Ports of Call: The Board Game
Ports of Call: The Board Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 Game Board
- 1 Container Terminal
- 4 Office Boards (4 colours, English and German)
- 50 News Cards (English)
- 50 News Cards (German)
- 90 Order Cards
- 8 Achievement Cards (English)
- 8 Achievement Cards (German)
- 1 Start Marker
- 8 Large Ships (4 colours)
- 12 Small Ships (4 colours)
- 60 Factories (4 colours)
- 200 Containers (5 colours)
- 18 Large Markers (discs in 5 colours)
- 160 Small Markers (discs in 5 colours)
- 24 Action Points (small black cubes)
- 8 Additional Action Points (large black cubes)
- 1 Bank Unit
- 80 $10M Banknotes
- 60 $50M Banknotes
- 80 $100M Banknotes
- 20 $500M Banknotes
- 1 Rulebook (English)
- 1 Rulebook (German)
- 10 Zip-Lock Bags
Introduction
Objective of the Game
Ports of Call: The Board Game is a logistics and trading game that simulates global commerce.
Around 90% of the world's physical goods are transported on cargo ships, forming the backbone of the modern economy. Container ships are a vital part of this maritime infrastructure.
Over the course of 4 fiscal years, players compete to build the world's largest and most valuable shipping company. Each player starts with 2 container ships and 3 actions per quarter and must then develop their company through efficient trading and strategic investments. This is achieved by buying, transporting, and selling containers loaded with goods around the world.
Along the way, players can expand their fleet, build factories in port cities, and produce goods for the global market through the Container Terminal.
The winner is the player who owns the most valuable shipping company at the end of the game.
The Computer Game
Ports of Call: The Board Game is based on the classic computer game Ports of Call, first released in 1987.
Developed by Rolf-Dieter Klein and Martin Ulrich, the game became a favourite on home computers such as the Commodore Amiga and MS-DOS PCs, eventually earning cult status among generations of players.
Game Overview
The game features 5 different trade goods (wind turbines, steel, electronics, wine, and oil) that are transported in containers by ship between 15 port cities.
Each port city can only produce the trade good indicated on its 2 building sites. The city is part of a production region for that trade good.
The game board contains spaces representing the shipping routes between the port cities.
The Calendar
The Calendar tracks the current fiscal year and quarter. The top row displays Years 1–5, while the bottom row displays the four quarters represented by seasonal symbols.
Players take turns, and the game is played over four fiscal years, each consisting of four quarters.
The Stock Exchange
The Stock Exchange continuously tracks the market value of each player's shipping company. Each step on the track corresponds to 10 share value points.
All players begin at a value of 100.
The player whose company reaches the highest share value at the end of the game wins.
Order Cards
One of the best ways to increase the value of your shipping company is by completing orders.
Order Cards are purchased from the Order Market. Each Order Card displays 2 trade goods that must be delivered to one of the 15 cities.
Players send one or more of their ships to purchase the required containers and transport them to the destination city, where they are sold to complete the order.
The Container Terminal
The Container Terminal serves as a global marketplace where players purchase containers carrying various trade goods.
Containers can only be purchased if the player has a ship docked in a port that produces the corresponding trade good.
One player may be appointed to manage the Container Terminal.
Factories and the Production Track
Another way to increase the value of your shipping company is to produce containers for the Container Terminal.
This requires building factories in one or more port cities and manufacturing containers. Each time a player produces a container, they advance on the Production Track at the bottom of the game board, unlocking bonuses along the way.
News Cards
At the end of each quarter, after all players have taken their turns, a News Card is revealed. It may provide rewards or create economic and logistical challenges.
Achievement Cards
At the start of the game, a number of Achievement Cards are placed next to the game board.
Whenever a player fulfils the requirement shown on a card, they immediately claim it — even if it is not currently their turn.
Each Achievement Card grants an increase of one step on the Stock Exchange and is counted during final scoring.
