Antwerpen Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object of the Game
• Game Overview
• Components
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • 1. Load
  • 2. Sail
  • Special Locations
    • Anchorages
    • Transshipment (overslag)
    • Wrong delivery
    • Exceptional situation in the Deurganckdok
    • Transit harbour
  • 3. Exchange an Assignment
  • Extra Actions
• End of the Game
  • Example of the End of the Game
• Explanation of the Lock Cards
• Explanation of the Ship Cards
• The Scheldt
• New Products
• New Bonus Cards
• Overview of the Differences with Rotterdam
  • Choosing an Action

Object of the Game

The player with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

Game Overview

The players collect points by loading resources onto their ships and transporting them to the correct harbours. This produces product cards, which are worth points. By combining products, players can fulfil assignments, which give extra points.

On his turn, a player chooses one of three actions:

1. Place a ship on a starting position with a resource of choice on it;
2. Name a colour. All ships standing in front of a shipping lane of that colour must then sail forward (provided they are not blocked by other ships or closed lock gates);
3. Exchange one of his assignments.

In addition, a player may do the following during his turn:

• trade products with other players;
• fulfil one assignment;
• play ship card(s);
• play lock card(s).

Once a player has fulfilled three assignments, all players get one last turn. After that, all players count their points. This includes the points for fulfilled assignments and the points of the product cards they still hold in their hand. The player with the most points wins.

Components

• 1 Rulebook
• 1 Game board
• 20 Ships (in the player colours red, yellow, blue and green)
• 56 Product cards
• 28 Assignment cards
• 14 Ship cards
• 14 Lock cards
• 24 Resources:
  • 7x Toys (purple)
  • 6x Cocoa (dark brown)
  • 6x Barley (beige)
  • 5x Potatoes (grey)
• 3 Lock gates

Setup

Unfold the game board and place it in the middle of the table.

Each player chooses a colour and receives ships in his own colour:

• with 2 players: 5 ships
• with 3 players: 4 ships
• with 4 players: 3 ships

Sort the product cards by the four colours that match the four harbours. Make four separate stacks, shuffle each stack and place it next to the matching harbour on the game board. Turn the top card of each stack face up so that the product is visible.

Close the 3 locks on the game board by placing a lock gate on the illustrated square over the water. The passage is now blocked!

Shuffle the assignment cards and deal each player 3 assignment cards face down. Place the stack of assignment cards face down next to the game board.

Separate the lock cards from the ship cards. Make two separate stacks, shuffle them and place them next to the game board. Deal each player 2 lock cards face down. Players do not receive any ship cards at the start of the game.

Sort the resources into the four colours and make four supplies next to the game board.

Gameplay

The players play in clockwise order. The youngest player begins.

On his turn, the player chooses one of the following three actions:

1. Load
2. Sail
3. Exchange an assignment

These three actions are explained below.

1. Load

Place one of your own ships with a resource of your choice on one of the four starting spots.

Tip from The Game Master: Look carefully at the route your ship must travel before you determine its starting position and its cargo. Not all harbours are equally easy to reach from every position. For example, you can reach the Deurganckdok relatively easily by placing a ship (with a purple cargo) all the way to the left on the game board. The chance that your cargo ends up in this harbour decreases the further to the right you place the ship.

2. Sail

Choose a colour of a shipping lane and move forward all ships that, at that moment, stand in front of a shipping lane of this colour and have a clear passage, along the shipping lane.

Note: all players must sail over the chosen colour of shipping lane, if they can. Only if the passage is blocked by a closed lock gate, or by another ship at the end of the shipping lane, does a ship stay where it is.

If a ship stands in front of a fork of two free shipping lanes of the same colour, the owner of the ship chooses which shipping lane his ship sails along.

Tip from The Game Master: Keep in mind the colours that the other players will (probably) choose after you, so that you can profit from their turn. It can also sometimes be more useful to place an extra ship (action 1).

Special Locations

Some special places on the game board exist. When a ship arrives there, even during another player's turn, the owner of that ship must immediately carry out the associated action:

• Anchorages
• Transshipment (overslag)
• Wrong delivery
• Transit harbour

Anchorages

When one of your ships arrives at a ship space with the picture of an anchor, immediately take the top card of the stack of lock cards or the top card of the stack of ship cards. If several of your ships arrive at anchorages, take one card per ship.

Note: you receive a card only at the moment your ship reaches an anchorage. You do not receive extra cards if your ship stays on an anchorage for longer.

Transshipment (overslag)

When one of your ships arrives at the correct harbour (the resource can be processed into a product in this harbour because the colours match), the transshipment of your ship takes place immediately. Take the top product card of the harbour and add it to your hand cards. Take the ship from the game board and place it in front of you. Place the resource back next to the game board in the supply. Turn over the top card of the stack of product cards, so that the next product is visible.

Wrong delivery

When your ship arrives at a wrong harbour (the resource cannot be processed in this harbour, because the colours do NOT match), you do not receive a product card. Take the ship from the game board and place it in front of you. Place the resource back in the matching supply compartment. Place the top product card of the harbour you have reached at the bottom of the stack, and turn over the top product card so that the next product is visible.

Exceptional situation in the Deurganckdok

It can happen that two ships with the correct cargo arrive at the Deurganckdok harbour at the same time. In that case, the product cards are assigned to the owners of the ships in turn order (the player whose turn it is first).

When a player has finished his turn, the player to his left is next to play.

