never have two Merchant Ships in the Merchant Shipping Box).

H. Get Starting Colonists

Hey there! Let’s talk about something really important – the start of the game in which all players get their own colonists. Sounds interesting, right?

So, here’s how it goes: everyone takes five colonists for free, each in their own color, from a big pile of unused ones. You then put those colonists in front of you. Simple, right? But wait, there’s more!

You can also add any specialists or colonists that you might have received from Capital Buildings or from the Specialist Event Box. It’s like getting a little extra boost!

Let me give you an example to make it even clearer. Imagine it’s the end of a turn and the Red player is getting their share. They would receive 5 free Colonists, just like everyone else. But that’s not all! They also own the ‘Monastery’ Capital Building, so they get one Missionary. And to top it off, they had a Colonist in the Captain Box in the Specialist track, so they get one Captain too. Exciting, right?

I. Changing the Order

Now, let’s talk about how we’re going to switch things up a little bit. Take a look at the colonists in the Initiative box and move them up to their corresponding slots in the Turn Order box. If you didn’t put a colonist in the Initiative box, don’t worry, we’ll take care of it.

For those players who didn’t place a colonist in the Initiative box, we’ll move their colonists back in the Turn Order box, but they’ll be behind the players who did place a colonist in the Initiative box. The order of the colonists without an Initiative placement will remain the same as it was in the previous turn.

For example: Let’s say it’s turn 2 and the player order is Red, Blue, Green, and Orange.

So, during turn 2, I placed one of my colonists in the Initiative box in slot “1”, while you, the Orange player, placed yours in slot “2”.

I’ve got some exciting news about the turn order for turn 3! It’s going to be shaken up a bit. Guess who’s going to be leading the pack? Green! Right behind them will be Orange, and then it’s Red and Blue bringing up the rear. Don’t worry, though—Red and Blue will still be in the same order they were before, they’re just moving further down the line. So get ready, because things are about to get interesting!

Note: Remember, everyone can see and use all the resources available. These resources, like gold, colonists, specialists, trade goods, merchant ships, and capital buildings, are public knowledge. But, keep in mind, you cannot trade or share these resources with others.

J. Move the Turn Marker Forward

Now, let’s move the Turn Marker forward by one turn.

Specialists

Back during the Age of Discovery, having skilled colonists was highly valuable. These colonists weren’t just any ordinary folks, though – they were specialists with unique abilities.

Captain

Imagine a brave individual leading a group of adventurers on daring journeys of discovery and commerce. These remarkable men, known as captains, played a pivotal role in shaping a new era.

When it comes to gameplay, captains are truly valuable assets. In events like Merchant Shipping or Discovery, their expertise is worth twice that of a regular colonist. For instance, if you had two captains and one colonist in the Merchant Shipping event, it would be as if you had five colonists in that box.

The Adventurous Merchant Leader

In the vast and untapped land of The New World, opportunities for wealth and success were abundant. It was a land of potential, where merchants thrived and built prosperous businesses. They had the skills and talent to turn a sugar plantation, a silver mine, a cattle ranch, or a trading post into flourishing enterprises.

A merchant had two key roles:

1. When it came to the Merchant Shipping event box, a merchant counted as two colonists. This allowed for greater influence and control over trade routes and business ventures.
2. Placing a merchant in the Colonist Dock event box resulted in a one-time bonus income for the owner when the merchant arrived in The New World.

When a merchant arrived in a New World colony, they immediately generated a profit of five Spanish Dollars ($5) for the owner. This payment was made right away and not during the usual income phase.

Missionary

In the eyes of Christian Europe, the New World was an exciting opportunity to bring their faith to new lands and expand their influence across the globe. Missionaries were an integral part of exploration, conquest, and colonization, as they sought to convert the native peoples of the New World and integrate them into the European way of life.

When a Missionary arrived in the New World through the Colonist Dock event, they brought more than just their religious beliefs. They also brought an extra colonist for the player who owned the colony they were assigned to. This additional colonist would help in the development and growth of the colony, contributing to its success.

Meanwhile, soldiers played a different role in the New World. They were the protectors and enforcers of the European presence. As the name suggests, soldiers were responsible for defending the colony from external threats and maintaining order within its borders. They were a crucial part of the European effort to establish control in the New World.