The Bank
The Bank handles most financial transactions in the game. All amounts are measured in millions of dollars.
One player may be appointed to manage the Bank.
The Office Board and Action Points
Each player has an Office Board that provides an overview of all available actions and their associated costs.
Some actions require both money and Action Points. Each player has one more Action Point than the number of ships they own.
Game Setup
- Place the Game Board at the centre of the table.
- Place the following components next to the Game Board, for example as shown in the illustration: A. Shuffle the Order Cards and create the Order Market by placing 4 Order Cards face up. Place the remaining cards face down beside the market. B. Choose the News Cards in your preferred language (English or German). Shuffle the cards and place the deck on the table face down. C. Choose the Achievement Cards in your preferred language (English or German). Place the 3 Achievement Cards with black fronts on the table. Shuffle the remaining Achievement Cards and draw a number of cards equal to the number of players. Place these cards next to the 3 black Achievement Cards. Place all cards face up. D. Place the Container Terminal on the table and position 3 containers of each colour on the corresponding container tracks of the same colour. Place the containers with their openings facing downward so that they cover the values 170, 160, and 140. E. Place the remaining containers and the small, coloured player markers near the Container Terminal, so they are easy to reach and place on the board. F. Remove the Bank unit and banknotes from the game box and place them next to the player responsible for managing the Bank. It is recommended that this player does not also manage the Container Terminal.
- Each player chooses a player colour and receives the following components in that colour:
- 1 Office Board
- 3 Small Ships
- 2 Large Ships
- 15 Factories
- 3 Large Markers
- In addition, each player receives:
- 20 Small Grey Markers
- 6 Small Black Cubes
- 2 Large Black Cubes
- Each player places 1 Large Marker in their colour on the 100 space of the Stock Exchange.
- Each player places 1 Large Marker in their colour on the starting space of the Production Track in the lower-left corner of the board.
Starting Order and Home City
Each player receives 3 Order Cards, which remain secret until all players have chosen their Home City.
Beginning with the player holding the Start Marker and proceeding clockwise, each player chooses a Home City and selects 1 of their 3 Order Cards as their starting order.
The remaining 2 Order Cards are placed in a discard pile.
It is generally a good idea to choose a Home City that produces 1 of the trade goods required by the selected Order Card.
Place 1 Factory in the player's colour on 1 of the Home City's building sites and 1 Large Marker in the same colour on the other building site. No other player may build on that reserved building site.
A maximum of 2 Home Cities may be located within the same production region. For example, if 2 players have already chosen cities that produce wine, a third player may not choose the remaining wine-producing city as their Home City.
Each player starts with 1 Small Ship and 1 Large Ship placed on the Home City's anchor space.
Load the ships with containers of the trade good produced in the Home City. For example, if Hamburg is chosen as the Home City, the player's 2 ships are loaded with 1 and 2 light blue containers, respectively.
Once all players have chosen their Home Cities, they place their selected Order Card face up next to their Office Board.
The game is now ready to begin.
Game Flow
The game is played over 4 fiscal years, each consisting of 4 quarters. All players take one turn each quarter for a total of 16 turns during the game.
Tip: For a shorter or longer game, play 3 or 5 fiscal years instead.
Player Turns
Players take turns, starting with the player holding the Start Marker.
During their turn, a player may perform a number of actions. Some actions are free, while others cost one or more Action Points.
Each player has 1 more Action Point than the number of ships they own.
For example, if a player has 2 ships on the game board, they have 3 Action Points available during each turn.
The Office Board provides an overview of the actions available during a turn. Actions may be performed in any order. See the section "Actions" for details.
When a player has completed their turn, play passes to the player on their left. Once all players have completed their turns, the quarter ends.
End of the Quarter
If it was not the 4th Quarter:
- Reveal a News Card and follow its instructions.
- Remove all markers from ships.
- Move the Calendar's quarter marker to the next quarter.
- The player holding the Start Marker begins the new quarter.
