Smartphone Inc. Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal of the Game
• Game Components: Player Pieces
• Game Components: Shared Pieces
• Steve's Components
• Preparing for the Game
• Player Preparation
• Placement of Retailers for 2- to 5-Player Games
• Gameplay
  • Phase 1. Planning
  • Phase 2. Set Prices
  • Phase 3. Production
  • Phase 4. Improve Production
• Using Improvements
  • Phase 5. Research Technology
  • Effects of Technology
  • Patents
  • Phase 6. Logistics
  • Phase 7. Selling Goods
  • Controlling Regions
  • Phase 8. Receive VP
• End of the Game and Determining the Winner
• Technologies
  • Explanations for the Symbols on the Technologies
• More About Technologies
• Retailers
  • Retailers' Bonuses
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Steve — Artificial Intelligence
  • Preparing for the Game
  • Steve's Behavior During the Phases of a Round
  • Steve Rules Summary
• Credits

Goal of the Game

Your goal is to earn as much money as possible. To make it simple, we will refer to money in the game as "Victory Points" (VP for short). There are three ways to earn VP:

• Sell Goods.
• Control market regions around the world—by selling more Goods in those regions than the other players.
• Register Patents—by being the first player to fully research new Technologies.

If there are less than 5 players, you can also obtain VP from Retailers occupying market regions on the game board (see "Retailers").

Game Components: Player Pieces

PADS — 10 pcs, two per player. Each player has a set of two planning Pads. The Pads represent their company's resources: research and development departments, production shops, etc. Using their Pads, the players determine what they are going to do in the current round—what they will focus on or sacrifice. The way the Pads are arranged is called a "decision."

SCREENS — 5 pcs, one per player. The screens protect against "industrial espionage" by hiding a player's decisions from prying eyes. Each screen shows the starting position for one player. It also has a handy multiplication table to help add up VP.

STARTING IMPROVEMENTS — 5 pcs, one per player. Improvements give players additional options when planning. Each player receives 1 Improvement at the beginning of the game. The Improvement received is displayed on the player's screen and marked by the player's color and company name.

ORGANIZERS — 5 pcs, one per player. The organizer is designed for the players' convenience. It helps them keep their components safe and in one place, with sections for unbuilt Goods, Progress markers, and Office markers. The fourth section is the "Available Goods" section, where all Goods produced are placed until they are sold.

PROGRESS MARKERS — 60 pcs, twelve per player. Progress markers are used to indicate progress towards reaching some goal. Players accumulate these in specified places until they have collected the required quantity. Note: Progress is unlimited! In the unlikely event that you run out of Progress markers and need more, use any suitable substitute.

OFFICE MARKERS — 90 pcs, eighteen per player. Office markers indicate when goals have been reached. They replace the Progress markers gathered at a location.

GOODS MARKERS — 100 pcs, twenty per player. Goods markers symbolize cargo containers with smartphones for sale.

Game Components: Shared Pieces

GAME BOARD — 1 pc. The game board shows a digital world map where players can observe how their decisions turn into reality in real time.

ROUND AND PHASE MARKERS — 2 pcs. Round and Phase markers indicate the current round and the active phase during the game.

VP SCOREBOARD — 1 pc. Used to mark the companies' success.

PATENTS — 6 pcs. Patents go to the first player to fully research a new Technology. They award extra VP at the end of the game.

TECHNOLOGIES — 6 pcs. Technologies grant bonuses to players who have researched them. Technology cards have two sides, which adds diversity to the game. At the beginning of the game, the players choose which side of each card to use.

IMPROVEMENTS — 27 pcs. Improvements can be used to upgrade Pads or produce additional Goods.

GOODS TOKENS — 20 pcs. Goods tokens produce 1 unit of Goods each round. Players get these automatically each time they do not use the Production Improvements on their pads.

RETAILERS — 7 pcs. Retailers are used only if there are less than 5 players in the game. They block regions on the board, stimulating the players to be more competitive. There are three types of Retailers in various sizes.

RULEBOOK — 1 pc. You are holding it now.

