Shipyard (Second Edition) Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Setup
  • Fixed Starting Employee Set
• Player Setup
• Game Play
• The Turn
  • The First Turns (for 3 or 4 players or solo play)
  • Two-Player Game
  • 1) Advance Your Previous Turn's Action Tile
  • 2) Choose an Action
  • 3) Income
  • 4) Perform an Action
  • 5) Shakedown Cruise
• Government Contracts and the Countdown
• Actions
  • Build Ships
  • Rent a Canal
  • Purchase Commodities
  • Manufacture Equipment
  • Recruit Crew
  • Exchange Commodities
  • Hire Employee
  • Receive Subsidy
• Shakedown Cruise
  • Equipment and Crew
  • Speed
  • Requirements for Scoring
  • Scoring
• End of the Game
  • Final Action
  • Complete a Ship
  • Government Contracts and Traders
  • Winning the Game
• Solo Game
  • Setup
  • Gameplay
  • Other Rules
  • Game End
  • Results
• Employees
  • Trader
  • Builder
  • Engineer
  • Recruiter
  • Accountant
  • Rigger
  • Helmsman
  • Foreman
• Government Contracts
  • Fixed Starting Contract Sets
  • Red Government Contracts
  • Blue Government Contracts
• Credits

Components

• 2 Game boards
• 4 Shipyard boards
• 8 Action tiles
• 24 Shipping canals
• 48 Employees
• 26 Government contracts
• 14 Commodity tiles
• 46 Coins (Guilders)
• 1 Cardboard crane
• 1 Cardboard tray
• 8 Solo game tiles
• 12 cubes
• 104 ship tiles: Bow, Middle, and Stern tiles
• Player pieces: 1 counter for tracking score, 1 ship token for sailing in the Shipping canals, 3 cubes for choosing actions (per player)
• Crew: 23 Captain, 21 Businessman, 21 Soldier, 18 Stoker
• Equipment: 23 Smokestack, 23 Sail, 23 Cannon, 23 Crane

Game Setup

The game board has 3 parts: 1 is separate from the other 2. Place the boards in the middle of the table any way you like. Place the various components on the game boards as seen below:

1. Ship tiles should be sorted according to their backs into 4 stacks of tiles. Put stack No. I into the crane and stack No. II face down near by the crane. Use tiles from stack No. I until all those tiles are used and then use those from stack No. II.
2. Deal the top 5 tiles from each of the "middle" section tile stacks face up onto the 10 "middle" ship spaces on the board. Deal the top 5 tiles from the "bow" stack (the fronts of ships) and place them onto the 5 bow spaces on the board. Do the same for the "stern" tiles (the backs of ships).
3. Place the Commodity tiles in the rightmost column of the crane and then deal 5 tiles face up from here to the designated commodity spaces on the board. Then create a face-down stack of Canal tiles and display 5 of them face up in the indicated slots next to the main board.
4. Each player should place a counter in their chosen color on the scoring track on the space marked "0".
5. Equipment and crew tiles should be placed in the cardboard tray provided, which should then be placed near the main game boards.
6. Coins should be placed near to the game boards as a supply.
7. The Action tiles should be placed in the row under the turn tracker wheel. Those tiles which are shown on the track should be placed in those positions.
8. The "Receive Subsidy" tile (with 2 coins on it) is only used in a 4-player game. Put this tile on the dedicated space on the board (showing the coins). For other player counts, flip this tile face down.
9. The other Action tiles can be placed in any order in the remaining spaces on the track.
10. Place 1 cube into the cube slot on the turn tracker wheel. The arrow on this wheel must be aligned with the arrow marked with Start. The rest of the cubes should be placed in a row above the Action tiles: 7 cubes for a 4-player, 5 for a 3-player/solo, and 3 for a 2-player game. Slide the cubes to the left of the row if there is space.
11. A cube is placed on 1 of the 4 sectors, chosen at random, of the inner circle of the main game board as the Recruit Crew marker. The Manufacture Equipment marker cube is placed on a randomly chosen sector of the middle circle. The Exchange marker cube is placed on the biggest space with arrows. The Employee marker cube is placed on a random space on the outside of the circle.
12. Separate out the 8 tiles from the Fixed Starting Employee set (these tiles all have a fee of 1 guilder). Place these tiles on the main board around the circle as it is in the picture on the bottom of the next page. Shuffle the rest of the tiles from stack I. and place them randomly on the remaining spaces on the board. After a few games with this fixed setup you can shuffle all the tiles from the appropriate deck and distribute them randomly. The No. I deck is used in 2-player and solo games. The No. II deck is used in 3- and 4-player games. Place each tile on top of the brown-backed tiles that matches it face up.

Fixed Starting Employee Set

Set aside 4 recruiter tiles (green ones) and 4 engineer tiles (gray ones). Put one in each of the 8 sections of the board. Then fill the rest of the spaces with random employee tiles with the same back (No. I if playing solo or with 2 players, No. II for all other player counts).

Player Setup

Each player receives the following:

1. Shipyard board
2. Score counter and ship
3. 1 cube for a 3- or 4-player game; 3 cubes for a 2-player game.
4. 1 commodity tile with all 3 commodity types
5. 6 guilders
6. Every player gets 2 red and 2 blue contracts according to the Fixed Contract Starting Setup as shown on page 14. After a few games, you can give each player 3 red and 3 blue contracts at random.

Return any leftover contracts and player pieces to the box.

You may look at your Government contracts at any time, but keep them secret from the other players. All other items acquired during the game (guilders, equipment, crew, employees, canals, ship tiles) are public information and should be kept visible to other players.