- Continue to the next quarter.
If it was the 4th Quarter:
- Reveal a News Card and follow its instructions.
- Conduct the Annual Accounts. See "Annual Accounts".
- If the 4th fiscal year has been completed, the game ends. See "End of the Game".
Otherwise, begin a new fiscal year:
- Remove all markers from factories and ships.
- Clear the Order Market and place 4 new Order Cards face up.
- Move the Calendar's year marker to the next year.
- Return the Calendar's quarter marker to the 1st Quarter.
- Pass the Start Marker left to the next player.
- Continue to the next quarter.
Annual Accounts
Annual Accounts are conducted at the end of the 4th Quarter of each fiscal year.
Each player calculates their shipping company's annual result:
Stock Exchange Value × $1M − Ship Maintenance Costs
The maintenance cost for each type of ship is shown on the Office Board. Each Small Ship costs $30M in maintenance, and each Large Ship costs $100M.
If the result is positive, the player receives that amount from the Bank. If the result is negative, the player must pay the corresponding amount to the Bank.
Example: If a player's shipping company has a Stock Exchange value of 140 and the player owns 2 Small Ships and 1 Large Ship, the annual result is calculated as follows:
$140M – (2 × $30M) – $100M = –$20M
The player must therefore pay $20M to the Bank.
Financial Difficulties
If a player's annual result is negative and they cannot afford to pay, they may move 1 space down on the Stock Exchange and receive $100M from the Bank.
Note that the annual result must then be recalculated using the lower Stock Exchange value.
If a player is already on the lowest space of the Stock Exchange (value 60) and would need to move down another space, they are bankrupt and eliminated from the game.
Alternative Rule: If you prefer to avoid player elimination, the affected player may instead sell factories or ships to the Bank in order to raise the required funds.
The Bank pays the same amount as the player originally paid for the asset(s).
End of the Game
The game ends after the 4th fiscal year.
At this point, each player performs the following steps:
- For each Order Card that has not been completed, move 1 space down on the Stock Exchange.
- Award any remaining Achievement Cards. If multiple players fulfil the requirement for the same card, they each immediately move up 1 space on the Stock Exchange, and the card is discarded.
- For each Achievement Card a player has earned during the game, they move 1 space up on the Stock Exchange.
The Winner
The winner is the player whose shipping company has the highest value on the Stock Exchange.
If two or more players are tied for first place, the winner is determined using the following tie-breakers, in order:
- Most ships
- Most factories
- Most Achievement Cards
- Most cash
If the players are still tied for the win, they share the victory.
Useful Information for "Game Flow"
Purchase a Container from the Container Terminal
Cost: 1 Action Point plus the market price of the container.
Purchase the container furthest to the right in the relevant container row. The market price is shown to the right of the container. If the container contains a player marker, payment is made to that player. If it is your own container, no payment is required. Otherwise, payment is made to the Bank.
If multiple containers are purchased from the same container row at the same time, each container is purchased at the price of the first container.
Containers may be purchased for multiple ships, provided those ships are located in a port city where the relevant trade good can be purchased.
Sell a Container
Selling containers does not cost any Action Points. Move a ship into a port city and sell one or more of its containers.
The selling price = The port city's sales bonus + The trade good's market price.
The proceeds are paid by the Bank.
If completing the sale also completes an Order Card, you advance 1 or 2 spaces on the Stock Exchange. See the "Deliveries" and "Partial Deliveries" sections for further details.
Produce a Container for the Container Terminal
- Cost: $20M and 1 Action Point. The payment is made to the Bank.
- Place a marker in your player colour in a new container matching the trade good being produced.
- Insert the container from the left into the appropriate container row on the Container Terminal.
- Place a grey marker in the factory that produced the container.
- Move your token 1 space forward on the Production Track. If you land on a bonus space, the bonus is resolved immediately. See "The Production Track" for details.
News Affecting Containers
Some News Cards affect the Container Terminal by either adding or removing containers.
