The Treasure Ship of Zheng He Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Preparation
• Game Progression
  • 1: High Officials Phase
  • 2: Planning Phase
  • 3: Voyage Phase
    • 3-1: Voyage Card Disclosure Step
    • 3-2: Sailing Step
    • 3-3: Action Step
  • 4: Preparation Phase
• End of Game and Final Score Calculation
• Game Bylaws
• Icon Details
• Event Card Details
• Solo Play
  • Solo Components
  • Solo Setup
  • Solo Game Progression
  • Solo 1: High Officials Phase
  • Solo 2: Planning Phase
  • Solo 3: Voyage Phase
  • Solo 4: Preparation Phase
  • Solo End of Game and Scoring

Components

Game contents as listed in the rulebook. Numbers are as printed.

• Main board (1): a map of Asia with the sea routes, plus the scoring track and the military merit track.

• Major power tiles (5): one for each of the five great powers: Ayutthaya Dynasty, Malacca Kingdom, Delhi Sultanate, Vijayanagar Kingdom, and Timur Empire. Each has a front and back.

• Scoring frames / merit frames (10): thin circular frames placed on the scoring and military merit tracks to show each player's status.

• Money chips (64): an abstract representation of money. 1 gold × 32, 5 gold × 16, 10 gold × 16.

• Trade goods chips (100): 20 chips for each of five trade goods: agarwood, ivory, pepper, ambergris, and gemstones.

• Weapon chips (30): show the combat strength of a player's troops. 1 Weapon × 24, 5 Weapons × 6.

• Cannon chips (16): show the artillery strength of a player's troops.

• Command chips (24): needed by players other than the Flagship Captain to perform actions on squares with a Flagship marker.

• High Officials board (1): where the High Official cards are placed. At the top is the area for the Third Ming Emperor, Yongle, who ordered Zheng He to embark on the great voyage.

Game Preparation

1. Place the main board, the High Officials board, and the voyage board in the center of the table.

2. For each major power tile, randomly decide which side to play with and place it on the corresponding major power tile placement area on the main board. If this is your first game, use the "A" side for all tiles.

3. Place the round frame on "1" of the round track on the voyage board.

4. Shuffle the High Official cards for each category (A to E) thoroughly. Draw 3 cards for each category and place one card face up in the column for each category on the High Officials board. The remaining High Official cards (one per category) are not used in this game and are returned to the box.

5. Among the voyage cards, put the initial voyage cards together face down, shuffle them, and make them into a pile. Draw one voyage card and place it face down on Voyage 1 of the voyage board without looking at it. Do the same for Voyage 2 and Voyage 3; nothing is placed on Voyage 4. Put the additional voyage cards face down, shuffle them, and make them into a second pile. The pile of initial voyage cards and the pile of additional voyage cards are separate.

6. Place all emissary frames in the messenger bag and mix them well. Set aside an emissary discard area for used emissary frames.

7. Group the money chips, trade goods chips, weapon chips, cannon chips, command chips, detachment chips, gift chips, Distance Extension chips, and animal tiles by type.

8. Place the sailing route frames and flagship markers on the voyage board, grouped by color:

   • Red: Voyage 1
   • Blue: Voyage 2
   • Yellow: Voyage 3
   • Green: Voyage 4

The preparation is now complete.

Game Progression

The game is played over 7 rounds. Each round represents one expedition. After the 7th round, one final High Officials Phase is played, the final score is calculated, and the game ends.

Each round is divided into four phases:

1. High Officials Phase
2. Planning Phase
3. Voyage Phase (3 or 4 voyages per round)
4. Preparation Phase

The Voyage Phase is repeated once per voyage in the round (3 voyages in rounds 1 and 2, 4 voyages in rounds 3 to 7). Each voyage has three steps:

• 3-1: Voyage Card Disclosure Step
• 3-2: Sailing Step
• 3-3: Action Step

The Action Step is in turn made up of four parts, resolved in order: A. Encounter with Pirates, B. Processing of Each Action, C. Erecting a Stone Monument, and D. Dispatch of Detachments.

Judgment call: the Japanese original names the fourth phase 帰還フェイズ ("Return Phase") in its phase list, but its section heading reads 準備フェイズ ("Preparation Phase"). The draft English uses "Preparation Phase" throughout, and that name is used here.

1: High Officials Phase

In this phase, you select a dignitary to assist you. However, most officials will not assist you unless you offer them trade goods.

Starting with the starting player and proceeding clockwise, each player in turn performs actions ① to ③ below, one at a time.

1. Place an offering frame. Place one of your offering frames on a High Official card, or on the Emperor. Each Category B to E card, and the Emperor, may receive only one offering during the whole game. Only a Category A card may receive offerings any number of times during the game.

