BoardGamesBot

GAME OVERVIEW
COMPONENTS
COMMON
Main board
24 standard Factory tiles
9 Demand tiles
16 Starting tokens and 1 Old Factory tile
2 Round markers
32 Goods cubes
48 Workers (8 per color: white,
blue, grey, yellow, red, black)
Cloth bag Rulebook
24 Upgraded Department tokens
40 Money tokens
(15 worth 1000, 15 worth 3000, 10 worth 5000)
6 Expert Workers
80 Resource cubes
(32 Coal, 24 Silk, 24 Iron)
In the middle of the 19th Century, Japan finally realized how far behind the West it was in terms of economy,
industry, and technology. The Meiji Restoration ushered in a rapid Industrial Revolution based on zaibatsu,
conglomerates of closely related companies.
In this economic strategy game, players manage their zaibatsu: building and modernizing factories, setting up
production and supply of goods, attracting investment and fulfilling contracts, developing mining and technology,
building railroads, and recruiting foreign experts — all to catch up with Western countries and prove to the
emperor that their zaibatsu is the most worthy. Lead the Industrial Revolution and bring Japan to prosperity!
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SOLO MODE
MODULES
PER PLAYER (
×4)
1 Zaibatsu board
6 Ships
6 Machines
2 Scoring discs (0/100 and 200/300)
8 Contract tokens
3 Track markers
(1 R&D, 1 Mining, 1 Finance)
6 Trains
9 Favor tokens 1 Player Handbook
10 Influence tokens
Automa board
Common Goals board
9 Action tokens
9 Common Goal tokens (back sides
of the Solo Goal tokens)
9 Solo Goal tokens
6 late-game Factory tiles
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Setup
1a P
1b P
board — 1 tile face up on each City space. Also,
randomize the direction of each Demand tile.
Return the remaining tile to the box.
1c P
bright spaces of the Round track.
2a P
in the Iwakura Mission area.
2b S
matching spaces in the Iwakura Mission area: 1/2/3/4 of each type for a 1/2/3/4-player game, respectively.
3a F
◈For a 4-player game, put all 48 Workers into the bag.
◈For a 3-player game, remove 1 set of 6 Workers of different colors and put the other 42 Workers into the bag. Return the removed set to the box.
COMMON SETUP
1a
6a
1b
2b
Worker Queue has 3 areas (top, middle,
and bottom) with rows for Workers
Scoring track
for tracking gained
victory points
Local Markets each has
4 Influence spaces and
1 City space (for a Demand tile)
Round track is divided into
Periods and has dark and bright
spaces for Round markers
Hiring area has Hiring
spaces for Workers
Actions corresponding to
different Hiring spaces
3c
3b
1c
2a
◈For a 2-player game, remove 2 sets of 6 Workers
of different colors and put the other 36 Workers
into the bag. Return the removed sets to the box.
3b F
the bag. Place 3 Workers on each Hiring space.
3c F
the bag:
◈In a 4-player game, place Workers in all 3 areas of the Worker Queue.
◈In a 3-player game, place Workers in the top and middle areas of the Worker Queue.
◈In a 2-player game, place Workers only in the top area of the Worker Queue.
4a S
into 6 piles by type. Place random Factories near the Main board: 2/3/4 of each type for a 2/3/4-player game, respectively. You may
randomize the Factories’ sides, but we recommend playing with side A for your first few games.
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TYPES OF GOODS
Those Factories will be available to build from
the start of the game. Return the unused standard
Factories to the box.
4b If you are using the Late-Game Factories module, add random late-game Factory tiles (numbered 5)
to the available Factories: 3/4/5 late-game Factories for a 2/3/4-player game, respectively.
You may randomize the Factories’ sides. We do not recommend combining this module with the
Common Goals module or using it until you are
familiar with the game.
5a P
Main board so that all players can comfortably reach them — this is the general supply.
6a If you are using the Common Goals module, place the Common Goals board to the left of the Main
board. Then, place random Common Goal tokens
on the dedicated spaces: 1/2/3 Common Goals in
each Period for a 2/3/4-player game, respectively.
We do not recommend combining this module with
2b
3a
4a
4b
5a
Bento
Cotton Paper
Lenses
ClocksBulbs
Iwakura Mission area has 6 Destinations
with spaces for Ships, Expert Workers,
and Upgraded Department tokens
The rules for Solo mode are described on pp. 20–23.
the Late-Game Factories module or using it until
you are familiar with the game.
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Each player chooses their color and takes all
components of that color as well as 3 Track markers.
Each player sets up their Zaibatsu board (from now
on simply referred to as Zaibatsu):
1 P
dedicated spaces of your Zaibatsu.
2 P
the respective tracks of your Zaibatsu.
3 P
on the left side of your Zaibatsu. These Influence
tokens are unavailable to you until you gain them during play. Also, place both Scoring discs here.
4 P
supply to the right of your Zaibatsu. These Influence tokens are available to you from the start of the game.
5 P
Zaibatsu. They are available to you from the start of the game.
6 S
them on the matching spaces of your Zaibatsu.
Randomly determine the first player. Set out random pairs of Starting tokens A + B face up: 3/4/5 pairs for a 2/3/4-player game, respectively. Starting with the
player to the right of the first player and proceeding counterclockwise, each player chooses 1 pair (that pair is no longer available for choosing) and immediately takes the following steps in order:
1. Apply the effect shown on the left side of the Starting token A (see p. 7).
2. Place your 0/100 Scoring disc (no value side up) on the space of the Scoring track that matches the value shown on the right side of the Starting token A.
3. Gain all bonuses (Resources, Money, advances on
the tracks) shown on the Starting token B (see “General Concepts” on p. 7).
