Africa 1880 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Rules of the Game
  • Setup
  • Turn Structure
  • 1) Diplomatic Action
  • 2) Writing Orders
    • 2.1) Orders Given to Presences
    • 2.2) The Landing Order
    • 2.3) Diplomatic Relations
  • 3) Reading Orders
    • 3.1) Orders Given to Presences
    • 3.2) Landing Orders
    • 3.3) Diplomatic Relations
  • 4) Resolving Conflicts
  • 5) Building Colonies
    • Special Rules Concerning Colonies
• The End of the Game
• Optional Rule
• Order Sheet and Board Reference

Components

1 game board: A map of Africa divided into 32 territories. In the sea area are six "embassy" spaces, each bearing the name of a European country.

(The map and sheet layouts are described under "Order Sheet and Board Reference" below.)

A pad of order sheets: Used to write the orders you give to each of your presences on the board. These sheets are also used to record your declarations of alliance or war.

(See "Order Sheet and Board Reference" below.)

6 sets of 22 rectangular presence markers: Each marker has a silhouette on one side and a flag on the other. (In the copy the source author owns, these markers have no silhouette on the front; they are white.)

Presence markers represent a presence, showing that a European country is present on an African territory. There is one set for each country:

• Italy
• Great Britain
• Netherlands
• Germany
• France
• Belgium

88 small square development tiles: Marked with a construction symbol (buildings, streets). A development tile represents development, showing the growth of colonial infrastructure on an African territory.

22 ceramic figures (colony pieces): A colony piece represents a "colony"; it is used to establish colonial administration on an African territory.

6 sets of 5 round diplomatic relation markers: Each marker represents a diplomatic relation. It is used to show in each embassy a declaration of war or alliance. There is one set for each country:

• Italy
• Great Britain
• Netherlands
• Germany
• France
• Belgium

Board size: the board is 70 x 50 cm at full size.

Note on the components list: the source describes the pieces and their counts as printed in the author's copy. The counts (22 presence markers per country, 88 development tiles, 22 colony pieces, 5 diplomatic markers per country) are as stated by the source and have not been checked against the official printed edition.

Rules of the Game

Setup

A game is played with three, four, five or six players. Each player:

• chooses a European country to represent for the whole game (Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, France, Italy or the Netherlands);
• takes a blank order sheet and writes the name of the chosen country at the top of it;
• takes the presence markers and diplomatic relation markers of the colour matching their country:
  • Great Britain: red
  • France: blue
  • Germany: black
  • Italy: green
  • Netherlands: yellow
  • Belgium: brown
• takes a pencil or a pen.

Spread the board out on the table. Each player places one of their diplomatic relation markers in each of the other countries' embassies. They place none in their own embassy.

Then, taking turns in the order of the countries listed above, each player places one of their presences on one of the coastal territories. The placement of this presence is free. Each player places only one presence on the map this way.

The game can begin!

Turn Structure

The game lasts eight turns. The first turn takes place in 1880, the second in 1885, and so on. Each turn is made up of five successive phases:

1. Diplomatic action
2. Writing orders
3. Reading orders
4. Resolving conflicts
5. Building colonies

When phase 5 is complete, a new turn begins. The following paragraphs explain each phase of a turn.

1) Diplomatic Action

This phase prepares phase 2, during which each player writes on their order sheet whether they are at war or allied with the other players. It is very important that the other players become your allies. All players therefore have eight minutes to discuss freely among themselves in order to persuade the others to become their allies. Promises made during the discussions do not bind the players, who are free to keep them or not. Discussions may take place around the table or in another room, between two players or among more of them. The only rule to observe is the length of this phase (8 minutes), which it is best to time.

2) Writing Orders

During this phase, each player writes in secret three types of orders on their sheet. They note them in the column matching the turn. Thus the orders for the first turn must be written in the 1880 column. Each player writes:

• one order for each of their presences on the map;
• one landing order on a coastal territory, when this is possible;
• their diplomatic relations with the other countries.

2.1) Orders Given to Presences

Each player gives as many orders as they have presences. The order is written on the line of the territory where the presence is located. For example, an order for a presence located at Algiers is written on the line "Alger" (Algiers).

