Contents
- 1 Game Rules for Clans of Caledonia
- 1.1 What’s in the Game?
- 1.2 Getting Started
- 1.3 Now, onto the gameplay
- 1.4 Phase 2: Action
- 1.5 Step 3: Time to Produce
- 1.6 Phase 4: Scoring
- 1.7 Let’s Play a Game Together!
- 1.8 Solo Game
- 1.9 Options
Game Rules for Clans of Caledonia
Welcome to the world of Clans of Caledonia! In this game, you will step into the role of a Scottish clan and compete with other players to build the most prosperous and influential clan in the 19th century Scottish Highlands.
I’m here to guide you through the game rules, so let’s dive right in!
First, let’s talk about the game setup. Each player will select a clan board and take the matching starting resources and workers. The game board is made up of different regions that represent various types of land and resources. Place the available contracts, export markers, and scoring tiles next to the board.
The objective of the game is to score the most victory points (VP) by the end of 5 rounds. You can earn VP by fulfilling contracts, upgrading your buildings, exporting goods, and more.
During each round, you will take turns performing the following actions:
1. Income Phase: During this phase, you’ll earn income based on the resources and buildings you have.
2. Action Phase: Here, you can perform various actions, such as upgrading buildings, fulfilling contracts, building new structures, hiring more workers, or exporting goods. Each action requires different resources or worker placement.
3. Scoring Phase: At the end of each round, you’ll calculate your income, fulfill contracts, and earn victory points. The player with the most VP at the end of the game wins!
Now, let’s delve into the different elements of the game:
– Resources: There are various types of resources in the game, such as grain, milk, wool, and more. You’ll need these resources to fulfill contracts, upgrade your buildings, or export goods.
– Contracts: Fulfilling contracts is a great way to earn VP. Each contract has specific requirements, such as delivering certain goods or building structures. Fulfilling contracts will not only earn you VP but also generate more income and expand your influence.
– Buildings: Buildings play a crucial role in the game. They provide bonuses, income, and additional actions. Upgrading your buildings will unlock more abilities and improve your income.
– Workers: Workers are your clan members who carry out actions on your behalf. Hiring more workers will allow you to take more actions in each round. You’ll need to manage your workers effectively to maximize your efficiency.
– Exporting Goods: Exporting goods is an essential aspect of the game. By exporting certain goods, you can earn VP and increase your income. Keep in mind that the value of exported goods can fluctuate, so timing is crucial.
I hope this overview gives you a good understanding of the game rules. Remember, the key to success is strategic planning, resource management, and adapting to the ever-changing conditions of the Scottish Highlands.
Are you ready to embark on this exciting journey and build your clan’s legacy in Clans of Caledonia? Let’s get started!
Clans of Caledonia is a game that takes place in Scotland during the 19th century. Scotland was going through big changes back then. It was shifting from being mostly about farming to becoming more industrial and focused on trade and selling things to other countries. Because of this, there was more food being made to feed more people, cheaper cotton was being brought in instead of linen, and raising sheep became more important.
Then, something interesting happened with alcohol. There was a bug problem in Europe that destroyed a lot of the grapes needed to make wine and brandy. To fill the gap, people turned to Scotch whisky as a replacement for cognac. This made whisky really popular and important in Europe.
In Clans of Caledonia, you get to play as a clan from history. Your goal is to make, trade, and sell agricultural goods and whisky, just like it happened in real life!
What’s in the Game?
Getting Started
So, you want to dive into the fascinating world of Clans of Caledonia? Great choice! Before we begin, let’s take a quick look at the setup and some important rules you need to keep in mind.
First Play
When you play Clans of Caledonia for the first time, you might find the full rules a bit overwhelming. That’s normal! But don’t worry, there’s a solution. You can start by playing with a simplified ruleset.
I know what you’re thinking. “But how do I simplify the game?” Well, it’s actually quite simple. Just flip over to page 9 and check out the appendix, where you’ll find some suggested variants that will make your first playthrough smoother.
Map Modules
Now that you have a grasp of the simplified rules, let’s talk about map modules. These are the different maps you can choose from when setting up the game.
Each map module offers a unique experience and a different configuration of regions. So, if you’re looking to mix things up and add some spice to your game, be sure to try out different map modules!