Transit harbour

One of your ships sails past the inner harbours and can no longer end up in the Antwerp harbour. This happens when the ship sails past the purple shipping lane at the bottom of the game board. Take the ship from the game board and give it back to its owner. Place the resource back in the matching supply compartment. In addition, all locks are switched: open locks are closed and closed locks are opened. First all ships are moved, and then the locks are switched.

3. Exchange an Assignment

Place one of the three assignment cards from your hand face down on the discard pile and draw the top assignment card from the stack. This exchange action means that your regular turn is used up with this action. You may, however, still play ship cards or lock cards during your turn.

Tip from The Game Master: Take this action if you expect that you will not be able to carry out a (difficult) assignment, or because you hope to get a better assignment. If the stack of assignment cards runs out, shuffle the discarded assignment cards and form a new stack of face-down assignment cards with them.

Extra Actions

In addition to one of the three actions above, the active player may carry out the following extra actions. This may be done either before or after his regular action.

• Fulfil one assignment, provided you have the right combination of product cards. Show the product cards and put them back at the bottom of the stack of the corresponding harbour. Lay the assignment card face up in front of you on the table. You then immediately receive a new assignment. You may fulfil only one assignment per turn.
• Trade one or more products with other players. During your turn, players may only trade with you and not with each other.
• Play one or more ship cards. It is possible to play ship cards both before and after your regular action. Place the card on a discard pile. Ship cards you have just acquired may NOT be played in the same turn. A player may hold at most 3 ship cards.
• Play one or more lock cards. For example, you may first open a lock and then name a colour in order to sail through the lock to the inner harbour. Place the card on a discard pile. Lock cards you have just acquired may NOT be played in the same turn. A player may hold at most 3 lock cards.

Tip from The Game Master: You may combine the extra actions to get the optimum out of your turn!

When a player has finished his turn, the player to his left is next to play.

End of the Game

As soon as one of the players has fulfilled three assignments, all players, including that player himself, get one more turn. After that, the players add up their points. The player who has collected the most points from fulfilled assignments and from the product cards in his possession is the winner. In case of a tie, the player with the highest number of points from assignments wins.

Example of the End of the Game

Dirk fulfils his third assignment. This triggers a final round. All players can still gain product cards in this round, and some players carry out an assignment. Dirk gets one more turn as the last player. Then the players count their points.

Dirk has 6 + 9 + 5 = 20 points from assignments. He still has two white beer cards in his hand, each worth 2 points. This gives him a total of 24 points.

Marie has 2 assignments of 8 points each. In addition, she has one load of potato croquettes worth 3 points. Marie reaches 19 points.

Jan has fulfilled three assignments for a total of 21 points (of which he fulfilled one assignment in the final round and thereby, like Dirk, has completed 3 assignments). In addition, he has one fries card worth 4 points in his hand. He thus reaches a total of 25 points. Jan wins by a margin of 1 point.

Explanation of the Lock Cards

Open locks Open as many locks on the game board as are shown on the card. The card in the picture opens all 3 locks. If two or fewer locks are closed, open as many locks as you can.

Close locks Close as many locks on the game board as are shown on the card. The card in the picture closes 2 locks. If fewer than 2 locks are open, close as many locks as you can.

Switch lock position Choose as many locks on the game board as are indicated on the card. You may decide whether you open all of these locks or close all of them. With the card shown, you may open or close one lock.

Explanation of the Ship Cards

Sail alone Choose a colour of shipping lane. Only your ships for a shipping lane of this colour move forward (provided they are not blocked by another ship or a lock gate).

Extra colour Choose an extra colour of shipping lane. All ships for a shipping lane of this colour move forward (provided they are not blocked by another ship or a lock gate).

Extra ship Place an extra ship with a resource of your choice on one of the four starting spots.

Step back Choose a ship (your own or one belonging to another player). This ship must move one step back, if that is possible (locks and other ships may block it as usual).

Double yield Play this card when one of your ships arrives at the correct harbour. Take 2 product cards instead of 1.

Drop anchor Play this card when one of your opponents names a colour of shipping lane during his turn. One of your ships does not need to sail. (This card may also be played during another player's turn.)

Resource swap Swap the resources of two ships. These ships do not need to be yours and do not need to be next to each other!

The Scheldt

The new harbour layout offers the following new game elements:

• Double shipping lanes: A ship on a double shipping lane must sail when either of the two colours is named.
• Locks: Players can open and close the 3 locks on the board with lock cards. These cards may be taken at an anchorage instead of ship cards. A closed lock gate blocks the way for all ships.
• Transit harbour: It is possible to sail past all the docks and leave the game board at the bottom. In that case, all locks are switched: open locks are closed and vice versa.

New Products

The raw materials and end products in Antwerp differ from those in Rotterdam. The products vary in value from 1 to 4 points, so assignments can yield up to a maximum of 9 points.

New Bonus Cards

Some ship cards, such as the Joker, do not appear in Antwerp. Instead, new ship cards have been added.

Overview of the Differences with Rotterdam

Antwerp is based on the same game idea as Rotterdam, another harbour game by The Game Master. For players who know Rotterdam, here is an overview of the differences:

Choosing an Action

The most important difference from Rotterdam is the structure of a turn. The compass that determines the order of actions in Rotterdam does not appear in Antwerp. Instead, in Antwerp the player chooses during his turn which action he wants to carry out:

1. Place a ship on a starting position; or
2. Name a colour of shipping lane; or
3. Replace one assignment card with a new one.

In this way, players have more control over the course of the game. The actions 'taking a ship card' and 'transshipment' happen automatically when a ship reaches a special location. The actions 'trade' and 'fulfil an assignment' count as extra actions and may be carried out alongside the regular action.