Cargo
Cargo Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object
Using your crew of 7 Workers you must push your crates onto either of your ship's two loading spaces (the two spaces nearest your ship), while avoiding or interfering with other players' crates and workers. Players score points for pushing their own cargo crates onto their own loading area, and for pushing the opponents' cargo crates off into the water. When any one player has no crates left on the board, the game is over, and whoever has the most points wins. In the case of ties for points, whoever has the most crates wins.
Setup
Unfold the quad-fold playing board. The center is the "Dock", with one player's ship at each of its four sides.
The number of wooden crates used changes depending on the number of players. For 4 players, use 5 crates each. For 3 players, use 7 crates each, and for 2 players use 10 crates each.
Turn the crates face down, and mix them up. Players then place them randomly face down on the board. The four corner spaces of the dock may not have crates placed upon them. The side ramp leading to one corner of the Dock is not used during the game, and is considered to be water for purposes of pushing workers or crates into the bay.
After the crates are placed, players roll a die to see who selects and places their pieces first. Each player then selects a ship as their own. Select your playing pieces such that their color matches that of your ship and one of the crate colors being used.
Once players have chosen their ships, all the crates are turned face up. Then, each player (starting with the first player) takes turns placing their dock-workers anywhere they wish to play them. The Dockhands (the weakest playing piece) can be piled on a space together, even if they belong to different players. Other playing pieces (crates or workers) cannot be placed on top of another playing piece at any time during the game, except for Dockhands (the smallest dock workers) which can be stacked on one another. Players take turns placing their pieces without moving, until all seven workers for each player are placed. Then the game may begin.
ROLL AGAIN TO SEE WHO MOVES FIRST. Turns rotate to the left (clockwise).
Playing
Each player takes turns moving any 3 of their own workers (without moving the same piece twice, or splitting up the move before or after another piece's action). However, the player that goes first gets to move only 1 worker on his first turn, and the player that moves second only moves 2 workers on her first turn. There is no diagonal movement allowed in the game. A worker may move into an empty space, or may push a box as their movement, or both if they can move 2 spaces in a turn. Workers cannot push other workers directly, though they can push a box with another worker behind it being pushed by the box.
Each player has 4 different types of Workers (including Mules and Elephants), each with different abilities:
Dockhand
These are the weakest playing piece, and you have 4 of them. They can only push 1 box 1 space, so if there are 2 boxes in a row, a Dockhand cannot push both of them at the same time. Dockhands may be stacked up, allowing them as a group to push more than 1 box 1 space. The number of Dockhands is equal to the number of boxes they can push. If one or more dockhands are in the way of a box being pushed, they are also pushed into the next space if there is an open space available, or just another dockhand in that space. Their normal movement is "1". If any Dockhands are caught between 2 objects (crates, elephants, mules or burly workers) as they are being moved together by another player, they get "squished" and are sent to the Doctor for a turn. It is possible for a stack of Dockhands to be squished between 2 crates by the action of a single other Dockhand pushing on a crate. Thus, while stacking lets you push larger groups of boxes, it makes you much more vulnerable to squishing. It is also possible for a dockhand to be squashed by being pressed in between a Mule and a Burly Worker. Dockhands cannot "pull" boxes, only push.
Burly Worker
This is a really big dock worker. He can push 2 boxes 1 space if they are lined up in front of him, but he can't push 3 boxes. His normal movement is also only 1. He cannot be squished, but he can be pushed by a box that's pushed by another worker (even a Dockhand). Thus, if there is a box, a Burly Worker, and another box all in a row, a second Burly Worker can push the group of three items, since it counts as "2 Boxes". The Burly worker cannot "pull" a box, only push.
Mule
A Mule cannot be squished, and it can move 1 box 2 spaces by pushing or pulling it. Its normal movement is 2 spaces. These can be split up as 1 movement into an empty space, and 1 space of pushing or pulling. A "pulling" action is exactly like a pushing action in reverse. Like Dockhands and the Burly Worker, the Mule can be pushed by a box being pushed by anyone.
Elephant
Each Elephant (imported from East India, of course) has Movement 2, can push 2 boxes at once, or pull 1 box. It may also break up its movement and pushing action, so it could move a space, then push 2 boxes 1 space. Or, it could push one box one space, then pull a different box one space. It cannot work 2 directions at the same time, so if it is between 2 boxes, it cannot push one and pull the other at the same time. Elephants cannot be pushed by anything; they are too heavy! If a Dockhand is stuck between a box when it is pushed up against an Elephant, he will be squished.
Squished Dockhands are sent to the (virtual) Doctor's Office; we suggest inside the box top! Players cannot use them on their next turn, but may return them to play on the following turn, putting the Dockhand on any space along the edge of the board.