Remember, experimenting with different maps is all part of the fun. Don’t be afraid to venture into uncharted territories and see what surprises await you.
Alright, with all that in mind, you’re ready to embark on your Clans of Caledonia journey. Good luck and may the Highland spirits guide you!
The game map is made up of four double-sided Map modules. Each module is labeled with a letter (A-D) and a side number (1-2), giving us a total of 16 different map configurations.
To create the game map, we randomly select a side for each module and arrange them in alphabetical order in a clockwise direction. We make sure that the rocks showing the module letter are adjacent in the middle of the map.
Now, let’s talk about the Port Bonus Tiles.
Let’s get started by shuffling all the Port bonus tiles and picking four at random. We’ll place one tile next to a factory on each corner of the map, depending on how many players are in the game. If there are 1 or 2 players, we’ll use the space indicated by the 1-2 player icon. If there are 3 or 4 players, we’ll use the space marked by the other arrow icon.
Any unused Port bonus tiles can be returned to the game box.
Market Board
Now, let’s flip the Market board to the right side for the number of players. We’ll place the transparent Price markers on the starting prices that are circled. Below the Market, we’ll have separate piles for the six types of Goods tokens: Wool, Milk, Grain, Bread, Cheese, and Whisky, along with their corresponding tiles.
Export Board
Alright, let’s get started! Here’s what you need to do to set up the game:
- Place the Export board next to the map, making sure to show the icon that matches the number of players.
- Now, it’s time to shuffle the Scoring tiles. Pick five of them at random and place them face-up in any order on the five slots along the edge of the Export board.
- Next, grab the Export contracts and shuffle them. Create a draw pile with the contracts, putting one face-down contract on each box of the Export board. If you’re playing solo or with three players, one box will remain empty.
- Now, it’s time to grab the players’ Glory tokens and the Import tokens (Cotton, Tobacco, and Sugar cane). Keep them off the board for now.
If you’re playing with just one or two players, pay attention! The dice icons on the 1-2 player side are only relevant for the solo game.
Now, it’s time for each player to gather their starting items:
First, choose a color that you like. Then, take one Player board and grab all the game tokens in your chosen color. Once you have everything, it’s time to move on to the next step:
- First, put all your tokens in the right spots on your Player board. You’ll need four of each: Sheep, Cows, Cheese Dairies, Bakeries, Fields, and Distilleries.
- Next, place the eight Workers on the four forest spots (for Woodcutters) and the four mountain spots (for Miners).
- Grab four Port markers in your color.
- Fill up the Merchant track with five cubes for the Merchants. Put the other two cubes below your Player board as your starting stock.
- Move the Shipping token to the first spot on the left of the Shipping track.
- Put the two Technology tiles with the arrow on the top left side face-down below the Workers.
When you’re setting up the game, grab one of the Export box tiles and place it next to your Player board. Make sure the side facing up has an icon that matches the number of players.
Now let’s talk about turn order. To determine who starts, we’ll choose a player randomly. The first round will follow a clockwise turn order, so place everyone’s Turn order tokens on the Turn order track on the Export board accordingly. In the following rounds, the order will be determined by the order in which players pass.
Lastly, let’s touch on clans.
Hey there! Let me explain how to set up the game. We’ll start by drawing some tiles.
First, I’ll shuffle the Clan tiles. We’ll need one more Clan tile than the number of players. For example, in a game with 3 players, I’ll shuffle 4 Clan tiles.
Next, I’ll shuffle the Starting tiles. We need as many Starting tiles as we have Clan tiles. Then, I’ll randomly place one Starting tile next to each Clan tile.
Now, let’s choose our Clan tiles! We’ll do this in reverse turn order, starting with the last player and going counter-clockwise. Each player will choose a Clan tile and its matching Starting tile, placing them in front of themselves.
The starting player will be the last one to choose and will have two Clan tiles left. They can decide which one to pick. If you want to learn more about the clans, you can find detailed explanations in the appendix.
Finally, each player will receive the Goods and the money shown on their Starting tiles.
Now, it’s time to place our first workers!
Alright, here’s what you need to know about placing your workers in the game of Untamed Kingdoms. It’s pretty simple, really.
First things first, we all take turns placing our workers on the game map. The starting player goes first, and then we go clockwise from there.