When containers are added, place them on the right-hand side of the appropriate container row with the hollow side face down.
When containers are removed, they are likewise removed from the right-hand side.
Trade Goods, Cities & Ships
Trade Goods and Production Regions
The game features 5 different trade goods transported in containers on ships between 15 port cities.
Each trade good is associated with a production region consisting of 3 cities where that particular good can be purchased and produced. The goods can then be sold in the remaining cities.
Each of the 5 trade goods has its own symbol and colour, which are also shown on the game board in the cities of their respective production regions:
- Wind Turbines (light blue): Can be purchased and produced in Hamburg, Rotterdam, and London.
- Steel (orange): Can be purchased and produced in San Francisco, New York, and Quebec.
- Oil (black): Can be purchased and produced in Basrah, Port Sudan, and Kolkata.
- Wine (purple): Can be purchased and produced in Buenos Aires, Cape Town, and Sydney.
- Electronics (green): Can be purchased and produced in Hong Kong, Incheon, and Tokyo.
Port Cities
Each port city has a space marked with an anchor where ships dock to trade. In addition, each city has an information panel showing:
- The city's name
- A summary of the sales bonuses for the 4 trade goods that can be sold there
- 2 building sites
Example: Cape Town has 2 building sites for wine production. In the city, wind turbines can be sold with a sales bonus of $60M, while steel, electronics and oil can be sold with a sales bonus of $30M. See the section "Selling Containers" for further details.
Shipping Routes and Ships
The game board contains spaces that form the shipping routes between the port cities. Players move their ships from space to space by following the dotted lines. At junctions, players may freely choose which direction a ship will take.
Note that ships may sail off the map south of San Francisco and reappear north of Australia.
When passing through the Panama Canal or the Suez Canal, a player must pay $20M per ship to the Bank.
Moving Ships
During your turn, you may move all of your ships without spending any Action Points.
The distance a ship may move depends on its size and the number of containers on board.
A Small or Large Ship carrying up to 1 container may move up to 3 spaces during a turn.
A Large Ship carrying 2 containers may move up to 2 spaces during a turn.
A ship's movement must be completed as a single continuous action and cannot be split up. You may not move a ship, perform another action, and then continue its movement. The only exception is if the ship is boosted later in the turn (see the next section).
Once a ship enters a port, it may not be moved any further during that turn.
If you move a ship into a port that is another player's home city, you must pay that player $20M in port fees.
Boosting Ships
A ship may be boosted to move 1 additional space during the same turn. This costs 1 Action Point.
Any ship that is not currently in port may be boosted, provided you have sufficient Action Points available. However, each ship may only be boosted once per turn.
Marking Moved Ships
Once a ship has been moved and may not be moved any further, you can place a grey marker on it, as a reminder that it has already been moved. These markers are removed before your next turn.
News Cards May Affect Shipping
Please note that some News Cards affect ship movement.
Purchasing Ships
You may expand your shipping fleet by purchasing additional ships.
A Small Ship costs $50M and 1 Action Point. A Large Ship costs $200M and 1 Action Point.
Newly purchased ships are placed in your home city and may depart immediately.
Each Small Ship costs $30M per year in maintenance. Each Large Ship costs $100M per year in maintenance. These costs are paid during the Annual Accounts phase.
You may own a maximum of 3 Small Ships and 2 Large Ships.
Orders & Deliveries
Order Cards
One of the best ways to increase the value of your shipping company is by completing orders.
Order Cards are purchased from the Order Market, which consists of 4 face-up Order Cards and the Order Deck containing the remaining face-down cards.
Each Order Card shows which 2 trade goods must be delivered to a specific city.
Purchasing Order Cards
Purchasing a face-up Order Card costs $50M and 1 Action Point. After purchase, a new card is immediately drawn from the Order Deck and placed on the Order Market.
Purchasing a face-down Order Card directly from the Order Deck costs just $20M and 1 Action Point.
