Dadaocheng Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
  • Card Anatomy
• Setting up the Game
• Gameplay
  • Stage 1: Planning
  • Stage 2: Collect Resources & Stock Resources
  • Stage 3: Full House Reward
  • Stage 4: Purchase & Actions
  • End of the Round
• Scoring
• Single Player Rules
  • Setting up the Game
  • Gameplay
  • Scoring
  • Challenge
• Card Descriptions
  • Building Card
  • Historical Event Card

Contents

Resource discs: 14 each of sugar/red, rice/white, tea/green, camphor oil/yellow, opium/black.

Card Anatomy

Building Card

1. Card name
2. Cost in Resources
3. Required Credit
4. Credit
5. Prestige
6. Ability
7. At most 1 may be purchased per turn
8. Number of resource cubes which may be kept at the end of each turn
9. Tracking the number of used opium(s)

Notes: The blue cube represents a cube of any color.

Resource Disk Each resource disc has a front side and a back side.

1. Represents current resource (i.e. red/sugar)
2. Represents resource at the other side of the disc (i.e. white/rice)
3. Sun: the side labeled with the sun is face up at the start of the game.

Setting up the Game

1. Place the game board at the middle of the table.
2. Place the resource discs on corresponding spaces on the game board, with the sides of the discs showing the sun facing up. The four opium discs are placed on the four corners spaces, respectively. The remaining discs are randomly placed on the other spaces, wherein no three discs (or more) of the same color are placed consecutively in a line.
3. Separate the ship cards into three piles according to the levels of the ships (Level 1 - Junk boat, Level 2 - Small steamboat, Level 3 - Large steamboat). Shuffle each pile and place the three piles face-down on the side of the map with the river. Turn the top-most cards of the piles face-up.
4. Separate the building cards into piles according to their types (Mansion, Store, Market, Workshop, Opium Den). Place the piles face-up on the side of the map opposite the river. The numbers of mansions, markets, workshops and opium dens used in the game are determined by the number of players in the game. 6/4/3 of each of stores, markets, and workshops are used in 4/3/2 player games, respectively. 2 opium dens are used in a 4 player game, and 1 opium den is used in 3/2 player games.
5. Take the Historical Event Card, "1851 The first commercial store was opened in Dadaocheng" for use as the historical event card on the first turn. If this is your first game, it is recommended that the remaining historical event cards are arranged chronologically. Otherwise, shuffle the remaining historical event cards face down and place them on the corresponding location on the board.
6. Players take their player boards, respectively, according to their sitting positions. The trading firms represented by the respective players each have a storehouse region on the game board. Each of the storehouse regions has four spaces. Any unused player board(s) is placed face down covering the corresponding storehouse spaces, and will not be used during the game.
7. Place a black cube on the space showing month "1" on the round track, and dice on the temple space.
8. Place all remaining cubes next to the ship cards, forming a supply region, reachable by the players. The number of cubes is not meant to be limiting. When running out of cubes, use other components to serve as cubes.

Gameplay

In a 3 player or 4 player game, the game ends after 8 rounds. In a 1 player or 2 player game, the game ends after 10 rounds. The player who most recently drank tea is the first player, and play proceeds clockwise. A player's turn includes, in order, the following four stages:

Stage 1: Planning

The player must perform 2 movements, each of which being either swapping the positions of any 2 resource discs, or flipping any 1 resource disc. The 2 movements can be of different types (i.e. swapping and flipping, or flipping and swapping) or the same type (i.e. swapping and swapping, or flipping and flipping).

Stage 2: Collect Resources & Stock Resources

Collect Resources: The player chooses any 3 or 4 resource discs of the same type (according to the face-up side) that are connected in an orthogonal line, and collects resource cube(s) of the type shown on said resource discs. If the orthogonal line is 3 resource discs long, the player collects 1 resource cube. If the orthogonal line is 4 resource discs long, the player collects 2 resource cubes.

Stock Resources: For each storehouse space that is adjacent to a resource disc in the orthogonal line and forms a line with said orthogonal line, the resource disc(s) in the orthogonal line that is adjacent to a storehouse space stocks the storehouse space with a resource cube of the type shown on said resource disc. (An orthogonal line that is 3 resource discs long will stock 1 storehouse space. An orthogonal line that is 4 resource discs long will stock 2 storehouse spaces of two different players' storehouse regions.)

Corruption: Each storehouse space can hold at most 2 resource cubes. If after stocking resources, any of the storehouse spaces (of any player) has 3 resource cubes, return all resource cubes from the storehouse space(s) to the supply region.