Overall, the arrival of both Missionaries and soldiers in the New World signified the European desire to bring their way of life to foreign lands. While the Missionaries sought to spread their religion and save souls, soldiers were tasked with maintaining control and protecting the colonies. Together, they played a significant role in shaping the history and culture of the New World.

Back in the day, European military technology like guns, horses, ships, and steel gave soldiers the power to seize and conquer native cultures. It was all about the pursuit of instant fortune and fame. But as time went on and colonies were established, soldiers also had another important role: protecting their nation’s claim to the newly acquired land.

A Soldier Can Serve Two Purposes:

1) When he’s part of a successful discovery expedition launched from the Discovery event box, he brings in a one-time income for the player who owns him.

On the discovery counter, you can see the amount of Spanish Dollars each soldier in the expedition can plunder.

Note: Once the soldiers have generated this money, they are taken off the board and placed in the player’s supply. They don’t stay in the colony.

2) When soldiers are sent to the New World (via the colonist dock) they are placed in a colony and can be used to eliminate other players’ colonists/specialists in that colony.

Event Boxes

Turn Order

You and the other players each have a colonist in one of the numbered slots. The order in which we place our colonists and specialists depends on the turn order. For example, if you are in Slot 1, you go first, if you are in Slot 2, you go second, and so on.

Turn order is also important when it comes to the Merchant Shipping area. If more than one player has the same number of colonists and/or specialists there, the turn order determines who wins (kind of like a tie breaker). The turn order also determines the sequence in which we try to make discoveries.

In every Turn Order box, there’s a line splitting it down the middle. This line is there so that players can move their piece up or down, depending on whether they’ve taken their turn or not. It’s a helpful way for everyone to know who’s currently playing.

The Initiative

The Initiative box has two important functions. First, it gives money to players who have colonists there. Second, it determines the order of turns for the next round.

When we resolve the Initiative box, anyone with a colonist in a slot gets money equal to the number in that slot. For example, if your colonist is in slot “1,” you get $1. If your colonist is in slot “2,” you get $2, and so on.

Remember: You get the money right away when we resolve the Initiative box, which is the first event box we resolve.

At the end of the Resolution phase, we move the lineup from the Initiative box up into the Turn Order box. We also remove the pieces that were in the Turn Order box. We will explain this process in more detail in Section III (New Turn Order).

Note: You can only put one colonist in the initiative box. If you don’t put a colonist there, you won’t get any money during the Initiative phase.

Colonist Dock

When it’s time, the colonists on the Colonist Dock get moved to a discovered region in the New World, starting with the number “1” and going up. The player who owns them gets to choose which region they go to. Once they’re there, the colonists can’t be moved unless a capital building lets you.

Hey there! Let’s talk about a cool game called Colonist Conquest and how it works. In this game, the first player to have three of their people known as colonists in a region actually wins the trade good in that region! Pretty sweet, right? Once this happens, that region becomes eligible for scoring victory points. It’ll stay that way unless the colony’s population drops to less than three. By the way, the X and Y spaces are only available to players who own the related Capital Buildings. These spaces come into play after all the numbered slots have been resolved. Got it?

Just a quick heads up: Once a specialist arrives in the New World, they stop providing any benefits except for soldiers. It’s important to note that specialists aren’t meant to be in short supply. So if you want, you can swap out the specialists in the New World for colonists. And you can return the specialists to your reserve pool. This won’t affect the gameplay at all, though.

Now, about those Trade Goods…

Hey, did you know that when we resolve certain actions in the game, we get some cool benefits? Let me tell you about a couple of them.

First, let’s talk about these spaces where we have our colonists. When the time comes to resolve these spaces, we each get to choose a trade good from the pool. The person with a colonist in space “1” gets to choose first, and then we go in order. Oh, and don’t forget, the trade goods we acquire stay with us for the entire game. We don’t have to turn them in when we make money.

Now, let’s move on to “Merchant Shipping.” Here, the player with the highest value in colonists and specialists wins a cool Merchant Ship. If there’s a tie, the player who goes first in the turn order gets the ship. In this event box, colonists have a value of “1”, and Captains and Merchants have a value of “2”. Pretty neat, huh?

Oh, and before I forget, let me quickly mention “Capital Building.” It’s another action you can take. But let’s save that for when we play the game, okay?

When you reach this point in the game, it’s time to make some important decisions. The players who have colonists in this area take turns, starting from the left and moving to the right. Each player needs to pay the right amount of Spanish Dollars, depending on the Age. In Age I, it’s $10, in Age II it’s $14, and in Age III it’s $20. Then, it’s time to choose a Capital Building from the available options.