Return unused Starting tokens to the box. Now, you are ready to start the game.
INDIVIDUAL SETUP
STARTING CONDITIONS
2
45
R&D, Mining, and
Finance area has
the respective tracks
Ships, Machines,
and Trains area has
the respective spaces
Personal Objectives area has
spaces for gained Favor tokens
Contracts area has spaces
for fulfilled Contract tokens
Factories area has spaces for built
Factory tiles and produced Goods cubes
Workers area has
spaces for taken
Workers
Departments area has
spaces for gained Upgraded
Department tokens
3
1
6
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GENERAL CONCEPTS
◈All effects of your components affect only your
Zaibatsu unless otherwise specified.
◈You may apply effects only on your turn unless otherwise specified.
◈You apply all current effects in any order, unless otherwise specified, but each effect must be resolved completely before you proceed to the next one.
◈If an effect instructs you to gain or take Goods, Resources, or Money, take those components from the general supply. If an effect instructs you to spend or discard Goods, Resources, or Money, return those components to the general supply. Your Resources, Money, and available Influence tokens are stored in your supply.
◈The general supply is unlimited. If you run out of Resource cubes, Goods cubes, or Money tokens, use any suitable substitutes.
◈If an effect instructs you to advance on a track, move your marker forward on that track. If an effect instructs you to go back on a track, move your marker backward on that track.
◈When you pass the “0” space on the Scoring track, flip or change your Scoring disc accordingly.
STARTING TOKENS A
Build 1 Ship. Take an Expert Worker and an Upgraded Department token as normal (see “Build a Ship” on p. 12).
Take the Old Factory tile and place it on the leftmost space in the Factories area of your Zaibatsu, with the Paper or Cotton side up, your choice. Place 1
on the space below the
Old Factory. During the game, the Old Factory does not produce
,
but you may place there (e.g., by
the effect of the Bulb Factory 1A).
Take 1 Machine from your Zaibatsu and add it to your supply. You must immediately place that Machine on the leftmost space in the first Factory you build. This is the only exception when a Machine may be added to a player’s supply.
Build 1 Train. Gain the bonus shown on the respective space (if any) as normal (see “Build a Train” on p. 13).
Take 2 and add them to your
supply. You must immediately place those
in the first Factory you build.
This is the only exception when
may be added to a player’s supply.
Take 1 Worker of your choice
from the bag and place it on the lowermost space in the Workers area of your Zaibatsu.
Take 3 and place them on this
token. You may use those as
normal. Do not discard those in
step B of Consolidation.
You spend 2 less each time you
build a Factory with the Factory action.
Victory points
BASIC ICONS
Iron
Coal
Silk
Money
Goods
◈R&D, Mining, and Finance markers cannot be moved forward past the last spaces or backward past the first spaces of their tracks. If an effect instructs you to do so, the marker remains on the last/first space, respectively.
◈If an effect instructs you to take a Ship, Machine, or Train from your Zaibatsu, take the leftmost one.
◈Generally, red numbers on icons refer to spending and white numbers refer to gaining Resources/ Goods/Money/etc.
Advance on the
Finance track
Advance on the
R&D track
Advance on the
Mining track
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Gameplay
RUNNING OUT OF WORKERS
A game of Nippon: Zaibatsu is played over 3 Periods. Each Period consists of several Rounds, and Rounds
consist of players’ turns. At the end of each Period, players earn for Influence majority in the Regions. Also,
at the end of the game, players earn for the development of their Zaibatsu. The player with the most wins.
Influence in the Regions and development of the Zaibatsu are the main paths to victory.
Players take their turns clockwise starting with the first player. On their turn, a player must choose one:
◈Perform an action (see below).
◈Make a Consolidation. If a player cannot or does not want to perform an action, they must choose to make
a Consolidation (see p. 17).
At the very end of your turn, if any one space of the Hiring area is empty (has no Workers), move all Workers from the
topmost filled row of the Worker Queue to that empty space in the Hiring area. If you cannot move Workers (all rows
of the Worker Queue are already empty), the round ends (see p. 18).
To perform an action, take the following steps in order:
A. Choose an action and take a Worker
Choose an action on the Main board. Then, take
1 Worker from the Hiring space above the chosen
action and place that Worker on the lowermost
empty space in the Workers area of your Zaibatsu.
◈If there are no empty spaces in your Workers area, you may not perform an action and must
make a Consolidation instead.
◈You may not choose the action if you cannot
activate it at least once (see step B below).
◈If there are no actions you can perform, you
must make a Consolidation.
◈Generally, colors of Workers do not matter for
performing actions, they are important only
during Consolidation.
B. Pay the activation(s) and apply the corresponding effect(s)
Performing an action consists of 1 or more
activations. The icon on the Main board and the
description in the Rulebook specify how many
activations are available within each action. Even
if multiple activations are allowed within a single
EXAMPLE
Chosen actionHiring space
Like in other regions of the world, textiles in Japan were very much relevant for the process of the
Industrial Revolution. In this regard, silk assumed a principal role and became one of the structural
engines for the economy of Meiji Japan. It allowed the realization of significant economic revenues
and with them the evolution of economic structures. In the game, to reflect this status quo and its
importance for the Industrial Revolution in Japan, silk may be used as R&D or money.
A NOTE ON SILK
◈When building a Factory, you may spend 1/3/6 to temporarily increase your R&D level
by 1/2/3, respectively.
◈At any moment during your turn, you may spend 1 to gain 1 any number of times.
action, it is still considered 1 action (you only take
1 Worker for it). For each activation, spend the specified Resources,
, and/or and apply
the corresponding effect(s). Gaining a bonus is also considered an effect.