Steve's Components

Steve is an "artificial intelligence" that you can choose to add to the game as an additional competitor. You can use Steve in games with 1 to 4 players.

1. STEVE'S MARKER — 1 pc. Steve uses this marker to plan his next move.
2. STEVE'S RULEBOOK — 1 pc. Instructions on how to execute Steve's programming.
3. STEVE'S PAD — 1 pc. Using this Pad, Steve programs his decisions for each round. His Pad is better than yours, by the way.

Preparing for the Game

1. Place the game board in the center of the table.
2. Place the Phase marker on the first square of the Phase Track.
3. Place the Round marker on the "I."
4. Place the VP Scoreboard near the board.
5. If there are less than 5 players, you'll need to cover some regions with Retailers. See "Placement of Retailers" for details.
6. Place the Patents on the matching spaces. Use the Technology symbols on the board as a guide.
7. Place the Technologies next to the matching Patents. If this is the first time you are playing the game, we recommend playing with the Technologies face up. Next time, you can place them randomly (face up or face down) or select the Technologies you want to use for the game together with the other players.
8. Shuffle the Improvements and place 5 of them face-up on the Improvement Block. Place the rest in a pile face down near the board.
9. Place all Goods tokens in a pile face down near the board.

Player Preparation

Each player chooses the color they want to play. Hand out all the markers and pieces of their selected color to each player. These include:

• 12 Progress markers
• 18 Office markers
• 20 Goods markers

Hand each player an organizer. Place the markers into the corresponding sections.

Give two Pads to each of the players: one Pad must have this symbol (a filled diamond), and the other—this symbol (an outlined diamond).

Each player takes the screen of their color.

Following the symbols on their screens, the players must:

1. Place an Office marker on the first Office space in their home regions.
2. Place a Goods marker on the VP Scoreboard, on the space that matches their color.
3. Take the Improvement of their color.

Each player places a Goods marker on the board in the Price Block, on the "5" space. These Goods markers must be placed in the same order as on the VP Scoreboard (left to right: green, blue, black, yellow, red).

Placement of Retailers for 2- to 5-Player Games

To keep the game competitive, Retailers are placed on some of the market regions.

Each Retailer matches certain regions on the board. They come in three sizes, just like the regions: S small, M medium, and L large. The symbols on the regions and Retailers match the sizes.

For example, North Africa is a medium-size region. Have you noticed the letter "M"? It means you can place a Retailer with the same letter ("M") on it.

Shuffle the Retailers and place them with a random side up on the regions shown below:

For 2 players: Use Retailers to cover China, Canada, and the Caribbean, as well as all medium-sized regions not occupied by the players' Office markers.

For 3 players: Use Retailers to cover Europe and the RSA, as well as all medium-sized regions not occupied by a player's Office marker.

For 4 players: Use Retailers to cover Canada and the 1 medium-sized region not occupied by an Office marker.

For 5 players: Do not use Retailers. Return all unused Retailers to the box.

For a detailed explanation of Retailers, see "Retailers."

Gameplay

The game consists of 5 rounds, which are shown on the Round Track at the top of the game board (rounds I through V).

Each round has 8 phases. The phases are indicated by symbols in the Phase Track on the game board:

1. Planning
2. Set Prices
3. Production
4. Improve Production
5. Research Technology
6. Logistics
7. Selling Goods
8. Receive VP

The phases are played in order, from left to right on the Phase Track. When the last phase is complete, the round ends and the next round can begin.

Phase 1. Planning

Using their two Pads, all players simultaneously make their decisions for the current round in secret, behind their screens. A decision is made by placing one Pad on top of the other. Each player may arrange their Pads however they like, with either side up, as long as they observe the following rules:

1. The Pads must be parallel or perpendicular to each other.

2. One Pad must cover 1 to 4 cells on the other Pad:

Each Pad has 6 cells on each side. Some cells have symbols, while others are empty.

Have a look at some possible Pad arrangement options: 1 cell covered, 2 cells covered, 3 cells covered, 4 cells covered.

Playing Hint: What do you need to consider when making decisions? We will talk about that while explaining the rules. For now, it is important to know that your decisions will affect all future phases in the current round!

