Ocean Trader
Ocean Trader Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Playing Board
This is a chart of the world containing sea routes, trading ports and details of goods available for purchase.
The Ships
A fleet can consist of up to three ships. Each ship is numbered from 1 to 3 and each fleet has a separate colour. Players start the game with one ship. Additional ships are purchased from the Merchant Banker at the cost of £2,000, and can be re-sold to the Merchant Banker for the sum of £1,000 provided it is in a port at the time of the sale. All ships must start play in Liverpool.
The Insurance Policy
Each ship can be covered by an Insurance Policy. The Policy covers the ship owner against the loss of ship and cargo. The Policy for the first ship is issued free of charge by the Merchant Banker, while additional policies for other ships in the fleet can be purchased for the sum of £500. All insurance policies remain valid until such time as the ship owner surrenders them to the Merchant Banker for the sum of £250. Provided a ship is covered by an Insurance Policy in the event of it being lost at sea, the ship owner will be issued with a new ship (to start from Liverpool) plus the full purchase value of all cargoes lost with the ship. It is not necessary for a ship to be covered by insurance if the owner feels he is justified in taking the risk.
The Ship Owner's Office
A card representing an office is issued to each ship owner. This allows for each ship in the fleet to be identified. Space is provided to place up to three Bills of Lading on each ship and for the Insurance Policy to be shown.
World Trade Cards
There are 83 World Trade cards, each being different from the others. Each card shows the name of a port, indicates the type of goods required by that port and bears a commodity category number. During play a number of these cards are placed face up, thereby indicating the current world trading situation. For up to 4 players there should be five cards in play, and for five to six players there should be seven cards in play. Each World Trade card will remain in play until that particular port has purchased 2 cargoes of the required goods, or until a Prospect card is drawn which indicates that the particular commodity category is cancelled. Once a World Trade card goes out of play it is immediately replaced by a new card from the top of the pack.
Bills of Lading
For each type of goods available for trading there are 6 Bills of Lading which are kept by the Merchant Banker. These indicate the purchase price of the goods. On making a purchase the ship owner makes the appropriate payment to the Merchant Banker in exchange for the Bill of Lading, which is placed on the space provided for that particular ship in the office. When the ship owner eventually sells the goods the Bill of Lading is placed alongside the appropriate World Trade card, thus indicating that the purchase has been made. (After two purchases the World Trade card is removed from play and a new card drawn from the top of the pack.)
Share Certificates
There are 10 Share Certificates, each valued at £1,000. The aim of each player is to purchase these Certificates in order to obtain a sustainable majority. Certificates are purchased from the Merchant Banker and can be re-sold to the Banker for the sum of £500 or to the highest bidder. A game for 2 players should only use 9 Share Certificates.
Sailing
Ships move forward along a sea route the appropriate number of spaces according to the throw of a dice. Once a ship has started sailing along a particular sea route it must continue in that direction until it reaches the next port; it cannot therefore turn around and go back in the opposite direction between ports. A ship cannot remain on one spot, it must move forward each time the ship owner has his or her turn unless it is in port or following the directions of a Prospect card. It is possible for 2 or more ships to occupy the same spot. If a ship owner has more than 1 ship it is possible for one ship to be sailing and others to be in port (or vice versa) within the same move. If a ship lands on a red space the owner must take a Prospect card from the top of the pack and carry out the resulting instructions. If a ship is to pass through the Suez Canal (shown blue on the playing board) a £50 fee must be paid to the Merchant Banker for the cost of towing. Due to the prevailing strength of the wind along the "Roaring Forties" sea route, if a ship is sailing in an easterly direction for each throw of the dice 2 additional points are added, and for a ship moving in a westerly direction 2 points should be subtracted (even when this results in standing still or moving backwards).
Ports
A ship may dock in any port simply by landing on it. It is not necessary for the ship to sail past the port if the dice value is higher than that required to enter port. A ship is not required to dock in a port if it does not wish to do so, unless the dice value dictates that it must. For the purpose of moving the correct number of spaces in the vicinity of the port, the port itself is counted as a space. A fee, as indicated in the appropriate box, must be paid to the Merchant Banker the moment a ship docks (whether intentionally or otherwise), and the same fee is paid for each turn the ship remains in port unless it is buying or selling within that turn.