Actions are described in detail on pp. 9–16.
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ACTIONS
R&D (Research & Development) ACTION
1 activation: Spend 1/3/6 to //, respectively.
EXAMPLE
The Purple player takes a Worker to perform the R&D
action. They decide to spend 1 to advance their
R&D marker 1 space.
MINING ACTION
1 activation: Spend 1/3/6 to //, respectively.
EXAMPLE
The Green player takes a Worker to perform the Mining
action. They decide to spend 3 to advance their
Mining marker 2 spaces.
×1
×1
BONUSES
◈The R&D, Mining, and Finance tracks have bonuses
shown on some of their spaces. You gain that
bonus if your respective marker reaches (or passes
through) that space.
◈The Ships, Machines, and Trains area has bonuses shown between some of its spaces. You gain that bonus if both adjacent spaces (above and below
the bonus icon) become empty.
◈Gaining a bonus is considered an effect and is
applied accordingly (see “General Concepts” on p. 7).
Gain the respective
Department bonus (see p. 13).
Advance on the Finance track.
Gain any Department bonus of your choice.
Take the shown Influence token from your
Zaibatsu and add it to your supply.
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The Purple player takes a Worker to perform the
Factory action. They choose Cotton Factory 1A and
spend 6 , as shown on the Main board. The Purple
player must also spend 1 because they only have
R&D level 1, and the Factory requires R&D level 2. They place the Factory on the leftmost empty space in their Factories area and apply the immediate Factory effect: advance 2 spaces on the R&D track. Due to this track advancement, the Purple player reaches the Black Department bonus and thus gains 2
.
FACTORY ACTION
1 activation: Spend 6 to .
Types of Factory Effects
Immediate: Immediately apply the effect of the
Factory after placing it on your Zaibatsu.
A Factories can modify actions.
You may only apply a modifier from 1 Factory per action (not per activation), even if you have more than 1 Factory with the same modifier (see the example on p. 16).
Special: Some Factories have permanent effects
or effects triggered in specific situations. Such Factories have no icon to the left of the effect.
Note: Factory effects are not actions, so these effects cannot be modified by action modifiers.
Factory Types
There are 6 types of Factories divided into 3 levels:
L
require R&D level 2 to build and 2 to produce.
L
require R&D level 4 to build and 3 to produce.
L
require R&D level 6 to build and 4 to produce.
Factory Tile
EXAMPLE
R&D requirement Factory effect
Type of
the Factory
and Goods
produced
Factory
level and
number
Production
cost and basic
quantity of Goods
produced
Machine spaces,
cost of Machine
placement,
and benefits of
Machines built
(increased
production)
BUILD A FACTORY
Do the following in order:
1. Choose an available Factory.
2. Take the chosen Factory tile and place it on the leftmost empty space in the Factories area of your Zaibatsu.
3. Apply the immediate effect, if any, shown at the top of that Factory tile. (See the detailed description of all Factory effects in the Player Handbook.)
Additional Rules and Clarifications
◈To build the chosen Factory, you must meet its R&D requirement with your R&D level.
◈You may spend 1/3/6 to temporarily
increase your R&D level for building one Factory by 1/2/3, respectively. (Do not move your R&D marker.)
◈You can have more than one Factory of the same type in your Zaibatsu.
×1
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MACHINES ACTION
PRODUCTION ACTION
BUILD A MACHINE
Do the following in order:
1. Choose one of your Factories.
2. Take the leftmost Machine from your Zaibatsu
and place it on any empty Machine space in the
chosen Factory. If that space has an additional
cost shown on it, you must pay that cost to build
a Machine there.
1–3 activations (in different Factories):
.
The Purple player takes a Worker to perform
the Machines action. They spend 5 to take
a Machine from their Zaibatsu and place it on the left empty Machine space in their Factory.
Additional Rules and Clarifications
◈You may not choose a Factory which has no empty Machine spaces.
◈You may not build a Machine on a space if you cannot pay the additional cost shown there.
◈Factories have 2 Machine spaces: 1 free and 1 available for 1
.
EXAMPLE
1–3 activations (in different Factories): Spend 5
to .
Note: Machines help you produce significantly more Goods and thus fulfill more Contracts, as well as place more Influence tokens on the Main board.
Note: Production is an important part of the game because players need Goods to spread their Influence through the Local Markets action.
EXAMPLE
The Purple player takes a Worker to perform the Production action. They spend 2
to place 2
in their Factory. The type of those is Cotton.
Produce
Do the following in order:
1. Choose your Factory to produce in.
2. Spend 2/3/4 to produce in a 1/2/3-level
Factory, respectively.
3. Take the produced from the general supply
and place them on the empty spaces below the chosen Factory tile. A Factory produces 1
as
basic production and 1 for each Machine in
that Factory.
Additional Rules and Clarifications
◈Each Factory has 4 spaces for below the
Factory tile. At any time, if there should be more
in a Factory than spaces available,
discard the excess.
◈Factories of the same type produce of the
same type.
◈You may not move from one Factory to
another, even if they are of the same type.
×3
×3
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SHIPS ACTION
1–3 activations (in different Destinations): Either
spend 3 OR spend 5 and 1 to .
The Orange player takes a Worker to perform the Ships
action. They cannot send a Ship to New York, because
the Green player has already taken the Expert Worker
from that Destination.
For the first activation, the Orange player decides
to spend 3
to build a Ship and send it to Berlin.
They take the white Expert Worker and place it on the lowermost empty space in their Workers area. They also take the white Upgraded Department token and place it on the respective space in their Departments area. Finally, the Orange player advances 1 space on the Finance track as they have reached the respective bonus shown in the Ships, Machines, and Trains area.