Each player has two types of workers they can place: Woodcutters and Miners. Woodcutters, as you might guess, need to be placed on a space with a forest. And Miners? Well, they can go anywhere there’s an empty space with a mountain.
So, just remember: if you’ve got a Woodcutter, look for a forest. And if you’ve got a Miner, you can put them on any empty space with a mountain. Easy peasy!
So here’s how it works: first, it’s my turn to place a Worker on the board. Then, we go in reverse order, with each player placing their second Worker. Oh, and by the way, the second Worker doesn’t have to be next to the first one. Each space on the board can only have one unit at a time, whether it’s a Worker, a Sheep, a Cow, or one of the other buildings.
Now, here’s the thing: every time we place a Worker, we have to pay for both the land and the Worker itself. The cost of the land is shown by these numbers on the map, ranging from ?1 to ?6. And the cost of a Worker depends on what type they are: a Woodcutter costs ?6, while a Miner costs ?10. You can see the Worker costs at the top of our Player boards.
Now, onto the gameplay
There are five rounds in total, and each round is divided into four Phases. Let me break it down for you:
- You can upgrade your technology at a discounted price of ?5.
- You can upgrade your shipping for free.
- You can hire a merchant from your player board for free. Or, if you already have merchants in the market, you can bring one of them back instead of hiring a new one.
- A Cheese dairy can take one Milk and turn it into one Cheese.
- A Bakery can take one Grain and turn it into one Bread.
- A Distillery can take one Grain and turn it into one Whisky.
I want to tell you about the different phases in a game. It’s called “Phase 1: Preparation”, and it’s the first part of the game. In this phase, we do a few things to get ready. We flip over the Scoring tile from the previous round, refill any empty boxes on the Export board, and get our Merchants back. If it’s the first round, we skip this phase. It’s like getting everything set up before we start playing.
After that, we move on to “Phase 2: Action”. This is when all the players take turns doing Actions. We keep going until everyone has passed. It’s like taking turns and making moves in a chess game.
Next is “Phase 3: Production”. During this phase, the units on the game board produce Goods and Income. It’s like when workers in a factory make things and get paid for their work.
Finally, we have “Phase 4: Scoring”. In this phase, players get Glory points based on the Scoring tile for that round. It’s like earning points in a race or a competition.
After the fifth round, we add up all the scores and see who has the most Victory Points (VP). That person is the winner of the game.
So those are the different phases in the game. We start with “Phase 1: Preparation” to get everything set up, then move on to “Phase 2: Action” where we take turns making moves. After that is “Phase 3: Production” where things are made and money is earned. And finally, in “Phase 4: Scoring”, we earn points based on the round. It’s a fun and strategic game that keeps us engaged from start to finish.
Now it’s time to flip the Scoring tile from the previous round face-down. If there are any empty spaces on the Export board, fill them up with Export contracts, depending on the number of players. Retrieve your Merchants from the Market and place them next to your Player board.
Phase 2: Action
During the Action phase, you will take one Action per turn, following the turn order. The game continues until all players have passed. There are eight Actions to choose from, and you can take each one multiple times in a round:
I. Trade
If you’ve got Merchants in your stock, which means they’re not on your Player board, you can use them for a Trade action. These Merchants can be sent to the Market to buy or sell Goods. Just put as many Merchants as you want on the buy or sell area for a specific Good. The up arrow is for buying, and the down arrow is for selling.
The Merchants will stay on the Market board until the next Preparation phase. At that time, you’ll pay or receive the current price of the Good multiplied by the number of Goods you bought or sold. All trades are done using the common Goods pools. After the trade, the price of the traded Good will change. If you bought it, the price goes up, and if you sold it, the price goes down. The change is measured by the arrow in the buy or sell area, and it moves one step for each Good traded.
So here’s the deal. When I want to trade things in this game, I can only buy or sell one type of thing at a time. If I want to trade different types of things, I gotta do the whole trade thing multiple times, you know?
Now, here’s a fun fact: I’m not allowed to have my merchants buying and selling the same thing. It’s like that high-speed trading stuff wasn’t a thing back in old Scotland. Weird, right?
II. Get an Export Contract
If I wanna get one of those fancy Export contracts, I gotta pay the cost for the current round. I’ll take the contract from the Export board and put it in my empty Export box. The cost depends on which round we’re in, and it’s written next to those Scoring tiles on the Export board. But hold up, in the first round, I actually get £5 when I get an Export contract instead of paying a cost. Pretty cool, don’t you think?