Game Play

Players take turns, beginning with a randomly selected player, continuing clockwise around the table. On your turn, you will choose one of the available actions from the Action Track. The action will give you something you need to help build your ships. On your next turn, you will move that Action tile ahead of all the others and choose a different action. This is explained in detail below.

If you complete a ship on your turn, you move the whole ship to the top of your Shipyard board for a Shakedown Cruise on the canal, during which you may score points for speed, crew, equipment, or safety.

As players take their turns, the cube on the turn tracker wheel will advance around it. When the cube reaches the last position and it drops into the hole, finish the active player's turn, then remove 1 cube from the rightmost space of the reserve above the Action track from the game. If there is an empty action tile in last position (farthest from the wheel and without a cube on it), put one guilder on this tile to make it more interesting for players to select. At the beginning of the next player's turn, in step 1, pick up the dropped cube to allow the wheel to rotate on a space as normal and then put it back in its slot.

The game end is triggered when the countdown cube reaches the hole in the turn tracker wheel and there are no cubes left in the reserve row. Alternatively, the game also ends if you run out of Ship tiles. At the end of the game, bonus points for Government contracts are scored and added to points gathered during the course of the game.

The Turn

Your turn has 5 steps:

1. Advance your previous turn's Action tile to the first spot of the Action track. This is skipped during your first turn.
2. Choose a new action and put your cube on this action.
3. Collect income.
4. Perform your chosen action. (You have the option of paying 6 guilders for 1 bonus action in this step.)
5. If you completed 1 or more ships, take your new ships out on a Shakedown Cruise. (This is how you score points.)

Each step is explained in detail below. However, your first turn will be slightly different:

The First Turns (for 3 or 4 players or solo play)

On your first turn, you will skip step 1 and go straight to choosing an action. Your available actions and potential income will be limited by the actions of those who played ahead of you.

NOTE: Your cube is used to indicate your chosen action. There are 3 such cubes in each color, but only 1 of these cubes is used in a 3- or 4-player game. Return the other 2 to the box.

The starting player simply chooses an action (step 2) by placing their cube on the chosen Action tile. The starting player gets no income (step 3). The player performs the chosen action immediately (step 4), possibly buying a bonus action as well before or after their action. This will probably end their turn, but if a ship is completed, the starting player takes it out on a Shakedown Cruise (step 5).

The second player may place their cube on any Action tile except the one chosen by the starting player. Order is important. The second player gets an income of 1 guilder if their cube is placed on 1 of the Action tiles to the left of the first player's cube (farther from the wheel). They get no income if their cube is ahead of the starting player's cube. The second player then performs their chosen action (and possibly a bonus action) in step 4, which may lead to a Shakedown Cruise (step 5).

The third and fourth players' turns are similar, with each player choosing an unoccupied Action tile, placing their cube on it, and collecting 1 guilder for each occupied tile ahead (to the right) of the one they choose. Steps 4 and 5 are just like those on a regular turn and are described in detail below.

After the last player has completed their first turn, it is the first player's turn again. For the rest of the game, all turns begin with step 1 and proceed normally.

Example: Pink chooses to "Exchange Commodities" and gets 1 guilder because Yellow is on a tile ahead of Pink. The tile occupied by White does not give Pink a guilder, because it is behind Pink's chosen tile.

Two-Player Game

In a 2-player game, you will use all 3 cubes to choose your actions. Two of the cubes will mark your previous turn's action and the other cube will mark the action you choose in the current turn.

As with the 3- or 4-player game, your first turns are somewhat different from a regular turn.

The starting player chooses an Action tile from the Action track and marks it with 2 cubes (step 2). They get no income (step 3). Steps 4 and 5 are played according to the standard rules (explained below).

The second player chooses any Action tile except the 1 chosen by the starting player. The chosen action is marked with 2 of the second player's cubes. The second player gets 1 guilder for choosing an action to the left of the first player's action but gets no income for choosing an action to the right of the first player's action. Steps 4 and 5 are played according to the standard rules.

Then the starting player continues by choosing 1 of the Action tiles not yet chosen and places their remaining cube on it. They get 1 guilder for each occupied tile ahead of their chosen tile. (A tile counts as occupied whether it has your or your opponent's cube or cubes on it). Steps 4 and 5 are completed according to the standard rules. The second player's turn is analogous.

Example: Pink chooses to "Recruit Crew" and gets 3 guilders because there are 3 occupied tiles ahead of the tile chosen.

1) Advance Your Previous Turn's Action Tile

In a 3- or 4-player game or solo play, you begin your turn by picking up your cube and moving its Action tile to the first position of the Action track ahead of all the other tiles (the position closest to the wheel) and then slide the row to the left, causing the turn tracker wheel to turn one step. In other words, the Action tile you chose the previous turn becomes the new lead Action tile. If there is a guilder on the tile a player selects, that player takes it as additional income at the point of placing their cube on the Action tile. This could be the case – because a guilder is placed on the tile farthest from the wheel when the cube on the wheel starts out on a new rotation and there is no cube on this particular tile.

Special Case: It is possible that your cube was already sitting on the lead Action tile. Even in this case, you need to move the wheel. You will need to take the Action tile out of the track and move the wheel in the direction of the arrow one step. This can only happen to the starting player and only on their very first turn.

In a 2-player game, you advance the tile that you chose 2 turns ago. Pick up the tile with 2 cubes of your color on it and move it into the first position of the Action track and slide the row causing the wheel to turn 1 step. Place 1 of the cubes from the tile you just picked up on the Action tile you previously selected (that already has 1 cube on it).

You will end up with 1 cube in your hand to use in step 2. Your other 2 cubes are marking your previous turn's action. The action from 2 turns ago becomes the leading tile.