Remember, you have the choice to not purchase a capital building, even if you have a colonist in the Capital Building box. There’s no penalty or cost if you decide not to buy one. However, if you do choose to purchase a capital building, make sure to take advantage of the benefits it brings. Some capital buildings provide immediate benefits as soon as they are purchased.

Discovery

Imagine this: you’re playing a game, and you have the chance to go on an extraordinary adventure. It’s called the “Expedition of Discovery”. And guess what? You get to be the one to lead it! It’s an exciting opportunity where you can send your colonists and specialists to explore uncharted territories.

Here’s how it works: when it’s your turn, you can decide how many of your colonists in the Discovery Box will join the expedition. Then, you choose a region that nobody has discovered yet. Are you ready for the big reveal? You turn over the discovery counter in that region, and everyone gets to see what’s there.

Isn’t that amazing? You have the power to uncover new places and secrets, all while strategizing and making important decisions. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to embark on the Expedition of Discovery!

If I send enough colonists and specialists on the expedition, and they outnumber the Native American icons on the discovery counter, then my expedition is a success. If that happens, I get a free colonist (not a specialist) in the new region I discovered. Plus, I get Spanish Dollars equal to the number of coins shown on the discovery counter, as well as any bonus dollars my soldiers earned during the expedition. I need to keep the discovery counter in front of me so I can count up my Victory Points at the end of the game.

If the value of my expedition is lower than the number on the discovery counter, then it fails. They put the counter back in the region, face down. If my expedition fails or succeeds, I have to take my colonists and specialists off the board and put them back in my supply.

Remember: Until I launch an expedition, my colonists stay in the Discovery box. Unlike the other areas, they don’t get cleared at the end of each turn.

When I have discovered all the regions in the New World, I start using the Discovery Card Deck. From then on, when I launch an expedition, I draw the top card from the deck.

When you embark on a successful expedition with the Discovery Deck, it’s just as rewarding as advancing the discovery counter. The difference is that the Discovery Deck takes you to specific places on the board, like The Mississippi, or regions that aren’t on the board at all, like China. Because of this, you don’t add any colonists to the board when you complete a successful Discovery Deck expedition.

If you don’t find what you’re looking for during a Discovery Deck expedition, the card you picked is reshuffled back into the deck. This means that the area you explored is still waiting to be discovered, giving another player the chance to send their own successful expedition there.

Remember: Before you can start exploring the Discovery Deck, you need to make sure you’ve discovered all the regions in the New World.

Remember: You can only send one group of colonists on an expedition during your turn, but you don’t have to send all of them. The colonists who stay behind will remain in the Discovery Area and can be used for future expeditions.

About Specialists

Once the conflict is resolved, you’ll receive the specialist that’s in the box where your colonist is placed. As the owner of the training box, you have the option to pay five gold and choose any specialist you want. But remember, only one player can occupy a specialist box at a time, and you can only train one specialist per turn. That means you’ll have a maximum of five specialists available every turn. The specialists you choose during this phase will be placed in front of you and can be used on your next turn.

Warfare

If you decide to place a colonist in the Warfare Box, it means you’re getting ready for war. Once the war phase is resolved, it’s up to you to decide whether you want to engage in a single battle or a full-scale war. And if you wish, you can declare multiple battles or full-scale wars by adding more units to the Warfare Box (one conflict per unit).

Note: Placing a soldier in the Warfare Box doesn’t come with any special bonus.

When you decide to engage in a Battle, you get to choose a specific region and a player to fight against in that region. The Battle is a solo endeavor, so it doesn’t cost you any money.

Now, if you want to kick things up a notch and declare a full-scale War, you’ll be picking a single opponent to go up against. The War will take place in all colonies where both players have at least one colonist or specialist, with at least one soldier. However, declaring a full-scale War comes with a price tag of $10.

During each battle, each soldier on the field eliminates one enemy unit, whether it’s a colonist or a specialist. Oh, and fun fact—the player who owns the soldier gets to decide which enemy unit bites the dust. Now, here’s the tricky part: all casualties only happen once all the soldiers have made their moves. So, they’ll be removed from the board simultaneously after it’s all sorted out. If you want, you can knock over the units that are eliminated to visually show their departure before they’re officially removed.

