# Ginkgopolis: The Experts

## General Info
- **Year Published**: 2013
- **BGG Rating**: 7.6
- **BGG Rank**: —
- **Players**: 2-5 (Best with: 2, 3)
- **Duration**: 45 min
- **Weight**: 2.95 / 5
- **Designers**: Xavier Georges
- **Artists**: Gaël Lannurien
- **Publishers**: Hobby Japan, Pearl Games, uplay.it edizioni, Z-Man Games
- **Categories**: City Building, Environmental, Expansion for Base-game, Science Fiction, Territory Building
- **Mechanics**: Area Majority / Influence, Hand Management, Open Drafting, Simultaneous Action Selection, Tile Placement, Variable Player Powers

## Verdict
If you love fast‑growing cities with a sci‑fi twist, this expansion is for you!Variety of modulesCombination of mechanicsHigh quality componentsMedium complexityRequires base GinkgopolisRECOMMENDED

## Description
Ginkgopolis: The Experts turns the already fun city‑building of Ginkgopolis into a full‑blown innovation race. With six modules that can be played alone or in combination, you can pick new buildings, prestige buildings, green spaces, events, the keep‑a‑card rule, and even experts that add a character flair. Each module brings unique components: more building tiles, prestige tiles that have no cards, green tiles that give bonuses when used in urbanization actions, events that shift the game flow, and the option to keep a card during the choice phase. Experts arrive at the start as character cards, and if you use the events module, they determine which events you can play. Open drafting and simultaneous action selection keep the pace quick, while hand management and area influence ensure every decision matters. If you love building futuristic cities, battling territorial control, and adding a dash of sci‑fi, this expansion will have you itching to play again and again. 45 minutes of pure fun, 2‑5 players, and the chance to turn your city into a high‑tech, green‑lush skyline.

## How to Play
Game Objective
In Ginkgopolis: The Experts, players are drawn by the success of the city of Ginkgopolis and seek to profit from its growth. The expansion introduces 6 modules that can be freely combined to revitalize the base game and offer new strategies. The overall objective is to accumulate the maximum number of success points, which are the game's victory condition. The modules vary in complexity and strategy, allowing players to adapt the game experience to their tastes.

Setup
Game setup varies depending on the modules you choose to use. Below are the steps for the modules described in the manual:

Module 1: New Buildings

    Shuffle the New Building tiles (numbered 21 to 23) to form a face-down stack. This tile supply is distinct from the general supply of base game tiles (numbered 4 to 20).
    Place each set of New Building cards (numbered 21 to 23) at the end of the Building card stack of the same color.
    Remove 3 random Building tiles from the general supply of the base game (numbered 4 to 20) from the game, without looking at them.

Note: Value II tiles cannot be purchased during setup (via characters), but only once the game has begun.

Module 2: Prestige Buildings

    Form three face-up stacks with the Prestige Building tiles, each comprising one color, with tiles 24 on top and tiles 25 on the bottom.
    Remove 3 random Building tiles from the general supply of the base game (numbered 4 to 20) from the game.

Note: Value III tiles cannot be purchased during setup (via characters), but only once the game has begun.

Module 3: Green Spaces

    The Green Space tiles are placed face-up in a separate stack near the base game tiles.
    Remove 3 random Building tiles from the general supply of the base game (numbered 4 to 20) from the game.


Module 4: Events

    If you are playing with the Experts module of this expansion, each player takes the 2 indicated Event tiles (in the top left corner) on the Expert card they selected and places them behind their screen.
    If you are playing without the Experts module of this expansion, each player receives four Event tiles (one of each type) and selects two that they keep behind their screen.


Module 5: Keep a card
This module requires no additional components or specific setup. It only modifies the Choose a card step of each turn.

Module 6: Experts
Before choosing their Character cards, each player receives 2 Expert cards in addition to 4 base game Character cards. Card selection then proceeds as in the base game:

    Each player chooses one card (Expert or Character) that they keep secret.
    Each player passes the remaining cards to their left before choosing a new card from those they received.
    This continues until each player has chosen 3 Character cards and 1 Expert card. It is not allowed to choose 4 Character cards or more than 1 Expert card.

Exceptional case: If you chose 3 Character cards in the first 3 draft steps, you are forced to take an Expert in your final choice. If, at that moment, there is no Expert available in your hand, draw a random Expert card from the cards that were part of the draft but were not selected by anyone.
If you are playing with the Events module of this expansion, take the Event tiles you are entitled to (shown in the top left corner of the Expert card) and place them behind your screen.
Note: The Master Architect starts the game with 2 additional tiles.

Game Flow
Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Actions and How to Play
Actions and gameplay are modified by the expansion modules:

Module 1: New Buildings
When buying tiles, you can choose to buy a Value II tile instead of buying two Value I tiles. You must take into account the total number of tiles your action allows you to take before deciding how many Value I or Value II tiles to take, and you cannot change your mind in the middle of the action.
Example: Nell played the blue Building card #6 alone to use the blue building #6. As this building is level 3, she can buy 3 Value I tiles. She has a permanent bonus card that allows her to take an extra tile, raising the number of Value I tiles she can buy to four. She can, therefore, choose to buy four Value I tiles, or 2 Value I tiles and 1 Value II tile, or 2 Value II tiles.
Cards 21 to 23 are end-game bonus cards. If you have them in front of your screen, you receive success points at the end of the game, provided you meet certain conditions.