2) Choose an Action

Now you choose a new Action tile from those available. Your choice is limited by the following restrictions:

• You cannot choose the lead Action tile (the one you just moved to the front).
• The tile you choose must not have any cubes on it.
• You must be able to perform the chosen action.

Put your cube on the chosen tile.

NOTE: In a 3- or 4-player game, you will have 4 actions to choose from. In a 2-player game, you will have 3 to choose from.

3) Income

You get income depending on where you place your cube. If you place your cube on a tile that is ahead of all the other cubes, you get no income. Otherwise, you get 1 guilder for each occupied tile that is to the right of the one you chose. A tile is considered to be occupied if it has 1 or 2 cubes on it, even if they are your own cubes.

Example: Blue chooses the "Purchase Commodities" action. This player gets 3 guilders.

4) Perform an Action

After receiving any income, you must perform your chosen action. The actions are explained in detail in the section below.

If you pay 6 guilders, you can also perform a bonus action. Your bonus action can be any other action. You can choose the action that you moved to the front in step 1. You can even choose an action that has another player's cube on it. The only action you cannot choose as a bonus is the one you chose in step 2 (the one with your cube on it). You cannot buy more than 1 bonus action per turn.

You do not use a cube to mark your bonus action. Simply announce to the other players what it is, pay 6 guilders, and perform it as normal.

You may perform your bonus action either before or after your chosen action. You pay for your bonus action when you use it. It is not possible to use guilders gained from your bonus action to help pay for itself, but it is possible to use guilders gained from your normal action to pay for your bonus action, if your bonus action is performed after your chosen one.

It is even possible to buy a bonus action on your first turn.

NOTE FOR A 2-PLAYER GAME: The only restriction on your bonus action is that it cannot be the one you chose this round, the one with 1 cube on it. You can choose the action with 2 cubes on it as your bonus action, if you wish.

5) Shakedown Cruise

A ship is complete when it has a bow on the left, at least 1 middle piece in the middle, and a stern on the right, with no empty spaces. If you have completed any ships after step 4, they must leave your Shipyard to be tested in your canal system. You will score points for Speed, Crew, Equipment, and Safety features. The Shakedown Cruise is described in detail in a later chapter.

You do not need to complete a ship every turn. If you have no completed ships at the end of step 4, your turn ends without a Shakedown Cruise.

Government Contracts and the Countdown

Removing a cube from the reserve row can trigger the requirement to discard some of the Government Contracts from your hand. This will occur as follows:

In a 4-player game, you have 2 (3) red and 2 (3) blue contracts from the beginning. When you remove the fourth cube from the reserve (halfway through the game), each player must discard 1 (2) of each.

In a 3-player game or solo play, you have 2 red and 2 blue contracts from the beginning of the game. You must discard 1 of each colour from the reserve row. After few games, when you have 3 red and 3 blue contracts from beginning, discard 1 of each coloured contract after removal of the second and fourth cube from the reserve row.

In a 2-player game, you have 2 (3) red and 2 (3) blue contracts from the beginning of the game. You must discard 1 (2) of each colour after removal of the second cube from the reserve row.

REMINDER: Your Government Contracts are supposed to be kept secret. Do not even reveal those that you discard.

In all cases, the result is that you play the final round with only 2 Government Contracts, one red and one blue. These are the ones that could add VPs to your final score.

Actions

Build Ships

The game board offers 20 Ship tiles to build ships with: 5 bows, 10 middles, and 5 sterns. You can buy 1, 2, or 3 Ship tiles in any combination.

TIP: Not all Ship tiles are alike. The differences in the illustrations are not just for decoration. To find out the meanings of the lifebuoys, lifeboats, lanterns, cabins, and mounts, read the Shakedown Cruise chapter.

For each Ship tile you buy, you pay the indicated number of guilders. Those in the bottom row cost nothing, those in the next two rows (center) cost 1, and those in the two rows closest to the crane at the edge of the board cost 2 guilders.

Ship tiles are used to build ships. A complete ship has a bow on the left, a stern on the right, and only middle tiles in between, with no empty spaces. A complete ship must have at least 1 middle tile and a maximum of 7 middle tiles in total.

You must place all the Ship tiles you buy in your Shipyard, according to the following rules:

• The new tiles must be placed in empty spaces (the dotted areas at the bottom of the Shipyard boards).
• You cannot move or re-arrange tiles. The only way to make space in your Shipyard is to complete a ship. (And completed ships don't leave the yard until step 5.)
• You cannot fill up all your empty spaces unless the result is at least 1 completed ship.
• You cannot put a tile in a place that would make it impossible for it to become part of a completed ship. However, it is legal to add on to ships that need another ship to leave before they can be completed.

NOTE: If you select this action, you must take at least 1 Ship tile from the Game Board. If you have no money, you must take 1 or more of the free Ship tiles. You can only take tiles that you can legally play. If you have no legal position to place it in, you cannot choose this action.

Note that you are not required to place Ship tiles so that they attach to those already in your Shipyard. It is possible to have a ship spread out across the yard in several pieces.

If you complete at least 1 ship during this action, you will take it (or them) out on a Shakedown Cruise at the end of your turn.

Examples of building ships: 1) Only bows are legal in the leftmost column. Also there is not enough space to attach a bow to this middle and stern. 2) There is no way to put a middle between a bow and a stern next to each other. 3) Only sterns are legal in the rightmost column. 4) When the ship on the right is completed it will sail away and leave space to build a new ship using the bow on the left. 5) When the ships on the left and right sail away, the middle piece can become part of a new ship.