When it comes to Export contracts, you can only have one that you haven’t fulfilled at a time (with the exception of Clan Buchanan). This means that you need to complete your current Export contract before you can take on a new one. Unfortunately, there is no way to get rid of unfulfilled Export contracts once you have them.
III. Expand
When I want to expand my territory in the game, I have the option to place one of my units on the map. It could be a Sheep, Cow, Cheese Dairy, Bakery, Field, Distillery, Woodcutter, or Miner. I can choose any empty space on the map that is either next to one of my units or within reach of my Shipping level. However, I have to pay for the unit and the space I choose.
The cost for each unit is indicated by a red number above it, and the cost for each space is indicated by a red number ranging from 1 to 6. To place the unit, I need to pay the corresponding cost in coins.
When I say a space is “neighbouring,” it means that it is directly adjacent to one of my units, with no river in between. This is important because I can only place my unit on a neighbouring space.
On the other hand, a space is considered “within Shipping reach” if I can reach it with my current Shipping level. This means that I can place my unit on a space that is a little further away, as long as I have the ability to ship my goods there.
It’s also important to consider the land restrictions when choosing the right unit for a specific space. Different types of land support different units. For example, Sheep, Cows, Cheese Dairies, Bakeries, Fields, and Distilleries can only be placed on grasslands. If I want to place a Woodcutter unit, I need to find a space in the forest. And for a Miner unit, I have to look for a spot in the mountains.
Hey there! Let me break it down for you. If a space has more than one type of land, you can put any matching unit on it. Look at the picture. You can deploy any unit on that space because it has all three types of land.
So, here’s the thing. If you’ve already put all your Woodcutters on the board, you can’t expand to a space that only has forest. And if you’ve used up all your Miners, you can’t go to a space with just a mountain.
Bonus for Being Neighbors.
If you move into a space next to another player’s unit and there’s no river in between, you can do an extra Trade action right away. This means you can buy the kind of Good that the neighboring unit produces from the common stock. But remember, you can’t buy more than three pieces of the same type of Good in one turn (unless you’re playing with two players, in which case you can buy four pieces). The price of Basic goods like Wool, Grain, and Milk is lowered by 2.
When you buy Processed goods like Bread, Cheese, or Whisky, their price gets reduced by ?3.
To take advantage of this discount, you’ll need to follow the steps outlined in the Trade action. Just make sure you have enough Merchants to claim this bonus.
The way prices are adjusted in this bonus is exactly the same as in the regular Trade action.
Here’s an example to help you understand how it works:
If you expand your territory to a space next to multiple opponent spaces with units on them, you can use the Neighbourhood bonus for each of these units.
It’s important to note that the Neighbourhood bonus can only be used immediately after you finish expanding.
Example:
When I expand into a space beside another player’s Distillery, I have the opportunity to buy Whisky. Imagine the Whisky costs ?10. I could purchase three Whisky (or four in a 2 player game) from the general supply at a discounted price of ?7 each. To do this, I simply need to place the appropriate number of my Merchants on the Whisky’s up arrow. But wait, there’s more! If there happens to be an opponent’s Cheese dairy nearby, I can also buy up to three Cheese at a discounted price. In a 2 player game, I can buy four Cheese. Of course, this all depends on whether I have enough Merchants. Such a fantastic deal, isn’t it?
Building Bonus
When you place your fourth building of one type on the map, such as a Cheese Dairy, Bakery, or Distillery, and your Export box is empty, something exciting happens. You get to immediately draw three Export contracts from the draw pile. You can choose to take one or none of them, and the ones you don’t choose go back to the bottom of the pile.
If you decide to take an Export contract, you will have to pay the costs just as if you were performing the action of obtaining an Export contract. It’s important to remember that this bonus is still considered part of the Expand action.
IV. Upgrade Shipping
If you pay ?4, you can move your Shipping marker forward one space to increase your Shipping reach. This means you’ll be able to expand your area of control across rivers and lochs.
It’s important to note that, regardless of your Shipping level, you are never allowed to hop across a land space, not even if there’s a river.
Here are the different Shipping Levels:
No shipping: At this level, you cannot expand your territory across any type of water.
