Tinners’ Trail Game Rules

Hey there! Welcome to the world of Tinners’ Trail. If you’ve ever wanted to experience the thrill of being a miner and entrepreneur, this game is just for you. Keep reading to learn all about the rules and strategies that will make you a master of the mines!

Setting Up the Game

Before we get started, let’s set up the game. First, lay out the game board and place the action cards in separate piles. Then, shuffle the mining deed cards and deal a hand to each player. Next, distribute the investment cubes, money, and victory point (VP) markers to each player. Finally, put the mine carts and trains on their respective spaces on the board.

Gameplay

Now that we’re all set up, it’s time to start playing. The game is played over a series of turns, with each turn consisting of three phases: the investment phase, the action phase, and the mining phase.

During the investment phase, you’ll have the opportunity to invest in mining deeds. Each player takes turns placing their investment cubes on available mining deeds, trying to acquire the ones that will yield the most resources and points.

Next comes the action phase. During this phase, you’ll take turns playing action cards. These cards allow you to perform various actions, such as building mines, constructing railways, buying resources, and more. Planning your actions strategically is key to success in this game!

Finally, we have the mining phase. Here’s where you get to dig deep into the mines and collect valuable resources. The resources you collect can be sold for money or used in the construction of railways, allowing you to expand your mining empire. But be careful, as mining can be risky – you might encounter flooded tunnels or depleted resources!

Selling Resources

At any point during the game, you can sell your resources to earn money. The amount of money you receive depends on the market price of the resource. Keep an eye on the market to make the most profitable sales!

Scoring Points

Throughout the game, you’ll earn victory points from various sources, such as mining deeds, railways, and sold resources. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game wins!

Conclusion

That’s all you need to know to get started with Tinners’ Trail. The world of mining and entrepreneurship awaits you – are you ready to dive in? Enjoy the game and may your mining ventures be prosperous!

Player Mine pieces
Player Money and Time tokens
Player Investment cubes
1 Black pawn
10 Miner pieces
8 Port pieces
3 Train pieces
4 Adit pieces
50 Water cubes
60 Copper cubes
50 Tin cubes
3 special dice
Instructions

Starting The Game

Now, we need to gather our materials. Let’s choose the pieces we’ll be using from the following options: six mines, four tokens for money and time, and twelve investment cubes. We’ll also need a black pawn, ten miner pieces, eight port pieces, three train pieces, four adit pieces, fifty water cubes, sixty copper cubes, fifty tin cubes, three special dice, and of course, the instructions to guide us on our adventure.

Hey there! Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?

First things first, we need to figure out the order of play. I’ll help you do that. We’ll start by randomly determining the order. Pretty exciting, right?

To keep track of the order, we’ll place player tokens in the Order of Play column. Each token will represent a player. Easy peasy!

Now, let’s kick off the game. Take a look at each area and find out how many copper and tin cubes should be there. Match the number shown in each area and place the cubes accordingly. Simple, right?

Okay, now we’re going to roll some special dice. But hold up! We only roll the dice for areas that already have cubes in them. So, don’t you worry about the clear areas. They start empty, unless there are white or orange cubes printed there. Got it?

Oh, before I forget, you’ll need two player tokens to keep track of your money. We all start off with ?15. So put one token in the ?15 space and the other in the ?00 space. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

The Committee

Let’s talk about the committee. I want to share some important information about this group and why it matters.

First, I should explain what a committee is. A committee is a group of people who come together to work on a specific task or project. The committee is made up of individuals with different skills and expertise who work together to make decisions and take action. Committees can be found in all sorts of organizations, from schools to businesses to community groups.

Now, you might be wondering why committees are important. Well, here’s the thing. Committees play a crucial role in organizations because they help to ensure that decisions are made in a fair and democratic way. When a group of people with different perspectives and expertise come together to work on a task, they can consider a wide range of ideas and opinions. This helps to prevent any one person or group from having too much power or influence.

Another reason why committees are important is because they allow for collaboration and teamwork. When people come together to work on a project as a team, they can pool their resources and skills to achieve a common goal. This often leads to better outcomes and results than if each person were working on their own.