Keep in mind: If you’re not directly involved in the battle or war, you can’t offer up your soldiers or be attacked. It’s a strictly exclusive affair for the participants.

Battle Example

Okay, let’s talk about battles. We all know that battles are a big deal. They can be exciting, but they can also be dangerous. So, how do we handle them? Let’s dive in and find out!

First, we need to understand that battles are not just about physical strength. It’s easy to think that winning a battle is all about being the strongest or having the best weapons, but it’s not that simple. Battles are also about strategy and thinking on your feet. You need to be smart and quick to make the right decisions in the heat of the moment.

So, here’s what I’ve learned about battles. One important thing to remember is that battles are chaotic. They are messy and unpredictable. You can plan all you want, but things don’t always go according to plan. That’s why you need to be adaptable and willing to change your tactics when needed.

Another key factor in battles is teamwork. You can’t win a battle alone. You need to rely on your teammates and work together to achieve victory. It’s important to communicate and coordinate your actions. That way, you can maximize your strengths and cover each other’s weaknesses.

When it comes to battles, it’s also important to stay focused. It’s easy to get overwhelmed or distracted by everything that’s happening around you. But you need to stay calm and clear-headed. Take a deep breath, assess the situation, and make your move. Keeping a clear mind will give you an edge over your opponent.

Now, battles can be intense and nerve-wracking. It’s natural to feel anxious or scared. But remember, fear can be a powerful motivator. It can push you to do things you never thought you were capable of. Embrace your fear and use it to fuel your determination. Believe in yourself and your abilities. You are stronger than you think.

In conclusion, battles are challenging, but they can also be exhilarating. They test us and push us to our limits. So, embrace the chaos, rely on your teammates, stay focused, and believe in yourself. With these skills and the right mindset, you can face any battle head-on and come out victorious. Good luck!

When it was my turn, I decided to send one of my colonists to the Warfare box. I currently have two soldiers and three colonists in Canada. In a bold move, I declared a battle against Angelo, who only has one soldier and four colonists in Canada. Since I have two soldiers, I can eliminate two of Angelo’s units. After careful consideration, I chose to eliminate Angelo’s soldier and one of his colonists. In response, Angelo decided to eliminate one of my soldiers.

A Battle in the Land of the North

When it was my turn, I decided to place one of my colonists in the Warfare box. This meant that I was declaring war on Angelo and I had to pay $10. At that point, I had soldiers and colonists in New Granada, New Spain, and New England. In Florida and Canada, though, I only had colonists. Angelo, on the other hand, had colonists in New Granada, Canada, and New Spain. He also had soldiers in Florida.

The battles took place in New Granada, New Spain, and Florida. We didn’t have a battle in Canada because neither of us had any soldiers there, only colonists.

Trade Goods/Merchant Ships

Trade goods represent the economies and trade of each Colonial Empire. The number on each counter tells you how many of each trade good exist in the game. It doesn’t indicate the value of the trade good; it’s just there for informational purposes. Knowing this can help you plan your strategy accordingly.

Hey there! Let me tell you about trade goods in the game. It’s pretty cool how you can get them. There are three ways, and I’m going to explain each one to you.

1. If you’re the first player to have three colonists in a region, you get a trade good counter for that region. Nice!
2. Another way is by placing a colonist in the Trade Goods area and picking a trade good from the ones available. You gotta be quick!
3. Oh, and there’s this special Capital Building called “The West Indies Company” that gives the owning player a free random trade good every turn. How awesome is that?

Once you’ve got those trade goods, they stick with you for the whole game. And guess what? They even bring you income at the end of each turn. Cha-ching! The amount of income you get (in Spanish dollars, mind you) depends on the sets you create.

So, here’s the deal: you create these sets by grouping your trade goods counters in sets of three or four. Remember, each counter can only be used in one set.

Oh, and listen up! Every turn, you can rearrange your trade goods and Merchant ships to make new sets. It’s like a little puzzle to solve! So have fun with it!

Hey there! Ever wonder how much three different trade goods are worth? Well, I’m here to break it down for you. You can get yourself a cool one Spanish Dollar by trading in any three trade goods. It’s as simple as that!

Hey there! Let me break it down for you. So, if you have three cards of the same kind, just like three Indigo cards or three Merchant Ship cards, it’s gonna cost you $3. Easy peasy, right?