For the second activation, the Orange player decides
to spend 3
to build another Ship and send it to
San Francisco. They take the red Expert Worker and red Upgraded Department token. Finally, the Orange player gains 3
as they have reached the respective bonus,
and the corresponding Department has been just upgraded.
Now, the Orange player may decide to spend the
gained
as to build another Ship with the third
activation (assuming they have 2 and 1 ).
EXAMPLE
One of the six
Destinations (Berlin)
Build a Ship
Do the following in order:
1. Choose a Destination in the Iwakura Mission area.
2. Take the leftmost Ship from your Zaibatsu and place it on any empty Ship space at the chosen Destination.
3. Take the Expert Worker from that Destination and place it on the lowermost empty space in the Workers area of your Zaibatsu.
4. Take the Upgraded Department token from that Destination and place it on the corresponding space in the Departments area of your Zaibatsu. If that Department is already upgraded, do not take the Upgraded Department token.
Additional Rules and Clarifications
◈You may not choose a Destination which has no Expert Worker.
◈You must place the Expert Worker in your Workers area. If you cannot do that, you may not build the Ship.
◈You can have more than one Ship in the same Destination. But your respective Department will already be upgraded due to your first Ship at that Destination (that is, you cannot upgrade the upgraded Department again).
◈There is a limit of Ships per Destination: 2/3/4 Ship spaces for a 2/3/4-player game, respectively. If there are no empty Ship spaces at a Destination, you may not send a Ship there.
Note: Ships help you use the Department bonuses more effectively enhancing your intended strategy.
Note: During Consolidation, the Expert Workers are treated like any other Workers.
×3
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TRAINS ACTION
1–3 activations (in different Regions): Either spend
3 OR spend 5 and 1 to .
EXAMPLE
The Green player takes a Worker to perform the Trains action. For the first activation, they decide to spend
3
to build a Train in the chosen Region. They
gain 1 since they placed that Train on a space with
the respective bonus. For the second activation, the Green player decides to spend 1
(gained as a bonus
during the first activation) and 5 to build a Train in
another Region. They gain 1 since they placed that
Train on a space with the respective bonus. Build a Train
Do the following in order:
1. Choose a Region on the Main board.
2. Take the leftmost Train from your Zaibatsu and place it on any empty Train space in the chosen Region.
3. Gain the bonus shown on that space, if any.
Additional Rules and Clarifications
◈You can have more than 1 Train in the same Region.
Note: Trains help you to spread additional Influence in the Regions, safe from being knocked out by other players.
◈There is a limit of Trains per Region: 3/5/7 Train spaces for a 2/3/4-player game, respectively. If there are no empty Train spaces in a Region, you may not build a Train there.
◈Each Train grants its owner 2 Influence in the Region during Influence Scoring if that player has at least 1 Influence token in that Region.
Energy Department (Black) Gain 2 or 3
, respectively.
Prospection Department (Red) Gain 2 or 3
, respectively.
Transportation Department (Grey) Gain 2 or 3
, respectively.
Financial Department (Blue) Gain 3 or 5
, respectively.
Innovation Department (White) Advance 1 or 2 spaces, respectively, on the R&D or Mining track. You may choose to advance 1 space on both tracks when gaining the upgraded Department bonus.
Foreign Affairs Department (Yellow)
Gain 2 or 4
, respectively.
DEPARTMENT BONUSES
Upgraded
Bonuses
Basic
Bonuses
×3
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LOCAL MARKETS ACTION
1–3 activations (in one Region): .
Note: The Local Markets action is the main way to
score points and win the game. However, you can also
perform this action to get the necessary Resources at
the right time to effectively develop your Zaibatsu.
◈You may not place Influence tokens which do not match the level of the Goods.
◈You may replace your own Influence tokens, even if you have placed them with the same action. This can be helpful to gain more Region bonuses.
◈There is a limit of available Influence spaces in each Local Market: 2/3/4 spaces for a 2/3/4-player game, respectively. However, in a 2/3-player game, you may choose any 2/3 spaces in the Local Market to occupy. Once the limit is reached, you may still replace old tokens with new (higher valued) ones. In a 2/3-player game, you may also place a token on the 3rd/4th empty space in the Local Market, but that token must have a higher value than at least one of the tokens in that Local Market. If you do, immediately return any token with the lowest Influence value from that Local Market to its owner, so that the limit is not exceeded after the new token is placed.
×3
Serve a Local Market
Do the following in order:
1. Choose an appropriate Influence space in any Local Market of one Region.
2. Spend 1–3 of the type shown on the
adjacent side of the Demand tile.
3. Place your available Influence token with an appropriate value on the chosen Influence space.
4. Gain either the respective Region bonus (2
/ 2 / 2 / 3 ) or 2 .
Additional Rules and Clarifications
◈To determine the appropriate value of an Influence token, check the table on the Main board:
yFor 1-level Goods, take a token with 1/2/3 Influence value for 1/2/3
spent.
yFor 2-level Goods, take a token with 3/4/5 Influence value for 1/2/3
spent.
yFor 3-level Goods, take a token with 5/6/7 Influence value for 1/2/3
spent.
◈To choose the appropriate Influence space, check the following conditions:
yIf the space is empty, you may place your
Influence token on it. Ignore the Influence values preprinted on the Main board.
yIf the space is occupied by a token (opponent’s or yours), and the Influence value of the token you are about to place is higher, you may
replace the current token with the new one. Immediately return the old token to its owner.
yIf the space is occupied by a token (opponent’s or yours), and the Influence value of the token you are about to place is equal or lower, you may not place the new token on that space.