But it’s not just about the task at hand. Committees also provide individuals with a chance to develop new skills and gain valuable experience. By working on a committee, you can learn how to collaborate with others, make decisions, and communicate effectively. These are all important skills that can help you in many aspects of life, from school to work to personal relationships.

So, if you ever have the opportunity to join a committee, I encourage you to give it a try. It can be a rewarding experience that allows you to make a difference and learn and grow as an individual. Plus, you might just meet some great people and have some fun along the way. So, what are you waiting for? Get involved and see what the committee has to offer!

Here’s a breakdown of the different components of the game:

A – Order of Play column.

B – Available Developments. These include miners, ports, adits, and trains that can be placed during Phase two.

C – Time Track. As you spend Time Points, you move your player token along this track, numbered from one to ten.

D – Clear Areas. There are eight clear areas without any copper or tin cubes at the start of the game. You can still build mines in these areas and prospect for rich ore lodes later on.

E – Developments Display. This tells you which pieces to put in the Available Developments box.

F – Actions. This table reminds you of the different actions you can take, the cost of each action in time points, and the effects of the action.

Hey there! Let’s talk about some key aspects of this game that you should know about. Starting areas are where it all begins. Each of these areas has tin and copper cubes in them, and at the start of the game, you get to roll the dice and generate even more cubes for each starting area.

Now, let’s talk about the prices of ore. To determine the price of tin, you roll all three special dice. Then you roll again to determine the price of copper. The total you get is adjusted based on the first and last turns, as well as the current price level. It’s quite fascinating!

Next up, we have money tracks. Here, you keep track of your money using player tokens. Simple as that!

Last but not least, we have external investments. Now, this is where things get interesting. You pay to place your cubes here, and in return, you earn victory points. It’s a great way to strategize and come out on top.

When I play this game, I have to move my token backwards on the track when I spend my money, and forwards when I receive money. It’s like a recording of how much money I have. If I have multiples of £20, I record it on the bottom track.

How to Play the Game

This game is divided into four turns. Each turn has different steps that I need to follow:

Determine Ore Prices
Available Developments
Player Actions
Sell Ore
External Investments
Prospect
End of Turn

Step One: Determine Ore Prices

The price of copper can change in unexpected ways. It all depends on if there are other places where people find cheap deposits of copper. If the price drops, it can be really hard for mines in Cornwall. Some of them might have to stop mining copper and start mining tin instead. The price of tin is more stable, so it’s a better option for them.

Let’s start by figuring out the price for tin. Roll each of the three dice and add up the numbers you get. Then, compare the total to the values in the left-hand column of the Ore Price table. The current price of tin will be shown by placing a white tin cube in the Tin column. Now roll the dice again to determine the price of copper. To mark the Copper price, use an orange cube.

In the first turn, there’s an extra step. You should add one to the total rolled when determining the price for both types of ore. This is because at this time, the metals were in high demand.

In the following turns, the old price can affect the new price of ore. If the old price was at its highest level, subtract one from the total shown on the dice. And if the old price was at its lowest level, add one to the result shown on the dice.

So, here’s how it works: in each round, you roll the dice and get a total. But here’s the catch – you have to subtract one from that total at the end. Why? Because as competition from other mining areas heats up, the prices of metals start to drop. So, you gotta account for that.

Let me give you an example to make it clearer. In the first round, you roll the dice and get a total of two for tin. Since it’s the first round, you add one to that, making it three. Then, you place a white cube in the ?4 box for tin.

Now, let’s say you roll the dice for copper in the next round and get a total of six. But remember – you have to add one to that total because it’s the first turn. So, the total becomes seven. You then place an orange cube in the ?8 box.

Here’s the thing, though. In the following turn, when the price of tin is determined, you’ll have to add one to the total on the dice because tin is currently at its rock-bottom price. It’s all about staying on top of these changes and making the right moves.

Phase Two: All the New Stuff

So, like, when the miners had to dig even deeper to reach those precious lodes, they were all like, “Yo, we gotta figure out some new ways to get this water out and extract more ore!” And guess what? They totally did!