Players may also use their Improvements to modify their Pads (see "Using Improvements").

The players keep their decisions secret behind their screens until all players are finished planning. Then, all players set their screens aside and show their decisions to everybody.

Please remember: All visible symbols on your Pads are "active," and any covered symbols are "inactive." Cells without symbols are called "open." (For example, an arrangement with 5 active symbols and 4 covered cells is possible.)

Phase 2. Set Prices

In this phase, the players determine the prices they will sell their Goods for this round. Prices are recorded on the Price Block on the board.

At the beginning of each round, all prices are set at 5.

All active price symbols on the Pads adjust these values:

• Each Price Down symbol reduces that company's price by 1.
• Each Price Up symbol increases that company's price by 1.

For example, with a Pad arrangement that has 2 active Price Down symbols, the price for Goods is 3, because each active Price Down symbol reduces the price by 1 point.

Playing Hint: Price is of the utmost importance in the game: Starting in Phase 4 (Improve Production), price determines the order in which players take turns, which can be critical to winning the game!

Phase 3. Production

In this phase, the players produce Goods to sell into the markets later in the round.

A player can produce Goods in several ways:

1. Each active Production symbol on their Pads produces 1 Goods.
2. Each covered cell on their Pads also produces 1 Goods.

For example, a Pad arrangement where 4 cells on one Pad are covered and 3 Production symbols are active will bring 7 Goods to this player.

Produced Goods are placed in the Available Goods section of the player's organizer.

In addition to the methods above, Goods can also be produced by using Technologies that have been researched (see "Technologies"), from Retailers (see "Retailers"), and through Improvements and Goods tokens (see "Using Improvements").

Phase 4. Improve Production

Starting with Phase 4, the prices set by players in Phase 2 become important: The player with the lowest price is the first to play during this phase, followed by the next lowest price, and so on. If several players share the same price, the first one to play is the one with the lowest VP on the Scoreboard. This is called the "Priority Rule." Note that it is possible that a player's set price will change during the round, so the Priority should be checked at the beginning of each phase.

Starting with the first player and going in Priority order, each player in turn takes one of the two actions below, depending on whether the Improve Production symbol on their Pad is active or not:

1. If the Improve Production symbol is active, the player takes 1 Improvement of their choice from the Improvement Block.
2. If the Improve Production symbol is not active, the player takes a Goods token instead.

The player can use their new Improvement or Goods token starting in the next round.

Using Improvements

Each player starts the game with 1 Improvement, which they can use beginning with Round 1. Once acquired, Improvements can be used every round in Phase 1. Each Improvement can be used in two ways:

1. An Improvement can be used to modify the player's Pads. They can place the Improvement on their Pads any way they like, as long as they follow these rules:

   1. The Improvement must be placed face up on the pad.
   2. The Improvement must cover 2 cells of the Pad. It cannot extend beyond the edge of the Pad (Exception: a player who has researched 4G technology may partially ignore this rule).

   Any cells covered by an Improvement are inactive. But, when Goods are produced in Phase 3, cells covered by Improvements do not produce additional Goods.

   Improvements can overlap each other, but one Improvement cannot fully cover another one.

   Any or all of an Improvement can be covered by the other Pad.

2. Or, the player can place the Improvement face down in front of them. Each face-down Improvement produces 1 Goods in Phase 3.

   The lock symbol on the back of each Improvement is a reminder that it cannot be placed face down on a pad.

Goods tokens can never be placed on a Pad at all, which is indicated by the lock symbol on both sides of the token. Each Goods token produces 1 Goods during Phase 3.

Phase 5. Research Technology

During this phase, the players take turns following the Priority Rule.

Technologies can boost sales or provide special helpful bonuses. Research into new Technologies is tracked at the bottom of the game board.