Exhaustion: Flip all 3 or 4 resource discs of the orthogonal line to their other sides. Then, if there are any orthogonal lines of 3 or 4 resource discs of the same type, repeat the current stage (Collect Resource, Stock Resource, Corruption, Exhaustion). If there is no orthogonal line of 3 or 4 resource discs of the same type, proceed to stage 3.

Notes:

• If a storehouse space is remodeled into a Store (indicated by placing a red cube on the black arrow in front of the storehouse space), then no resource is stocked into said space.
• Diagonal lines of resource discs have no effect; when resource discs of the same type form a T or an L, the player may choose only one linear connection to collect resources from.
• Infinite Loop: Infinite loops occur for particular arrangements of resource discs. There are two types of infinite loops: a 3x3 infinite loop and a 3x4 infinite loop. When an infinite loop occurs, the active player must reset the resource discs (see Setting up the Game), and return all cubes in the storehouses back to the supply region. The active player gains 1 yellow cube, 1 red cube, 1 blue cube and 1 green cube, and places 1 yellow cube from the supply region onto his storehouse sign. At the end of the game, each yellow cube on a storehouse sign is worth 3 prestige points. All other players each take any 2 cubes from the supply region.

Stage 3: Full House Reward

At the end of a turn, every player checks his storehouse. If the four spaces of a player's storehouse each have at least one resource cube, a full house is achieved and the player takes all of the resource cubes from one storehouse space into his hand.

Notes:

• When a player has one or more store(s), the requirement to achieve full house becomes having at least one resource in each of the storehouse space(s) not remodeled to stores.
• Non-active players (those not taking their own turns) can hold at most 6 resource cubes after collecting Full House rewards. Extra resource cubes are returned to the supply region.

Stage 4: Purchase & Actions

The following may be taken in any order:

• Buy Ship Cards: The player may buy a ship card by having the credit listed on the ship card and paying the resource cubes listed on the ship card. After a ship card is bought, flip over the ship card under it face-up. The player may buy any number of ship cards in a turn.
• Buy Building Cards: The player may buy a building card by paying the resource cubes listed on the building card. Only one each of Store, Market, Workshop, and Opium Den may be bought in a turn. Any number of Mansions may be bought in a turn. A building's ability may be used once per turn, and may be used immediately upon being purchased.
• The player places the bought ship cards and building cards in front of him.
• Use the ability of the Temple: By paying resource cubes, the player can roll dice to collect the resource cube(s) corresponding to the rolls as indicated by the game board. By paying 1 white cube, 2 dice are rolled. By paying 2 resource cubes of any color(s), 3 dice are rolled. Once per turn only.
• 2-for-1: The player may exchange any 2 resource cubes for any 1 resource cube.
• Opium: Black resource cubes represent opium and can be used as a cube of any resource type. The first time a player uses opium, place 1 black resource cube on the "1" space in the opium track of the player's player board. Thereafter, each time the player uses 1 opium, move the black cube one space forward, or if the cube has reached the last space of the opium track, the player places another black cube onto the last space of the opium track instead. At the end of the game, each used opium is worth minus 1 prestige point.
  • When using the Market or the 2-for-1 exchange to change an opium into a cube of another color, no prestige point is deducted.
• Execute Historical Event Card: The player may execute the action of the Historical Event Card of the current round.

Note:

• The player can end this stage at any time, thereby ending his turn.
• At the end of his turn, the player can keep at most 6 resource cubes in hand, which are placed on the player's player board available for use on future turns.
• During the Purchase and Action stage, the next player can start his turn by starting to swap and/or flip resource discs.

End of the Round

After all players each have taken a turn, move the black cube on the round track one round forward, and the start player starts his next round and turns over a new Historical Event Card.

Scoring

At the end of the game, each player adds up his prestige points as follows:

• The prestige points on his shipping cards.
• The prestige points on his building cards.
• Every 5 credits are worth 1 prestige point.
• Every used black cube (opium) is worth minus 1 prestige point.
• Opium Den: If the player owns an opium den, add the total number of opium used by all the players, divide that by the number of players, and round up indiscriminately. Subtract this number of prestige points from the player's final score.
• Infinite Loop: Each yellow cube on a storehouse sign is worth 3 prestige points.
• 1920 Restructuring of district system: If this card is shown during the game, at the end of the game, the player with the most Building Cards earns an extra 5 prestige points.