Now, here’s the deal, my friend. Each turn, you’re gonna have a sweet selection of new developments to choose from. These developments are like actions that you can take to up your mining game.

First things first, though. We gotta clear out the old stuff from the previous turn. Take all the pieces in the Available Developments box and stash them away. Then, here comes the fun part. Get ready to restock that box with a whole bunch of fresh developments. You can find all the info you need in the handy-dandy Developments table.

Hey there! Let me walk you through how to play this game. It’s super fun, and I’ll explain all the important steps. Just follow along!

First, let’s talk about the Available Developments box. Take a look at the column for the current turn to see how many of each development should go in that box. Got it?

Now, there’s something else you need to do. You’ll need to put some Steam Pump discs in specific boxes. Pay attention to which ones! Here’s what you do:

On the first turn, put one disc in the first box. Simple, right? On the second turn, put one disc in the first box and two discs in the second box. Easy peasy! Now, on the third turn, you need to place discs in the first three boxes. And finally, on the fourth turn, you gotta fill up all four boxes. Keep up!

Another thing you should know is that in the first turn, you can only select the improve Steam Pumps action once. But in the second turn, you can choose it twice. In the third turn, you can pick it three times. And in the fourth turn, you can go all out and choose it four times. Exciting, right?

When you’re choosing this action, most players will go for the biggest stack of Steam Pump discs. It just makes sense, you know?

Phase Three: Player Actions

This phase is the most important and longest part of every turn. You and the other players will have the chance to do several things to create, enhance, and run mines.

Each action takes a certain amount of time to complete. The time required for each action varies and is displayed on the Action Display. You have ten Time Points to spend on actions during this phase. Write down the number of Time Points you use on the Time Track. The order in which we take our turns is determined by how much time we spend during this phase.

At the beginning of each turn, the player with the highest token on the Order of Play column becomes the active player. If there are no tokens in the ‘Order of Play’ column, then the active player is the one who used the fewest Time Points.

If there’s more than one player with the same fewest Time Points, the player closest to the top of the column gets to go. And here’s a neat trick: the active player can take multiple turns as long as everyone else is still ahead of them on the Time Track!

Now, let’s talk about the actions. There are nine of them, and each one costs a certain number of Time Points. When the active player finishes an action, they move their token along the Time Track to show how many Time Points they’ve spent.

But wait, there’s more! If the active player’s token ends up in the same spot as another player’s token, the active player’s token goes to the first empty spot below in the same column. It’s all about finding your place on that track!

Example 1: The next active player will be Blue because they are the highest up the Order of Play column.

Example 2: So let’s say I’m playing a game with my friends, and in this particular example, I’m the red player. I have the token that’s positioned the highest up the column and I’ve spent the least amount of time. That means I get to be the active player.

Example 3: Let me tell you about a game called “The Red Player”. In this game, there’s a player who performs an action that involves two points of time. This action takes him to a designated space marked with the number ‘4’. Now, here’s the thing – if another player, let’s say the Green Player, is already occupying the top space, then the Red Player has to go in the space below. It’s like a puzzle of sorts!

Now, let’s talk about being the active player in this game. When you are the active player, there’s an important rule you must follow – you have to perform one action from a list of options. Here are your choices:

Build a mine
Mine some ore
Build a port
Place a miner
Build an adit
Build a train
Improve your steam pumps
Sell some pasties
Take a break and pass

When you want to take action in the game, you need to make sure you have enough Time Points to complete the action. If the only action you can perform is the PASS action, then you have to choose it. Once you have passed, your token will be placed in the Order of Play column, and you won’t be able to take any more actions during this turn.

The action phase comes to an end when all players have passed. When all but one player has passed, the remaining player can perform one more action if they have enough Time Points, and then they have to pass as well.

Some actions require you to take a piece from the Available Developments box. If the piece you want is not in the box, you can’t select that action. For example, since there is only one adit available each turn, the Build Adit action can only be performed once by one player each turn.

A. Build Mine

So here’s how it works: when you choose to take this action, you pick a spot on the board and put the black pawn there to mark it. This means that the right to build a mine in that spot is now up for grabs in an auction. The player who chose the action gets to make the first bid, and they have to bid at least ?1.

