Game Objective

In Barrage, you take on the role of a CEO of a national company competing to dominate the energy production race in the French Alps. Your goal is to build Dams, Powerhouses, and Conduits to control the flow of water and produce energy. This energy allows you to fulfill Contracts and climb the Energy Track. The player with the most Victory Points (VP) at the end of the game is the winner.

Setup

General Setup

1. Place the Map in the center, with the Energy Track and Management board nearby.
2. Place Excavators, Concrete Mixers, Credits, and Water Drops in the general supply.
3. Shuffle Headstream tiles and place 4 face-up on the Map.
4. Shuffle Bonus tiles and place 5 face-up on the Energy Track.
5. Shuffle Objective tiles and place 1 at the end of the Energy Track.
6. Shuffle National Contract tiles and place a number of them equal to the number of players minus one on the Management board.
7. Divide Private Contract tiles into three piles; shuffle them and place two face-up from each pile.
8. Draw one Neutral Dams Setup tile from each of the three piles and place the corresponding Neutral Dams (level 1 in Mountains, level 2 in Hills, level 3 in Plains) on the Map. Place 1 Water Drop behind each.
9. Place the Patent Office board next to the Map. Shuffle Advanced Technology tiles into three piles and place three face-up from pile 'I'.

Player Setup

• Each player receives a Company board, an Executive Officer tile, and a Construction Wheel.
• Players take all components in their company color: 5 Bases, 5 Elevations, 5 Conduits, 4 Powerhouses, 5 Basic Technology Tiles, 1 Turn Order Marker, 1 Energy Marker, 1 Victory Point Marker, and 12 Engineers.
• Place Turn Order markers on the Energy Track and Energy markers at space "0".
• Place Victory Point markers on space "10" of the scoring track.

Game Flow

The game is played over five rounds. Each round consists of the following five phases in order:

1. Income and Headstreams: Players collect active income from their Company boards and place Water Drops on Headstream tiles according to the round's requirements.
2. Actions: Players take turns placing Engineers on action spaces to perform Construction Actions or Management Actions.
3. Water Flow: All Water Drops on Headstream tiles flow downhill, filling Dams until they reach capacity, then overflowing to the next basin.
4. Scoring: Players score VP based on their position on the Energy Track, collect Credits, and activate the current round's Bonus tile.
5. End of Round: The turn order is updated (the player who produced the least energy goes first), Energy markers return to "0", and Engineers return to players' supplies.

Actions and How to Play

Construction Actions

Performed on the Company board. The cost in Engineers increases as you build more structures per round (1, 2, 3, and finally 3 Engineers plus 3 Credits). To build, you must place the required Technology tile and Machineries in the Construction Wheel's open segment, rotate the wheel clockwise, and place the piece on the Map.

• Base: Creates a Dam to hold water. Costs Excavators (3 in Plains, 4 in Hills, 5 in Mountains).
• Elevation: Increases a Dam's capacity (max level 3). Costs Concrete Mixers (2 in Plains, 3 in Hills, 4 in Mountains).
• Conduit: Connects a Dam to a Powerhouse. Costs 2 Excavators multiplied by the Conduit's production value.
• Powerhouse: Used for energy production. Costs 2 Concrete Mixers plus 1 extra for every Powerhouse already built.

Management Actions

Performed on the shared Management board. These spaces are exclusive (except the Bank). The right-side space of an action costs more but provides a second chance if the first is occupied.

• Turbine Station: Move Water Drops from a Dam (your color or neutral) through a Conduit (any color) to your Powerhouse. Energy produced = (Conduit value × Water Drops) + action bonus/malus. If using another player's Conduit, pay them 1 Credit and they score 1 VP per drop.
• Water Management: Place Water Drops on Headstream tiles. Some actions cause water to flow immediately.
• Bank: Gain Credits equal to the number of Engineers placed.
• Workshop: Rotate the Construction Wheel to recover Machineries and Technology tiles faster.
• Machinery Shop: Pay Credits to buy Machineries.
• Contract Office: Acquire Private Contract tiles.
• Patent Office: Pay 5 Credits to acquire Advanced Technology tiles.

Using Energy and Contracts

Produced energy is recorded on the Energy Track. You may use a single production action to fulfill one Contract (Private or National Contract) if the energy produced meets or exceeds the requirement, granting immediate rewards.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends after the Scoring Phase of the fifth round. Final scoring is calculated as follows:

• Objective tile: The top 3 players according to the goal score 15, 10, and 5 VP respectively.
• Resources: 1 VP for every set of 5 items (combined Excavators, Concrete Mixers, and Credits) in the personal supply.
• Water: 1 VP for each Water Drop held by your Personal Dams.

The player with the most Victory Points wins. In case of a tie, the player who produced the most energy during the last round wins.

Tips for Winning

• Prioritize Early Production: Connecting a Powerhouse to a Neutral Dam is the fastest way to start producing energy, though remember that other players can also exploit Neutral Dams.
• Plan for Bonus Tiles: The Energy Track is the most rewarding way to score; plan your moves according to the order of the Bonus tiles.
• Diversify Structures: Building more pieces of the same structure type activates your Company board income, which is a key to victory.