Kings of Air and Steam
Kings of Air and Steam Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Overview
This game takes place in 6 rounds. At the beginning of each round, the players plan the route for their airships using their own movement deck. After everyone has planned out their route, then the players move their airships one card at a time, taking an Action after every Movement. Turn order is decided by the Speed they move their airship. At the end of the game, the player with the most money and largest network will be declared the King of Air and Steam.
Components
7 Modular Hex Game Boards, plus 6 Bumper Pieces These are put together to form the play area. The letters are used to coordinate to the number of players.
6 Double-sided Player Boards Used to plan your airship route, keep track of your airship's cargo and power, as well as give an overview of the Actions a player can take. The Boards also note Turn Order. One side of the board is identical to all the others for the Family Game, and the other side is customized for the Normal Game.
1 Market Board Keeps track of the payment for goods delivered, future markets, as well as keep track of the rounds.
6 Airship Decks (of 13 cards each) Used to plan the route for your airship. These cards have the same back, and are separated by player color as indicated on the front of the card. NOTE: 12 of these cards will be used in the Standard Game, but the 13th will only be used in the Full Game.
60 Depot Tokens (10 each in 6 different Player colors) Used to mark access of a Railway and to allow the dropping off and shipping of goods.
6 Airship Pieces (in 6 different colors) These are used to indicate the location of each player's Airship, which will be moving around the board throughout the game.
100 Good Cubes (20 each in 5 colors) To indicate cost and to account for the shipping of goods and to indicate cost on the Market Costs.
20 Demand Tiles (4 each in 5 colors) These bring goods to market and adjust their value. Later, they are used to replace filled cities. These are two-sided tokens, with a city and color on one side and an empty city on the other. When demand is first met, the tokens give a new color of demand to a city. When then demand is met, the token is flipped and the city will accept no more goods.
12 Character Cards There are two characters for each color. Each character has a special ability. NOTE: These are only used in the Full Game.
13 Uncolored Cubes Used to note Airship Rating, Train Rating and current round.
Paper Money Used to keep track of the player's wealth.
Start Player Token Used to note the starting player for the round.
Setup
- Each player takes the Airship in their color, a Player Board, and their Movement Deck. In addition, each player should take 2 uncolored cubes and place one on the first space of their Airship Rating track and one on the first space of their Train Rating track.
- Arrange the board according to the number of players. Each board lists the number of players that the board is used for. For the number of players you are playing with, the following boards are used. Be sure to use the correct number of boards:
- 2 Players: A, B, C
- 3 & 4 Players: A, B, C, D, E
- 5 & 6 Players: A, B, C, D, E, F, G
- Place 1 cube on each Factory in that Factory's color, place the rest of the cubes near the board for easy access.
- Place the Market Board next to the Game Board. Take 1 uncolored cube and place it in the Round 1 space. In addition, place 1 cube of each color in the $4 price space.
- Randomly determine who will go first and give them the Start Player marker. Then, in reverse turn order, starting with the player to the right of the starting player and rotating counterclockwise: a. Place a Depot on an open Rail Space (NOTE: You cannot place a Depot on a railway that somebody else has placed their first Depot on) b. Place their Airship on that space
- Place the money near the board and deal each player $12.
Gameplay Overview
The game is played over a series of 6 rounds. Each round consists of 5 separate phases. In addition, after the end of the 6th round, there is a final shipping phase, and then the game is over. The most money wins.
A game round is comprised of the following Phases:
- Market Adjusts a. Draw 3 Demand Tiles b. For each Demand Tile drawn, move that color up one space on the Price Chart
- Plan Airship Movement a. Each player fills their 4 Airship movement spots with Movement Cards, face down.
- Movement and Actions a. Each player moves their Airship and then takes an Action based on Turn Order and the Movement cards b. This step is repeated 4 times – one for each planned card.
- Upkeep a. Pay $1 for each cube in your Airship and in your Depots b. Collect your Airship cards and return them to your hand.
- Factories Produce a. Each Factory gains a cube of that color. b. In addition, for each Demand Tile on the Market Board add a cube of that color to each factory of that color. c. Place the Demand Tiles face down next to the board. d. Move the Round marker up 1 Space. (If this is the end of the 6th round, move to Ending the Game)
NOTE: These rules describe the Basic Game. To learn the Full Game, read and understand the Basic version and then read the Full Game Rules at the back of the rulebook.
Market Adjusts
Draw 3 Demand tiles. Place these Tiles on the Future Market section of the Market Board. Then, for each tile drawn, move that color up one space on the Market Price section of the Market Board.
Plan Airship Movement
On a Player Board there are four spaces to place Airship Planning Cards. A player will place one card (face down) in each of these spaces, meaning they will play four cards total. The Player Board will also note the Airship's current Diamond Rating.