   If a High Official card already has another player's offering on it, you may still place your offering on that card. In that case, place it to the right of the offerings already there.

2. Pay the required trade goods shown on the chosen card.

3. Gain the benefit shown in the "Benefit" area of the chosen card. For the details of each icon, see the Icon Details section.

When every player has placed one of their offering frames on a High Official card, the High Officials Phase is over.

Example of the High Officials Phase

Aki (white), Ichi (black), and Umi (brown) are playing. It is round 1 and the game has just started.

Aki, the starting player, places an offering frame on the "3 Gold, 2 Weapons" card. As this is a Category A official, no trade goods are required. Aki receives 3 gold and 2 weapons as the benefit.

Next is Ichi's turn. Ichi places an offering frame on the "3 Gold, Blue Emissary / Red Emissary" card. Again no trade goods are required, and Ichi receives 3 gold and a blue (Kingdom of Malacca) emissary as the benefit.

Last is Umi. Like Ichi, Umi places an offering frame on the "3 Gold, Blue Emissary / Red Emissary" card. Because Umi acted after Ichi, Umi's offering is placed to the right of Ichi's. No trade goods are required, and Umi receives 3 gold and a blue emissary as the benefit.

2: Planning Phase

The Planning Phase determines which player will be the Flagship Captain of each voyage in the following Voyage Phase.

The order of selection in the Planning Phase is determined by where the offering frames were placed in the High Officials Phase. The priority is as follows:

1. The player who placed an offering on the higher-category card. The categories rank from the Emperor, then E, D, C, B, and A (A is lowest).
2. If the same category, the player whose offering card is further to the left.
3. If the same High Official card, the player who placed their offering further to the left (first).

Once the order of selection is determined, starting with the 1st player, each player chooses one of the voyages that has a voyage card and places one of their voyage priority frames on it. A voyage that already has a voyage priority frame cannot be chosen.

After every player has placed one frame, if any voyage still has no voyage priority frame, the players place their voyage priority frames again, starting from the 1st player. This is repeated until every voyage that has a voyage card has one voyage priority frame. Voyages 1 to 3 are used in rounds 1 and 2, and voyages 1 to 4 in rounds 3 to 7.

The Planning Phase is then over.

Example of the Planning Phase

First, check the order in which the voyage cards will be selected. The first priority is the category of the High Official. It is round 1, and every offering is in Category A, so there is no difference at this level.

The next priority is "same category, but further to the left." Aki's offering is on the leftmost card, so Aki chooses first.

Ichi and Umi have placed their offerings on the same card. The player whose offering is further to the left has priority, so Ichi is second and Umi is third.

Aki chooses Voyage 3 and places a voyage priority frame on the face-down voyage card there. Ichi chooses Voyage 2, so Umi is automatically left with Voyage 1. Because round 1 has only three voyages, the Planning Phase is now over.

3: Voyage Phase

In the Voyage Phase, actions are taken as the ship proceeds along the routes on the main board.

3-1: Voyage Card Disclosure Step

Among the voyage cards on the voyage board, reveal the leftmost face-down card (at the start, the card for Voyage 1).

If the revealed voyage card is a whole-voyage event ("Rebellion" or "Peaceful Seas"), resolve that event now. See Event Card Details. Mass events ("Pirates", "No Port of Call", "State of War", "Muslim Merchant", and "Stowaway") are resolved after the route has been placed, as described in 3-2 and 3-3.

The player whose voyage priority frame is on this voyage card is the Flagship Captain for this voyage.

3-2: Sailing Step

The Flagship Captain receives sailing route frames whose total equals the range (Voyage Distance) printed on the voyage card, and one flagship marker. The colors of the route frames are set by the voyage: red for Voyage 1, blue for Voyage 2, yellow for Voyage 3, and green for Voyage 4.

If the Flagship Captain has a Distance Extension chip from the High Officials Phase, it may be used to receive one extra route frame. Used Distance Extension chips are returned to the stock.

Note: a Distance Extension chip that is not used is discarded at the end of the round.

The Flagship Captain places the sailing route frames one at a time, starting from the start square "0: Liuhe Town" on the main board and following the arrows. Do not place a route frame on "0: Liuhe Town" itself.

In the second and later voyages, the route begins from the square where the last route frame of the previous voyage was placed, following the arrows from that square.

• If an arrow points to more than one square, the Flagship Captain chooses which square to place the route frame on.

• Some arrows point both ways, but a route may not go back and forth within the same voyage. (It is allowed when the route changes direction in a later voyage.)

• When the route reaches "23: Mecca" or "28: Madagascar", some route frames may still be left over. In that case, you may place a route frame on an arrow leading from any square where a route frame was placed this voyage to a square where no route frame was placed this voyage.