Purchased Order Cards are placed next to the Office Board.
A player may have a maximum of 5 active orders at any one time.
Deliveries
Players send one or more of their ships to purchase the containers required for an order. The containers are then transported to the destination city and sold to complete the order.
If both containers required for an order are delivered to the city on the same large ship and sold simultaneously, the player immediately advances 2 spaces on the Stock Exchange.
Partial Deliveries
When the 2 containers are delivered using separate ships, the player advances only 1 space on the Stock Exchange.
After the first delivery, place the sold container on top of the matching trade good shown on the Order Card to indicate that the order has been partially completed.
After the second delivery, the order is completed, and the player immediately advances 1 additional space on the Stock Exchange.
Completed Orders
Completed Order Cards are placed face down next to the Office Board, so that the other players cannot count them.
At the end of the game, one of the Achievement Cards rewards the player with the most completed Order Cards by advancing them 1 additional space on the Stock Exchange.
Incomplete Orders
For each Order Card that has not been completed by the end of the game, the player moves 1 space down on the Stock Exchange.
Trading Containers
The Container Terminal
The Container Terminal serves as a global marketplace from which players purchase containers carrying the various trade goods.
The Container Terminal contains a container row for each trade good.
Purchasing Containers
To purchase containers for a ship, your ship must be located in a port city that produces the relevant trade good. For example, to purchase a wine container, you must move a ship into Buenos Aires, Cape Town, or Sydney.
When purchasing a container, you take the container furthest to the right in the relevant container row. The purchase price is shown to the right of that container.
In addition, each container costs 1 Action Point to purchase.
The containers initially placed on the Container Terminal by the game are positioned with the hollow side face down. When purchasing one of these containers, payment is made to the Bank.
If you purchase a container containing a coloured player marker (see "Producing Containers"), payment is made to that player instead. If it is your own container, no payment is required.
The purchased container is removed from the Container Terminal and placed on the ship with the hollow side face down. If the ship has not yet moved during the current turn, it may still be moved before the turn ends.
If you purchase multiple containers from the same container row in a single transaction, each container is purchased at the price of the first container. You may purchase containers for multiple ships, provided they are located in ports where the relevant trade good can be purchased.
Please note that each container purchased costs 1 Action Point, even when several containers are purchased at the same time. See the "Actions" section for further details.
Containers may only be purchased if there are containers available in the relevant container row.
Please note that the market price increases whenever a container is purchased.
Selling Containers
To sell a container, move your ship into a port city where that trade good can be sold.
Each city provides a sales bonus for the trade goods that may be sold there.
The total selling price is calculated by adding the city's sales bonus to the trade good's current market price in the Container Terminal (shown to the right of the container furthest to the right in that trade good's container row). The amount is paid by the Bank.
If completing the sale also completes an Order Card, you advance 1 or 2 spaces on the Stock Exchange. See the "Deliveries" and "Partial Deliveries" sections for further details.
Selling containers does not require any Action Points.
Producing Containers
Another way to increase the value of your shipping company is by producing containers for the Container Terminal.
Factories
Containers are produced in factories, which can be built in the 5 production regions.
Constructing a factory costs $50M and requires 1 Action Point. The amount is paid to the Bank, after which a factory in the player's colour is placed on the building site.
A player may build on only 1 building site in each production region. For example, if you have built on a site in Kolkata, you may not build on any other site in the Oil production region. This means that you cannot build in Port Sudan or Basrah.
Up to 3 factories may be built on each building site.
To build the first factory in a new production region, you must move a ship into one of the port cities within that production region. If there is an available building site in the city, you may construct the factory.
When later building the second or third factory on the same site, you do not need to have a ship in the city.
Production
Each factory may produce one container per fiscal year.
Follow these steps when producing a container:
- Producing a container costs $20M and requires 1 Action Point. The amount is paid to the Bank.
- Place a marker in your player colour in a new container matching the trade good being produced.