• Progress markers are used to track research.
• At the beginning of this phase, each player receives 1 Progress marker for each active Research symbol on their Pads.
• Following the Priority Rule, the players take turns spending all of the Progress markers they received to research new Technologies. Players may choose not to spend some Progress markers, but unused Progress markers disappear at the end of their turn.
• The number of Progress markers required to successfully research a Technology is shown on the Technology card (along with the space to place Progress markers while the research is in progress).
• Players place Progress markers in the space near the Technology they are going to research. Each player can distribute Progress markers among the various Technologies as they wish, if they have multiple.
• Once a player has accumulated a number of Progress markers equal to the Technology cost in the matching space, they have successfully researched that Technology. They take back all of their Progress markers from that space and place an Office marker of their color near that Technology card. From now on, they may use the benefits of that Technology (see "Technologies").

For example, let's say you made a decision on your Pads that has a total of 3 active Research symbols. You receive 3 Progress markers. You want to study 4G Technology, which costs 6.

To complete the research, you'll need to earn 3 more Progress markers in addition to what you have. So, you decide to start researching the Technology and place your 3 Progress markers in the space next to 4G Technology, planning to research it more next round.

If you did research in the next round, you could add the Progress markers you gained to the space next to that Technology, or change your mind and begin researching something else.

Effects of Technology

Each Technology a player successfully researches provides the bonus indicated on the Technology card, often additional effects in certain phases or enhancements to the effect of symbols on their Pads. For complete descriptions of all Technologies, see "Technologies."

Patents

Only the first player to complete the research into a new Technology can claim the Patent for that Technology. After placing their Office marker on the Technology, they take the Patent from the board and place it in front of them.

Patents are an additional source of VP, awarding the VP shown on the Patent tile at the end of the game (for example, 6 VP). The Patent tile also shows the cost of the Technology until it is researched and the Patent is acquired, and an icon showing which Technology this Patent is placed on at the start of the game.

However, until the Patent has been claimed, the Progress markers required to research that Technology is increased by 1.

Once the Patent has been taken, the cost of that Technology is 1 Progress marker less, allowing other players to acquire that Technology more easily. But, only the first player to research it can get the Patent!

Since two or more players can research the same Technology at the same time, if one player takes the Patent—which makes the Technology cheaper—the other players can complete it at once (if they now have enough Progress markers). They must still wait for their turn to complete the research, though!

Example: Red and green are both researching Gamepad Technology. Green places the last Progress marker he needs. Green takes the Patent, since he is the first to research the Technology. He takes his Progress markers back and places his Office marker. Red, on her turn, immediately gets the Technology since it is 1 Progress marker cheaper. But she doesn't get the Patent!

Phase 6. Logistics

In this phase, players take turns in accordance with the Priority Rule.

At the beginning of the game, each player only has an Office marker in one region, but they need to expand to other regions to increase their sales. This is where Logistics comes to help.

• In order to expand into another region, a player needs Progress markers.
• For each active Logistics symbol on their Pads, the player receives 1 Progress marker.
• Following the Priority Rule, starting with the first player and so on, each player places all of the Progress markers they received, distributing them to regions they want to expand into by placing them in the space for those regions. A player can only place Progress markers in a region connected to one where they already have an Office marker. Regions are connected if they have a line linking them together on the game board.

For example, Victor only has an Office marker in North Africa. This means that he can expand into Europe, China, Emirates, and South America. During his turn, he can place Progress markers only in those regions.

• Any Progress markers not used by a player on their turn disappear back to their supply.
• Once the number of Progress markers equals the cost for the region, the player places their Office marker in that region, removing their Progress markers there back to their supply.

A new Office marker always goes into the empty space furthest to the left.

If there are no empty spaces, no player can add an Office marker to that region.

Each player can only have one Office marker in each region (unless a Technology or Retailer allows them to add another one).

The bigger the region, the more difficult it is to put an Office marker there, but it also opens up more opportunities for the player.

Phase 7. Selling Goods

Following the Priority Rule, each player sells their produced Goods (in the Available Goods section of their organizer).

Goods can be sold only if all 3 of the following conditions are met:

• The player has an Office marker in the region.
• There are no Retailers in the region.
• There are available Buyers in the region who are ready to buy their Goods.

