Taiwan Formosa Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Setup
• Two-Player Rules
• Gameplay
  • 1. Dice Phase
  • 2. Action Phase
  • 3. Building Phase
  • 4. Income Phase
  • 5. Cleanup Phase
• Game End
• Final Scoring
• Building Card Abilities
  • A. Basic (Tan)
  • B. Exclusive (Red)
  • C. Global (Blue)
  • D. Minor Landmark (Green)
• FAQ

Components

• 5 player boards (1 for each player color)
• Resource tiles (wood, brick, steel, stone), and worker and merchant tiles
• 1 game board
• 80 building cards (4 for each building randomizer card)
• 20 building randomizer (placeholder) cards
• 16 landmark cards
• 7 dice
• 40 player markers (8 for each player color: green, blue, red, yellow)

Building cards show a name, a cost (the resource and worker icons in the lower left), a time cost (the hourglass number in the upper right), a score (the star number), and an ability (the text box at the bottom). Landmark cards show a name, a cost, a time cost, a score, and an area (the region of the board where a player marker is placed).

Game Setup

1. Shuffle the building randomizer cards and draw 12 cards.
   1. Find and place the 4 building cards that correspond to each of these 12 building randomizer cards into its own pile. Put the rest of the building randomizer cards and building cards into the game box as they won't be used in this game.
2. Divide the landmark cards into fourfive decks based on the art on the back of the cards.
   1. Place each deck on their respective position on the board, and flip the top card of each deck face-up.
3. Each player picks a color, places the corresponding player board in front of them, and receives 8 player markers plus 40 coins.
4. Place the 1 player markers for each player on the '0' space of the point track.
5. Randomly select a starting player.

Note: the source text reads "fourfive decks" (printed as one word) for the four or five landmark decks; it is transcribed as printed.

Two-Player Rules

Two-player games use standard rules except during setup: pick a third color as a neutral power and place one of its player markers in each of the four regions.

Gameplay

The game is played over a number of rounds. In each round, there are 5 phases:

1. Dice Phase
2. Action Phase
3. Building Phase
4. Income Phase
5. Cleanup Phase

1. Dice Phase

Beginning with the starting player, each player will take turns rolling 2-7 dice in clockwise order. Players may roll 2 dice for free, but may pay 5 coins for each additional die, up to a maximum of 7 total dice (costs 25 coins for 5 extra dice). On their turn, each player (1) declares the number of dice they will roll, (2) pays the requisite amount, (3) rolls the dice, (4) acquires the corresponding items, and (5) passes the dice to the next player.

The dice faces show the following items:

• Wood: gained as a wood resource tile.
• Brick: gained as a brick resource tile.
• Steel: gained as a steel resource tile.
• Stone: gained as a stone resource tile.
• Worker: gained as a worker tile. A worker can be used in the following ways:
  1. Pay for buildings.
  2. Worker + 2 coins can move a building one space to the right on the time track ("Force Overtime"). Note that this cannot be used on buildings in space '1' of the time track.
• Merchant: a merchant tile is gained. Merchant + 2 coins can be exchanged for 1 worker or 1 resource of any type.

Note: the source text for the Worker ability says the building moves "to the right" on the time track ("Force Overtime"). Section 2-4 ("Work Overtime") says the building moves one space to the left, toward space 1. The source is inconsistent here; the wording is kept as printed and not corrected.

2. Action Phase

Beginning with the starting player, players take turns in clockwise order. On your turn you can do any of the actions below any number of times in any order:

2-1. Buy a building card. Pay 1 worker plus the building cost shown on the card and place the building card on the time track of the corresponding time cost (ranging from 1 to 5) on your player board. Players can purchase multiple copies of the same building card.

Example: Bob paid 2 bricks, 2 steel, and 1 worker to buy the "Train Station" and placed it on space '3' on his player board.