River-crossing: With this level, you gain the ability to expand directly across a river to an adjacent space.
1-loch: In addition to river-crossing, you can now expand across one loch space.
2-loch: With this level, you can expand across two loch spaces, while still maintaining the river-crossing ability, and so on.
Upgrade Technology
Hey there! Did you know that you can make more money from your Workers (Woodcutters and Miners) by upgrading their equipment? Cool, right? When you upgrade your Workers, they produce an extra ?2 during the Production Phase of each round. Nice little boost!
If you want to upgrade a Worker technology, all you have to do is pay ?10 and flip over the corresponding Technology tile on your Player board. It’s that simple!
Now, here’s a neat little trick for you: if you get a Bonus Upgrade (check out the Direct Export Bonuses below) and you decide to go for the Technology upgrade action, you only need to pay ?5 instead of ?10. Talk about saving some cash!
VI. Hire A Merchant
When you first begin playing, you’ll have two Merchants in your stock. If you want to hire another Merchant, you can do so by paying ?4 and taking an extra Merchant from your Player board and adding it to your stock. Once you have this additional Merchant, you can use them for any Trade actions you want to take in the future.
VII. Completing an Export Contract
If you want to complete an Export contract on your Export box, you need to pay for the Goods listed on the left side of the Export contract tile. In return, you’ll receive some benefits shown on the right side of the tile. These benefits include Import goods like Hops, Cotton, Tobacco, or Sugar cane, as well as Direct export bonuses.
When you fulfill an Export contract with the import goods Cotton, Tobacco, or Sugar cane, you move the corresponding token on the Export board track. You move it as many steps as the amount of goods you imported. If the token reaches or goes beyond a marked step (shown in the right-side image), you gain ?1. But remember, if you forget to move the import token when you complete an Export contract, you won’t get the bonus later on!
Once I’ve completed an Export contract, I place the contract tile face-up next to my Export box. This means that my Export box is open again and ready for a new contract.
Export contracts don’t need Grain or Milk, but they may require a combination of the other goods.
If an Export contract asks for Meat (either Beef 
or Mutton 
), I have to slaughter Cows or Sheep in order to fulfill it.
When I’m playing, I have to sacrifice some of my precious animals as part of the Fulfil an Export Contract action. It’s a tough decision, but I remove the animal from the map and place it back on my Player board. Unfortunately, this decreases my Milk or Wool production. On the bright side, it does open up a space on the map for other players to expand into, following the regular expansion rules.
I should clarify that I can only slaughter animals to fulfill an Export contract. Fortunately, I don’t have to take a separate turn to do it.
Direct Export Bonuses
Now, here’s where things get interesting. There are actually three Direct export bonuses that I can choose from, and I can take them in any order I want. These bonuses give me an immediate advantage, which can be quite helpful:
Money, a mysterious force that can change everything in an instant.
Hey there! Let’s talk about free space in the game. It’s a really cool feature that lets you expand your options without spending any land cost. Basically, you can take an Expand action right away, without worrying about paying for the space you’re expanding into.
But hold on, you still have to pay the unit cost, and all the rules for expanding and Neighbourhood bonuses still apply. So, it’s not completely free, but it does give you some nice advantages.
Imagine this: you’re playing the game and you come across a free space. You’re probably thinking, “Wow, this is great! I can expand right here without spending any land cost!” And you’re right, it is great. It allows you to make strategic moves without worrying about the usual costs.
Just keep in mind that even though it’s called “free space,” there’s still a price to pay. You need to consider the unit cost and how it fits into your overall strategy. But hey, it’s definitely a handy tool to have in your arsenal.
So, if you’re looking to maximize your options and make some smart moves in the game, take advantage of free space. It’s a great way to expand without breaking the bank. Give it a try and see how it elevates your gameplay!
Hey there! Let’s talk about some bonus upgrades you can get in this game. You have a few options to choose from:
If you have multiple bonus upgrade actions, you can choose to get the same upgrade multiple times or mix it up and get different upgrades. It’s up to you!
VIII. Pass
Now, let me explain what happens when you decide to pass. If, for any reason, you don’t want to take any more actions, you have to pass. When you pass, you can’t take any more actions for the rest of the round. Move your turn order token to the leftmost available position for the next round. On top of that, you’ll receive some bonus money as indicated. The order in which players pass determines the turn order for the next round.