  Example: if the range is 4 and the route is 21: Aden, 22: Jeddah, 23: Mecca, one route frame is left over. It may then be placed on 20: Rasul or 24: Mogadishu, the squares that lead from squares already on the route.

After the Flagship Captain has placed all of their route frames and flagship marker, check the voyage card again. If its event is a mass event, count the route frames placed this voyage from the first one. The event chip for the event that occurs this voyage is placed on the square with the corresponding mark. Place the event chip near that square.

Example of the Voyage Card Disclosure Step and Sailing Step

The voyage card for the first voyage is revealed. Its event is "Stowaway", a mass event, so the event is handled at the Action Step below.

Umi holds the voyage priority frame on this card, so Umi is the Flagship Captain.

The range printed on the voyage card is 3, so Umi takes three red route frames. Umi places them on "1: Quanzhou", "2: South China Sea", and "3: Quy Nhon". Umi places the flagship marker on "3: Quy Nhon" to show that the Flagship Captain will act there.

The third square on the route is marked for the event, so the "Stowaway" event takes place on the third square of this voyage, "3: Quy Nhon". Umi places the "Stowaway" event chip near "3: Quy Nhon".

3-3: Action Step

The Flagship Captain selects one of the squares where route frames were placed during this voyage, places a flagship marker there (if not already present), and performs an action on that square.

The other players likewise each choose one of the squares where route frames were placed during this voyage and perform an action on that square. However, if a player performs an action on a square where the flagship marker is placed, that player must pay 1 command chip.

Actions may be performed by each player simultaneously.

Actions on squares are processed in the following order:

• A. Encounter with Pirates
• B. Processing of Each Action
• C. Erecting a Stone Monument
• D. Dispatch of Detachments

If a mass event occurred with a voyage card, the "No Port of Call" event is processed before A. Encounter with Pirates. The "Pirates" and "State of War" events are processed at the timing of A. Encounter with Pirates, and the "Muslim Merchant" and "Stowaway" events are processed at the timing of B. Processing of Each Action.

A. Encounter with Pirates

If you want to take an action on a square that shows a pirate symbol, or on a square where pirates have appeared because of an event, you must choose one of the following: Defeat the pirates, Give a gift (which avoids battle), or Avoid the pirates.

Defeat the pirates

To defeat pirates, first calculate the pirate strength with this formula:

Pirate strength = pirate value of that square + pirate value added by the event + pirate modifier for the round

To defeat the pirates, your strength must be equal to or greater than the pirate strength. Your strength is calculated as follows:

• Pay X weapon chips: X strength.
• Fire the cannons: strength equal to the number of cannon chips you have.

When you fire the cannons, your bombardment tile must be on its unused side. Then flip the bombardment tile to its used side.

Firing the cannons does not cost you any cannon chips. Also note that if you have 0 cannon chips, flipping the bombardment tile adds 0 strength.

Defeat the pirates: military merit

If you defeat the pirates, your military merit increases by:

The pirate value of the square + the pirate value added by the event.

The pirate modifier for the round is not included in this value.

Move your military merit frame up the merit track. If the merit frame passes over or lands on any space with an effect, apply all of those effects.

Then proceed to B. Processing of Each Action.

Give a gift

You give a gift to the pirates to avoid battle. Pay 1 gift chip. Regardless of the pirate value, only one gift chip is used. Your military merit does not increase.

Then proceed to B. Processing of Each Action.

Avoid the pirates

Nothing happens. You must choose this if you have no weapons or gifts, or do not wish to spend them.

This normally ends the action. You cannot proceed to B. Processing of Each Action or C. Erecting a Stone Monument. You can still perform D. Dispatch of Detachments.

Example of Encounter with Pirates

In the first voyage, the Flagship Captain Umi places the flagship marker on "3: Quy Nhon" to perform an action there. Aki and Ichi save their command chips and choose to take actions on "2: South China Sea" and "1: Quanzhou" respectively.

"2: South China Sea" has pirates, so Aki must take part in an Encounter with Pirates. The pirate strength is:

1 (pirate value of the square) + 0 (pirate value added by the event) + 0 (pirate modifier for the round) = 1

So a strength of 1 is enough to win. Aki pays 1 weapon chip and defeats the pirates. Aki's military merit was 0, so it increases by 1, to 1. The square with the value "1" shows 1 gold, so Aki receives 1 gold.

B. Processing of Each Action

Perform the various mass actions shown on the square.

If a "Muslim Merchant" or "Stowaway" event has occurred, each player may choose whether to perform that event or the square's mass action first.

If your stone monument frame is already erected on the square, you may perform the mass action twice. The event action, however, is performed only once.