After all your new Ship tiles have been placed in your Shipyard, slide the Ship tiles on the Game Board down into the empty spaces so that the only empty spaces are at the tops of the columns. Fill these in with new tiles from the corresponding stacks in the crane. First, put into play the tiles with No. I on their backs. When you run out of these, use tiles with II. on their backs. The newest tiles will be the most expensive.

NOTE: The 2 columns of middles are treated separately, so that if you take 3 tiles from 1 column, then that column will have 3 empty spaces at the top when you slide the remaining 2 tiles down. However, both columns are re-filled from the same stack.

Rent a Canal

With this action, you buy 1 of the 5 available Shipping Canals. You pay the indicated number of guilders and place the Canal tile in front of you or in such a way that it extends your existing canal system. Then you slide the remaining Canals down the column and deal a new one into the resulting empty space at the top. If you run out of Canals, collect the used Canals (after making a note of how many each player has) and shuffle them together to make a new stack.

It is not necessary to put your ship onto the Canal tile immediately. You can do it when your first ship goes for a Shakedown Cruise. Then simply put your ship token on one of the spaces along the edge with its stern pointing out of the Canal (as though it just sailed in). This is where your first Shakedown Cruise will start.

Each new Canal is attached so that at least 1 side matches up with the other tiles in the canal system. You cannot re-arrange your Canals, nor can you move or rotate the ship token.

Canals are used to earn points for your ships during the Shakedown Cruise. Read that chapter below to find out what the symbols mean.

TIP: It is important to choose Canals that match up well with the ships you are building.

Purchase Commodities

With this action, you buy one of the 5 available Commodity tiles. You pay the indicated number of guilders. (The tile at the bottom of the column is free.)

Slide the tiles down the column into the vacated space, and deal a new tile into the resulting empty space at the top. (So the newest tile is the most expensive.) If you run out of tiles, shuffle the used ones together and make a new stack.

TIP: Your Commodity tiles can be traded in at the Commodities Exchange for guilders, Equipment, or Crew. This is a separate action, explained below.

Manufacture Equipment

With this action you take 1 piece of Equipment. First, move the Manufacture Equipment marker cube 1 space clockwise around the middle ring. The marker indicates the piece of Equipment that you can get for free.

If you want a different piece of Equipment, move the marker clockwise around the ring, paying 1 guilder for each move. (So a different piece will cost 1, 2, or 3, and the most expensive piece is the one the cube started on.) Take the piece from the tray.

Equipment is stored in your Shipyard on the right side or next to it. It can be attached to any completed ship when the ship is ready for its Shakedown Cruise. Once it leaves the Shipyard, the Equipment will be attached to that ship for the rest of the game.

TIP: Equipment needs a mounting point. (See the Shakedown Cruise chapter.) It is important to choose Ship tiles and Equipment that match each other.

Recruit Crew

Recruit Crew is analogous to Manufacture Equipment except the marker moves clockwise around the spaces of the inner circle. See previous paragraph.

TIP: Every ship needs a captain. Be sure you have at least 1 captain in your Shipyard before you complete a ship. Without a captain, that ship will earn you no points. Every Crew Member besides the captain needs a cabin. If you are planning to have extra Crew on your ship, be sure to choose Ship tiles with cabins. Every additional captain on the ship becomes an officer who needs his own cabin.

Exchange Commodities

With this action you trade in 1 Commodity tile. For each commodity on the tile (there are always 3), you decide whether to sell it for guilders or exchange it for Equipment or Crew. If you have no Commodity tiles, you cannot choose this action.

You begin the action by moving the marker 1 space clockwise around the Commodity Exchange ring. This determines the current commodity prices. Pay attention, you cannot pay to move the marker extra spaces.

Choose which Commodity tile you are exchanging. For each commodity on the tile, you can either sell it for the number of guilders indicated by the marker, or trade it for 1 of the items depicted in the tables which are in the corners of the game board.

You do not have to do the same thing for each commodity. However, you cannot choose to exchange 2 commodities for the same piece of Equipment or Crew. For example, if you have 2 piles of coal, you can exchange 1 for a stoker and 1 for a smokestack, but you cannot exchange both for 2 smokestacks. However, you can choose to sell one or both piles for guilders.

TIP: One of the keys to success is understanding when to Manufacture or Recruit, and when to seek Equipment or Crew at the Exchange.

Hire Employee

With this action you get 1 Employee tile. Employees allow you to manufacture extra Equipment, recruit more Crew, place more Crew or Equipment on your ships, or get better bargains.

You start by moving the marker ahead 1 space clockwise on the Employee Track. As with Recruit Crew or Manufacture Equipment, you can pay guilders to move the marker extra spaces around the track (1 guilder per extra space) until you have the marker on the space you want. Each space corresponds to 3 Employees. Take the one you want.

NOTE: Some employees have surcharges: if you take an Engineer (gray tile) or a Recruiter (green tile), you must pay 1 extra guilder. This is indicated on the tile and stated in the appendix.

You cannot take an Employee that is the same as one you already have (it is legal to have 2 Recruiters, for example, but only if they do different things).

Your Employees are kept face up in your Shipyard on the right side or next to it. They will work for you until the end of the game, bringing you the advantages that are described in detail in the appendix.

Receive Subsidy

This action is only available in a 4-player game. When you perform this action, you gain 2 guilders from the bank.

Shakedown Cruise

If you complete a ship, then you end your turn with a Shakedown Cruise. Your ship is ready to score points. If you complete multiple ships, then each will have its own Shakedown Cruise. You decide the order in which your ships will be scored. A ship must leave the Shipyard on the turn on which it is completed.