Get an Advantage: Using a Port Bonus Tile
If I have a unit that is either adjacent to or within shipping reach of a Port bonus tile, I can take advantage of the extra benefits it offers. This means that I can use the Port bonus in addition to the main action I take on my turn. It’s up to me whether I use the Port bonus right away or save it for a future turn, as long as my unit remains adjacent to or within shipping reach.
Once I use a Port bonus, I need to place one of my Port bonus markers next to the tile I used, so everyone knows I’ve already taken advantage of it. Keep in mind that each Port bonus tile can only be used once by each player throughout the entire game. However, it’s possible for multiple players to use the same Port bonus tile in their own turns. And if I want to, I can even use multiple Port bonus tiles in a single turn.
Step 3: Time to Produce
In the Production phase, I receive Income and produce Goods from the units on my map. How much money and Goods I make during this phase is determined by the empty slots on my Player board. These slots used to have my units, but now they show the Income icon.
Here’s how the Production phase goes:
1. First, each deployed Worker earns me money. The second and subsequent Workers display the total income for my convenience. For example, each Woodcutter earns me ?4 (?6 with the Technology upgrade), and each Miner earns me ?6 (?8 with the Technology upgrade).
2. Next, I produce Basic goods:
– Each Sheep produces one Wool.
– Each Cow produces one Milk.
– Each Field produces two Grain.
3. Finally, I have the option to produce Processed goods.
In the game, there are different types of food production that you can engage in. Let me break it down for you:
It’s important to note that the ingredients used to make these processed goods can come from different sources. They can be obtained during the current Production phase, the previous phase, or even bought from the Market on a previous turn.
Here are a couple of hints to make your gameplay smoother:
Hint: It’s a good idea to keep track of your current Goods and money under your Player board. By placing the Goods you just produced above the board, you can easily check if you took the correct amount.
Hint: Once you get the hang of the Production phase, you can collect your Income after Passing to speed things up.
Phase 4: Scoring
When we reach this phase, we get to earn the Glory bonus that’s shown on the lower half of the current Scoring tile. But here’s the catch – we can only claim this bonus if we’ve fulfilled the requirement on the top half of the tile. It’s like a little challenge we have to conquer!
We keep track of our Glory by moving our Glory markers along the track on the Export board. And guess what? We get to take or flip a Glory marker whenever we complete a lap. It’s a pretty awesome way to showcase our progress!
Once we finish all five rounds, it’s time for the Final Scoring. We fill in the Victory Points (VP) for each of us on the Scoresheet. This is where we tally up our achievements and see how well we did.
The player with the most VP becomes the ultimate Clan Chief of Caledonia and emerges as the winner of the game! Talk about bragging rights!
Glory: For every step you take on the Glory track, you earn 1 Victory Point.
Getting back to basics: You get 1 VP for each Basic Good you have.
So here’s the thing – I’ve been thinking a lot about this idea of going back to basics. It’s like a return to simplicity, you know? And it turns out, there’s something pretty important about it. Let me break it down for you.
When you take a step back and look at things, it’s clear that there’s a real value in going back to the basics. It’s like rediscovering the things that really matter. And in the game we’re playing, that value takes the form of victory points.
Here’s how it works: for each Basic Good that you have in your stock, you get 1 VP. It’s as simple as that. So when you strip away all the complexities and complications, what you’re left with is the essence of the game – those basic goods.
And let me tell you, these basic goods are key. They’re the foundation, the building blocks of your strategy. They might not be flashy or fancy, but they’re reliable and dependable. And that’s worth something.
So don’t overlook the power of going back to basics. Sometimes, the simplest things have the biggest impact. And in this game, that impact comes in the form of victory points.
So the next time you’re pondering your strategy, just remember: going back to basics might be the best move you can make.
Get ready to score some points! When you have Processed goods in your stock, you’re in for a treat. Every single Processed good will give you 2 VP. Isn’t that awesome?
Money is crucial to the game. You earn 1 VP for every £10 you have. If there is a tie at the end, the person with the most leftover money wins.
Hops: You earn 1 Victory Point for each Hops that you import and include in your completed Export contracts.
