The Speicherstadt Game Rules

Welcome to the world of the Speicherstadt. In this game, I will guide you through the rules and mechanics of this exciting and captivating game.

Now, let’s delve into the rules of the Speicherstadt. The game is set in the bustling port city of Hamburg, where players take on the roles of warehouse owners vying for supremacy in the lucrative trading business.

To start, each player is given a personal game board, representing their section of the city’s waterfront. This board is where they will build their warehouses and receive goods. The goal is to amass the most victory points by the end of the game.

The game is played over a series of rounds, with each round consisting of several phases. The first phase is the bidding phase. Here, players will bid on different types of goods that are being unloaded from the ships in the harbor. The higher you bid, the more likely you are to win the goods.

Once the bidding phase is complete, the goods are distributed among the players based on their bids. The goods are represented by cards, each displaying a type of good, its quantity, and its value in victory points.

After receiving the goods, players move on to the warehouse building phase. Here, they must strategically place their goods in their warehouses, taking into account the limited space available. The goal is to maximize the value of their goods while minimizing wasted space.

In the next phase, players have the opportunity to sell their goods and earn victory points. The value of the goods fluctuates throughout the game, so timing your sales correctly is crucial. Selling goods at the right time can yield higher points, while holding onto them for too long may result in a loss of points.

During gameplay, events cards may be drawn, introducing various challenges and opportunities. These cards add another layer of strategy and unpredictability to the game, requiring players to adapt and make quick decisions.

The game continues until a certain number of rounds have been completed, at which point the final scoring phase takes place. Victory points are tallied based on the value of goods still in players’ warehouses, as well as any bonus points earned throughout the game.

In conclusion, the Speicherstadt is an engaging and strategic game that challenges players to outmaneuver their opponents in the world of trading. By carefully managing resources, bidding strategically, and adapting to unforeseen events, you can emerge as the most successful warehouse owner in Hamburg’s bustling port. Good luck!

Hey there! Imagine this: you’re the boss of this massive trading company in Hamburg’s warehouse district, the Speicherstadt. And guess what? You get to do some exciting bidding and buying! How cool is that?

So, here’s the deal: you’ll be purchasing these awesome trade cards. These cards will give you all sorts of amazing things. For example, you might get ships that are loaded with valuable cargo. And guess what you get to do with those ships? You take them to your contractors!

But hey, it’s not all smooth sailing. You also need to protect yourself against fire. Luckily, you’ve got firemen to help you out. Phew!

Now, here’s the best part: you get points for all your awesome activities. The more points you collect, the better your chances of winning the game. And who doesn’t want to be the big winner?

What’s Inside the Box?

• A game board
• 54 trade cards
• 25 coins
• 20 workers
• 5 market hall cards
• 1 metal coin
• 45 goods cubes
• 1 bag
• A rulebook

How to Get Started

So, you want to dive into this exciting adventure? Great choice! Here’s what you need to do to get started.

First, open the box and take a look inside. You’ll find a game board, trade cards, coins, workers, market hall cards, a metal coin, goods cubes, a bag, and a rulebook. This game is packed with everything you need to create an unforgettable experience.

Now that you’ve taken stock of your components, it’s time for setup. Prepare the game board and place it in the center of your playing area. Make sure every player has their own set of trade cards, coins, and workers. Shuffle the market hall cards and place them face down within reach. Put the metal coin, goods cubes, bag, and rulebook nearby. You’re almost ready to begin!

Before you start playing, it’s essential to read through the rulebook. It contains valuable information about gameplay, rules, and strategies. Make sure everyone understands the rules so that the game runs smoothly.

Let me show you how to set up the game board for The Speicherstadt. It’s a fun game that takes place in Hamburg’s warehouse district, and I’m excited to get started!

1. First, we need to place the game board in the center of the playing area. The board is really cool because it shows a part of Hamburg’s warehouse district, the Speicherstadt. It has water spaces, building spaces, and even a score track.
2. Next, we need to take all 45 goods cubes and put them into a bag. Then, we place the bag next to the game board. The cubes represent different goods that we’ll be trading in the game.
3. Now, let’s put all the coins in a separate stock next to the game board. We’ll be using these coins to buy and sell goods.
4. Each player starts with 5 coins. Take 5 coins from the stock and place them in front of you. These will be your starting coins.
5. Before we start playing, each player needs to choose a color. Pick your favorite color and place one worker of that color on the 0 space of the score track. The score track keeps track of our points as we play.