- Place the container on the corresponding trade good's container row in the Container Terminal. Insert it from the left so that all other containers in the row are pushed one position to the right.
- Place a grey marker in the factory to show that it has produced a trade good.
- Move your token one space forward on the Production Track at the bottom of the game board.
Please note that market prices fall when containers are produced.
Tip: If you intend to purchase a wine container, it may be advantageous to produce wine containers before making the purchase.
During the same quarter, you may produce only 1 container of each trade good. However, if you own 2 large ships, you may produce 2 containers of each trade good per quarter.
A container may only be produced if there is space available in the relevant container row in the Container Terminal.
The Production Track
Each time you produce a container, move your token one space forward on the Production Track at the bottom of the game board.
Landing on a space containing an icon grants the corresponding bonus:
- Stock Exchange Bonus — You advance 1 space on the Stock Exchange.
- Container Bonus — You may place a new container of any trade good at any position in that trade good's container row in the Container Terminal. Place a marker in your player colour inside the container.
- Action Point Bonus — Gain 1 additional Action Point this turn. Use a large black cube on your Office Board to track it. The additional Action Point may only be used during the current turn.
- Order Card Bonus — Draw a face-down Order Card from the deck. If you already have 5 active orders, you do not receive the card.
- Cash Bonus — Receive the amount shown from the Bank, for instance $100M or $200M.
Achievements & News
Achievement Cards
At the start of the game, a number of Achievement Cards are placed face up beside the game board.
Whenever a player fulfils the requirement shown on a card, they immediately claim it, even if it is not currently their turn.
The red Achievement Cards can be earned during the game, while the black Achievement Cards are awarded only at the end of the game.
At the end of the game, each Achievement Card earned allows the player to advance 1 space on the Stock Exchange.
News Cards
At the end of each quarter (i.e. after all players have taken their turn), a News Card is revealed.
Cards with a black title bar represent breaking news and take effect immediately. Cards with a white title bar affect the entire following quarter, for example when port cities are closed or adverse weather affects ship movement.
Used News Cards are returned to the bottom of the deck.
Area Closure News
When port cities, the Panama Canal or the Suez Canal are closed, place the large grey wooden discs on the affected spaces until the closure ends.
News Affecting Containers
Some News Cards affect the Container Terminal by either adding or removing containers.
When containers are added, place them on the right-hand side of the appropriate container row with the hollow side face down.
When containers are removed, they are likewise removed from the right-hand side.
Lots of "Ports of Call" News
The first 16 cards in the News Deck (cards 1–16), have been specially selected to increase the number of Ports of Call news items during the game.
The cards may either be revealed in numerical order or shuffled before the game begins.
If playing for 3 fiscal years, use cards 1–12. If playing for 5 fiscal years, use cards 1–20.
Optional Rule: Forecast News
For a more strategic and predictable game, News Cards may be announced in advance.
At the start of each quarter, reveal a News Card that will take effect at the end of the quarter. At the same time, reveal the next News Card, which will take effect at the end of the following quarter.
Players therefore always know the next two upcoming News Cards and can plan their strategies accordingly.
The Bank
The Bank handles most of the financial transactions in the game. These are explained in this section.
Canal Transit Fees
When a ship passes through the Panama Canal or the Suez Canal, the player must pay $20M per ship to the Bank.
News-Related Transactions
If a player receives or pays money as a result of a News Card, the transaction is handled through the Bank.
Selling Containers
When containers are sold in port cities, the proceeds are paid by the Bank.
Purchasing Unowned Containers
When purchasing containers from the Container Terminal that were placed by the game and are therefore not owned by any player, payment is made to the Bank.
Buying Shares
You may buy shares in order to advance 1 space on the Stock Exchange.
This costs $1,000M and 2 Action Points. The payment is made to the Bank.
Selling Shares
If you need additional capital, you may sell shares by moving 1 space down on the Stock Exchange. You immediately receive $100M from the Bank.