On squares showing trade goods, money, weapons, animal tiles, or victory points, you may receive those items. On squares showing pirates, you may receive the items shown by defeating the pirates or by giving them gifts.

The Great Power squares and the Merchant squares are handled specially, as follows.

Processing of Great Power squares

On a Great Power square, all of the following are done as one square action:

1. Send an emissary (optional). If the diplomacy level with the target power is 0 to 2, pay the required emissary frames of that power to raise your diplomacy level with it by 1.

   Diplomacy level change	Emissary frames required
   Level 0 to 1	1
   Level 1 to 2	1
   Level 2 to 3	2

   When you raise your diplomacy level from 0 to 1, place one of your diplomacy frames in the level 1 column of that power's tile. When you raise it from 1 to 2, or from 2 to 3, move your diplomacy frame in that power's track to the column of the new level. All emissary frames paid are placed in the emissary discard area.

   You may raise your diplomacy level only once per action. However, if you have built a stone monument on that square, you may perform an additional action there. If a stone monument is already built there, you may perform two actions there, so you could raise your level twice.

2. Receive hospitality. Receive everything shown in the center column of the Great Power tile, for every level at or below your current diplomacy level.

   At diplomacy level 1, you receive the effects of level 1. At level 2, the effects of levels 1 and 2. At level 3, the effects of levels 1, 2, and 3.

   Items shown in parentheses are first-time benefits. Each player can receive a first-time benefit only once.

   The victory points shown in the right-hand column of the Great Power tile are received at the end of the game, so do not take them at this time.

Processing of Merchant squares

On a Merchant square, a transaction can be made only once. You pay what is shown to the left of the arrow (⇒) and receive one of the items shown to the right of the arrow.

Example of Processing Each Action

Umi performs the mass action of "3: Quy Nhon". "3: Quy Nhon" shows 1 agarwood, so Umi receives 1 agarwood.

In addition, a "Stowaway" event is currently taking place on "3: Quy Nhon". Umi draws a random emissary frame from the emissary bag and receives a green (Kingdom of Vijayanagar) emissary frame.

(Umi also erected the stone monument described below and received another agarwood.)

Aki defeated the pirates on "2: South China Sea" and receives the 2 gold shown on the square.

Ichi performs a mass action on "1: Quanzhou". "1: Quanzhou" shows 2 gold, so Ichi receives 2 gold. (Ichi has also received 2 gold from erecting a stone monument, see below.)

Example of Processing the Great Power square mass action

Now that every player has finished the actions of the first voyage, the second voyage begins. The Flagship Captain of the second voyage is Ichi.

Ichi turns over a voyage card with range 4 and a "Muslim Merchant" event on the third square.

Ichi receives 4 blue route frames and places them on "5: Java", "6: Palembang", "7: Malacca", and "8: Strait of Malacca". A "Muslim Merchant" event chip is placed on the third square, "7: Malacca".

Ichi places the flagship marker on "7: Malacca" and performs the square action there. Ichi has one blue emissary frame, which Ichi pays to raise the diplomacy level with Malacca to 1, and so receives the benefit of level 1 (1 weapon chip).

Ichi then pays 1 gold to buy 1 weapon chip from the "Muslim Merchant" event on "7: Malacca".

About animal tiles

Animal tiles can be acquired by performing certain mass actions, or by raising the military merit track or the diplomacy level with the Timur Empire.

The giraffe on "21: Aden" and the Houou on "28: Madagascar" can be acquired only by the Flagship Captain.

When you acquire an animal tile, do one of the following:

• Place it in the animal house area of your personal board. When you place an animal tile for the first time, place it so that it covers at least one square marked "S". After that, each animal tile must be placed adjacent to an animal tile already placed, above, below, left, or right of it. An animal tile may not extend beyond the animal house area. If an animal tile covers a square with an effect, that effect is applied.

• Score victory points immediately. Do not take the animal tile. Instead, score victory points equal to the number of squares on that animal tile. If the animal tile shows a victory point, you also gain that victory point.

  This is done when there is no more room in the animal house area, or when there are not enough animal tiles left in the supply.

Example of the animal square

The story jumps to the 4th voyage of the 6th round, near the end of the game. The Flagship Captain Aki places route frames on "24: Mogadishu", "21: Aden", "20: Rasul", and "19: Zufar" and decides to perform an action on "21: Aden" as the Flagship Captain.

By performing the Flagship Captain action on "21: Aden", Aki acquires the giraffe tile. Aki also erected a stone monument and acquired a giant antelope tile.

Aki places the acquired animal tiles in the animal house on personal board as shown in the figure.