Buying Goods
Goods can only be purchased by a ship which is docked at a port which sells those goods (see list of goods printed alongside each port on the playing board). A ship can carry up to 3 cargoes of goods; these can be different or all the same. In order to purchase goods a ship must remain in port for one complete turn for each cargo of goods being purchased. The purchase price of the goods, as shown on the appropriate Bill of Lading, is paid to the Merchant Banker who issues the Bill to the ship owner. The card is placed on the appropriate space in the office until such time as the goods are sold. If a ship owner wishes to speculate he may purchase cargoes which are not currently required on the World Trade Market.
Selling Goods
Goods can be sold by a ship which is docked at a port that is currently wanting to purchase those goods (see World Trade Cards in play). In order to sell goods a ship must remain in port for one complete turn for each cargo being sold. If a rival ship is also on that port, or just about to enter, and is carrying the same goods for sale, it is advisable to firstly sell the goods which will give the best price. A port will only purchase two cargoes of the goods currently being shown on the World Trade card. On the first purchase it will pay four times the purchase price (as indicated by the Bill of Lading), and on the second purchase it will pay twice the purchase price. The money is paid to the ship owner by the Merchant Banker and the Bill of Lading is removed from the office and placed alongside the appropriate World Trade card. When two purchases have been made by a port for a particular cargo, the World Trade card is removed from play and replaced by another from the top of the pack. If a ship owner finds himself carrying goods that are no longer required, he can sell them to any port for half the purchase price, or he can continue to carry them in the hope that a port may eventually wish to buy them.
Method of Play
Before the game starts one of the players is nominated to be the Merchant Banker and as such will handle all transactions throughout the game.
The Merchant Banker issues to each player one ship, one insurance policy, one office card and £750 cash. He then places the Prospect cards face down in the space provided on the playing board. Depending upon the number of players in the game he then brings into play 5 to 7 World Trade Cards by spreading them out face up. If there are only two players he removes one of the Share Certificates, leaving only 9 available for purchase.
The dice is thrown by each player until one has the outright highest score; that player will take the first turn and thereafter the turn will move in a clockwise direction. Each player places his ship in Liverpool. During each player's turn he has various options. He may throw the dice (one throw applies to all the ships under the same ownership) and sail each of his ships the appropriate number of spaces along the chosen sea route, OR he can purchase goods if the ship is in a port which wishes to buy them. It is not permitted for any ship to trade and sail during the same turn, although if a player has more than one ship one may trade whilst others are sailing or vice versa. Within his turn a player may also buy or sell ships, insurance or share certificates, but not at any other time.
At no time in the game can any ship owner owe money to the Merchant Banker, even for [illegible] time turn. If a ship owner fails to pay a fee he is eliminated from the game and his total assets are returned to the Merchant Banker.
Play continues with each ship owner building up his profits by successful trading. As ship owners can afford they begin buying share certificates until one of them can claim control of the shipping line by a majority share holding. A player can declare majority shareholding at any stage of the game, presuming that he has assessed EITHER that there are insufficient shares remaining with the Merchant Banker for other players to be able to challenge control, OR that the other players have insufficient free funds to purchase enough shares to challenge control. Once a ship owner has claimed a majority share holding, play continues until each player has had twelve more turns. When the claimant has completed his twelfth turn he must still have a majority share holding plus his starting assets of 1 ship, 1 insurance policy and £750 cash in order to win the game. If he fails to have this position he must forfeit 1 share certificate to the Merchant Banker with no cash compensation and the game continues. During the twelve turns it is possible for other ship owners to purchase additional certificates from the Merchant Banker and from other players in order to block the claim by demonstrating an equal or greater shareholding. The successful challenger may then choose to allow play to continue in order to make his claim at a later stage, or make his own claim of majority shareholding, in which case the twelve turns must be repeated from that time and the above requirements fulfilled to maintain a successful claim.
Once there is an outright winner the assets of each player are added to find the finishing position of each player.
Useful Hints
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Always plan your voyage before trading or sailing.
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An empty hold costs money and makes no profit, therefore always attempt to carry goods on a return journey if possible to trade on the way.
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Do not be too hasty in buying ships or share certificates too early in the game. You need the cash and will most likely suffer a loss on the trade in.
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Although your office must be open to view, DO NOT tell anyone of your plans or reveal your cash or share holding situation.
Short Game
A shorter form of the game can be played by ignoring the share certificates and setting a time limit on the game. In this case the winner is determined by totalling the assets of each player.