To plan your Airship movement, you must look through your Airship Planning deck. These cards show how your Airship will move after the card is played during the next phase. Note the Diamond in the upper right hand corner on some cards.
When playing your Movement Cards, the total number of diamonds on your four cards cannot exceed your Airship's Diamond Rating. Each individual diamond counts towards this diamond rating (ie: a long movement will have 2 diamonds on it, which counts as 2 diamonds against your Diamond Rating). You may have less than or an equal number of diamonds than your Diamond Rating, but not more. (NOTE: the penalty for playing too many Diamonds is not taken until the card is revealed. Therefore, it is possible to 'plan' too many diamonds, but you may be able to upgrade your Airship and make it legal when the cards are played.)
These cards are placed face-down on the shaded slots on your Player Board. A player must place a card in each of their slots, they cannot leave any blank.
Movement and Action
Each player must flip over their 1st Movement Card, and then each player will move their airship and take an action in turn order. After everyone has resolved their 1st Movement Card and Action, then players will flip over their 2nd Movement card and resolve it in the same fashion. This will continue until all four Movement Cards have been resolved.
Timing / Turn Order
The turn order is dictated by the Speed on the Airship Movement card that was just played. The following turn order is observed, with "A" being first and "G" being last:
Order of Movement Cards
| Order | Speed |
|---|---|
| A | 0, 1* |
| B | 1, 2* |
| C | 2, 3* |
| D | 4**, 3 |
| E | 4*, 5** |
| F | 6** |
| G | 7** |
In the case that multiple players play cards with the same letter-order, then turn order between those players is observed clockwise from the player with the Start Player token.
Movement
Your Movement Card tells how many spaces you must move your airship. You must move the total amount of spaces shown and cannot repeat spaces.
An Airship may never move off the map, nor stop in partial-hexes.
An Airship may never end its move in a City, however you may travel through a City during the course of your movement. Multiple Airships can share the same space.
Movement Error – Going above your Diamond Rating In the event that the card you planned exceeds your diamond rating then you must remove the card that violated the movement. You go last for that turn and you still perform an action, but no movement.
Loading / Unloading Goods
At the end or beginning of your Airship's Movement you may freely Load and Unload any goods. Loading and Unloading can be done in any order, and as often as you wish, but cannot be done during the movement.
You may Load goods from:
- A Factory
- One of your Depots
To Load a good you take the good(s) and place it on your Player Board in the circle marked Airship Hold. You cannot carry more goods than dictated by your Airship's Holding Capacity as dictated on your player board.
You may Unload goods at:
- A Factory (Of any color)
- One of your Depots
To unload a good, you simply take the Goods from your Airship Hold space on your Player Board and place them on the hexagon that contains your Airship. If you are dropping them off in one of your Depots, place the Goods directly on your Depot token. Your Depots will be the most common Unloading point.
Actions
Each player may perform 1 action or Pass. The turn order is determined by the Speed Rating on the Airship card that was just resolved. The following actions may be taken:
- Build a Depot ($4 for 1st on a line, $7 for 2nd, $10 for third)
- Upgrade Airship ($1 for each level you are upgrading to)
- Upgrade Train ($1 for each level you are upgrading to)
- Ship a good
- Route Adjustment
- Pass – when you pass, you collect $3 from the bank.
NOTE: These actions are listed on the individual Player Boards for easy reference.
Building Depots
This action allows you to build a Depot on an unused rail space. When you build a Depot along a railroad, it allows you to use the railroad in order to ship goods. Only one depot is allowed per space.
To build a Depot you must have a Depot token left. A player is thus limited to building 10 Depots throughout the game. In addition, you must pay a cost in order to build a Depot. If you are the first Depot on this length of rail it costs $4. If you are the 2nd, it costs $7. If you are the 3rd or more, it costs $10.
Upgrade your Airship
Upgrading your Airship will increase the cargo capacity, which allows you to carry more goods, and/or its Diamond Rating, which allows you to move more spaces on a turn. To upgrade your Airship you must pay $1 for each level you are upgrading to, and you may only increase 1 level at a time. For example, your first upgrade will cost $2 (since you are moving to the 2nd level) and your next upgrade will cost $3 (since you are upgrading to the third level). After you pay, move your Airship Upgrade Token to the right one space. You may only upgrade one level per action.
Upgrade your Train
Upgrading your train will allow you to ship Goods over a greater amount of connections. To upgrade your Train you must pay $1 for each level you are upgrading to, and you may only increase 1 level at a time. For example, your first upgrade will cost $2 (since you are moving to the 2nd level) and your next upgrade will cost $3 (since you are upgrading to the third level). After you pay, move your Train Upgrade Token to the right one space. You may only upgrade one level per action.
Shipping Goods
You may ship goods from one of your depots, in one color as many Links as your current Train Rating allows. You may ship these goods to one destination. Your Train Rating is noted on your Player board, and the number indicates how many Links you may use to ship goods.