C. Erecting a Stone Monument

This action can be performed only on the square where you have just performed an action, and only if your stone monument frame is not yet erected there.

Pay the amount of money shown in the stone monument space of that square. Then place one of your stone monument frames on that square.

Stone monument effects

As explained in B. Processing of Each Action, you may take two actions on a square where your stone monument has already been erected.

Stone monument erection bonuses

When you erect a stone monument, the following bonuses apply:

1. First, you may perform one additional mass action on the square where you erected the stone monument. In total, you may perform two mass actions on that square at the time you erect it.
2. Second, you may perform one mass action on each adjacent square (squares connected by arrows) on which you already have a stone monument. You may choose the order in which these squares are processed. Note the following:
   • The event chip is not processed, either on the square itself or on the adjacent squares.
   • Even if a flagship marker is on an adjacent square, you do not have to pay a command chip.

Example of Erecting a Stone Monument

Back to the first round, the first voyage. Umi has just received one agarwood on "3: Quy Nhon" and received a green emissary frame from the "Stowaway" event.

Umi then pays 2 gold and erects a stone monument on "3: Quy Nhon". After the monument is erected, Umi may perform another action on the square right away, so Umi receives another agarwood.

If Umi had already erected monuments on "2: South China Sea", "4: Ayutthaya", or "5: Java", which are adjacent to "3: Quy Nhon", Umi could have performed actions on those squares as well. Since no monuments have been erected there yet, nothing happens. (It is not possible to build a monument on "2: South China Sea" in the first place, because it is a sea square.)

D. Dispatch of Detachments

You may dispatch a detachment by paying 1 detachment chip.

You may dispatch a detachment only once per Action Step (it may be dispatched again when the voyage changes).

When you dispatch a detachment, you may perform a mass action on any square where a route frame was placed during this Action Step, and on any square adjacent to those squares (squares connected by arrows). If you have a stone monument on that square, you may perform a mass action there twice.

The following restrictions apply:

• You cannot choose a mass action you have already performed in this Action Step.
• You must pay 1 command chip when you perform a mass action on a square where a flagship marker is placed, or on a square where a "No Port of Call" event has occurred.
• Events caused by voyage cards other than "No Port of Call" are ignored.
• You cannot erect stone monuments with a detachment.

Example of Dispatching a Detachment

The story jumps again, this time to the 4th voyage of the 6th round at the end of the game. Aki has just acquired a giraffe and a giant antelope on "21: Aden". Aki decides to dispatch a detachment on this voyage.

The detachment can be sent to the squares where route frames were placed on this voyage and to squares adjacent to them. In other words, Aki can send it to "24: Mogadishu", "21: Aden", "20: Rasul", and "19: Zufar", and to the adjacent squares "14: Indian Ocean", "25: Brawa", "22: Jeddah", and "18: Hormuz".

Aki dispatches the detachment to "18: Hormuz". Aki has already erected a stone monument on "18: Hormuz", and has also reached diplomacy level 3 with the Timur Empire. Aki performs two actions there, which give 5 victory points, 2 gems, and 2 gold/leopard.

4: Preparation Phase

After all the voyages of the round have been processed, the Preparation Phase begins. In this phase, the following actions are taken:

• Move all offering frames on the High Officials cards to the "dedicated" area beside those cards. If this was round 7, go to End of Game and Final Score Calculation at this point. Otherwise, continue the Preparation Phase.
• Return all voyage frames (route frames and flagship markers) on the main board to the voyage board, grouped together under each voyage:
  • Voyage 1: red
  • Voyage 2: blue
  • Voyage 3: yellow
  • Voyage 4: green
• Remove from the game the voyage card that was on Voyage 1 of the voyage board.
• Draw a voyage card from the pile of additional voyage cards and turn it face up. All players check its contents. Then shuffle the remaining voyage cards, the newly drawn voyage card, and the cards in the voyage card pile together, and place them face down on the voyages (from round 3 onward, Voyage 4 also receives a card). Any surplus voyage cards are set aside as a new voyage card pile.
• Each player turns their bombardment tile to the "unused" side and returns any Distance Extension chips they hold to the supply.
• Advance the round frame on the voyage board to the next round.
• Pass the starting player tile to the player on the left.

The player now proceeds to the next round.

Example of the Preparation Phase

Back again to the Preparation Phase of the first round. Everyone has completed their actions up to the third voyage, so the Preparation Phase is played.

First, all offerings placed on the High Officials cards are moved from the top of the cards to the used offerings area beside them. Next, all route frames and flagship markers on the main board are returned to their original places on the voyage board. The voyage card on Voyage 1 is removed from the game. Then one card is drawn from the pile of additional voyage cards and mixed into the pile of voyage cards.