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The Pink player takes a Worker to perform the Local Markets action. They decide to place 3 Influence tokens in the
Region with the bonus. For the first activation, the Pink player spends 1 from their Paper Factory to place their
1-value token on the only appropriate Influence space corresponding to Paper in the chosen Region. For the second
activation, the Pink player spends 2 from their Paper Factory to replace their 1-value token with the 2-value one.
Finally, for the third activation, the Pink player spends 1 from their Lens Factory to place their 3-value token on the
only appropriate Influence space corresponding to Lenses. After each activation, the Pink player gains 2 as the
Region bonus (6 in total).
EXAMPLE
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INVESTMENT AND CONTRACTS
ACTION
1–3 activations: ◈First activation: Spend 1 of any type to or .
◈Second activation: Spend 2 of any other type
to or .
◈Third activation: Spend 3 of any third type
to or .
The 2 of the Contracts show special conditions. In order to fulfill such a Contract, among the Goods spent for this action, there must be at least one 2-level
or 3-level , depending
on the Goods icons shown on the respective Contract token. Each of these Contracts grants you 1 Department bonus of your choice.
Note: The Investment and Contracts action is the main way to increase
income. Also, fulfilling Contracts allows
you to get the necessary Resources at the right time.
FULFILL A CONTRACT
Do the following in order:
1. Choose an available Contract.
2. Gain the bonus shown on that Contract token.
3. Place the fulfilled Contract token in the leftmost empty dedicated space at the bottom of your Zaibatsu. (You may place fulfilled Contract tokens face down, if you wish.)
Additional Rules and Clarifications
◈It does not matter what Factory, if any, is above the space where you place the fulfilled Contract. Factories and Contracts are not related to each other in any way.
◈You may not fulfill a fulfilled Contract again.
EXAMPLE
The Pink player takes a Worker
to perform the Investment and Contracts action. For the first activation, they decide to spend
1
of Lenses to advance
2 spaces on the Finance track. For the second activation, they decide to spend 2
of Paper to fulfill
1 Contract. The Pink player chooses the Contract that requires Lenses or Bento to be among the Goods spent for this action (Lenses were spent during the first activation). For that Contract, the Pink player gains
a Department bonus of their choice: they choose the Blue Department bonus and gain 5
, because
that Department is already upgraded. For the third activation, the Pink player decides to spend 3
of Cotton to fulfill 1 more
Contract. They choose the Contract with the Yellow Department bonus and thus gain 2
.
Also, due to the action modifier effect of Paper Factory 3A, the Pink player advances 2 spaces on the Finance track.
×3
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4. Gain according to your Finance marker’s
position.
D. Salaries and Clean-Up
1. You must spend 3 for each different color
of Workers (including Expert Workers) in your
Workers area, but you must not spend your
last 1
.
2. If you do not have enough to pay the
salaries, lose 1 for each you have to pay
but cannot (including the last mentioned
above).
3. Return all Expert Workers from your Workers area to their dedicated spaces in the Iwakura Mission area.
4. Return all standard Workers from your Workers area to the bag.
Consolidation
The Purple player makes a Consolidation. They decide to place the 1-level Favor token on the R&D Personal Objective
space because they have already advanced on the R&D track. After that, the Purple player discards all their
and . Then, they may choose to advance 1 space on the R&D track or the Mining track for the White Department
bonus and they gain 3 for the Blue Department bonus. Next, the Purple player gains 2 and 12 as Income.
Finally, they pay salaries of 6 and return all Workers from their Workers area to the bag.
EXAMPLE
You may choose Consolidation if you have at least 1 Worker in your Workers area.
To make a Consolidation, take the following steps in
order:
A. Favor Token
1. Take a Favor token to the right of the topmost Worker in your Workers area. You may take
a lower-level token if there are no tokens of
the corresponding level or if you wish to.
2. Place the Favor token on any empty Personal Objective space in the respective area of your Zaibatsu.
Once the Favor token has been placed on one of your Personal Objective spaces, it cannot be moved or discarded unless otherwise specified.
B. Discard all and you have.
C. Departments and Income
1. Gain a Department bonus matching the color of the lowermost Worker in your Workers area.
2. If you have at least 4 Workers in your Workers area, and your topmost and lowermost Workers have different colors, gain a Department bonus matching the color of the topmost Worker, too.
3. Gain according to your Mining marker’s
position.
Note: During Consolidation, the Expert Workers are treated like any other Workers.
Note: Workers on grey spaces never grant Department bonuses.
OROR
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END OF THE ROUND
INFLUENCE SCORING
There are 3 Influence Scorings in the game. At the
end of each Period, perform the Influence Scoring
according to the respective
values preprinted
below the Round track. Score each Region one by one from left to right. Take the following steps in order:
1. Calculate the total Influence (gained from Influence tokens and Trains) in the Region for each player. Each Train grants its owner 2 Influence in the Region if that player has at least 1 Influence
token in that Region. Otherwise, those Trains grant
no Influence.
If a player has 0 Influence in the Region, they do
not participate in the Influence Scoring in that
Region and do not score any
for it.
2. Calculate the total Influence of Overseas Companies (these are the preprinted values not
covered by players’ Influence tokens).
3. Compare the Influence of each player and the
Overseas Companies to each other.
4. First place earns the highest value, second
place — the second value, and so on. If there is
a tie, each tied player earns a sum of the for all
tied places divided by the number of tied players
and rounded down. Each value is scored only
once, so if 2 players are tied for 1st place, the 3rd player earns
for 3rd place, not for 2nd. (In
extremely rare cases, if 2 players are tied for 4th place, they earn
for 4th place divided by 2 and
rounded down.)