2-2. Buy a landmark card. Pay 1 worker plus the building cost shown on the card and place the landmark card on the time track of the corresponding time cost on your player board. Place one player marker on the space matching the landmark card's area, respecting the current order (i.e., the chronological order that players placed tokens into an area should remain clear). Placing the player marker is a mandatory; players cannot decline to place their player marker if they have one available. Note player markers are limited by the supply. If you have used up all your player markers, ignore this step.

Example: May paid 5 stones and 1 worker to buy "Sansiantai" and placed it on space '4' on her player board. She then placed one of her player markers on Eastern Taiwan (Need to confirm these names in English), and reveals faceup the next card in the landmark deck that she just purchased from.

Note: the source example reads "May paid" (as printed) and contains a translator's note asking for the region names to be confirmed in English. Both are kept as printed.

2-3. Exchange Resources. You may exchange any amount of your resources, coins, workers, and merchants at the following rates:

• a. Any combination of 3 items (resource / worker / merchant) can be exchanged for 1 worker or 1 resource of any type. Example: You may use 2 wood and 1 worker to exchange for 1 steel.
• b. 10 coins can be exchanged for 1 worker or 1 resource of any type.
• c. 1 merchant + 2 coins can be exchanged for 1 worker or 1 resource of any type.

Note: the rate table printed beside the text shows the coin rate as "9 coins" (option c) and "merchant + 2 coins" (option b), while the written text gives "10 coins" for option b and "1 merchant + 2 coins" for option c. The written text is kept as printed; the two rates differ and the source does not resolve which is intended.

2-4. Work Overtime. You may spend 1 worker and 2 coins to work overtime. Choose one of your uncompleted buildings and move it 1 space to the left. However, you cannot work overtime on any building on space '1' on the time track.

Example: Tom paid 2 workers and 4 coins and moved his "Sansiantai" from space '4' to '2' on the time track.

2-5. Make a Charitable Contribution. By paying the following resources, you can put down a player marker in the corresponding region:

• Eastern Taiwan: 2 stone + 5 coins
• Northern Taiwan: 2 steel + 5 coins
• Central Taiwan: 2 brick + 5 coins
• Southern Taiwan: 2 wood + 3 coins

Example: Pay 2 steel + 5 coins to put 1 player marker in North.

3. Building Phase

All players execute this phase simultaneously. Each player moves all of their uncompleted buildings 1 space to the left on the time track. Once a building moves to space '0' on the time track, that building has been completed. The player gains the completed building's Victory Points (VPs) and may use the building's ability from now on.

4. Income Phase

All players get 15 coins.

5. Cleanup Phase

1. All players discard down to their hand limit of 5 resource tiles.
2. Note that players cannot keep their merchants and workers. Unspent merchants and workers must be discarded.
3. The player to the left of the starting player becomes the new starting player for the next round.

Game End

When 2/3/4/5 decks of building and/or landmark cards are depleted in a 2/3/4/5-player game, after the current round is completed, the game will end after one final round.

Final Scoring

During the final scoring, players earn VPs from the following:

1. Uncompleted buildings: All uncompleted buildings score VPs shown on the cards minus 2/3/4/5 VPs if they are on space 1/2/3/4 on the time track. It is possible for buildings to score negative points.
2. Building abilities: Some buildings, such as "Train Station" and "Baseball Field" have abilities that provide additional VPs. These abilities still score even if the building is uncompleted.
3. Area majority: For each area on game board, score as follows:
   • 3-1. Count the number of player markers in that area. This is the Area Reward.
   • 3-2. The player with the most player markers in that area scores VPs equal to twice the Area Reward.
   • 3-3. The player with 2nd most player markers scores VPs equal to the Area Reward.
   • *Ties are broken by the player who was the first to place their token in that area.

Area majority example: There are 4 player markers in Northern Taiwan. The chronological order of the token placement is red, green, blue and green. Green (with 2 tokens) gets 1st place and earns 4x2 = 8 VPs. Red (with earlier placement than blue) gets 2nd place and earns 4x1 = 4 VPs.