In order to sell a Goods, the player must place it on a Buyer. But not every Buyer is ready to buy all Goods, so let us take a closer look at what kinds of Buyers there are:

• A Buyer in a red square will not pay more than the price shown on their square. But, if a player offers a lower price, this Buyer will buy their Goods at their asking price. In other words, the price shown on the Buyer indicates their willingness to pay, but they will be happy to pay less.
• A purple Buyer (without a price) is ready to pay any price for Goods (but still no higher than the price set), but only if the player has the Technology required by the Buyer. The required Technology is shown on the Buyer's square.

Only one Goods can be sold to each Buyer. Any Goods that cannot be sold are lost (returned to the section of the player's organizer with the cube symbol).

Important: The Goods are always placed on the willing Buyers in a region from left to right. You cannot place Goods on purple Buyers while ignoring red Buyers, if the price of your Goods is right for them.

For example, let's say you produced 4 Goods and you are present in only one region. In Phase 2, you set the price of your Goods at 3. You have the Gamepad and 4G Technologies. As a result, you can only sell 3 Goods in this region, since the last buyer demands NFC Technology, which you don't have. You cannot sell 1 of your Goods, and it disappears at the end of this phase.

Playing Hint: If you missed a place where you could have sold Goods (and the other players did not help you see it), then it is assumed that you failed to sell those Goods. You can try negotiating with the other players to get their permission to sell Goods out of turn. The game developers, however, strongly recommend that the other players not yield to your persuasion!

Controlling Regions

A player can earn additional VP if they dominate the market in a region. The player who sold the most Goods in a region controls it (and gets the VP). The number of VP received is shown above the Office marker furthest to the right in that region.

VP are not awarded to a player for regions where they did not sell any Goods, even if they have an Office marker there.

For example, the blue player controls a region since he sold more Goods than the yellow player. The blue player gets 2 VP, since that is the number shown above the rightmost Office marker, despite the fact that this Office does not belong to the blue player.

If the Office marker furthest to the right has a value for second place, then a second-place winner for control of that region is determined by the same method as described above.

If the number of Goods sold by 2 or more players is equal, then VP are awarded to the player whose Office marker is located further to the left.

As an example, let us consider the following situation: The blue player is in first place. Although the blue player sold the same number of Goods as the green and red players, the blue player's Office marker is located the furthest to the left. So, the blue player receives 6 VP for control of the region. The second place for control is given to the green player (3 VP), since when compared to the red player (who sold the same number of Goods), the green player's Office marker is located further to the left.

Phase 8. Receive VP

In this phase, all players receive VP for the Goods they sold and for controlling regions. The order in which players are awarded VP is not important.

Goods Sold

Each player counts the number of Goods they have on the game board and multiplies that amount by their price (shown in the Price Block). To help out, there is a multiplication table on the back of the player screens.

Record all VP received on the VP Scoreboard.

Preparation for the Next Round

• All players take all of their Goods off the game board and return them to their organizers (not in the Available Goods section).
• Remove any Improvements still on the game board and put them back in the box. Add 5 new Improvements from the pile to the Improvement Block, face up.
• Reset the Goods price in the Price Block to the starting value of 5.
• Move the Round marker to the next round.

Start the new round with Phase 1.

End of the Game and Determining the Winner

The game lasts exactly 5 rounds and ends right after Phase 8 of the fifth round. Each player adds up their total VP for the game:

1. Count the VP received during the game.
2. Add VP for any Patents they collected.
3. Add any VP they earned from Retailers.

The player with the most VP wins the game!

In case of a draw, the contender with the most Technologies wins. If that is a draw as well, the tied player with the greatest number of Patents wins. If you managed to get a draw here too, then all the tied players share the victory.

Technologies

When a player finishes researching a Technology, they receive an immediate bonus. A player must use all Technology bonuses if they can.

Some Technologies give a one-time bonus, and some a permanent bonus. Each Technology takes effect during certain phases, as indicated on the Technology itself. Each Technology card shows: the Technology symbol, the number of the phase where the bonus applies, and a brief description of the bonus.

Explanations for the Symbols on the Technologies

A colored symbol with a number indicates the phase when the bonus is activated.

If there is no number, then there is no specific phase in which the bonus could be activated—see a more detailed description of those bonuses below.