A completed ship has a bow on the left, from 1 to 7 middles, and a stern on the right. All pieces must be adjacent with no empty spaces between them. A ship that was not completed does not leave the Shipyard.

Equipment and Crew

Equipment and Crew are not added to your ship until it is complete. Equipment and Crew that are used on 1 ship will stay with that ship and cannot be used on a different ship later.

You can only add Equipment and Crew that you have in your Shipyard. You do not get to take pieces from the bank. Attaching these pieces to your completed ship does not require an action.

Every ship must have a captain. He does not need a cabin. If you put additional captains on your ship, they become officers, and each one of them needs his own cabin. Each piece of Equipment must have a mounting point. Every crew member, except for a captain, needs a cabin.

Note that sails, smokestacks, cranes and cannons each have their own specific mounting point. Similarly, stokers have their own specific cabin. A crane cannot attach to a cannon mounting point and a soldier cannot be accommodated in a stoker's cabin, for example. However, sails and smokestacks use the same type of mounting point, and a cabin can hold any other type of Crew (including an additional captain who has become an officer, but not a stoker).

Each mounting point can have only 1 piece of Equipment. Each cabin can hold only 1 Crew Member. You do not have to use all the mounting points and cabins on your ship. You can choose to save Equipment and Crew for later.

Special Case: Certain Employees (builders) allow you to have extra Crew without cabins or extra Equipment without mounting points. Builders are described in the Employees chapter.

Speed

Now it is time to calculate your ship's speed. Ships are divided into two categories:

• A ship with at least 1 smokestack and 1 stoker has a base speed of 4. For each additional smokestack, stoker or sail, its speed is increased by 1.
• A ship with no smokestacks or no stokers has a base speed of 1. For each sail or stoker, its speed is increased by 1. For each pair of smokestacks, its speed is increased by 1.

Example: The upper ship has a stoker and a smokestack so its base speed is 4. It also has 2 more sails. That makes 6 in total.

The lower ship has base speed of 1. It gets 1 more speed point for 1 sail and 1 for the pair of smokestacks.

Requirements for Scoring

1. Your ship must have a captain (but remember, he doesn't need a cabin).
2. Your Canal System must be long enough to allow your ship to move forward at full speed (as described below).

A ship that fails to meet 1 or both of these requirements scores no points. You should not give it Equipment or Crew because they will be wasted. The ship does not sail. Instead, it is removed from the game. It will not count toward your Government Contracts at the end of the game.

NOTE: A ship with no smokestack, no stoker, and no sail can still be scored as long as it has a captain. It will have a speed of 1, so it will only move 1 space through your canal system.

TIP: Be sure you have a captain and a Canal with enough space before you complete your ship.

Scoring

If your ship meets the above requirements, it is scored on 4 criteria:

• Crew
• Cannons and cranes
• Speed
• Shakedown results

These criteria are listed on the board with the Action tiles and the turn tracker wheel. For each one, advance your counter along the Scoring Track to indicate the points you score.

Crew

For each Crew Member (including your captain, but not your stoker) you score 1 point. Move your marker along the Scoring Track to indicate the points you score.

Cannons and Cranes

You score 2 points for each crane. You score 2 points for each cannon.

Speed

You score a number of points equal to your ship's speed (as calculated above).

Shakedown Results

Finally, it is time for your ship to set sail. Various government officials come to your testing canal to judge your ship's commercial potential, military power, or safety rating. Also of interest is whether your ship might be fast enough to contend for the Blue Riband, the honor given to the fastest trans-Atlantic ocean liner.

To test your ship (and score your shakedown points) advance the ship token through the canal 1 space for each point of speed your ship has. You must use your ship's full speed. At each space, the ship token's stern should indicate where it came from. You cannot move the ship token back into a space that it just left. When the ship token comes to a confluence, you can choose to advance it along any channel except the one your ship just sailed through.

As the ship token moves through the canal, it will come to various spaces with icons. Each one represents an official who is measuring a certain aspect of your ship:

• This official gives you 1 point for each soldier and 1 point for each cannon on your ship.
• This official gives you 1 point for each businessman and 1 point for each crane on your ship.
• This official gives you 1 point for each lantern on your ship.
• This official gives you 1 point for each lifeboat on your ship.
• This official gives you 1 point for each lifebuoy on your ship.

If you land on the same type of official more than once, you get the points each time. However, the Blue Riband spaces work differently.

When you get to a Blue Riband space, you score 1 point for each space the ship token has advanced so far. If your ship token lands on more than 1 Blue Riband space, only the last one counts. For example, your ship's maximum Blue Riband score is equal to its speed, if the token ends the cruise on a Blue Riband space.

This testing is the last step in scoring your ship – for now. Move your ship (along with its Equipment and Crew) within your Shipyard to the free space at the top. Keep it there, because it might score points again at the end of the game when you reveal your secret Government Contracts.

The ship token remains on the space where it stopped. Be sure that its stern indicates which direction it came from. Your next ship's shakedown will start on that space. (If the ship token is on a confluence, you do not have to decide which branch it will take until you test your next ship.) The bow does not point where your ship must go; it is the stern which indicates the direction in which your ship cannot go.

Whenever your ship token moves onto a new Canal tile, the Canal that it just left is removed from your canal system. Keep your used Canals in a stack until the end of the game. (A Government Contract may award points for used Canals. Even if you do not have such a Contract, you should keep your Canals so that the other players think you might.)

NOTE: If removing a used Canal causes other Canals to not be attached anymore, then those are removed. They do not count as Canals that you have used, so you should put them in a separate Canals discard pile next to the canal deck. The only Canals left in your canal system are those that could be reached by your ship token on future shakedowns.

