Game Objective

In Daitoshi, players take on the role of industrial magnates in a steam-powered city where progress and natural resource exploitation are essential. The objective is to accumulate victory points (VP) by expanding the city, developing inventions, negotiating, and managing resources. The game ends when the second-to-last space of any Nature counter is revealed, and the winner is the player with the most VP at the end.

Setup

1. Place the main board on the table.
2. Randomly distribute the 5 inner district tiles into their corresponding spaces, non-electrified side up.
3. Shuffle the central and outer district tiles, forming separate stacks.
4. Place 5 city tiles randomly in the designated spaces.
5. Prepare the invention market with 2 common, 2 innovative, and 1 brilliant invention, face up.
6. Fill the Nature counters with hexagons according to the number of players (see manual for specific details).
7. Randomly select a Megamachine board and place the token on the indicated district.
8. Each player receives:
   • A factory board, workers, VP markers, steam, and starting resources.
   • 1 basic invention and places their magnate in the corresponding district.

Consult the manual for details on specific component preparation.

Gameplay Flow

The game is played in turns, without fixed rounds. On your turn, choose between:

1. Production Turn: Activate buildings in your factory to gain resources and advance progress markers.
2. City Turn:
   • Move your magnate 1-2 districts (spend steam to go further).
   • Place workers in the district's workshops.
   • Perform the district's Explore action.
   • Perform an action (expand, electrify, negotiate, or contribute to the Megamachine).

After each turn, check for conflicts with the Yōkai and if the end-game conditions have been met.

Actions and How to Play

Main Actions

• Commit to an Invention: Buy inventions from the market to install in your buildings, paying with food.
• Expand a District: Pay construction materials to add new district tiles, returning hexagons from your registry to Nature.
• Electrify a District: Spend energy to flip district tiles, improving workshops and gaining prestige.
• Negotiate with Other Cities: Gain resources or VP through trade partnerships.
• Contribute to the Megamachine: Donate inventions or resources to advance the collective project.

Explore

When exploring, take a hexagon from the indicated Nature counter, place it in your registry, and gain rewards (workers, water, or coal).

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when the second-to-last space of any Nature counter is revealed. VP are counted:

• VP marker on the main board.
• Bonuses for developed inventions, prestige, reputation, and contributions to the Megamachine.
• Penalties for conflicts with Yōkai (if applicable).

The player with the most VP wins. In case of a tie, the player with the most prestige wins.

Tips for Winning

• Balance production and expansion: Activate buildings frequently to obtain resources, but do not neglect electrifying districts to gain prestige.
• Manage conflicts with the Yōkai: Return to Nature regularly to avoid end-game penalties.
• Take advantage of the Megamachine: Contribute to the collective project to gain significant VP rewards.