If there is a red notification dot, it means that the player receives the bonus immediately, as soon as the Technology is fully researched, and possibly every round during the specified phase. If there is no phase number, the player only receives the bonus once (when they gain the Technology).

More About Technologies

GPS

• (Phase 3, permanent bonus) From now on, the Improve Production symbol on your Pad gives you 2 Goods instead of 1 during Phase 3.
• (One-time bonus) Produce 5 Goods immediately. Put these Goods in the Available Goods section of your organizer.

WI-FI

• (Phase 6, permanent bonus) During Phase 6 each round, you may add 1 Office marker to any region where you already have an Office marker. You cannot place a third Office marker in this way. You cannot place a second Office marker on a Retailer.
• (Permanent bonus, no specific phase) Any Goods that you failed to sell during Phase 7 are kept for the next round instead of being lost.

GAMEPAD

• (Phase 5, permanent bonus, immediate) For the rest of the game, the number of Progress markers you need to research new Technologies is reduced by 1.
• (One-time bonus, immediate) Place 1 Office marker in any small region where you do not have an Office marker. If there is a Retailer in that region, you get the Retailer's bonus as normal.

NFC

• (Phase 6, permanent bonus) May sell up to 3 Goods without placing in a region. On your turn during Phase 6, you may sell from 0 to 3 Goods you have produced at the price you set for the round. Do not place these Goods in any region. Instead, score your VP on the VP Scoreboard immediately and return the Goods to your supply.
• (Phase 2, permanent bonus, immediate) Immediately increase your price by 1. Also, during Phase 2 each round, increase your price by 1.

LI-ION

• (Phase 6, permanent bonus) From now on, the Price symbol on your Pads and Improvements is also treated as a Logistics symbol. In other words, in Phase 6, count your Price symbols along with your Logistics symbols.
• (Phase 3, permanent bonus, immediate) Immediately produce 1 Goods for every 2 Technologies you have. Also, during Phase 3 each round, produce 1 Goods for every 2 Technologies you have.

4G

• (Phase 1, permanent bonus) When you place Improvements on your Pads in Phase 1, they can extend beyond the edge of your Pads.
• (Phase 7, permanent bonus) During Phase 7, you may sell 1 Goods that you have produced in each region where you do not have an Office marker. You must place these Goods on Buyers that you would be allowed to sell to following the rules for selling Goods (see "Phase 7. Selling Goods").

Retailers

Retailers prevent the players from selling Goods in their region. But, using Logistics, players can still put an Office marker in that region (once they have enough Progress markers there). The Office marker is not placed on a normal space in that region, but on the blue spaces on the Retailer instead.

The Retailer shows the region size it matches, a space marked with an X where you cannot place a second Office marker, the Retailer's bonus, and spaces for players' Office markers.

The number in the red square next to the blue space is the number of VP a player will receive at the end of the game if their Office marker is placed there. Office markers are always placed from left to right, so the first player to place their Office marker will receive more VP than all subsequent players.

As soon as a player places their Office marker on the Retailer, they receive the bonus shown. This is a one-time bonus. The player can choose not to use the bonus. Note that there are some Retailers in the game without bonuses.

Please remember: There cannot be two Office markers of the same color on the same Retailer.

Retailers' Bonuses

• Produce the number of Goods shown of your color. Place these Goods in the Available Goods section of your organizer.
• Take the number of Progress markers shown of your color and place them in the research space for any Technology of your choice. If you get 2 Progress markers, they may be divided between two Technologies. If this gives you enough Progress markers to complete your research in a Technology, you must still wait until your turn in Phase 5 (according to the Priority Rule) before you can place your Office marker there.
• Increase or decrease the price of your Goods on the Price Block by 1.
• Place a second Office marker in any region where you already have 1 Office marker. You cannot place a third Office marker or put one where you have no Office marker. Thus, you cannot place this Office marker on a Retailer.
• Move 1 Office marker of your color from one region to another. You may move an Office marker between other Retailers. If, as a result of this move, there is now an empty place in a region or on a Retailer, then move all other Office markers there to the left to fill the gap. You do not receive any Retailer's bonus from this move.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the Retailers be placed randomly at the beginning of the game? No. This will upset the game balance.