Scoring example: This ship scores 4 points for Crew (1 captain, 2 businessmen, and 1 soldier) and 4 points for Equipment (1 cannon and 1 crane). It has a speed of 6. This adds up to 14 points. Now we take it out for its Shakedown Cruise. It scores 2 points for lifebuoys, 3 points for 1 crane and 2 businessmen, and 4 points in the contest for the Blue Riband. This adds up to 9 shakedown points. The player's total for this ship is 23 points.

End of the Game

Each time the turn marker drops down into the hole, remove a cube from the reserve above the Action track from the game. When the last cube is removed from the leftmost space of the reserve, continue playing until the turn tracker wheel rotates one more time. When the cube in the wheel drops into the hole, let the current player finish their action. Then take the cube out of the wheel and the next player can perform their last standard action in the game. At this point, each player should have played the same number of standard turns.

The game can end earlier if you run out of Ship tiles. If the last bow, stern, or middle Ship tile is revealed and put into the game, the game ends immediately. Just finish the actions that mean all players will have taken an equal number of actions.

NOTE: The stack of middles is in 2 parts stacked on top of each other. If you run out of tiles from stack I, the game continues with the tiles from stack II. Keep filling in spaces with the tiles remaining in the stack.

It is not possible to run out of anything except Ship tiles. If any other supply runs out, just shuffle the used tiles together to make a new stack and keep playing. If you run out of pieces or guilders, find some suitable substitute for them.

If the game ends earlier, keep playing until everyone has had the same number of turns. The player on the starting player's right will have the last regular turn.

Regardless of which way the game ends, each player gets 1 final action and 1 final chance to complete a ship.

Final Action

Beginning with the starting player, each player gets 1 final action. You can choose from any of the actions, regardless of whose cubes are on them and regardless of what action you chose on your last regular turn. It is possible for multiple players to choose the same final action. Your final action works the same way as you were performing it on step 4 of a regular turn.

If your final action completes 1 or more ships, you take them on a Shakedown Cruise, just as you would on a regular turn. It is not possible to buy a bonus action in addition to your final action.

Complete a Ship

After every player has had a final action, each gets 1 last chance to complete a ship (beginning with the starting player). If you cannot complete a ship with only 1 tile, then you simply pass on to the next player.

If you only need 1 Ship tile to complete a ship, you may buy it in the usual way by paying the necessary cost. Take the tile, then slide the remaining tiles down the column into the empty space and reveal a new tile at the top (if you can).

Take your completed ship on its Shakedown Cruise and score points for it.

NOTE: It is still possible to buy Ship tiles (either as a normal Build Ships action or as your last chance to complete a ship) even if there are no tiles left. If the type of tile you need is no longer available, you can buy that type for free. Use some appropriate substitute to indicate your bow, middle, or stern. A "Ship tile" added to your ship this way has no mounting points, no cabins, and no safety equipment, but it still counts as a Ship tile when calculating the length of your ship.

Government Contracts and Traders

After everyone has had a last chance to complete a ship, all players reveal their Government Contracts and score the indicated points.

Some Employee Cards (traders) give bonus points, which should also be scored at this time.

Winning the Game

The player with the most points wins. Break ties in favor of the player with the most guilders. In rare case there is still a tie, players share their victory.

Solo Game

Setup

Preparation of the game is the same as for a 3-player game so use the same setup. In addition, use the following components:

1. Place the Solo play board near to the main board. You will find the Solo board on the bottom of the lid of the component tray.
2. Shuffle all 8 Solo tiles and put them face down on the left side of the board (with their number visible).
3. Choose a colour which you will use for the game and then 2 other colours for the 2 other automa players. Put cubes of these colours on the dedicated spaces on the Solo play board. This shows the order in which the automa players will take their turns.

Use the fixed setup, including contracts, for your first few games. Later, you can try randomly placing out Employees and using all Contracts.

The actions for solo play are analogous to actions from the standard game (see the chapter on Actions). This tile is the only exception. When it comes into play and it is possible to perform it, just put a cube on the last tile in the row (farthest from the wheel) and perform that action.

Gameplay

The player chooses an action according to the rules in the section THE FIRST TURNS. Then, the first solo tile is flipped as the turn of the first automa player and is placed face up to the right of the face-down stack. No action is performed, but a cube of this automa is put on the corresponding Action tile. Then, flip a second solo tile as the turn of the second automa player and likewise, place a cube on the revealed action but do not take the action. If the flipped solo tile shows an Action tile that is already occupied, continue flipping solo tiles until you come to an unoccupied one.

Then, the player continues playing according to the rules in THE TURN section. When it is the first automa's turn, flip the next solo tile and place it on the stack to the right of that pile. Place 1 of their cubes on the Action tile indicated. Perform the action as follows:

• For the Manufacture Equipment, Recruit Crew, Exchange Commodities and Hire Employees actions, move the marker forward a number of steps equal to the number on the face-down tile at the top of the solo tile stack. (In the case of the number being 0 use the number in brackets.) The only exception is the Exchange Commodities action. In this case, only move the marker 1 step as normal.
• For any other actions (Build Ship, Purchase Commodities or Rent a Canal), remove 1 tile of that type (but in the case of the Build Ship action you will remove a complete row) according to the number on the face-down tile at the top of the solo tile stack: 0 removes the first tile/row, 1 removes the the second tile/row and 2 removes the first row of the last 2 rows.

After the first automa player's turn, the second automa takes their turn in the same way. After the second automa's turn, the player takes their turn as normal.

Don't forget to move the Action tiles along the Action track in the normal way, for both the player and the automas, after the first turn of each. This is important for tracking the number of turns.