This may only be done once per quarter, i.e. once during your turn.
If, during the game, you incur unexpected expenses as a result of a News Card or the Annual Accounts and do not have sufficient cash to pay them, you must sell additional shares until you have enough money to cover the cost.
If you are already on the lowest Stock Exchange space (Value 60) and are required to move down one or more spaces, you go bankrupt and are eliminated from the game.
Alternative Rule
If you prefer to avoid player elimination, the affected player may instead sell factories or ships to the Bank in order to raise the required funds.
The Bank pays the original purchase price of the assets.
Please note that selling ships reduces the number of Action Points available to you each turn.
Actions
During your turn, you may perform a number of actions in any order you choose. Some actions do not cost Action Points, while others require you to spend one or more of the Action Points available to you.
Each turn, you have 1 more Action Point than the number of ships you own.
For example, if you have 3 ships on the game board, you have 4 Action Points each turn.
Whenever you purchase an additional ship, you immediately gain 1 additional Action Point, which may be used during the same turn.
The small black cubes are used to represent Action Points.
The Office
Your Office provides an overview of all actions available during your turn and their associated costs. It can also be used to keep track of actions that require Action Points. The small cubes shown in the lower-right corner of the Office spaces indicate whether an action costs 1 or 2 Action Points.
At the start of your turn, place your Action Points (small black cubes) on the Action Points space and place them on Office spaces as you perform actions that require Action Points.
Several actions also require a monetary payment, shown in red at the bottom of the relevant Office spaces. All amounts are expressed in millions of dollars.
Unless otherwise stated on the Office Board, all financial transactions are handled through the Bank.
Additional Action Points
You can purchase an additional Action Point or gain one as a reward on the Production Track.
Additional Action Points may only be used during the turn in which they are purchased or gained. Large black cubes are used to represent additional Action Points and are removed from the Office Board at the end of the turn.
Summary of Actions
The following is a brief overview of all actions that may be performed during your turn.
Boost a Ship by 1 Space
A ship may be boosted to move 1 additional space during the same turn.
Cost: 1 Action Point.
Any ship that is not currently in port may be boosted, provided you have sufficient Action Points available. However, each ship may only be boosted once per turn.
Purchase a Hidden Order Card
Draw an Order Card from the Order Deck.
Cost: $20M and 1 Action Point.
Purchase a Revealed Order
Take one of the 4 revealed Order Cards from the Order Market and place it next to your Office.
Cost: $50M and 1 Action Point.
After purchase, a new Order Card is immediately revealed and placed in the Order Market so that 4 revealed Order Cards are always available.
Purchase a Ship
A Small Ship costs $50M and 1 Action Point. A Large Ship costs $200M and 1 Action Point.
New ships are placed in your home city and may be deployed immediately.
Each Small Ship costs $30M per year in maintenance. Each Large Ship costs $100M per year in maintenance. These costs are paid during the Annual Accounts.
You may own a maximum of 3 Small Ships and 2 Large Ships.
Once you own both Large Ships, your factories may produce 2 containers of the same trade good during the same turn. See "Factories" for details.
Move a Ship
Moving your ships does not cost any Action Points.
A Small or Large Ship carrying up to 1 container may move up to 3 spaces per turn.
A Large Ship carrying 2 containers may move up to 2 spaces per turn.
To make it easier to keep track, grey markers may be placed on ships that have already been moved.
Purchase a Container from the Container Terminal
Cost: 1 Action Point plus the market price of the container.
Purchase the container furthest to the right in the relevant container row. The market price is shown to the right of the container. If the container contains a player marker, payment is made to that player. If it is your own container, no payment is required. Otherwise, payment is made to the Bank.
If multiple containers are purchased from the same container row at the same time, each container is purchased at the price of the first container.
Containers may be purchased for multiple ships, provided those ships are located in a port city where the relevant trade good can be purchased.
Build a Factory
Cost: $50M and 1 Action Point.