What do the symbols (filled diamond / outlined diamond) on the player Pads mean? They are only needed for you to be able to easily tell the two types of player Pads apart at the beginning of the game. During the game, these symbols are not used.

Can I change the position of my Pads during the round after Phase 1? No. The game creators do not allow you to change the positions of your Pads, even if you claim to have made a critical mistake.

What do we do if the players still remain equal under the Priority Rule? If two or more players are equal on price and VP, the tie is broken by looking at their starting position on the VP Scoreboard (the colored spaces in the top row): The player who started with the least VP gets to go first.

Can I put an Improvement under my Pads so that it disappears from sight? Yes, you can. Both cells of your Improvement must be on one or both of your Pads. The Improvement could be placed with its two cells on one Pad and then completely covered with the second Pad. It does not make much sense, but it is not against the rules.

Can I place my Pads so one is completely covered by the other, or just place them next to each other during Phase 1? No. One Pad must cover 1 to 4 cells of the other Pad. If you did that, you would not be able to observe this rule!

I produced more Goods in Phase 3 than I need. Can I suspend the production of a certain amount of Goods to reduce this amount? No. You must produce exactly the number of Goods you are able to.

Steve — Artificial Intelligence

Steve is an "artificial intelligence" you can use to simulate an opponent. You can play against Steve one-on-one or in a game with up to 4 players, using the instructions below. If there is no description of an action for Steve, it means that he must follow the rules that apply to any other player (we are talking here about the Priority Rule and other aspects of the phases described in the basic rules).

Preparing for the Game

1. Set up the game according to the basic rules (including Retailers, counting Steve as another player).
2. Prepare the players following the normal process, including Steve like a regular player. Choose any color for Steve. He does not need a screen or Pads.
3. Place Steve's Pad nearby.
4. Place Steve's starting Improvement on the "Delayed Improvement" space, face up.
5. Place Steve's marker nearby.

Steve's Behavior During the Phases of a Round

In the first round of the game, you will need to place Steve's marker by following the steps described in "Phase 6. Logistics" below.

Steve plays through the phases of each round just like a normal player, taking his turn according to the Priority Rule. He makes decisions by following the simple instructions described below.

Phase 1. Planning

Give 1 Progress marker to Steve. Then, move the Improvement on the Delayed Improvement space to the part of Steve's Pad with the current round number, face up. During the first round, you move his starting Improvement.

During the following phases, all of the cells on Steve's Pad are always active.

Phase 2. Set Prices

Adjust Steve's price in the Price Block by counting the active Price Down / Price Up symbols on his Pad.

Phase 3. Production

In Steve's organizer, move as many Goods as there are active Production symbols on Steve's Pad plus all of his Goods tokens into the Available Goods section.

Phase 4. Improve Production

When it is Steve's turn, take the top Improvement from the Improvement Block and place it on the Delayed Improvement space of Steve's Pad.

Phase 5. Research Technology

When it is Steve's turn, take as many Progress markers from Steve's organizer as there are active Research symbols on Steve's Pad. Place these Progress markers:

• on the Technology Steve is already studying;
• If there is no such Technology—on the least expensive Technology that still has a Patent available;
• If there is no such Technology—on the least expensive Technology Steve does not yet have.

If none of those options are possible, Steve simply skips this phase.

Important: Steve does not use any bonuses from Technologies he has acquired (but he does gain VP from his Patents!).

Phase 6. Logistics

When it is Steve's turn, take as many Progress markers from Steve's organizer as there are active Logistics symbols on Steve's Pad. First, place these Progress markers in the region with Steve's marker, placing an Office marker for him if possible.

As soon as you place Steve's Office marker, move his marker:

• to the largest region available to Steve;
• If there are several such regions—to the available region with the fewest other Office markers;
• If there are several such regions—to the available region whose name appears first in alphabetical order.

If none of those options are possible, Steve simply skips this phase.

Important: Steve does not use any bonuses from Retailers.

Regions in alphabetical order: Australia, Canada, Caribbean, China, CIS, Emirates, Europe, India, North Africa, RSA, South America, USA.