Example: The player (Pink) took their turn. Now it's the turn of the Blue automa player. Their cube was on the "Rent a Canal" action. The player moves Blue's tile to make it the leading tile (closest to the wheel) and then they put 1 of Blue's cubes on the Purchase Commodities tile as that is what was revealed as Blue's action. Since the number 2 is on the tile on the opposite side, the first tile with price 2 is removed from the game. The player then slides the tiles down in the Commodities column and fills the resulting space at the top with a face-up tile from the supply of the appropriate type. Then, the player turns over the next solo tile and performs the action for the Yellow automa player.

Other Rules

If you flip over an action for one of the automa players that is already occupied (by either the player or the other automa), continue flipping solo tiles until you reveal an action which they can take.

For the last solo tile that is flipped, use the number marked on the board. Then take the stack of face-up tiles from the right side of the board, shuffle them and place them face down again on the left side.

Game End

The game ends, like in the normal game for 3 players, when the last cube is removed from the game. Then count your score and don't forget to add the points for your 2 Government contracts.

The only exception to the standard rules is that the automa players have no final action and also they do not complete their ship with the last Ship tile as in the standard game (as they do not keep any Ship tiles).

Results

60 VP – Newbie sailor. Good start, but you can do better!

80 VP – Experienced engineer. Solid outcome.

95+ VP – Born to be a ship builder! Very good score.

Employees

Employees allow you to use an action more productively or to attach more Equipment or Crew to your ship. There are several types of Employees, distinguished by color. When you hire an Employee, their beneficial effect is yours to use for the rest of the game. The effect can be used every time it applies.

The effects of your Employees are cumulative. If you have multiple engineers, for example, it is possible to get multiple extra pieces when you perform the Manufacture Equipment action.

You can choose not to use your Employee's effects or to only use them partially. (See the example under Rigger below.)

Trader

A trader allows you to sell the specified commodity at a higher price when you Exchange Commodities. Each commodity has 2 levels of trader. You cannot hire the higher-level trader unless you already have the lower-level trader for that commodity. Their effects are cumulative. A trader also gets you bonus points. These points are scored at the end of the game.

Example: You cannot hire the Coal: level 2 trader unless you have the Coal: level 1 trader. If you have the Coal: level 1 trader, you get 1 extra guilder each time you sell Coal at the Exchange. If you have the Coal: level 1 and the Coal: level 2 traders, you get 2 extra guilders for Coal.

Builder

A builder allows you to put extra Crew or Equipment on a ship without needing a cabin or mounting point. With the exception of the stoker, the builder allows you to add up to 2 of the specified piece. (You can only add 1 stoker.)

The extra pieces you add to your ship come from your Shipyard, not from the bank.

Example: The +1 stoker builder makes it possible to have up to 2 stokers on one ship: one accommodated in the black cabin at the end of the ship and one allowed by the builder.

Engineer

When you take this tile (as part of the Hire Employee action), you must pay a surcharge of 1 guilder. If you don't have the money, you must hire a different Employee. Whenever you Manufacture Equipment, your engineer allows you to take an extra piece of Equipment, as specified by the tile.

Example: Suppose you have 2 engineers, +1 crane and +1 sail, and the Manufacture Equipment marker is on the cannon. When you Manufacture Equipment, you move the marker to the smokestack. This means you can get a smokestack, a crane, and a sail for free. If you pay 1 guilder, you can move the marker to the crane and get 2 cranes and 1 sail.

Recruiter

When you take this tile, you must pay a surcharge of 1 guilder. If you don't have the money, you must hire a different Employee. Whenever you Recruit Crew from then on, your recruiter allows you to take an extra crew member as specified by the tile, in addition to the crew member recruited normally through the action.

Accountant

When moving the marker for Manufacture Equipment or Recruit Crew, you can move it 1 or 2 extra spaces for free. (So three of the choices cost nothing, and the fourth only costs you 1 guilder instead of 3.)

Rigger

Your completed ships get a +1 bonus to speed for every pair of sails. Calculate speed in the normal way; then add this bonus.

NOTE: You do not have to use this bonus for every pair of sails. For example, if your ship has 4 sails, you can use the rigger to give you a +2 bonus, a +1 bonus, or no bonus at all. (You might not want the full bonus if your canal system is too short.)

Helmsman

Your completed ships get a +1 bonus to speed.

Foreman

When moving the marker for the Hire Employee action, you can move it up to 3 extra spaces for free.

Government Contracts

Your completed, point-scoring ships remain on the table in front of you after their Shakedown Cruises. At the end of the game, your entire fleet is evaluated, and you may earn extra points from your Government Contracts. Note that Equipment and Crew that are left in your Shipyard do not score any points.

NOTE: Completed ships that fail to meet one of the scoring requirements described in the Shakedown Cruise chapter are dismantled and do not count toward your Government Contracts.

At the start of the game, you were dealt 2 or 3 Contracts in each colour, but at the end of the game, you will be left with 1 red and 1 blue Contract. (See the chapter on Game Play for details.)

Fixed Starting Contract Sets

For the first game, use only 4 contracts per player. Give each player 1 set of 4 contracts at random:

1. Different types of Employees (1-2-4-6-9-12); Lifeboats (1-2-4-6-8-12 ... +1); Extra businessmen (0-2-4-6 ... +2); Businessman-crane pairs (3 points).
2. Employees by 2 (3 points each gray/green, 4 points each blue/red/yellow); Lanterns (1-2-4-6-8-12 ... +1); Soldier-cannon pairs (3 points); Extra soldiers (0-2-4-6 ... +2).
3. Blue, yellow, or red Employee tiles (2 points); Lifebuoys (1-2-4-6-8-12 ... +1); Stokers (3 points); Smokestack pairs (3 points).
4. Employees (1-2-3-4 ... +2); All 3 safety measures (5 points); Sail pairs (3 points); Used Canals (4 points).