After adding the above, the player with the most prestige points wins. In case of a tie, the player with the most credits wins.

Single Player Rules

Setting up the Game

Card Setup

• Ship Cards: Randomly draw and use 6 ship cards of each level.
• Building Cards: 12 Mansions, 2 Stores, 2 Markets, 2 Workshops, 1 Opium Den.
• Do not use Historical Event Cards.

Resource disc setup

• No more than 2 discs of the same color may be connected.
• Other setup remains the same.

Gameplay

• The game ends after 10 rounds.
• At the end of a player's turn, he can keep 3 resource cubes in hand.
• When stocking cubes, only the active player's storehouse is stocked.

Scoring

• The penalty for owning the opium den is minus 1 prestige point for each opium used.
• Other scoring remains the same.

Prestige Point Objective

• Apprentice trader: 50 prestige points
• Experienced trader: 60 prestige points
• Master trader: 70 prestige points

Challenge

The player may attempt to meet the following conditions, while aiming for the prestige point objective:

• Without buying Workshops, buying all level 3 ship cards.
• Buying all the building cards (Mansion, Store, Market, Workshop), except Opium Den.
• At the end of the player's turn, he can keep 2 resource cubes in hand.

Card Descriptions

Building Card

Workshop: When buying a ship card, the player may reduce the cost of the ship card by 1 green resource cube by using one of his workshops. No more than one workshop may be used for the purchase of each ship card, and each workshop may be used only once per turn.

• Only one workshop may be bought each turn. Setup: Use 6/4/3 workshops in 4 player/3 player/2 player games.

Market: The player may exchange any one resource cube for another resource cube of any type (including black resource cubes/opium). Each market may be used only once per turn.

• Only one market may be bought each turn. Setup: Use 6/4/3 markets in 4 player/3 player/2 player games.

Store: The player takes 1 red cube from the supply region and places it on the arrow in front of one of his storehouse spaces. Said storehouse space must have no resource cubes therein. Said storehouse space is thereby remodeled into a store, and will not stock resource cubes thereafter. The requirement for achieving "Full House" for the player is reduced by one storehouse space.

• Only one store may be bought each turn. Setup: Use 6/4/3 business offices in 4 player/3 player/2 player games.

Mansion: If a player owns a set of 1/2/3/4/5/6 Mansions, he gains 4/10/16/23/31/39 prestige points at the end of the game. If a player owns more than 6 Mansions, he scores every 6 Mansions and remainders thereof as separate set(s).

Opium Den: The player may exchange 1 black cube for any 2 resource cubes. Each opium den may be used only once per turn. At the end of the game, add the total number of black cubes used by all players, divide that by the number of players in the game, and round up indiscriminately. Subtract this number of prestige points from the player's final score. A player may own 2 opium dens.

• Only one opium den may be bought each turn. Setup: Use 2 opium dens in a 4 player game, and use 1 opium den in 3/2/1 player games.

Historical Event Card

• 1851 The first commercial store was opened in Dadaocheng - Take 2 resource cubes of any kinds.
• 1853 Dingxiajiao Conflict - Before the purchase and actions stage, you must lose 1 resource cube, if you have 1.
• 1859 Establishing of Xia-Hai City God Temple - Roll 2 dice and use the ability of the Temple.
• 1860 Tamsui Treaty Port opened - You may trade 2 red resource cubes for 3 resource cubes of any kinds.
• 1865 English merchant, John Dodd completed the tea manufacturing process in Taipei - Gain 1 green resource cube.
• 1878 Establishing of Fazhugong Temple - Roll 3 dice and use the ability of the temple.
• 1884 Construction of Taipei City Walls - Mansions cost 1 yellow resource cube fewer this turn.
• 1891 The first rail station in Taipei was completed - Gain 1 white resource cube.
• 1895 Taiwan under Japanese rule - No player may buy a level 3 ship this turn.
• 1898 Establishing of Dadaocheng Public School - You may spend 1 white resource cube to reduce prestige point reduction from 2 opiums.
• 1905 Announcement of Taipei City Plan - You may convert any building(s) each into a Mansion; at most 2 buildings may be converted.
• 1908 Construction of Dadaocheng Modern Market - You may exchange any 1 resource cube for any 1 resource cube, at most twice.
• 1915 Establishing of Dadaocheng Church - You may reduce prestige point reduction from 2 opiums.
• 1920 Restructuring of district system - At the end of the game, the player with the most Building Cards earns an extra 5 prestige points.