Overseas Companies participate in Influence
Scoring but do not count their total score.
In a 2-player game, the 2nd value is not
available. So 2nd place earns the 3rd value and
3rd place — the 4th value.
5. If the Round marker is already on the last space
of the Round track, proceed immediately to the
End of the Game (see p. 19). Otherwise, proceed to
step 2 of the End of the Round above.
In a 4-player game, the players have already
scored the Region with the bonus. Now,
they are about to score the Region with
the bonus. The Purple player has 3 Influence,
the Pink and Green players have 5 Influence
each, the Orange player has no Influence, and
the Overseas Companies have 6 Influence in
that Region. As a result, the Pink and Green
players are tied for 2nd place and earn 7
each (sum for 2nd and 3rd places
divided by two), the Purple player earns 2 , and the Orange player earns
nothing. After scoring that Region, the players proceed to the next one.
EXAMPLE
At the very end of your turn, if any one space of the
Hiring area is empty (has no Workers), and you cannot
move Workers to that empty space from the topmost
filled row of the Worker Queue (all rows of the Worker
Queue are already empty), the round ends.
At the end of the round, take the following steps in
order:
1. If the first Round marker is on the rightmost
space of the current Period, immediately perform
Influence Scoring (see below).
2. Advance the first Round marker 1 space.
3. Add 1 random Worker from the bag to each Hiring
space if there are less than 3 Workers on that
space. Do not discard any remaining Workers
before adding new ones.
4. Fill the rows of the Worker Queue with random
Workers from the bag, as during setup:
◈In a 4-player game, place Workers in all 3 areas
of the Worker Queue.
◈In a 3-player game, place Workers in the top and
middle areas of the Worker Queue.
◈In a 2-player game, place Workers only in the top area of the Worker Queue.
5. Now, the player to the left of the active player can start their turn.
Final Rounds
If the first Round marker reaches the first bright
space (occupied by the second Round marker), the
active player gives the second Round marker to the
player to their left.
◈From now on, each player has 3 turns until the end of the game.
◈When all players, starting with the player holding the Round marker, have taken 1 turn each, the current round ends — advance the Round marker
1 space, but do not add Workers to the Hiring spaces
and do not fill the rows of the Worker Queue.
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End of the Game
FINAL CONSOLIDATION
Prior to the Final Scoring, each player makes
a Consolidation as normal (see p. 17), but all players
do so simultaneously. Each player must make this
Final Consolidation, even if they have no Workers in
their Workers area.
After that, the players proceed to the Final Scoring.
FINAL SCORING
Calculate
for the development of your Zaibatsu
(add them to the you earned during the game)
by taking the following steps in order:
A. Personal Objectives Scoring
Check each Personal Objective space in the
respective area of your Zaibatsu.
◈For Ships, Machines, Trains; R&D, Mining, and Finance tracks: Earn 5/8/10
for each
1/2/3-level Favor token, respectively, if you
have reached or passed only the lower
threshold. Instead, earn 10/16/20 for each
1/2/3-level Favor token, respectively, if you have reached or passed the higher threshold. For Ships, Machines, and Trains, the threshold is reached when the respective space is empty.
◈For Factories and Contracts: Earn as many
as shown below/above your rightmost Factory/Contract. The 1st/2nd/3rd
value
corresponds to a 1/2/3-level Favor token, respectively.
B. Resources, Goods, and Money Scoring
Earn 1 for every 3 /// you have in
total. Earn 1 for every 5 you have.
The player with the highest final score is the winner!
If there is a tie, the tied player who took their final
turn last is the winner.
Each player has already made the Final Consolidation. The Purple player has earned 109 during the game.
Now they add up the for their Personal Objectives, earning 73 more . Then, they earn 4 for their
remaining and 2 for their remaining . The final score for the Purple player is 188 .
EXAMPLE
2
4
—
14
10
—
16
20
8
5
Lower threshold Higher threshold
19

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LATE-GAME FACTORIES MODULE
SOLO MODE
COMMON GOALS MODULE
In Solo mode, you compete against Automa. It has its own Zaibatsu and simulates a player’s behavior in a simplified
way. To win, you must achieve all the goals selected for the game. If you do, check how well you played.
CHANGES IN SETUP
GAMEPLAY
Perform setup as for a 2-player game, with the
following changes:
1. Common Setup. In step 3a, take the first removed set of Workers and randomly place 4 of them in the Regions on the Main board. Return the 2 remaining Workers from the first set to the box. Place the second removed set near the Main board.
2. Common Setup. Skip steps 4b and 6a.
3. Individual Setup. Do not set up a Zaibatsu for Automa. Take only 1 Zaibatsu board and other components for yourself.
4. Starting Conditions. Set out only 2 random pairs of Starting tokens A + B, choose and take one of them, and return the other to the box. You are always the first player.
This module contains 6 additional Factories for the
late game. These Factories are like goals: the better you fulfill the conditions shown on these Factory tiles, the more
, Resources, or other benefits you gain.
Players compete for each Factory, balancing between early building with little benefit and later building with more benefit, but there is a chance that another player will get that Factory earlier.
The setup for playing with this module is described in step 4b on p. 5. We do not recommend combining this module with the Common Goals module (as they have similar purposes) or using it until you are familiar with the game.
This module contains an additional board and a set of Common Goal tokens. It increases the competitiveness of the game.
The setup for playing with this module is described
in step 6a on p. 5. We do not recommend combining
this module with the Late-Game Factories module (as
they have similar purposes) or using it until you are
familiar with the game.