Then, the player to their left has a choice: they can make a higher bid or they can pass and drop out of the auction. Once a player has dropped out, they can’t join back in. The bidding continues clockwise around the table until there’s only one player left.

That last player standing, the one who had the highest bid, has to pay the amount they bid (and adjust their tokens on the Money Track accordingly). Then, they get to put one of their Mine pieces in the spot they chose and they also have to use two Time Points. And get this – the player who won the auction doesn’t have to be the one who took the action. They just need to be ready to choose a different action right away!

If you have enough Time Points, you can join the auction in this game, even if your tokens are ahead of the active player on the Time Track. Just make sure you have the two Time Points needed to participate. However, if you choose the Pass action or have less than two Time Points left, or if you don’t have enough money to bid, then you cannot take part in the auction.

When it’s time to pick the area to put up for auction, keep in mind that you can only select an area that doesn’t already have a mine. No area can have more than one mine.

If you want, you can decide to auction off an empty area. Once the auction is over and a mine is built in one of these empty areas, roll the three dice to find out how many copper, tin, and water cubes are added to the area. Remember, you don’t know what resources are available until after you’ve built the mine and paid for it, even after using Time Points and money.

No player can build more than six mines. Once a mine is built, it stays on the board for the entire game and cannot be sold, traded, or removed. Each area can only have one mine.

B. Mine Ore

If you have a mine, you might want to use it to extract ore from the ground. By taking the Mine Ore action, you can gather a specific number of copper and tin cubes from one area. But remember, you can only mine ore in an area where you already have a mine.

Mining in each mine starts with a basic capacity of two. This means that I can remove a total of two tin or copper cubes from that area. But the mine’s capacity can be increased by adding ports, miners, and trains to the area. Each of these developments will increase the mine’s capacity by one, although only one of each can be built.

Now, let’s talk about the cost of mining ore. The cost is determined by the number of water cubes in the area. The more water there is, the more expensive it will be to mine the ore. It’s important to note that you won’t receive any money for the ore immediately. You’ll have to wait until later in the turn to get paid. So, your available funds will determine how much ore you can mine.

If there are no water cubes in the area, then there is no cost to mine ore there.

Example: Here’s how mining works in this game. You start with a mining capacity of three, which means you can remove up to three cubes from the board each turn. To remove a cube, you need to pay ?3 per cube. So if you choose to remove three cubes, it would cost you ?9.

You have the freedom to decide which cubes to remove. You can take a mix of tin and copper cubes, or just one type, as long as it doesn’t exceed your mining capacity. And if you want, you can remove fewer cubes than your mining capacity allows.

When you take cubes off the board, you must put them in front of you. These cubes will be sold later in the turn. And don’t worry, there’s no limit to how many cubes you can hold during a turn.

Remember: after you finish mining an area, you have to place a water cube in that area. This signifies that the mine has been dug deeper and will be more expensive to mine in the future.

Example: So, here’s the deal. You thought it would be a good idea to take out three copper cubes from the area because the price of copper is pretty high right now. After you took them out and paid for them, you went ahead and added a blue water cube to the area. Just to switch things up a bit, you know?

Now, once all the copper and tin cubes are gone from the mines, and only the developments and water cubes are left on the board, that’s when things get interesting.

Oh, and before I forget, the Mine Ore action? Yeah, that one also uses up one Time Point. Just a little something to keep in mind.

C. Build Port

Did you know that many of the beautiful coves along Cornwall’s rugged coastline used to be bustling mining ports? These ports were essential for bringing in coal to power the steam pumps and shipping out the valuable ore to smelting plants in South Wales.

But here’s the interesting part: Cornwall was rich in metals, but had no coal of its own. So, they had to import all of it.

If you want to select the port action in the game, you’ll need to have a port piece available in the development box. Once you have it, you can choose any area to place the port piece. Just make sure that the chosen area has at least one border touching the sea.

It doesn’t matter if the area you choose has one of your mines or another player’s mine. You can only place one port piece in an area, and once it’s placed, you can’t move or remove it.