Now that we have the game board set up and we’re ready to play, let’s move on to the next steps:

1. Each player has three more workers of their chosen color. Place these workers in front of you. We’ll be using them to take actions in the game.
2. Finally, each player receives the market hall of their color. This market hall card represents your personal trading area.
3. We need to sort all the trade cards by their backs. Look for the cards with the same back design, and keep them together. These cards will be used during the game to trade for goods. Here’s what the back of the trade cards look like:

• Winter (A)
• Spring (B)
• Summer (C)
• Autumn (D)
• 4th Fire (E)

Hey there! Let’s talk about trading cards in this game. So, based on the number of players, we need to remove some Autumn (D) cards. We won’t need them. Here’s what to remove:

2 players: port/fireman card with a value of 3

3 players: Boatsman Church/fireman card with a value of 3

4 players: no cards to remove

5 players: Boatsman Church/fireman card with a value of 3

In order to begin the game, we need to prepare the trade cards. There are four stacks, one for each season. I’ll shuffle them up real good before we start.

Now, let’s create a drawing pile for the trade cards. We’ll start by putting the 4th fire card at the bottom. Then, we’ll add the autumn cards on top of that, followed by the summer cards, the spring cards, and finally the winter cards. All the cards should be face-down. We’ll place this drawing pile next to the game board and leave some space for a discard pile.

The first player will be the person who has most recently been to Hamburg. They will also receive the metal coin. And now, we’re ready to begin the game!

The Game’s Mechanics

Playing the game involves several rounds, each with its own set of actions and steps to follow.

Phase 1: Supply

The first step is to determine how many trade cards are available for the current round. To do this, we take the top cards from the pile and place them face-up on the water spaces of the Speicherstadt, from left to right, according to the number of players:

• 2 players: 3 cards
• 3 players: 4 cards
• 4 players: 5 cards
• 5 players: 6 cards

If any ships are revealed during this phase, we randomly draw 3 goods cubes from the bag for each ship and place them on the ship.

Phase 2: Demand

When it’s time to figure out how many trade cards everyone wants, we start by seeing who has the metal coin. That person goes first. From there, we take turns going clockwise. We each pick one card and put one of our workers on top of it. We place our worker on the lowest empty spot. Once we’ve all placed one worker, we repeat this process twice more until we each have three workers down.

You can pick any card you want for each worker. If someone else already has workers on the card you want, just put your worker on the next empty spot. You have to put down all three workers, but you can put more than one worker on the same card. However, if all the spots on a card are taken, you can’t put any more workers there.

So here’s how it goes. You and I, along with everyone else, start placing our workers one by one on those cards. Slowly but surely, rows of workers begin to form above the cards, creating a buzzing atmosphere. But hey, there’s also a possibility that no one wants a particular card, so it just sits there, worker-less.

Once all of us have placed our three workers, that’s when this phase comes to a close. We’re done with the placing part, for now.

Imagine this: You and your friends are playing a game. You each have a set of cards, and it’s your turn. The cards are arranged in a row, and some of them have workers placed on them already. Your turn is to place a worker on one of the empty spaces.

Step 3: Buying Cards

Now, let’s talk about buying the cards. Each card can be bought individually, starting from the left side and moving to the right. The process is the same for every card.

Here’s how it works. The player whose worker is directly above a card, the one at the bottom of the row, gets to decide first if they want to buy that card or not. If they decide to buy it, they have to pay coins into the stock. The number of coins they pay is equal to the total number of workers above that card. But remember, you can’t use the metal coin for the payment! Once the player has paid, they take the card and put it in front of them. Now, they can use the card’s special ability. All the workers above that card go back to their owners.

If you don’t want or can’t buy the card, just take your worker back. Now, it’s the next player’s turn. They have the option to buy the card, but it will cost them one coin less because there is one less worker above it. If they don’t want it, then it moves on to the next player, and so on.

This process continues until someone decides to buy the card. The card is offered to each player in turn, starting from the one with the worker placed above it. If nobody wants to buy it, then it goes to the discard pile. The same happens if no worker was placed above the card at all. Afterward, we move on to the next card.

4. Loading

When the first ship is purchased in Spring (B), the Loading phase begins. This is the time to sell or move goods cubes between trade cards and the market hall. The First Player starts, and the rest of us follow in a clockwise order. To speed things up, we can all act at the same time if we want.

But here’s the rule: we can’t trade or swap anything among ourselves – no coins, goods cubes, or trade cards!