End of Game and Final Score Calculation

Once the game has progressed to the Preparation Phase of round 7, play one more High Officials Phase. This final High Officials Phase is performed in the same way as a normal round's High Officials Phase, and benefits are received as usual.

Then calculate the final score in the following order:

1. Current victory points. The victory points earned during play so far, shown on the scoring track by your scoring frame.

2. Military merit. Look at the square of the military merit track where your merit frame is. If that square shows a victory point, score that victory point. Only the value of that one square is counted, not the squares you passed. If the square shows no victory point, score the victory point of the square one step below it.

3. Major powers. Calculate the victory points for each of the five great powers:

   • At diplomacy level 1 or 2, score the victory points for that level.
   • At diplomacy level 3, score the victory points for level 3, plus 2 victory points for each emissary frame of that power you hold in hand.
   • If you have not reached diplomacy level 3 with a power, you score nothing for that power, even if you hold extra emissary frames of it.

4. High Officials. Score the victory points printed on each High Official card on which you have an offering frame. The draft states that the victory points on Category E cards are not fixed but vary with the conditions of the game. The Japanese original says that some cards' victory points change with conditions and does not name the cards, so the values are scored as printed on each card.

5. Animals. The number of squares of the animal tiles on your animal house board is scored as victory points. As a bonus, score additional victory points for the largest rectangle (squares counted as rectangles, including squares) formed by the squares covered by animal tiles.

6. Monuments. Score 1 victory point for each stone monument frame of yours on the main board.

The player with the most victory points wins.

• Tie: the player with the higher total of remaining weapon chips and cannon chips wins.
• Still tied: the position of the last High Officials Phase offering determines the planning order (see 2: Planning Phase). The player who would act earlier in the Planning Phase wins.

Game Bylaws

• Trade goods chips, money chips, weapon chips, cannon chips, command chips, detachment chips, and gift chips are unlimited. If you run out during the game, use a substitute.
• Animal tiles are limited. You may run out during an Action Step. If you expect to run out during an action, process the actions clockwise, starting with the Flagship Captain.
• Emissary frames. When the emissary bag is empty, return all emissary frames from the emissary discard area to the emissary bag. If the bag is empty and the emissary discard area has no emissary frames, no more emissary frames can be acquired.
• If there are not enough emissary frames in the bag for the actions being taken, process the actions clockwise, starting with the Flagship Captain.

Icon Details

• {A} → {B}: Pay A, gain B.
• {A} / {B}: Either A or B.
• {A} × {B}: Gain B for every A.
• {Money}: A money chip. The number on the icon is the number of money chips gained or paid.
• {Victory points (immediate)}: Victory points are scored immediately when they are gained.
• {Victory points (end of game)}: Nothing is done when they are gained. The victory points are scored at the end of the game.
• {Trade goods}: A trade goods chip.
• {Choice of trade goods}: Choose one trade good of your choice and gain it.
• {n ≠ trade goods}: Pay the number shown in trade goods chips, and all of them must be different kinds.
• {Weapons}: A weapon chip.
• {Cannon}: A cannon chip.
• {Emissary}: An emissary frame of the color shown. If an emissary of that color is in the emissary discard area, take it. If not, check the emissary bag and take an emissary of that color.
• {Random emissary}: Take a random emissary from the emissary bag without looking inside.

Event Card Details

Mass events take effect on the square where the event chip is placed. Whole-voyage events take effect for the whole voyage.

Pirates (mass event)

A pirate appears on the corresponding square. Combat with pirates is processed at the timing of A. Encounter with Pirates.

Stowaway (mass event)

Take one random emissary frame from the emissary bag. This is processed at the timing of B. Processing of Each Action. Each player may choose whether to perform the Stowaway event or the square's mass action first.

Muslim Merchant (mass event)

Choose only one of the following four options, and perform it only once:

• Pay 1 gold and get 1 weapon chip.
• Pay 4 gold and get 2 weapon chips.
• Pay 4 gold and get 1 gift chip.
• Pay 3 gold and get 1 trade good of your choice.

This is processed at the timing of B. Processing of Each Action. Each player may choose whether to perform the Muslim Merchant event or the square's mass action first.

Rebellion (whole-voyage event)

All players compare the number of weapon chips they have. Cannon chips are not counted.

• The player in first place pays 2 weapon chips and increases their military merit by 2.
• The player in second place pays 1 weapon chip and increases their military merit by 1.
• A player with zero weapon chips is not ranked.
• If more than one player is tied for first, all of them are processed as first place, and there is no second place.
• If there is one first-place player and more than one tied for second place, all of the tied players are processed as second place.
• If the first-place player has only one weapon chip, they pay 1 weapon chip and increase their military merit by 1.