Let’s talk about ports and the impact they have on an area. When you decide to build a port, you take away a water cube from that spot. It’s like saying goodbye to a small piece of the sea. But the interesting thing is that the port brings some benefits as well.

First of all, the port boosts the Mining Capacity by one in that particular area. This means that more ore can be extracted from Cornwall and transported through the port. It’s like giving a green light to the miners, allowing them to dig deeper and bring out more precious minerals.

So, yes, building a port is a bit of a trade-off. You lose a bit of the serene water, but you gain an opportunity to increase mining activities and bolster the local economy. It’s all about finding the right balance and making the best decision for the area.

Next time you see a port, think about the choices that were made and the impact it has on the surrounding environment. It’s a fascinating interplay between human needs and the natural world. And who knows, maybe someday you’ll be the one making those important decisions.

Example: I’m the blue player, and I want to boost my mining game. So, I decide to put a port in the same area as my mine. This move allows me to take out one water cube from that spot. Now, my Mining Capacity for that area is three.

Creating a port is a time-consuming process that requires two Time Points. Luckily, there’s no need to worry about spending any money.

D. Deploying a Miner

The story of tin mining in Cornwall stretches back thousands of years, all the way to the days of the Phoenicians. Copper mining, on the other hand, is a more recent development. It gained momentum due to the demand from the Royal Navy, which required copper sheathing for their ships. As the mining industry grew, so did the need for more workers.

In the Available Developments box, you should be able to find a piece representing a miner. You can choose this action by selecting the miner piece. Once you have done so, you can place it in any area of your choosing. It’s important to note that you don’t have to place the miner in an area where you already have a mine.

Each area can only accommodate one miner. Once you have placed the miner, it will remain there for the duration of the game.

A miner will increase the Mining Capacity of the chosen area by one.

By placing a miner, you will use up one Time Point. There is no financial cost associated with this action.

E. Build Adit

When I think about being a Cornish miner, the biggest challenge that comes to mind is dealing with all the water in the mines. I mean, there’s so much of it! And it’s not like you can just ignore it or wait for it to magically disappear. No, you have to find a way to get rid of it.

One of the ways we dealt with pumping out water was by using a ton of energy. We’d either rely on horses or coal to power the pumps. But let me tell you, that took a lot of work. It was exhausting and expensive. So, to make things easier and more efficient, we came up with a clever solution.

Instead of pumping all that water up to the surface, we dug tunnels into the sides of hills to meet the mine shafts. These tunnels were called ‘adits.’ And let me tell you, they were a game-changer.

Now, instead of pumping water all the way up, we could just dump it into the adit. It was a much shorter distance, which meant less energy and effort. Plus, something amazing would often happen while building these adits.

Can you believe that we would stumble upon new deposits of copper and tin? It was like a bonus! It made the whole process even more exciting. You see, when we were building these adits, we never knew what we might find. It was like a treasure hunt.

So, here’s how it works in the game. If you want to take the adit action, you’ll need to have an adit piece available. If you do, you can choose this action and connect two adjacent areas by placing the adit piece across the border. It’s like building a little water tunnel.

And guess what happens when you build an adit? You get to remove one water cube from each of the two connected areas. That means less water to deal with. But that’s not all. You also get rewarded with a copper cube and a tin cube for each of the two areas. It’s like finding treasure just like we did in real life.

So, now that you know all about adits, are you ready to start your mining adventure?

Hey there! Let’s talk about adits in the game. An adit is a special feature that stays in place for the whole game. You can only build one adit across a border, but you can connect additional adits to an area as long as they go across borders that don’t already have adits.

Building an adit is pretty straightforward. It takes three Time Points, but you don’t have to worry about any financial costs.

Here’s something interesting: the two areas connected by an adit don’t necessarily have to contain mines. It’s possible that only one of them does. Don’t worry, though. You’ll still play by the usual rules of removing Water cubes and adding copper and tin cubes if the area already has at least one cube.

What’s cool is that when you build an adit in a clear area, you don’t add any cubes right away. However, if cubes are added to that area later on, you’ll put an extra tin cube and an extra copper cube there, while removing one water cube.

Hey there! Let’s check out a cool example of what happens when you add an adit. We have two areas, and from each area, we’ve taken one water cube out and added a tin and copper cube.