You can push your own boxes or opponents' boxes. When one of your cargo crates gets pushed onto the loading area for your ship, remove it from the board for later scoring. If an opponent's color gets pushed onto the loading area for your ship, then at the end of your turn you may place it back on the board anywhere you wish, except on a ship. It is possible for a dock worker to get pushed onto a ship, in which case he gets tossed in the water and is returned to one of the loading spaces for his own ship on that player's next turn. Boats are considered water ONLY when workers are pushed there; workers cannot use the boats themselves to move onto, nor can a player move their own worker into the water on their turn.
Opponents may stack Dockhands in the same space. With four players, you could conceivably have 16 dockhands in one space. Note that, since you can only move 3 workers each turn, there is little reason to have a stack of more than 3 Dockhands together, as this is the most you could move forward in a single turn. Opponent's pieces may also be on your own loading spaces with no effect.
The facing of a worker is irrelevant; it doesn't matter which way they are pointing when you use them. Workers cannot push each other directly; there must be a box between them that they are pushing against. Workers cannot slide a box sideways, they can only push or pull in a straight line. Workers cannot move into or through spaces occupied by other workers, except in the case of Dockhands. Dockhands can be in a space with other dockhands, but not with Mules, Elephants, or Burly Workers.
If you push a Dockhand, or a Burly Worker, or a Mule into the water, then they reappear at the beginning of the owning player's turn in his loading area, where they've been rescued by the Ship's crew. No points are scored. Place the worker in the water area of the board near your ship. The rescuing player decides which loading space to put the worker in. You can push your own cargo into the water; you lose 1 point for doing so.
If you push someone else's Crate onto your own loading area, you may place it anywhere on the playing board, and no points are scored. If you push someone else's Crate into another player's loading area, that player places it on the board anywhere he wishes, and no points are scored. If you foolishly push an opponent's crate into his loading area, he gets 3 points for it.
For a faster four player game, do not return pieces to play after they are squished or pushed into the water. Discard them from the game.
Scoring Summary
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If you push one of your own crates onto either of the two loading spaces for your ship, you remove the crate from the board and get 3 points for it. Put the loaded crate in front of you.
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If you push an opponent's Crate off the edge of the dock into the sea, you get 1 point for it. Take the Crate and put it in front of you. If you push one of your own, you lose 1 point.
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If you squish an opponent's Dockhand, he goes off to the Doctor, and you get 1 point (take a generic token of your color as a point counter). If you squish your own Dockhand (accidents happen), you lose 1 point.
Picture Examples of Pushes
How To Read The Pieces: "M" = Movement. "P" = Maximum Number of Crates That Can Be Pushed. A Mule can move 2 spaces and push 1 crate on your turn.
ELEPHANT + MULE + SPACE (Elephant M:2, P:2; Mule M:2, P:1; then an empty dock space) The Elephant CANNOT push the Mule. Workers CANNOT push directly against one another.
BURLY + CRATE + DOCKHAND + EMPTY SPACE (Burly M:1, P:2; Dockhand M:1, P:1; then an empty dock space) Burly pushes 1 space; Burly, Crate and Dockhand slide right, 1 space each.
MULE + CRATE + DOCKHAND + 2 DOCKHANDS (Mule M:2, P:1; Dockhand M:1, P:1; 2 Dockhands in the same space) Mule pushes 1 space, the Mule and Crate move to the right 1 space, and the 1 dockhand moves into the space with the other 2 dockhands, resulting in a space with 3 dockhands in it.
DOCKHAND + CRATE + 4 DOCKHANDS + CRATE (Dockhand M:1, P:1; 4 Dockhands in the same space) The 1 dockhand can push the 1 crate to the right, squishing the 4 dockhands and sending them to the doctor.
MULE + CRATE + BURLY + CRATE + SPACE (Mule M:2, P:1; Burly M:1, P:2; then an empty dock space) Mule CANNOT push the crate. Burly CANNOT be squished, and Mule CANNOT push 2 crates.
ELEPHANT + CRATE + BURLY + CRATE + 3 DOCKHANDS + CRATE (Elephant M:2, P:2; Burly M:1, P:2; 3 Dockhands in the same space) Elephant can push 1 space to the right. The Elephant, Crate, Burly, and Crate slide to the right 1 space each. The 3 dockhands are squished between the 2 crates.
3 DOCKHANDS + CRATE + CRATE + CRATE + MULE + WATER (3 Dockhands in the same space; Mule M:2, P:1) The 3 Dockhands, occupying 1 space, can push the 3 crates to the right, pushing the Mule into the water. The Dockhands and crates move 1 space.