Game Setup

These things are randomised during setup: how the area boards are arranged, which building site card and 5-power token are on each area, which order cards start on the Port (and Docks) management board(s), which technology cards start on the Laboratory (and Research Center) management board(s), and which achievement cards are used.

Before the first round, you choose 1 of 2 orders to keep.

You start the game with these items in hand:

• 1 president
• 8 assistants
• 2 shops
• 1 each of copper, silk, tea, and fish
• 4 yen (except the starting player, who gets 3 yen)

You also have these items in warehouse:

• 12 assistants
• 6 shops
• 4 trading houses

You can only use items in your hand. The warehouse icon (e.g. at the Employment Agency) allows you to move items from warehouse to hand, paying the cost printed on the warehouse board.

Flow of the Game

The game is played in rounds of turns clockwise from the starting player. When any of the game end conditions are met, finish the current round, play one additional round, and then calculate your scores. In this way, every player takes the same total number of turns.

Each turn takes place in this order:

1. Additional action phase
2. Main action phase
   1. Placement
   2. Movement
   3. Area action
   4. 5-power bonus (optional)
   5. Construction (optional)
   6. Recovery
3. Additional action phase

Main action phase

Placement

Do either of these:

1. Place 1 assistant into each of up to 3 different areas.
2. Place 2 assistants into 1 area.

Rules:

• You cannot place assistants in the Canal.
• If you place an assistant into an area with an opponent's president, you must pay that opponent 1 yen.

Movement

Do any one of these:

1. Place your president from your hand into an area containing at least 1 of your assistants and no opponent's presidents.
2. Move your president from one area to another, through any number of adjacent areas. Each area you pass through must contain at least 1 of your assistants. The ending area must contain at least 1 of your assistants and no opponent's presidents. If you pass through an area with an opponent's president, you must pay that opponent 1 yen. The ending area must be different from the starting area.
3. Take your president from any area back into your hand. You may also take any number of your assistants from any areas back into your hand. You must then skip the rest of the main action phase.

Area action

The rest of the main action phase takes place in the active area, which is the area where your president is.

Perform the action of the active area. You can mouse over each area board for a description of the action.

How strong this action is depends on your power in the active area. You get 1 power from your president and 1 power from each of your assistants in the active area. In addition, you get 1 power from each building (shop, trading house, or station) you have constructed in the active area. Your power is capped at a maximum of 5.

Each of your opponents with a trading house in the active area receives 1 yen from the bank.

5-power bonus (optional)

If you performed a 5-power action, you may take the 5-power token on the active area. If you do, gain the reward shown on the token.

Construction (optional)

If you performed a 4- or 5-power action, you may construct a shop or trading house in the active area. If you do, gain the reward shown on the space where you constructed the building.

Rules:

• You can construct only 1 shop in each area.
• Only 1 player can construct a trading house in each area.

Recovery

Take all of your assistants from the active area back into your hand.

Additional action phases

There is one additional action phase before the main action phase, and another additional action phase after the main action phase.

In each additional action phase, you may do these in any order:

• Fulfill an order (as many times as you like)
• Use a foreign agent (once per turn)
• Fulfill an achievement (as many times as you like)

Fulfill an order (as many times as you like)

Discard the goods indicated on the order card and gain the rewards listed.

Use a foreign agent (once each per game)

Choose an area containing at least 1 of your assistants and not your president. Carry out the Area action, 5-power bonus, Construction, and Recovery steps in that order, in the same way as the main action phase.

Getting foreign agents: Whenever you hit 2, 4, 6, etc. of the same country icons on your technology and fulfilled order cards, take a foreign agent of that country. Foreign agents are in limited supply: there are 3 from Great Britain, 2 each from the United States, France, and Germany, and 1 from the Netherlands.

Fulfill an achievement (as many times as you like)

Place 1 assistant onto an achievement card that you have met the requirements for. If you're the first to fulfill this achievement, you get the larger number of VPs on the left. Otherwise, you get the smaller number of VPs on the right.

Area Descriptions

You can mouse over each area board for a description of the action.

End of the Game

When any of the following situations occur, the game is almost over:

• Any player has built all 4 of their trading houses.
• Any player has built all 8 of their shops.
• When replenishing the order cards, there are not enough cards to fill the management board.
• A number of assistants have been placed on the Church management board:
  • 2p: 5 assistants (including the assistant of the unused color)
  • 3p: 5 assistants
  • 4p: 6 assistants
• A number of assistants have been placed on the Customs management board:
  • 2p: 5 assistants (including the assistant of the unused color)
  • 3p: 5 assistants
  • 4p: 6 assistants

When any of these conditions are met, finish the round and then play one final full round. Thus, each player will have the same number of turns, and you'll always know if this turn is your last.

Scoring

1) Church bonus The players with the most and 2nd most assistants on the Church management board receive bonus points:

• Most: 6 points
• 2nd most: 3 points
• In case of a tie, the player with the rightmost assistant on the management board wins the tie.

2) Customs bonus The players with the most and 2nd most assistants on the Customs management board receive bonus points:

• Most: 8 points
• 2nd most: 4 points
• In case of a tie, the player with the rightmost assistant on the management board wins the tie.

3) Technology bonus The players with the most and 2nd most total industry value on all of their technology cards receive bonus points:

• Most: 10 points
• 2nd most: 5 points
• In case of a tie, the player earliest in turn order wins the tie.

(2p dummy player ends with value of 7.5.)

4) Country bonus Return any unfulfilled orders (remaining in hand) to the box. Group the country symbols on your completed orders and technology cards into sets of different countries. Each set is worth the following points depending on the number of different country icons in it:

• 5 different icons: 12 points
• 4 different icons: 8 points
• 3 different icons: 4 points
• 2 different icons: 2 points
• 1 different icon: 0 points

5) Remainder scoring Score points for remaining tokens in your possession:

• Unused foreign agents: 1 point
• Imports: 1 point
• 2 Yen: 1 point
• 3 Trade goods: 1 point