Take a look at the yellow player’s area – they removed all the water cubes. With this move, if they decide to Mine Ore, they won’t have to spend any money to remove ore cubes from this area.

Step F: Build Train

Did you know that Richard Trevithick, a famous figure from Cornwall, was the one who built the very first steam train? It’s fascinating to think about how this invention was born out of the necessity for more coal to power the steam pumps in the mines.

If you have a train piece available in the box of available developments, you have the option to select it. Once chosen, you can place the train piece in any area you desire, even if it doesn’t have one of your mines. Remember, though, that only one train piece can be placed in each area, and once it’s there, you won’t be able to move or remove it.

When you decide to place a train piece, you must remove two water cubes from the area it’s placed in, as well as one water cube from every adjacent area. Additionally, the Mining Capacity of any mines in the same area as the train will increase by one. It’s important to note, though, that mines in adjacent areas won’t have their Mining Capacity increased.

Did you know that you can only have one train in each area? That train will stay in the same area until the game is over.

To build a train, it costs two Time Points. But here’s the great part – there is no financial cost!

Here’s an example: In the example I just showed you, the blue player puts a train in that specific spot. Two water cubes are taken out from that spot, as well as one from each neighboring spot. The Mining Capacity in that spot will now be three.

G. Making Steam Pumps Better

By now, you probably understand how important it is to have good pumping technology in mining. At first, people used steam power mainly to pump water out of mines. It wasn’t until later that they started using it to power machines.

Engineers worked hard to improve steam pumps, but they had to be careful not to copy James Watt’s design too closely. They always tried to find ways to use less coal to get more power because coal was heavy and hard to transport.

Hey there! So, here’s the thing. When it’s my turn to play the game, I’ll see some stacks of these white discs on the Steam Pump track. These discs are called steam pump discs. Now, as an action, I can pick one stack of these discs and use them to get rid of those pesky water cubes on the board.

Each disc lets me remove just one water cube. And here’s the cool part – I can remove water cubes from any area I want, even if there’s no mine there. Awesome, right? And guess what? If I have more than one disc, I can use them to remove water cubes from just one area or even different areas. It’s up to me!

Imagine this: When you reach the fourth turn in the game, the Steam Pump display shows a certain arrangement. If you choose to Improve Steam Pumps, you have the opportunity to take a stack of three steam pump discs.

By doing this, you can eliminate up to three water cubes from any part of the board. Remember, you don’t have to use all of the discs, but you can’t save them for later in the game.

Now, the next player to take this action will likely opt for a stack of two steam pump discs, which will allow them to remove two water cubes.

Once you’ve removed the water cubes, make sure to return all of your steam pump discs to the general supply at the side of the board. You’ll be able to use them again in future turns.

When a turn ends, any unused steam pump discs go back to the general supply. Taking and using a stack of steam pump discs requires one Time Point, but there is no financial cost.

H. Sell Pasties

The pasty is Cornwall’s most famous delicacy. Originally, it was a lunch for miners – a combination of meat and vegetables wrapped in pastry. The crust along one side allowed the miners to hold it without touching the rest of the food.

In this game, however, you have the option to Sell Pasties and earn ?1. This is a helpful action when you find yourself spending too much money and need to get some back to perform another action. By choosing this action, you will add ?1 to your Money total.

The Sell Pasties action requires one Time Point.

I. Pass

If you decide to pass, you’ll remove your player token from the Time Track and place it on the highest empty space in the Order of Play column.

Once you pass, you won’t be able to do anything else or participate in any auctions. If you’re on the ’10’ space of the Time Track, passing is mandatory.

If all but one player has passed, the remaining player can take one more action (if they have enough Time Points) before they have to pass as well.

Passing doesn’t cost any Time Points.

4. Sell Ore

The Action phase ends when all players have passed. At this point, players must sell all the tin and copper cubes they have mined during their turn.

The Ore Price table gives you the amount of money you get for selling each tin and copper cube. You have to figure out how much money you’ll get in total and add it to your Money Track.

You can’t keep any tin or copper cubes to sell later – you have to sell everything you have. All the cubes you sell go back into the general supply.