At the end of each Period, after step 4 of the Influence
Scoring, each player gains a reward for each Common
Goal where they lead or share the lead with other
players. In Periods I and II, the player may choose
any 1 reward from those shown to the right on the
Common Goals board. In Period III, each Common
Goal corresponds to a specific reward to the right on
the Common Goals board.
The player has built the most
Ships/Machines/Trains.
The player has advanced the farthest
along the R&D/Mining/Finance track.
The player has built the most Factories.
The player has fulfilled the most Contracts.
The player has the most Influence tokens in the Regions on the Main board.
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AUTOMA SETUP
GAMEPLAY
1 P
2 C
◈1 random Solo Goal token for Easy level.
◈2 random Solo Goal tokens for Normal level.
◈3 random Solo Goal tokens for Hard level.
Then, place all selected Solo Goal tokens in the
dedicated spaces on the left side of the Automa
board, starting with the top space.
3 C
Trains and Influence tokens of that color in the dedicated areas to the right of the Automa board.
4 T
place them in random order in the Priority area on the Automa board.
5 Shuffle al
pile face down on the dedicated space on the Automa board.
Automa performs only Trains action and Local
Markets action, and for all other actions only returns
Workers from the Hiring spaces, depending on
the revealed Action token and chosen Difficulty
level.
You play your turns normally. On Automa’s turn, take
the following steps for Automa in order:
A. Reveal an Action token from the top of the pile and place it on the dedicated space to the right.
B. Return a Worker to the bag from the Hiring
space matching the action icons shown on the
revealed Action token. Select that Worker by color
following the Priority left to right.
If the revealed Action token shows
the Workers icon instead of action
icons, return a Worker from the
Hiring space with the most Workers
instead. (In case of a tie, select the Hiring space
with the most Workers in the direction of the
arrow shown on that token. If the arrow points to
the left, select the leftmost tied space; if it points
to the right, select the rightmost tied space.)
C. If the revealed Action
token shows the Trains
icon or Local Markets
icon, determine a Region
1
Influence area
Priority area has spaces for Workers,
and is used by Automa to select colors Trains area
Actions area has a space for the Action pile
and a space for revealed Action tokens
Goals area
has spaces
for Solo Goal
tokens
3
4
3
5
2
to perform the respective Automa action in (see
below).
If the revealed Action token
shows the Workers icon and
you have just returned a
Worker from the Hiring space
above the Trains action or
Local Markets action, Automa
performs the respective
action, but only if the level
of the revealed Action token does not exceed the
Difficulty level chosen for the game. (Look at the
border color of the revealed Action token, and check
if you have a Solo Goal token in the space with the
same border color to determine if Automa performs
the action.)
Thus, the higher the Difficulty level, the more
aggressively Automa plays by performing more
actions that affect you.
D. At the end of Automa’s turn, if there are no Action tokens in the pile, update the Priority area and the Action pile by repeating steps 4 and 5 of the Automa setup.
Determining a Region
Following its current Priority, Automa aims to gain more influence in a Region than you.
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On its turn, Automa reveals the yellow-bordered Action token with the Workers icon. Automa finds the Hiring space
with the most Workers. It is the space corresponding to the Local Markets action. Automa follows its Priority and
returns a white Worker from that Hiring space.
EXAMPLE
Following the Priority, check each Region:
1. If Automa has equal or less Influence in the
Region than you, it performs the Automa action
in that Region.
2. If Automa has more Influence in the Region than
you, it proceeds to the next Region (following the
Priority) and checks the condition in step 1.
3. If Automa has equal or less Influence in the
Region than you, but it cannot perform the
Automa action in that Region (for example, there
are no available spaces for Influence tokens or
Trains), it proceeds to the next Region (following
the Priority) and checks the condition in step 1.
4. If Automa has more Influence in all Regions (with available spaces) than you, it performs
the Automa action in the first Region possible
according to the Priority.
5. If there are no available spaces in any Region, Automa does nothing.
Trains Action
Automa takes a Train from its Trains area and places it on the topmost empty Train space in the
determined Region. If Automa runs out of Trains, it
does nothing with the Trains action.
Unlike your Trains, Automa’s Trains grant Influence
in the Region, even if Automa has no Influence tokens
in that Region.
Local Markets Action
1. Depending on the current Period, Automa selects
a row in the Influence area of the Automa board:
◈Bottom row for Period I. Influence tokens
from that row relate to all 1-level Goods (Paper
and Cotton) at the same time.
◈Middle row for Period II. Influence tokens from that row relate to all 2-level Goods
(Lenses and Bento) at the same time.
◈Top row for Period III. Influence tokens from
that row relate to all 3-level Goods (Clocks and
Bulbs) at the same time.
If the row for the current Period has run out of
Influence tokens, Automa selects the row for the
next Period, if any.
Automa never selects the rows for the previous
Periods. If Automa runs out of appropriate Influence
tokens, it does nothing with the Local Markets action.
2. In the determined Region, Automa tries to place the leftmost (lowest valued) Influence token from the respective row on the available Influence space. That space must match 1 of the 2 respective types of Goods (no matter which one). If there are no appropriate Influence spaces with matching types of Goods, Automa must determine another Region.
Automa checks the possibility to place its Influence token on the available space in the determined Region in the following order:
1. To replace (or return) your highest-value Influence token. That token immediately returns to your supply as normal.
2. To cover the highest-value preprinted space. A space with no preprinted value is considered to have a value of 0.
If there are 2 appropriate spaces, Automa places its Influence token on the leftmost of them.
Automa never replaces its own Influence tokens. If
there are no available Influence spaces in the Region,
Automa determines another Region.