Red Government Contracts

• Lifebuoys (1-2-4-6-8-12 ... +1): You gain points based on the number of lifebuoys in your fleet, according to the table on the tile (for example, 6 buoys are worth 12 points). Each lifebuoy above 6 is worth an extra point.
• All 3 safety measures (5 points): You gain 5 points for each ship in your fleet that has all 3 safety measures (at least 1 lifebuoy, 1 lifeboat and 1 lantern). NOTE: A ship with 2 lifebuoys, 2 lifeboats and 2 lanterns is still only worth 5 points.
• Blue, yellow, or red Employee tiles (2 points): You gain 2 points for each blue, yellow, or red Employee tile.
• Different types of Employees (1-2-4-6-9-12): You gain points based on the number of different types of Employees in your Shipyard (yellow, red, blue, green, or gray), according to the table on the tile. For the purposes of this Contract, higher-level traders are also considered to be a type different from lower-level traders.
• Lanterns (1-2-4-6-8-12 ... +1): You gain points based on the number of lanterns in your fleet, according to the table on the tile.
• Employees by 2 (3/4 points): You gain points for each 2 Employees depending on the type, 3 points for each gray and green, 4 points for each blue, red, and yellow (in any combination), for example 2 gray, a gray and green or 2 green.
• Lifeboats (1-2-4-6-8-12 ... +1): You gain points based on the number of lifeboats in your fleet, according to the table on the tile.
• Employees (1-2-3-4 ... +2): You gain 1 point for each Employee up to 4. For each Employee above 4, you gain 2 points (so if you finish the game with 7 Employees, they will be worth 10 points).
• Different sizes of ships (2-7-13-19): You gain points for different size of ships. For example you will get 13 points for 1 ship with 3 tiles, 1 with 5 tiles and 1 with 6 tiles. The number of tiles must be exactly as written on the tile.
• Ships with exactly 5 Ship tiles (1-8-15-22): You gain points based on the number of ships in your fleet that have exactly 5 Ship tiles, according to the table on the tile. For example, 3 such ships give you 15 points.
• Ships with exactly 6 Ship tiles (3-10-17): You gain points based on the number of ships in your fleet that have exactly 6 ship tiles, according to the table on the tile.
• Ships with 7 or more Ship tiles (5-12): You gain points based on the number of ships in your fleet that have exactly 7 or more Ship tiles, according to the table on the tile.
• Number of Ship tiles (16+ = 8, 19+ = 13, 22+ = 18): You gain points based on the number of Ship tiles in your fleet, according to the table on the Contract.
• Number of ships (1-4-9-16-24-32): You gain points based on the number of ships in your fleet, according to the table on the tile.

Blue Government Contracts

• Extra soldiers (0-2-4-6 ... +2): If you have more than 1 soldier, you gain 2 points for every additional soldier in your fleet.
• Stokers (3 points): You gain 3 points for each stoker in your fleet.
• Soldier-cannon pairs (3 points): You gain 3 points for each soldier-cannon pair in your fleet. Both must be on the same ship to count as a pair.
• Extra businessmen (0-2-4-6 ... +2): If you have more than 1 businessman, you gain 2 points for additional businessmen in your fleet (so 5 businessmen would earn you 8 points).
• Smokestack pairs (3 points): You gain 3 points for each pair of smokestacks in your fleet. The 2 smokestacks must be on the same ship to count as a pair.
• Used Canals (4 points): You gain 4 points for each of your used Canals (these should be in a stack in front of you, as described in the Shakedown Cruise chapter).
• Businessman-crane pairs (3 points): You gain 3 points for each businessman-crane pair in your fleet. Both must be on the same ship to count as a pair.
• Sail pairs (3 points): You gain 3 points for each pair of sails in your fleet. The 2 sails must be on the same ship to count as a pair (so if you have 3 sails on one ship and 1 on another, that is only worth 3 points). If you have 2 sails on each of 2 ships or 4 sails on 1 ship, that is worth 6 points.
• Officers (3 points): You gain 3 points for every officer in your fleet, but no points for your captains (for example, if you have 3 ships and a total of 7 captain tiles on them, then 3 of those are captains and do not count. The other 4 are officers, which gives you a total of 12 points).
• Full complement (8 points): You gain 8 points for each ship in your fleet with at least 1 businessman, at least 1 soldier, at least 1 crane, and at least 1 cannon.
• Sail, smokestack, and stoker (6 points): You gain 6 points for each ship in your fleet that has at least 1 sail, 1 smokestack and 1 stoker. NOTE: A ship with 2 of each piece is still only worth 6 points.
• Different Equipment or Crew elements (1-2-3-4-6-8-11-15): You gain points based on the number of different Equipment or Crew elements in your fleet, according to the table on your tile. There are 8 elements: smokestack, sail, crane, cannon, businessman, soldier, stoker and officer (an extra captain in a cabin).

Credits

Designer and Developer: Vladimír Suchý

Illustrations: Adéla Stopka, Michal Řezníček

Graphic design: Martina Svobodová

Rulebook graphic design: Michal Peichl

Production: Kateřina Suchá, Petr Plášil

Testers: Pavla, Kája, Klára, attendants of Excelsior gathering, special thanks to Shipyard testers from 2008/9

Rulebook: Petr Plášil, Mike Poole, Kateřina Suchá

© Delicious Games