The orders you give to each of your presences are of three types: develop; explore; or do nothing. Their meanings are as follows:

Order	What to write on the order sheet	Meaning of the order
Develop	"develops" or the abbreviation D	The presence adds development to its own territory.
Explore	The name of a territory bordering the one where the presence is located	The presence sends an expedition into a bordering territory in order to install a new presence there.
Do nothing	"nothing"	None.

A presence can receive only one type of order per turn. A forgotten or erroneous order is treated as: do nothing.

2.2) The Landing Order

A player may give only one landing order per turn. They do this by writing the name of a coastal territory on the line marked with the symbol of a boat.

A landing may be ordered only on a coastal territory that is empty of any presence. If all coastal territories are occupied by one or more presences, no landing is possible that turn. If in later turns a coastal territory is again without any presence, a landing becomes possible again. The meaning of this order is as follows:

Landing order	What to write on the order sheet	Meaning of the landing
Landing	The name of a coastal territory that is empty of any "presence"	A sea expedition leaves your country in order to install a new "presence" on this coastal territory.

2.3) Diplomatic Relations

Each player writes on their order sheet, opposite the name of each country, what their diplomatic relation with that country is. This relation is defined for one turn. Two types of relation are possible: an alliance or a war. A forgotten or illegible diplomatic relation is treated as an alliance.

The meanings of these relations are as follows:

Relation with a country	What to write on the order sheet	Meaning of the diplomatic relation with that country
Alliance	"alliance" or the abbreviation "A"	All your "presences" on the map are allied with all the "presences" of that country on all the territories they occupy together and which are not yet colonies.
War	"war" or the abbreviation "G"	All your "presences" on the map are at war with all the "presences" of that country on all the territories they occupy together and which are not yet colonies.

3) Reading Orders

This phase carries out the orders written by the players. Once all players have filled in their order sheets, a volunteer player collects them and reads them, starting with their own. The orders written by the players are carried out according to the following principles:

3.1) Orders Given to Presences

Each develop order results in the placement of a new development tile on one of the square spaces shown on the territory concerned. Several develop orders for one territory, coming from different countries present there, result in placing as many development tiles. When all the square spaces of a territory are occupied, do not place any more development tiles there.

Each explore order into a territory results in the placement of a presence marker (of the country that gave the order) on that territory. However, a country can have only one presence per territory, even if it orders several explorations into the same territory.

Note: presences placed on the board are never moved afterwards, but they allow new presences to be placed on bordering territories.

Note: each country has a maximum of 22 presence markers and cannot therefore place more on the board. If a country gives more explore orders than it has presence markers left, these orders are carried out in alphabetical order of the territories, and are treated as void once it has no presence markers left available.

3.2) Landing Orders

Each landing order towards a coastal territory that is empty of any presence results in the placement of a presence marker (of the country that gave the order) on that territory. Remember that in all cases, a country can have only one presence per territory.

3.3) Diplomatic Relations

Each diplomatic relation is announced by the diplomatic relation markers placed in the embassies. Players turn them to the side corresponding to the orders written on the order sheets.

The side showing a dove with an olive branch indicates that the country owning this marker has declared an alliance with the country of the embassy.

The side showing a cannon indicates that the country owning this marker has declared war on the country of the embassy.

Example: If France declares an alliance with Belgium, the French (blue) diplomatic relation marker is turned to the alliance side in the Belgian embassy.

Once all orders have been read and carried out, move on to the next phase. You will discover that the declarations of war or alliance announced in the embassies are the most important element of the game.

4) Resolving Conflicts

This phase determines which presences remain on the map or are removed, according to the following principles:

• On all territories that contain one presence: this presence remains.
• On all territories that contain two presences: one country's presence is removed if it has declared an alliance with the other country present and that other country has declared war on it. In all other cases both presences remain. Removed presences return to the stock of the players concerned.
• On all territories that contain three, four, five or six presences: one country's presence is removed if it has more declarations of war than declarations of alliance from the other countries present on that territory. In all other cases the presence remains. Removed presences return to the stock of the players concerned.
• By the same principle, a presence remains if it has as many declarations of war as declarations of alliance from the other countries present on that territory.

Example with two presences on a territory: France has declared an alliance with Germany, and Germany has declared an alliance with France. Result: both presences remain.

Example with two presences on a territory: France has declared a war against Germany, and Germany has declared a war against France. Result: both presences remain.

Example with two presences on a territory: France has declared an alliance with Germany, and Germany has declared a war against France. Result: France's presence is removed.