Phase 7. Selling Goods

Steve sells his Goods as follows:

• Place 1 Goods in each region where Steve is the only player with an Office marker;
• If any Goods are left, then—place 1 Goods in each region where 2 or more players (including Steve) have an Office marker. Continue placing Goods in these regions as long as Steve has Goods to sell and the opportunity to place them on a buyer;
• If any Goods are left, then—place as many Goods as possible in each region where only Steve has an Office marker.

In every case, if it is unclear where to put Steve's Goods, use the alphabetical order of the regions. If Steve has any Goods left that he cannot sell, they are lost.

Phase 8. Receive VP

Award VP to Steve in accordance with the basic rules.

At the end of the game, compare Steve's VP total to the other players' as normal. It's completely possible that the artificial intelligence will prove to be the best business "person" in the world!

Steve Rules Summary

Preparing for the Game

1. Prepare the game and the players according to the basic rules. Steve does not need either a screen or a Pad.
2. Place Steve's starting Improvement on the Delayed Improvement space. Place his marker nearby.

During the Round

• Give 1 Progress marker to Steve. Move the Improvement from the Delayed Improvement space to the space with the current round number.
• Adjust Steve's price (Price Down / Price Up).
• Produce Steve's Goods: all Production symbols + Goods tokens.
• Take the top Improvement and place it on the Delayed Improvement space.
• 1 Progress marker = 1 Research: Place Progress markers on the Technology Steve is already researching; otherwise the cheapest technology with a patent; otherwise the cheapest technology. Otherwise Steve skips this phase. He does not use any bonuses.
• 1 Progress marker = 1 Logistics. Place in the region with Steve's marker. After placing the Office marker, move Steve's marker to: the largest region available; otherwise the available region with the fewest Office markers; otherwise the first available region in alphabetical order. Otherwise Steve skips this phase. He does not use any bonuses.
• Place Steve's Goods: Place 1 Goods in each region where only Steve has an Office marker; In the regions where 2 or more players (including Steve) have an Office marker—keep placing Steve's Goods as long as possible; Any remaining Goods disappear. If several options are possible, use the alphabetical order of the regions.
• Award VP to Steve as normal.

Regions in alphabetical order: Australia, Canada, Caribbean, China, CIS, Emirates, Europe, India, North Africa, RSA, South America, USA.

Credits

Development Team: Project Editor: Max Vereschagin. Artist: Aleksandr Kiselev. General Director: Mikhail Pakhomov. Art Director: Viktor Zaburdaev. Promotion: Darina Orlova, Nataliya Naboyshchikova, Katerina Schlecker. Production Director: Sergey Morozov. Translation: Runa LLC. Proofreader: William Niebling.

Author's Acknowledgments: Herman Tikhomirov for great advice on the game promotion. Andrei Stolyarov for motivation to start making the game. Yuri Zhuravlev and Nikolai Pegasov for inspiration from the "The Golden Sails". I also thank the entire Guild of Board Game Developers (GRaNI) for their contribution and promotion.

Special thanks for help in the development and work on the project: Andrei Kolupaev, Konstantin Domashev, Konstantin Malygin, Yuri Yamschikov, Valery Kruzhalov, Ilya Stepanov, Yulia Ilyinskaya, Natalia Telezhkina, Yan Yegorov, Nikolai Zolotarev, Valentina Aristarkhova, Aleksandr Eremin, Andrei Kalinin, Igor Ganzha, Vasily Redinsky, Nadezhda Penkrat, Victoria Drobotova, Andrei Aganov, Anastasia Yushina, Vitaly Terekhov, Dmitry Krylov, Vasily Vereschagin.

Our thanks to the "Astronauts with Hammers": Aleksandr Tkachev, Bogdan Khokhlov, Pavel Eltsin, Oleg Meleshin, Aleksandr Chapurin, Artur Katarzhanov, Yulia Tkachenko, Anton Prinov, Anton Kravchenko, Anna Kravchenko, Roman Gaffarov, Aleksandr Aleksnanin, Loerglil Meflizh, Delli Arieri.