Cotton, Tobacco, and Sugar cane: They’re all valuable in their own way. Cotton is the rarest, so it’s worth 5 VP. Tobacco is a bit more common, so it’s worth 4 VP. And Sugar cane, well, it’s the most common of them all, so it’s only worth 3 VP. Remember, the rarer the goods, the more valuable they are!
If there’s a tie in terms of the amount of Imported Goods, Cotton comes out on top, followed by Tobacco, and then Sugar cane. You earn points for the number of Imported Goods listed on your Export contracts, multiplied by their respective VP values.
Export Scoring
Now let’s talk about Export contracts. Count up the number of contracts you’ve fulfilled, and here’s how many VP you get for each:
If there are 3 or 4 players: The player who fulfills the most Export contracts earns 12 Victory Points (VP), while the player with the second most earns 6 VP.
In a 2-player game: The player who fulfills the most Export contracts earns 8 VP.
If there’s a tie, the VP for the respective tiers is divided equally among the tied players, rounding down if needed.
Scoring Settlements
I count my Settlements within Shipping reach of each other. A Settlement is a group of neighboring units of one color that are adjacent to each other and not separated by a river. Any single unit not next to another unit of the same color is also considered a Settlement. If not all of my Settlements are within Shipping reach of each other, I count the biggest group of Settlements that are within Shipping reach of each other for this scoring.
For 3-4 players: If I have the most Settlements that I can reach by Shipping, I will earn 18 Victory Points. But if I have the second-most Settlements within Shipping reach, I will earn 12 Victory Points. And if I have the third-most Settlements within Shipping reach, I will earn 6 Victory Points.
For 2 players: If I have the most Settlements that I can reach by Shipping, I will earn 12 Victory Points. However, if I have the second-most Settlements within Shipping reach, I won’t earn any Victory Points.
Did you know that tied players earn the same amount of points just like in the Export scoring? It’s true!
But here’s the catch – this scoring system isn’t focused on expanding to the most spaces or building the biggest settlement. It’s not about size or quantity!
For example: If I have a Shipping level of 1, I can reach only three Settlements as the red player.
If you have a Shipping level of 2, you can reach five Settlements as the black player.
The three red units enclosed in a circle are considered a single Settlement because they are next to each other. All the other red units are separate Settlements. The two red units at the top are counted as two Settlements because they are separated by a river. In total, I have four Settlements as the red player.
But, wait! Something doesn’t quite make sense here. Let me break it down for you.
Imagine a map with different Settlements – little communities of houses or buildings. To make things interesting, let’s use colors. There are red Settlements and other Settlements that aren’t red, let’s call them non-red.
In this game, Shipping is a special ability that lets the red player connect their Settlements. Think of it like a bridge that allows the red player’s units to move from one Settlement to another.
Now, here’s the catch. The red player has a three-unit Settlement at the top and a single-unit Settlement at the bottom left. The trouble is, there are two loch spaces separating these two. And since the red player’s Shipping power only works within one loch space, the bottom left Settlement is out of reach. It’s like trying to cross a river without a bridge.
But don’t worry, it’s not all bad news! The red player can still connect the three-unit Settlement at the top to the two single-unit Settlements by using Shipping. One loch space is easy to cross, so the red player can go from the top to the bottom left Settlement without a problem. This means they can count these three Settlements as connected and part of their score.
So, all in all, only three of the red player’s Settlements are within Shipping reach and will contribute to their score. The bottom left Settlement is unfortunately left out.
Here’s a tip: Sometimes, you might have to make tough decisions when it comes to slaughtering your animals. It can have both positive and negative effects on your score. By slaughtering, you can create new Settlements or split an existing one into smaller ones. However, be careful, as this might leave some of your Settlements out of reach and hurt your overall score.
Important note: Starting from the fourth or fifth round of the game, you have the option to keep track of the number of settlements each player has within shipping range on the Export board track using the Settlement tokens.
Let’s Play a Game Together!
Hey there! Are you ready to dive into a fun 2 player game? It’s a bit different from the regular game because we’ll be playing on a smaller map. You see, on this map, there are some shaded land spaces at the edge that we can’t use. They’re kind of marked by mist, so it’s easy to spot them. So, we won’t be able to expand into those areas. Just keep that in mind.