Judgment call: the draft says that in this last case the first-place player "raises martial merit by 2". The Japanese original says 1, so 1 is used here, which matches the 2nd-place rule. The draft's line should be checked against the printed card.

Peaceful Seas (whole-voyage event)

No pirates appear on this voyage. Ignore the pirate icons on the main board.

No Port of Call (mass event)

The corresponding square becomes a square where no port of call is allowed. This is processed before A. Encounter with Pirates.

• To take an action on a square where no port of call is allowed, you must pay 1 command chip.
• Even if a flagship marker is on a square where no port of call is allowed, you can perform the action by paying only 1 command chip.
• An action gained as the bonus of erecting a stone monument can be performed without paying a command chip.
• An action taken by detachment on a square where no port of call is allowed requires 1 command chip.

State of War (mass event)

Pirates of the following pirate values appear on the Great Power squares where route frames were placed during this voyage:

• Ayutthaya, Malacca: 1 pirate.
• Vijayanagar, Delhi Sultanate: 2 pirates.
• Timur Empire: 3 pirates.

Combat with pirates is handled at the timing of A. Encounter with Pirates.

Solo Play

Source note: the solo-play rules are not in the draft English rulebook. This section is translated from the Japanese original rulebook (pages 24 to 28 and the solo card key), which is the authoritative text.

When playing alone, the game includes a computer-controlled opponent (NPC, 仮想敵). The NPC is controlled by the solo cards. The NPC's victory points are not calculated. Instead, the player's final victory points determine a rank title, and you try to reach a higher rank.

Solo Components

• Solo cards (24).

Each solo card has a front and a back:

• Front: Designated official (指定高官), the High Official the NPC chooses in the High Officials Phase. Planning priority order (計画優先順), the order the NPC uses to choose voyages in the Planning Phase. Priority square (優先マス), the square the NPC chooses in the Action Step.
• Back: Route (経路), the preferred route the NPC follows in the Sailing Step.

Solo Setup

Most of the setup is the same as the normal game (see Game Preparation). Steps ① to ⑨ are exactly the same.

10. The NPC is always the starting player. Do not use the starting player tile; return it to the box.

11. The player chooses a color and receives the components as in the normal game. The player also chooses one unused color for the NPC and takes:

    • 1 offering frame and 2 voyage priority frames for the NPC. Place the offering frame beside the High Officials board. Place both voyage priority frames beside the Planning board.

    Return all other components of that color to the box.

12. The player receives 1 weapon chip and 1 command chip.

13. Shuffle all solo cards face down to make the solo card pile.

The preparation is now complete.

Solo Game Progression

The game still lasts 7 rounds, each with four phases, and it ends with a final High Officials Phase followed by scoring, as in the normal game (see Game Progression). The NPC is always the starting player.

Using the solo cards. At the start of each round, turn the top card of the solo card pile face up and place it to the left of the pile. The front of the card you just turned over and the back of the new top card of the pile together form the action guideline set for the NPC during this round.

Solo 1: High Officials Phase

Follow the designated official on the guideline set, and place the NPC's offering frame on that High Official card's offering area. The NPC does not pay trade goods and does not receive any benefit.

Then the player performs actions ① to ③ in order:

1. Choose one High Official card of Category A, or of Categories B to E, on which your own offering frame is not yet in the "used offerings" area. Take an offering frame from your hand and place it on that card. The NPC's offering may already be on the card. If so, place yours to the right of the NPC's.
2. Pay the required trade goods of the chosen card.
3. Gain the benefit shown on the chosen card.

When the player has performed ① to ③, the High Officials Phase is over.

Note: the Japanese original's rule text reads "カテゴリB～F" (Categories B to F). There is no Category F, so Categories B to E are meant. Please check against the printed card.

Example of the Solo High Officials Phase

The top card of the solo card pile is turned face up, and the guideline set is as shown in the figure. The "designated official" is "D1", so the NPC's offering frame is placed on the D1 High Official card, as directed.

The player places an offering frame on the "3 Gold, Red Emissary / Blue Emissary" card. No trade goods are required. The player receives 3 gold and a blue emissary as the benefit.

The NPC does not pay trade goods and does not receive a benefit.

Solo 2: Planning Phase

The NPC's place in the order is determined automatically by the position of its offering frame in the High Officials Phase, as in the normal game.

When it is the NPC's turn, it places a voyage priority frame according to the guideline set's planning priority order:

1. Check the leftmost position written in the planning priority order. If there is a voyage card there with no voyage priority frame on it, place one of the NPC's voyage priority frames on it.
2. If that voyage card already has a voyage priority frame, or there is no voyage card in that position, check the next position from the left (2nd, 3rd, and so on), until a free voyage card is found.