The player with the highest VPs wins the game! If there is a tie, the player with the most coins among the tied players wins the game. If still tied, then all tied players share the victory.

Building Card Abilities

There are 4 different types of building cards: basic (tan), exclusive (red), global (blue), and minor landmark (green).

A. Basic (Tan)

These card abilities won't be affected by other cards.

• Sawmill: Action Phase: When buying building and landmark cards, you may use 1 wood as if it was 1 coin. Can be used only once per round. The effects from multiple factories may be combined on the same purchase.
• Stone Factory: Action Phase: When buying building and landmark cards, you may use 1 stone as if it was 1 coin. Can be used only once per round. The effects from multiple factories may be combined on the same purchase.
• Brickworks: Action Phase: When buying building and landmark cards, you may use 1 brick as if it was 1 coin. Can be used only once per round. The effects from multiple factories may be combined on the same purchase.
• Steelworks: Action Phase: When buying building and landmark cards, you may use 1 steel as if it was 1 coin. Can be used only once per round. The effects from multiple factories may be combined on the same purchase.
• Temple: Action phase: Pay 2 coins to gain 2 VPs. Can be used only once per round.
• Baseball Field: Final Scoring: Gain 1 VP for each of your completed buildings. This ability applies even if the Baseball Field is uncompleted.
• Lottery Office: Dice Phase: Get 4 coins for each merchant you roll.
• Night Market: Income Phase: Get 3 coins.
• Tribal Village: When completed, place 3 workers from the supply on this card. You may use them at any time. Workers on this card will not be discarded during Cleanup Phase.
• Warehouse: When completed, choose 3 resources of the same type from the supply to place on this card. You may use them at any time. Resources on this card will not be discarded during Cleanup Phase. Will not be affected by the Judicial Court.

B. Exclusive (Red)

Only the player who has completed the latest copy of each red building card may use its ability. As soon as a new copy of the same building card has been completed, the earlier one loses its ability immediately (though its VPs still count for scoring). If multiple copies of the same red building cards are completed on the same round, all of them, including the earlier ones, lose their abilities.

• Judicial Court: Income Phase: All the other players who have more than 1 resource must discard 1 resource of their choosing.
• Urban Development Bureau: Action Phase: All the other players must pay you 1 coin when they buy a new card. Players who cannot afford to pay you cannot buy any card.
• Demolition Company: Action Phase: All the other players must increase the time cost by 1 when placing their newly purchased building cards on their player board.
• Tax Bureau: Income Phase: All the other players take 3 fewer coins.

C. Global (Blue)

These card abilities will stack based on the total number of the same buildings completed in the game across all players.

• Train Station: Final Scoring: If 1/2/3/4 Train Stations are purchased during the game, gain 0/2/4/6 VPs for each Train Station you have purchased, even if they are uncompleted.
• Convenience Store: Income Phase: If there are 1/2/3/4 completed Convenience Stores across all players, receive 2/3/4/5 coins for each completed Convenience Store you have.

D. Minor Landmark (Green)

These cards are similar to landmark cards. When purchased, the player may place 1 of their player markers on the game board.

• Public Art Installation: Action Phase: After buying this card, immediately place 21 player markers in any one area where you don't have any markers yet.
• Hot Spring Hotel: Action Phase: After buying this card, immediately place 1 player marker in any one area. Score 2 points for every other marker in that same area.

FAQ

Q: Are player markers unlimited or constrained by supply? A: Player markers are constrained by supply and so after a player has placed all 7 of his player markers on the board, he can no longer place player markers when he builds landmark or minor landmark (green) cards. He is also unable to make charitable contributions to place additional player markers.

Note: the FAQ says "all 7" player markers, while the setup and components say each player receives 8 markers. Kept as printed.

Q: Are the resources in the game unlimited or constrained by supply? A: Resources (coins, wood, brick, stone, steel, workers, merchants) are considered unlimited. Please use temporary markers to track resources if the supply runs out.