Place a new factory in your player colour on a building site. Up to 3 factories may be built on each building site.
To build the first factory in a new production region, you must move a ship into one of the port cities in that region. A ship is not required to be in the city when building the second or third factory.
Sell a Container
Selling containers does not cost any Action Points.
Move a ship into a port city and sell one or more of the containers on board.
The selling price equals the port city's sales bonus + the trade good's market price.
The proceeds are paid by the Bank. See "Selling Containers" for details.
Produce a Container for the Container Terminal
- Cost: $20M and 1 Action Point. The payment is made to the Bank.
- Place a marker in your player colour in a new container matching the trade good being produced.
- Insert the container from the left into the appropriate container row on the Container Terminal.
- Place a grey marker in the factory that produced the container.
- Move your token 1 space forward on the Production Track. If you land on a bonus space, the bonus is resolved immediately. See "The Production Track" for details.
Buy Shares
Cost: $1,000M and 2 Action Points.
You immediately advance 1 space on the Stock Exchange.
Sell Shares
Selling shares does not cost any Action Points.
Move 1 space down on the Stock Exchange and receive $100M from the Bank.
You may sell shares only once per quarter, unless financial difficulties arise as a result of News Cards or the Annual Accounts. See "Selling Shares" for details.
Purchase an Additional Action Point
Cost: $250M.
You can only perform this action once in each of your turns.
Use one of the large black cubes to represent the additional Action Point on your Office Board. Remove the cube at the end of the turn.
Examples of Actions
In the following, AP = Action Point.
Keld's First Turn
Keld has just chosen Tokyo as his home city and has received 1 Small Ship and 1 Large Ship loaded with Electronics Containers in Tokyo. Keld has 1 Order Card requiring Electronics and Wine to be delivered to Kolkata, and he has 3 AP (because he has 2 ships).
On the Order Market, Keld spots an Order Card for San Francisco requiring Electronics and Oil. He buys it for $50M and 1 AP. The money is paid to the Bank.
Keld decides to take a chance and also buys a face-down Order Card for $20M and 1 AP. The money is paid to the Bank.
Keld sails both ships south-east. The Small Ship moves 3 spaces, while the Large Ship moves 2 spaces.
Keld boosts the Large Ship for 1 AP, so that it ends its movement on the same space as the Small Ship. He has now used all 3 Action Points.
Keld's Second Turn
Keld sails his Large Ship south and boosts it to reach Sydney. There, he sells one container for $120M (the market price of Electronics at the Container Terminal) plus a $30M Port Bonus, for a total of $150M. He receives the money from the Bank.
Keld builds a Factory in Sydney for $50M and 1 AP. He then produces 1 Wine Container for $20M and 1 AP. The total cost of $70M is paid to the Bank.
A marker in Keld's player colour is placed in the Wine Container, which is then pushed onto the Wine Container Track at the Container Terminal. This causes the price of Wine to fall, allowing Keld to buy Wine more cheaply in his next turn (provided the other players do not buy Wine during their turns).
A Grey Marker is placed on the Factory that produced the container. Keld's Player Marker advances 1 space on the Production Track because he produced a container.
Keld's Small Ship sails east off the edge of the map and continues north to San Francisco, where he sells the Electronics Container for $120M + $30M = $150M.
He removes the Wine Container from the ship and places it on the San Francisco Order Card to show that a partial delivery has been completed.
Keld's Next Turns (Brief Summary)
Keld buys a Wine Container for his Large Ship in Sydney and sails west and then north to Kolkata (over the course of 2 turns using boosts), where he sells both containers and advances 2 spaces on the Stock Exchange for completing the Kolkata Order Card.
He can then load Oil Containers onto the ship and sail to San Francisco to complete the next Order Card.
It may be a good idea to buy an additional Order Card requiring Oil, allowing one of the Oil Containers to be sold along the way.
It may also soon be time to buy another ship, which grants an additional Action Point each turn.