Once every player has placed one frame, the players place frames again, starting from the 1st player, and the NPC places its frame when it comes up in turn. Repeat until every voyage card has one voyage priority frame.

The Planning Phase is then over.

Example of the Solo Planning Phase

First check the order in which voyage cards are chosen. The NPC has chosen the "D" category card and the player has chosen the "A" category card, so the NPC chooses first.

In the planning priority order, the leftmost position is "4", but there is no voyage card in Voyage 4 this round. The second position is "3", so the NPC places its voyage priority frame on the Voyage 3 card.

The player places a voyage priority frame on Voyage 2.

Every player has now placed one frame, so the NPC chooses again. Only Voyage 1 is left, so the NPC's second voyage priority frame is placed there.

Solo 3: Voyage Phase

3-1: Voyage Card Disclosure Step is the same as in the normal game.

3-2: Sailing Step. When the NPC is the Flagship Captain, follow the route on the guideline set's back as closely as possible. If the route has already diverged from it, the player chooses the route.

When the NPC is the Flagship Captain, the player takes the route frames and flagship marker on the NPC's behalf and places them, as the NPC's own frames.

3-3: Action Step. When the NPC is the Flagship Captain, check the priority square on the guideline set. It has one of three types:

• Animal: If a square on this voyage's route has an animal tile the NPC can obtain, place the flagship marker on that square. If there is more than one such square, check the word after "Animal:" (前 or 後). "前" (front) means the frontmost of those squares; "後" (back) means the backmost.
• Great Power: Check whether the route includes a Great Power square, and choose a square in the same way as for animals.
• Pirate: Check whether the route includes a square with a pirate, whether the pirate is printed on the board or added by an event chip. Such squares are treated as pirate squares.

If none of these squares is on the route, place the flagship marker on the square whose number is marked on the right side of the priority square. The marks are shown as a row of circles, one per square, and the filled circle (●) shows which square of the route to use, counting from the first. For example, "○○○○●" means the 5th square.

If the route is too short to reach that square, place the flagship marker on the last square of the route.

The player then chooses one of the squares where route frames were placed during this voyage and performs an action there, as in the normal game. The NPC never performs square actions. During a voyage the NPC only gets in the way of the player's actions as Flagship Captain. So when the player is the Flagship Captain, you do not need to consider what the NPC does. The processing of the player's action is the same as in the normal game.

Example of the Solo Sailing Step and Action Step

The first voyage card is turned face up. The event is the whole-voyage event "Rebellion".

The NPC has no weapon chips. The player pays 1 weapon chip to take first place, and moves the military merit frame from 0 to 1, gaining the 1 gold on that square. (See the Rebellion rules in Event Card Details.)

The NPC is the Flagship Captain for this voyage. The route on the guideline set's back runs from "1: Quanzhou" to "3: Champa". The priority square reads "Animal: front ⇒ ○○○○●". No square on this route has an animal tile the NPC can obtain, so this instruction is ignored, and the NPC's flagship marker goes on the 5th square as directed. The route has only 3 squares, so the flagship marker is placed on the last square of the route, "3: Champa".

The player takes the route frames on the NPC's behalf and places them along the route, from "1: Quanzhou" to "3: Champa". The player must pay a command chip to perform an action on "3: Champa", where the NPC's flagship marker is.

Note: the Japanese example text reads "2つの航路コマ" (two route frames) in one sentence and "赤色の航路コマ3つ" (three red route frames) in the previous one. The route is shown as three squares, so the example is given without a count.

Solo 4: Preparation Phase

The Preparation Phase is the same as in the normal game, with one difference. The NPC's offering frames are not moved to the "dedicated" area beside the High Officials cards. They are temporarily removed from the board instead. The NPC therefore does not count which High Official cards it placed offerings on.

Everything else is handled as in the normal game.

Solo End of Game and Scoring

Play one final High Officials Phase at the end of round 7. The NPC does not perform the final High Officials Phase.

The NPC's victory points are not calculated. Score the player's victory points as in the normal game (see End of Game and Final Score Calculation), and determine the player's rank title from the table below.

Victory points	Rank title
401 or more	皇帝 (Emperor)
351–400	太子 (Crown Prince)
301–350	三公 (Three Dukes)
276–300	三孤 (Three Junior Guardians)
251–275	尚書 (Minister)
226–250	侍郎 (Vice Minister)
201–225	郎中 (Secretary)
176–200	主事 (Clerk)
151–175	所正 (Office Head)
126–150	大使 (Envoy)
101–125	副使 (Deputy Envoy)
100 or less

Note: the rank titles are kept in Japanese, with English glosses that are approximate translations of the official titles. The rank titles are as printed in the Japanese original.