So, here’s the deal: if you have four of the same kind of thing, it’s gonna cost you just six bucks. Let me break it down for you: let’s say you’ve got four bags of sugar. Well, instead of paying for each bag separately, you can just get all four for the low price of six dollars. Pretty sweet deal, right?

When playing the game, merchant ships are like the flexible jokers. They have the power to stand in for any type of trade good, helping me complete a set. But here’s the catch: I can only use one merchant ship per set.

Remember: I don’t trade in the sets. Instead, they bring in income at the end of each turn.

When the game ends, I score victory points based on the amount of gold I earn from my trade goods and merchant ships. It’s a clever way to measure my success.

Keep in mind: The points are only based on the gold I earn from trade goods and merchant ships on the eighth turn, not throughout the entire game.

The Power of Capital Buildings

When you play the game, you can buy Capital Buildings using Spanish Dollars. These buildings give you a benefit that is written on the Capital Building Counter. Some benefits happen right away, while others, like generating income and specialists, happen every turn. You can find more details and rules for each Capital Building in Appendix II.

The cost of Capital Buildings goes up in each new age. In Age I, each building costs $10. In Age II, it’s $14. And in Age III, it’s $20.

If you want to know more about how Capital Buildings are added to the game, check out Section III Part A: Gameplay – Capital Buildings.

The End of the Game

You earn victory points three times during the game. Colonies in the New World score victory points at the end of Age I (turn 3), Age II (turn 6), and Age III (turn 8, which is the end of the game).

You should keep track of each player’s Victory Points on paper.

Scoring in New World Colony

In order for a colony to be scored, there needs to be at least one player with three or more colonists or specialists in that colony. The player with the most colonists (including specialists) in a colony will receive six points, while the player with the second most colonists (including specialists) will receive two points.

• If two players are tied for first place, each player will receive two points, and no second place points will be awarded.
• If three players are tied for first place, no points will be awarded to any player.
• If there is a tie for second place (either between two players or more), those players will receive zero points.
• If only one player is in a region and has three or more colonists, that player will score six points for first place, and no player will receive the two points for second place.

The game ends when Turn 8 is over. At that point, each of us will count up our victory points to determine the winner. Victory points come from different sources:

1. Discoveries: Look at the red number on the discovery counter or card. You only score the ones you own at the end of the game.

2. Colonies: Score colonies as mentioned earlier.

3. Capital Buildings: Some capital buildings give you victory points. They might have a red number or reward you for achieving something. For example, if you have the “Navy” capital building, you get 3 victory points for each Merchant Ship you own.

Economy: In this game, you can earn victory points based on the amount of Spanish Dollars that your trade goods and merchant ships generate by the end of turn 8.

Ties: If there are two or more players who have the same number of victory points at the end of the game, we have to break the tie. Here’s how we do it:

1. The first tiebreaker is based on the number of victory points gained from New World colonies on turn 8.
2. If the tie is not broken yet, we move to the second tiebreaker, which is the player with the most gold.
3. If the tie still persists, we go to the third tiebreaker, which is the player with the most trade goods.

A Different Twist: Changing the Starting Order

Instead of relying on random chance to determine the turn order at the beginning of the game, we can add a fun twist by having an auction.

Here’s how it works: Each player, starting with the youngest, takes turns bidding in Spanish Dollars. The bids are done in a clockwise fashion around the table. The catch is that each bid must be higher than the previous one, or else the player can choose to “pass”.

Once a player decides to pass, they place one of their colored colonists in the last available turn space. The number of available turn spaces equals the number of players in the game. For example, if there are four players, the last available space would be numbered “4”.

The next player to pass will then place their colonist in the next lowest available space. So, using the same example, if the first player to pass placed their colonist in the “4” space, the next player to pass would place theirs in the “3” space.

When you place your colonist in the “2” spot, you only have to pay half of your last bid, rounded up. For example, if the last bid was $7, you would only have to pay $4. But here’s the exciting part – if you bid $8 or more, you not only get the “2” spot, but you also get a free specialist of your choice!

Now, if you win the bid and place your colonist in the “1” spot, you have to pay your entire last bid. But don’t worry, because as the winner, you also get to discover the Caribbean region. And that’s not all – when you discover the Caribbean, you receive the Spanish Dollars shown on the discovery counter. Since no soldiers were involved in the expedition, there’s no soldier plundering bonus for this discovery. Make sure to place the discovery counter face up in front of yourself, so you can keep track of your Victory Points. And remember, any future discovery counters you get will also be placed face up in front of you.