You may ship goods either to a city or one of your own depots. You may not ship goods to other players' depots. To ship along a railway, you must have a depot on it. You cannot ship across any railway without a depot on it. (You are able to use other players' depots, at the cost of $1 for each cube per depot paid to the owner of those depots.)
A Link is considered the railway between two cities. The examples below illustrate the concept:
- Example 1: Since you can only ship one color from one depot at a time, the player elects to ship the yellow cubes. Between the Depot A to the yellow City C there are 2 Links. The first is from Depot A to City D, and the second is from City D to City C. This is easy to calculate, because there are two railways you need to use to complete the shipment.
- Example 2: A player may ship the blue cube to City D, which counts as 1 Link.
- Example 3: A player cannot ship his red Good to City E because the demand has already been met.
- Example 4: A player cannot ship his green Good to City F, because there is no Depot along the railway between City F and City E. However, there is another player's depot between City E and City G which could be used. To ship to City G, the player ships across 3 links (From A to D, D to E, and E to G), but must pay the blue player $1 for each cube in order to use his depot.
- Example 5: A player may ship his red Good to Depot K, which is a distance of 3 links. (From A to D, D to C, C to K)
REMEMBER: A shipping action only allows a player to ship 1 color of Goods from 1 of your Depots to 1 destination.
Shipping Goods to a Depot: When you ship Goods to one of your own Depots, those Goods stay in that Depot. This is useful when trying to send Goods over long distances. NOTE: it must be your Depot that the Goods come to rest at, it cannot be another player's.
Shipping Goods to a City: You can only ship Goods to a city of the same color as the Good, and that still has Demand left. Each city can hold 5 cubes before it is filled, as noted by the black dots on the city. As goods are shipped to a city, you place goods over the black dots so you can see how many goods can still be delivered. A city cannot gain more goods than it has demand left.
As soon as a city's Demand is met, remove all the Goods from it and place a Demand token on it with the city side up. Take this Demand token from the face down stack of tiles used from the Factories Produced phase. That city now carries this new demand. When that new demand is filled up, flip the token over and the city is closed to deliveries and will accept no more goods for the rest of the game.
When you successfully ship goods to a City, you collect money for doing so. You collect the amount of money indicated on the Market Board for each Good of that color.
NOTE: When using another player's Depot to ship to a City, you collect money from the city THEN pay the other player.
Route Adjustment
If you take the Route Adjustment action, you may move your Airship exactly one space in any direction. You must follow the normal movement rules and you cannot move your Airship into a City.
This is especially useful if you've discovered that you have misplanned your Airship route for the round.
After Route Adjustment, you may load or unload goods.
Upkeep
Players return all of their played Movement Cards back into their hand.
Players must also pay $1 for each good they have in their Depots or their airship hold. If you cannot or choose not to pay the upkeep for a good, it must be discarded.
At this time, the Start Player token rotates clockwise.
Factories Produce
Each Factory gains 1 cube of their color.
In addition, remove each Demand Tile from the Future Market Board. For each tile removed, add a Good of that color to each one of the factories of that color.
Place these Demand Tiles in a facedown stack next to the gameboard. These will be used to fill cities later on.
At this time, you should move the Round marker on the Market Board up by one. If it is already the sixth round, then the game is over. Otherwise, start the next round.
Ending the Game
After the 6th round is complete, all players have an opportunity to ship any excess Goods they still have in their Depots (Not their Airship Holds). For shipping these last minute Goods, players receive $4 per cube. The City that the player is delivering to must have Demand left, but Demand does not get filled as these cities are being shipped to. A player must also be capable of shipping these goods with their current Train Rating, and – if necessary – must still pay $1 a cube if using another player's depot.
After this special shipping phase, the game is over.
Winning the Game
After the game is over, players should total up their cash. Any Depot you built is worth $10. The most money wins! In the event of a tie, the player with the most Depots wins.
Full Game
Experienced gamers or players who have mastered the Basic Game can implement the following rules to play the Full Game:
- Each player selects one of the two character cards that matches his player color. This character card will grant the player a special ability for the game.
- Take the 13th Movement card that wasn't used for the Basic Game and include it in your Movement Deck.
- The Start Player marker is no longer used – timing disputes are resolved by the Turn Order indicated on the character cards.
FAQ
Can I build a Depot on a space that has an Airship on it? Yes, you can.
If I build a Depot underneath my own Airship, can I unload Goods there? No, loading/unloading can only be done right after your Airship Movement, not during the Action phase.
Is the Upkeep phase still carried out during the last round? Yes it is. In this case, if you are unable to deliver a good during the last special shipping phase, you should elect to discard the goods.
Can I use other people's tracks during the final shipping phase? Yes, but you must pay them the full amount ($1 per cube).