In this phase, we can use the following cards:

Ship

If you bought a ship or several ships this time, it’s time to unload them. Take off all the goods cubes from the ship.

Now, you can decide what to do with each goods cube individually:

• Put it on a contract.
• Sell it to a merchant.
• Keep it in your warehouse.
• Convert, sell, or keep it in the market hall.

After each loading, there shouldn’t be any goods cubes left on the ships. Any unused goods cubes will expire. Put them into the stock of goods (or create one if there isn’t any stock yet) – don’t put them back into the bag!

Contract

You can place any number of goods cubes from ships onto the warehouse or the market hall, on one or more contract cards. The type of goods must match the contract card.

Let me tell you about how the game works. When it comes to placing goods cubes, there are a few rules you need to remember. For example, you can only put a brown cube on a coffee symbol or a white cube on a rubber symbol. And when it comes to contracts, you can fulfill them step by step. But remember, once you place a goods cube on a contract, you can’t remove it.

Now, let me introduce you to the merchants. There are 5 different types: coffee roaster, tea taster, spice trader, carpet trader, and vulcanizer. Each merchant will pay you 1 coin for each goods cube that matches their type. So, for example, the tea roaster will pay you 1 coin for each green goods cube. Just take the coin from the stock and put the sold goods back into the stock. Don’t put them back in the bag!

Lastly, let me tell you about the warehouse. It’s a place where you can sell your goods cubes. You can sell as many as you want to one or more merchants. It’s a great way to make some extra coins!

That’s the basics of how the game works. Have fun playing!

As you’re loading, you have the option to place or remove goods cubes in your warehouse. Your warehouse is where you can store goods cubes for future rounds or use them to earn points at the end of the game. Just remember, you can’t have more than 4 goods cubes in your warehouse at any given time.

Market Hall

The market hall serves various purposes during the loading phase:

• Convert: You can exchange any 3 goods cubes from your choice and add them to the stock. In return, you can take any 1 goods cube of your choice from the stock.

Note: Remember, you can’t draw goods cubes from the bag or put them back in!

Sell: Place 2 goods cubes in the stock and take 1 coin from there.

Keep: You can only keep 1 goods cube in the market hall for later use.

Example: So, I bought 2 ships today, and now I need to unload them. I’m thinking about what to do next. I have a contract on my right-hand side that requires 1 rubber and 1 tea. If I place the carpet on this contract, it will be fully completed and give me 5 points in the end. But, here’s the thing – I know that I can also use the carpet to fulfill another contract that could give me even more points, a total of 11 points to be exact. What should I do?

Well, after giving it some thought, I decide to keep the carpet in my market hall for now. It might come in handy later, especially if I can use it to complete the other contract. I don’t want to miss out on those 11 points, after all.

So here’s the thing, I could turn the rubber, tea, and saffron into coffee, right? That would complete the contract on my right hand. But let me tell you, I’ve got a gut feeling that I’ll find some coffee later. And honestly, I’d much rather have a few extra coins for the next round. So, instead, I decide to sell the tea to the tea taster. Guess what? I get a shiny coin in return from the stock. But that’s not all! I also sell the rubber and saffron at the market hall and boom, another coin for me! Gotta love those extra coins, you know?

I’ve successfully unloaded both ships, and now I don’t need to do anything while they’re being loaded.

5. Money

Each player gets 1 coin. If you didn’t buy any trade cards this round, you get an extra coin. Then, the First Player passes the metal coin to the player on their left.

If there aren’t enough coins in the stock during the money phase, you can use tokens from outside the game, like real coins or dice.

End of the Game

Once we reach phase 1, “Supply,” and the only card left in the drawing pile after the trade cards are drawn is the 4th fire (E) card, it means the final round has begun. Everything proceeds as normal. After that, the final card in the drawing pile, the 4th fire card, is revealed, and the game ends.

Listen up, folks! There’s a little quirk in the game that you need to know about. Sometimes, the 3rd fire card (D) ends up being the last card of autumn and it’s right on top of the 4th fire card (E). When this happens, here’s what you do: you finish up the 3rd fire, but you don’t stop there – you immediately move on to the 4th fire. And just like that, the game is over. It’s a bit unexpected, but it adds a twist, doesn’t it?

Alright, now let’s tally up all those points you’ve racked up. Just take a look at the score track on the game board and you’ll see your total points. The player with the highest score takes the crown. And if there’s a tie, well, the player who has more coins snatches the victory. Simple as that!