Example with two presences on a territory: France has declared a war against Germany, and Germany has declared an alliance with France. Result: Germany's presence is removed.

Example with three presences on a territory: France has declared:

• a war against Germany
• an alliance with Great Britain

Germany has declared:

• a war against France
• an alliance with Great Britain

Great Britain has declared:

• a war against Germany
• an alliance with France

Result on this territory: France's presence remains, because the other countries present declare to it one war and one alliance. Germany's presence is removed, because the other countries present declare two wars against it. Great Britain's presence remains, because the other countries present declare two alliances to it.

Play tip: The most practical way to resolve conflicts on a territory is to look at which side the diplomatic relation markers in the embassies are turned to. Thus, at a glance, you can see what the various countries present have declared towards each country (war or alliance).

5) Building Colonies

This phase determines which territories become colonies.

A territory permanently becomes a colony when a colony piece is placed on it. A colony piece must be placed on a territory if both of the following conditions are met:

• The territory is fully developed, that is, all its square spaces are occupied by a development tile.
• At least one presence occupies the territory, and if several countries are present, they are all allied with each other.

If these two conditions are not met on a territory, it is not possible to place a colony piece on it.

For example, a colony is impossible when:

• at least one presence belongs to a country at war with another country present;
• the territory is empty of any presence (they may all have been removed during phase 4);
• not all square spaces contain a development tile.

Note: there can be only one colony piece per territory.

Special Rules Concerning Colonies

Once a territory has become a colony, the rules for resolving conflicts (see chapter 4) no longer apply to the presences on it, and this remains so for the rest of the game. These presences therefore become permanent and may continue to receive explore orders towards bordering territories.

Once a territory has become a colony, no country may give an explore order towards that territory, for the rest of the game.

The End of the Game

The last turn of the game is either the one of 1914, or the one during which the last available colony piece is placed. If you have placed the last colony piece, continue playing until the end of that turn. Then use stacks of development tiles (or coins) to represent the colony pieces you still need to finish the turn.

At the end of the last turn of the game, each player totals their victory points according to the following scale:

• 8 points for each of their presences in place on a territory on which there is a colony piece and on which there is no presence of any other country.
• 3 points for each of their presences in place on a territory on which there is a colony piece and on which there is one or more presences of other countries.
• 1 point per alliance declared in their embassy on the last turn of the game.

The player with the most victory points wins the game; all others lose. In the race for colonisation there is no second place. If several players tie for the lead with the same number of victory points, no player is declared the winner and all are invited to play a new game.

Optional Rule

You may decide that the initial placement of presences is imposed according to historical criteria. In that case, each player places their first presence on the territories designated below:

• Great Britain: Alexandria
• France: Algiers
• Germany: Dahomey
• Italy: Mogadishu
• Netherlands: Cape Town
• Belgium: Angola

This imposed placement brings no other change to the rules.

Order Sheet and Board Reference

The source reproduces the order sheet as a grid. Its layout is described here in words; the territory names and column headings are as printed.

Order sheet, orders for presences: The columns are the turns 1880, 1885, 1890, 1895, 1900, 1905, 1910 and 1914. The rows are the territories of the board: Abyssinia (Abyssinie), Alexandria (Alexandrie), Algiers (Alger), Angola, Bangui, Cameroon (Cameroun), Cape Town, Congo, Dahomey, Dakar, Djibouti, Egypt (Egypte), Fashoda (Fachoda), Kenya, Khartoum, Kuruman, Lake Nyassa (Lac Nyassa), Lake Tanganyika (Lac Tanganica), Lake Chad (Lac Tchad), Lake Victoria (Lac Victoria), Libya (Libye), Madagascar, Mogadishu, Namibia (Namibie), Nigeria (Nigéria), Ougadougou, Rhodesia (Rhodésie), Sahara, Tamanrasset, Ténéré, Timbuktu (Tombouctou), and Zanzibar.

Order sheet, landing row: A row marked with the symbol of a boat, for the single landing order of the turn.

Order sheet, diplomacy table ("DIPLO"): The same turn columns, with one row for each country: Great Britain (Great-Britain), France, Germany (Deutschland), Italy (Italia), Netherlands (Nederland), and Belgium (Belgique).

Note: the order sheet is printed with these headings in the source. The source gives no further text for it.