Trading Titans
Trading Titans Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 board
- 44 cards (of which two are blank ones)
- 36 wooden amphoras (12 for each colour)
- 4 player markers in different colours
- 1 rule book
Set-Up
Place the board on the table. Give a coloured marker to each player and draw lots to decide who begins the game. The game will move clockwise. Place the player markers on the number track around the board on square number "50". Give 3 amphoras to each player: a red one, a yellow one and a green one. The amphoras symbolically represent the goods of the caravans heading for Palmyra. The yellow ones carry gold and jewels, the green ones spices and the red ones wine. From now on the word "goods" will indicate an amphora.
Place the remaining goods one by one along the trading routes, on the spaces of the same colour, starting from number "24" and continuing in the direction of Palmyra. Shuffle the cards and deal 5, face-down, to each player. Place the remainder of the pack face-down by the side of the board.
The Board
On the board are represented:
Number track: the number track around the board is made up of a succession of squares numbered from 0 to 99 which mark the score-money (from now on "points") that the players have at their disposal for their trading activities. At the beginning of the game each player has 50 points. When a player passes square number 99, he continues adding 100 to the indicated value (example: 23 becomes 123).
Trading routes: the trading routes are represented by 3 series of round coloured spaces which, from the farther borders of the known world, reach Palmyra. The number marked on each space indicates the value of the goods (represented by the amphoras). Note that the first space of each route by number "30" and the last one which coincides with Palmyra, are bigger than the others.
The spaces for the cards: these are used to play the cards and are marked by Roman numbers (II-III-IV).
How to Play
Each player can:
a. Buy or sell 1 amphora of goods of each colour. b. Alternatively buy or sell 2 goods of the same colour. c. Miss a turn of sale activities.
Example: a player can buy one yellow amphora of goods (gold) and one green one (spices). Alternatively he can buy 2 red goods or sell 2 yellow ones. What he cannot do is, for example, buy 2 red goods and sell 2 yellow one, or buy 2 red goods and sell 2 green ones.
First turn: during the first turn the player may buy or sell 1 amphora of goods only, the second player only 2 goods of different colours. From the third player onwards the usual rules are to be followed.
How to Buy Goods
When a player decides to buy goods he takes the amphora of the colour he has chosen which is closest to Palmyra, pays the price indicated on the space and moves his marker along the number track.
Example: a player buys a red amphora which is placed on space 8. To indicate that the payment has been made he moves his marker back 8 squares along the number track.
How to Sell Goods
When a player decides to sell one of his goods he places it on the first free space in the direction of Palmyra and adds the value of the space covered to his score.
Example: a player who wants to sell a green amphora places it on the Trading Route to Palmyra. The first space in the direction of the town is marked by number 10. The player gains 10 points and moves his marker forward 10 squares along the number track.
Special Cases
You cannot buy the last amphora remaining on any Trading Route. If space "2" (Palmyra) is already occupied by an amphora of goods, you may still sell (gaining 2 points). These goods are placed on the space by the town. This is only possible when a player has not got enough points he may not buy any goods. Loans among players are not allowed, nor are deferred payments.
End of the Turn
After having bought or sold goods, the player must play one of his cards on one of the opposite spaces, starting from those marked by number II. He then draws a new card from the pack. The player must draw from the pack as many cards as necessary to have 5 cards in his hand. With this operation the player's turn ends.
The Cards
In order to play the cards correctly it is necessary to know their value.
Caravan Cards
Caravan-cards are in 3 different colours, each colour being marked by a different animal, and can have positive or negative value (from -3 to +3). These determine, at the end of each Trading Year (see below), the change in value of the goods along the trading routes.
Contract Cards
Contract-cards are in 3 different colours. There are 4 cards for each colour. At the end of each Trading Year (see below) these cards determine the payment of an amount of money to the owners of the different colours.
Tax Cards
When a Tax-card is placed on the board those players who have goods of the same colour as the card, must pay a tax of 2 points for each amphora they own (example: the red tax-card is played. A player with 2 red goods must pay 4 points, a player with 4 red goods 8 points). If a player's points fall below 0 because of a Tax-card, on his next turn, he will have to sell one or more goods in order to raise his score to 0 or more. After having played a tax card the player whose turn it is, has to play another card unless the one he has just played "closes" a trading year. In this case the player's turn ends.
Mirage Cards
Contrary to the other cards, the Mirage-card must not be placed on a free space but on top of a card of the same colour which has already been played. The mirage-card cancels the value of the card you have covered. The mirage card has no effect on the tax card.
End of a Trading Year
A Trading Year ends when all the card-spaces on the board are filled up. This rule is valid when there are 4 players. If there are 3 players, only the spaces marked by the Roman numbers "II" and "III" will be used. While 2 players only use the spaces marked by number "II".
At the end of the Trading Year, eliminate any card covered by the Mirage-cards, then sum the Caravan-cards which are on the board and change the value of the goods along the trading routes.
Example: the following red Caravan-cards have been played: +1 +3 -2 = +2
If the result is positive (as in the example) all the goods of the same colour (red) which are placed along the Trading Route move away from Palmyra by as many spaces as indicated, when possible. While if the result is negative the goods move closer to Palmyra by as many spaces indicated. The goods cannot go beyond spaces "30" and "Palmyra". Remember that each space can only contain one amphora of goods except for space "30" and "Palmyra" which can contain an unlimited number of goods.
When the position of the goods along the Trading Routes has been changed, count the Contract-cards and distribute the money owed to each player.
For each colour count the contracts placed on the board and change the score of each player following the table shown below:
- 0 contracts = 0
- 1 contract = 1 point for each amphora of the same colour as the contract
- 2 contracts = 2 points for each amphora of the same colour as the contract
- 3 contracts = 4 points for each amphora of the same colour as the contract
- 4 contracts = 8 points for each amphora of the same colour as the contract
Example: on the board there are 3 yellow contracts. Player A has 1 amphora of the same colour, he therefore gains 4 points. Player B has 3 amphoras in this colour and gains 12 points.
After this move the Trading Year is concluded. Each player, in turn, has the right to discard one or more cards and replace them from the deck. All the cards are removed from the board and shuffled into the pack. The game continues with a new Trading Year.
End of the Game
The game ends with the conclusion of the third trading year. Now the players take it in turns to sell their goods, only one amphora per turn. When all the goods have been sold the player with the highest score wins (a case of parity is possible).
Suggestions
To begin with, the game may seem complicated. The novelty of its structure may in fact cause some initial difficulty. We suggest you play a trial Trading Year, following the rules step by step, before you begin the actual game.
Remember that the different Trading Routes are a price indicator of the goods. When you buy an amphora of goods its value increases and vice versa. The highest value is 30, the lowest is 2 and the difference between one space and another is not always one point.
Try to set up a precise game strategy and make the most even of the cards played by the opponents. Remember that at the conclusion of each Trading Year the goods value will undergo a change. If you realize that, at the end of the Trading Year, the price of some of your goods will fall and you do not have any Caravan-card to prevent it from falling, do not hesitate to sell them.
Do not observe only your own goods and cards, pay attention to the opponents moves and remember that in order to win it is not enough to gain a high number of points, it is necessary to have one point more than the others. If your moves could favour an opponent more than they could benefit you, you should change your game strategy.