Oh, and there’s something I should tell you. You know the spaces right next to the shaded areas? Those are called the border spaces of the active map. They’re important for scoring tile #5 and Clan Fergusson. But don’t worry, all the “loch” spaces are still part of the active map, so we can use those!
Solo Game
Hey there! In this version, I’m going to try and get the highest score possible. We’ll be playing on a smaller map, just like in the 2-player game. I’ll use workers of different colors to act as neutral pieces and put them on all the spaces that have a cost of ?1. These spaces won’t be available for me for the whole game. Oh, and by the way, in the solo game, I can’t get a Neighbourhood bonus or track Imported goods on the Export board.
Before we start, I’ll randomly draw and place five Export contracts face-up on the Export board.
Every time I pass, I’ll receive a Passing bonus of ?16.
Additional Phase: Market Phase
During rounds 2-5 of the Preparation phase, there are some changes that happen to the prices of certain Goods. After the Merchants are retrieved, three random Goods have their prices changed once. To determine which Goods are affected, we roll the Goods and Price dice.
The Goods die tells us which Good will have its price changed. If the Goods die lands on a Good that already had its price changed during this phase, we reroll until we get a different Good.
Once we know which Good is affected, we need to check if its price is below or above the brackets on the Market. The brackets represent the medium price range. If the price is above the brackets, it’s considered high, and if it’s below the brackets, it’s considered low.
If the price is low or high, we don’t pay attention to the algebraic symbol (- or +).
If the price is low, the price goes up by the absolute value of the Price die.
If the price is high, the price goes down by the absolute value of the Price die.
When the price is in the middle range, something interesting happens with the price. The Price die determines how the price changes. If it rolls a ‘-3’, then the price goes down by three steps. On the other hand, if it rolls a ‘+1’, the price goes up by one step.
Getting New Export Contracts
I’m going to show you how to get new Export contracts to fill up the empty places on the Export board. This is an important step in the game that you don’t want to overlook.
Here’s what you do: take a look at your last Price die roll. It will tell you which of the six Export contracts will get removed. It’s as simple as that.
Now, in order to fill up the empty slots, you need to find the spot on the Export board where the algebraic symbol and the numeral intersect. That’s the Export contract you have to remove from the game.
Remember, each Action phase gives you five Export contracts to start with. So make sure you get those empty slots filled up before the game progresses.
I hope this explanation clears things up for you. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. Good luck!
Options
You can mix and match these options to create a unique gameplay experience.
Easier Rules
If you’re new to the game, these simplified rules are a great place to start.
Fixed Value Imports
If you prefer less luck in your games, this variant is for you. Regardless of how much Cotton, Tobacco, or Sugar Cane is imported, each one is worth 4 victory points at the end of the game. This means you don’t have to keep track of imported goods on the Export board.
No Scoring or Port Tiles
To make the game even simpler, you can ignore the Scoring tiles and/or Port tiles when setting up and playing.
Smaller Game Map
If you like playing on a smaller game map, here’s a tip: in a game with 2-3 players, you can cover four land spaces on the active map using spare Port tiles. Just flip them over and place them on the map. It’s even better if you use one tile per module. Keep in mind that in a 4-player game, the map is already pretty tight, so you won’t need to do this.
But remember, these covered spaces aren’t available for the Expand action.
No Clans
If you prefer to have a more balanced start, you can ignore the clans during setup and play. Along with the Goods and money on your chosen Starting tiles, you’ll also receive:
Starting player ?0, second player ?2, third player ?4, and fourth player ?6.
Clan Auction (recommended Only For Experienced Clan Chiefs!)
If you and your fellow players are feeling particularly competitive, you might want to auction off the clans. Here’s how it works:
When we start playing the game, I’ll draw several Clan tiles, one for each player. Each tile will get assigned a random Starting tile.
Next, we’ll need to determine who gets to choose their Clan first. We’ll do this by taking turns bidding Victory Points (VP). The first player will make an initial bid, which can be any amount of VP or even 0.
Then, the player to their left can make a higher bid if they wish. This goes on until someone makes the highest bid that no one else wants to outbid. The maximum bid allowed is 30 VP.
Once a player decides not to increase their bid, they cannot bid again during this round. The player who made the winning bid will write down their bid as negative VPs on the Scoresheet. They will then place their token on the first space of the Turn order track and take the Clan tile, as well as the corresponding Starting tile.