Imagine this: You’re sitting in front of three copper cubes and two tin cubes. Each copper cube is worth ?8, which means you can make ?24 by selling all three. On the other hand, each tin cube is worth ?5, so you can earn ?10 for the entire lot of tin cubes. Altogether, you’ll have ?34 added to your total money stash.

5. Explore New Opportunities

Now that you have some money from selling your ore, you can think about investing it in ventures beyond Cornwall. Many mine owners from Cornwall chose to invest in Welsh copper smelting to gain control over the industry as a whole.

When it’s my turn to invest, I can make a single investment. The order in which players invest is determined by the Order of Play column. After I’ve made my investment, it’s the next player’s turn. We continue this process until everyone has made as many investments as they want. Each player has twelve investment cubes to use during the game.

The Investment Display is divided into four rows, one for each turn of the game. I can only place an investment cube in a space in the row that corresponds to the current turn. For example, during the third turn, I can only place cubes in the third row.

Each box on the Investment Display can hold up to two investment cubes. These cubes can belong to the same player or two different players.

When you want to put a cube inside a box, you have to pay the amount of money shown at the top of that column. You adjust your total money accordingly. The box will tell you how many victory points you will get at the end of the game. Keep in mind that the value of investments goes down as the game progresses. And remember, the only way to score victory points in the game is through External Investments!

Be careful not to invest too much of your money, though. You’ll need some funds to bid in auctions and mine ore in the next turn. Of course, in the last turn, you should invest as much as you can.

Here’s the situation: It’s my turn again in the game, and I’m considering my options for investing my money. I still have ?24, but I need to decide how to use it wisely.

I could spend ?15 to invest in the 15VPs box. Or, I could play it safe and keep some extra money for later by investing ?5 in the 5VPs box. Another option is to pass on investments altogether and hold onto all ?24.

I can’t invest in the 10VPs or 20VPs boxes since they’re already full with two investment cubes.

Step 6: Finding Potential Investments

Before the game starts, some areas are already set up with tin and copper cubes. There are eight areas that don’t have any cubes yet. Now, in this step, two of those areas will finally get some cubes.

The first player in the Order of Play column needs to choose one of the empty areas that doesn’t already have cubes or a mine. Then, they roll three special dice and put cubes in the designated area based on the results of the roll.

So here’s the deal: it’s my turn to roll the dice, but I can’t pick the same spot as the first player. I need to find an empty space on the board. If there are no empty spaces left, then I can’t prospect this time.

So, here’s how it all goes down: The red player finishes with a total of 85 victory points, blue has 101 victory points, yellow has 77 victory points, and green has 74 victory points. In this case, Blue is the clear winner!

Now, let me explain what happens when we roll the dice and there’s an adit connected to the area. In that case, we’ll place an extra tin cube, an extra copper cube, and one less water cube than what the dice indicate.

And what about trains and ports? Well, if there happens to be a train in the area, we’ll put two fewer water cubes, and for every adjacent train, we’ll have one fewer water cube. Now, if there’s a port in the area, we’ll simply place one less water cube.

Now, let’s talk about the end of the turn:

The game will come to a close once we’ve wrapped up the fourth turn. You won’t find a Turn Track on the board, but don’t worry! You can easily keep track of the turns by looking at the cubes on the Investment Display. It’s really quite handy. And if it’s not the fourth turn yet, we’ll just start a new one.

Speaking of which, let’s dive into the end of the game:

After four turns, the game comes to an end. Now it’s time to tally up the victory points for the cubes on the Investment Display. Remember, you don’t earn any points for money, mines, or other developments on the board.

So, who will be crowned the winner? The answer is simple: the player with the highest total of victory points.

If there happens to be a tie, we need to determine a winner. In this case, we first look at the tied players’ remaining money. The player with the most money left takes the victory. If the tie persists, we turn our attention to the tin and copper cubes. How many of these cubes do the tied players control? The player with the most cubes remaining gets the win. And if, by some chance, the tie still persists, we consider the order of play. The player highest up in the order of play will be declared the winner.

How to play Tinners Trail Official Rules