Note: As in a 2-player game, there is a limit of 2 available Influence spaces in each Local Market (see p. 14). You may replace Automa’s Influence tokens as normal — immediately return the replaced tokens to the box.
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Score Influence in each Region as in normal 2-player
games (ignoring the 2nd value on the Round track).
At the end of the game, take the following steps in order:
1. If you have not achieved all selected Solo Goals, you immediately lose and do not perform the Final Consolidation and Final Scoring.
Otherwise, if you have achieved all selected
Solo Goals, you win the game! Perform the Final
Consolidation and then Final Scoring as normal.
INFLUENCE SCORING AND THE END OF THE GAME
240+ Emperor’s favorite
210+ Brilliant
180+ Significant
150+ Forgettable
0+ Unessential
The Difficulty level is Hard, which means Automa performs the action (not only returns a Worker). It checks Regions
(following the Priority) to find a Region where it does not surpass the player in Influence. In the blue Region, Automa has more Influence than the player. The yellow Region does not exist. In the white Region, Automa has 2 Influence (because its Trains always count as 2 Influence each) and the player has 4 Influence. Automa must place its 4-value Influence token because it is Period II, but it cannot replace the player’s 4-value token with the equal-value token.
The 2 other spaces (corresponding to Lenses or Bento) are equal as they have no preprinted values, which means the value of both spaces is considered zero. So, Automa selects the leftmost of them. Now Automa surpasses the player with its 6 total Influence in the white Region.
2. Check your final score in the table below to know how well you played:
CREDITS
Game Designers: Paulo Soledade and Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro. Solo Mode Designer: Pedro André Correia. Lead Developer and Rules Writer: Alex Irons. Developer and Playtest Manager: Dan Lièvre.
Artist: Maya Kurkhuli.
Graphic Designer: Galina Kir.
Layout Designers: Mikhail Kuznetsov, Veronika Romanova.
TTS Mod Creators: Scott Seifert, Alex Irons, Anar Ramazanov.
Executive Editor: Evgeniy Samarskiy.
Editor: Elena Datsenko.
Proofreader: William Niebling.
Producer and Director of Game Development: Alex Irons.
General Managers: Evgeniy Maslovskiy, Maxim Istomin.
Special thanks to consultants on Japanese culture and the Meiji era:
Egor Bakun, Igor Toschenko, Mikhail Adazhenik, Ruslan Amanzholov,
Roman Uglev.
Thanks to everyone who took part in playtesting the game: Joana
Carreira, Rogério Morais, Carlos Ferreira, João Jotta, Rui Ferreira,
Sandro Sender, Demétrio João, Tiago Duarte, Denis Dudov, Lev
Lyaschenko, Timofey Dudko, Yuriy Monakov, Fedor Panov, Nikolay
Kuzivanov, Ruslan Ivanov, Artem Volkov, Maxim Konoplya, Sergey
Plyusnin, and all other members of CrowD Games playtesting team.
Imported and distributed in the UK by:
Esdevium Games Ltd — trading as Asmodee United Kingdom.
Address: Hogmoor House, Templars Way, Bordon, Hampshire,
GU35 9GQ, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0)1420 593 500.
E-mail: info@asmodee.co.uk.
Imported and distributed in the EU by:
Authorised Representative — Asmodee Nordics.
Address: Valseholmen 1, Hvidovre, DK-2650, Denmark.
Tel: +45 32 97 30 70. E-mail: salesnordics@asmodee.com.
© CrowD Games, LLC. 2025. All rights reserved. No part of this
product may be reproduced without written permission.
crowdgames.us
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REMEMBER
◈At the end of the round, add only 1 random
Worker from the bag to each Hiring space
which has less than 3 Workers. If there are
less than 3 Workers on any space after adding
1 Worker there, that is fine.
◈At the end of the 5th round (before the 3 final rounds), add Workers to the Hiring spaces and fill rows of the Worker Queue as normal.
◈Department bonuses shown on the Zaibatsu board, Contract tokens, and Factory tiles can be basic or upgraded, and provide Resources,
, , or accordingly (see p. 13).
◈Each action has a limit on the number of activations. The reminder on the Main board shows how many activations are available for each action.
◈Each action with multiple activations
has a special condition. The reminder on the Main board shows whether the activations of that action must be applied to the same object or different ones.
◈When serving the Local Market, you may gain either the respective Region bonus (2
/ 2 /
2 / 3 ) or 2 .
◈At any moment during your turn (incl. Final Consolidation), you may spend 1
to gain
1 any number of times.
◈When building a Factory, you may spend 1/3/6
to temporarily increase your R&D
level by 1/2/3, respectively.
◈You may build multiple Factories of the same
type.
◈During Consolidation, you must not spend your last 1
. If you should, lose 1 instead.
◈Each of your Trains grants you 2 Influence during Influence Scoring if you have at least 1 Influence token in the same Region.
◈Action modifiers are applied to actions (not to activations). Thus, you may only apply a modifier from 1 Factory per turn.
◈You apply the current effects in any order, but each effect must be resolved completely
before you proceed to the next one. Gaining
a bonus is also considered an effect and is
applied accordingly.
◈In a 2/3-player game (incl. Solo mode), there is a limit of available spaces for Ships, Trains,
and Influence tokens on the Main board.
◈In a 2/3-player game (incl. Solo mode), while
serving the Local Market, you may place an
Influence token on the 3rd/4th empty space in
the Local Market, but that token must have
a higher value than at least one of the tokens
in that Local Market. If you do, return any
token with the lowermost Influence value
from that Local Market to its owner.
◈In a 2-player game (incl. Solo mode), the 2nd
value preprinted below the Round
track is not available.
×3
×1

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