Module 2: Prestige Buildings
When buying tiles, you can choose to buy a Value III tile instead of buying three Value I tiles. You must take into account the total number of tiles your action allows you to take before deciding how many Value I or Value III tiles to take, and you cannot change your mind in the middle of the action.
Example: Nell played the blue Building card #8 alone to use the blue building #8. As this building is level 1, she can buy 1 Value I tile. She has two permanent bonus cards that allow her to take two additional tiles, raising the number of Value I tiles she can buy to three. She can, therefore, choose to buy 3 Value I tiles or 1 Value III tile.
Note: Value III tiles have no cards associated with them, so it is not possible to build or use these buildings. Thus, it is unnecessary to place a Construction Site pawn on them.

Module 3: Green Spaces
Whenever you buy tiles, you can choose to buy a Green Space tile instead of a Value I tile. You can only buy a single Green Space tile per turn.
Green Space tiles can only be played using the Urbanize action. The rules are almost identical to the normal Urbanize action, using the Green Space tile instead of a Building tile:

    Replace the Urbanization token (corresponding to the card played) with the Green Space tile.
    Place a resource from behind your screen on this tile to mark the fact that you are the owner of the green space. It is not necessary to place a Construction Site pawn on it, because there is no card associated with it.
    Move the Urbanization token to an empty space orthogonally adjacent to the new tile (not diagonally).
    You use the buildings orthogonally adjacent to the tile you just placed (but not diagonally). "Using a building" allows you to gain the items as if you had played the cards of those buildings alone.
    If you have any cards with an Urbanization bonus in front of your screen, you receive the items specified by those cards.
    After resolving the action, place the played card in the discard pile.

Notes: It is not possible to cover an existing building with a Green Space tile. Green Space tiles have no cards associated with them, so it is not possible to build or use a green space. One or more isolated adjacent Green Space tiles are called a park. A player who urbanizes (with a Building tile or another Green Space tile) next to a park receives 2 success points per Green Space tile in the park.
Example: Miley urbanized by playing the Urbanization card B with the blue Building tile #9. She urbanized next to a park consisting of three Green Space tiles. So she gains 6 success points (2 per Green Space tile).

Module 4: Events
Event tiles are special tiles that you can play at the same time as your normal action. This then triggers an event at the location defined by the played card. To trigger an event, you must play an Event tile in addition to the card (and possible tile) you chose for your action. Place the Event tile face down on the card. It is therefore possible to play two tiles in the same turn — possibly even three, if you have the Master Architect expert. You choose whether the effects of the event are applied before or after the resolution of your chosen action. Once you have resolved the event, the Event tile is removed from the game. Here are the effects of the Event tiles:

    Design Competition: Count the number of resources you have both on the building designated by the card (when building a floor or using the building), and on adjacent buildings (when urbanizing, building a floor or using the building). Buy one tile per resource counted (maximum 9). You can target a building that does not belong to you.
    Advertising Campaign: Count the number of resources you have both on the building designated by the card (when building a floor or using the building), and on adjacent buildings (when urbanizing, building a floor or using the building). Gain one success point per resource counted (maximum 9). You can target a building that does not belong to you.
    Expropriation: Replace all resources on the building designated by the card with your own resources from your personal supply, and gain 1 success point per resource replaced. The target player recovers their resources and places them behind their screen, but does not receive success points as compensation. This event cannot be played with an Urbanization card.
    Quality Control: Consider the resources both on the building designated by the card, and on adjacent buildings. For each resource, its owner loses 1 success point, or 1 resource from behind their screen to the general supply. The player who triggered the quality control is not affected. If a player chooses to lose success points, the success points go to the player who triggered the quality control, who can only receive a maximum of 6 success points in total (any additional success points lost are returned to the general supply). If a player does not have enough resources and success points, they must pay what they can. They must lift their screen to prove their claim.


Module 5: Keep a card
In addition to the card you choose for your action, you must choose another card that you will place behind your screen. At the end of the turn, each player passes only 2 cards to the left, instead of 3. Then, add the hidden card to your hand, so that you have 3 in your hand again — before drawing the usual fourth, of course.
Note: This module is designed for players who want a little more control over the game. As a result, it lengthens the game and reduces its fluidity.
Supplemental Variant: In games with 2 to 4 players, you can play this module with a hand of 5 cards, instead of a hand of 4.

Module 6: Experts
Each expert grants its owner a special power. Some experts apply during the game, while others have an impact on the final score. Here are the different powers:

    Artist: You do not need to pay any success points when building a floor with a lower number.
    General Counsel: You gain 2 success points per resource recovered, instead of 1, but only when another player builds a floor over a building you owned.
    Banker: When resolving your action, you can exchange success points for resources if you do not have the resources to build (1 success point per resource). During final scoring, each resource behind your screen counts as 1 success point.
    Inspector: When urbanizing, you gain 2 success points if you create a new district, or expand an existing one, or unite two different districts of the same color.
    Entrepreneur: During final scoring, you gain 1 success point per production building (red) owned by another player, and 2 success points per production building you own.
    Journalist: During final scoring, you gain 1 success point per daily life building (yellow) owned by another player, and 2 success points per daily life building you own.
    Engineer: You gain 2 success points for each tile you return to the game when the general supply is exhausted for the first time. If the game ends without the base game tiles having been exhausted, you gain 1 success point per tile you have behind your screen.
    Master Architect: When selecting the Urbanize action or the Build a floor action, you can build two floors in one turn. To do this, place two tiles on the card you played to perform this action, instead of one. These two tiles, chosen from behind your screen, are placed face down on the played card. After the action is resolved, place the two stacked tiles on the city, making sure to keep the bottom tile hidden. The bottom tile can be of any type (green space, prestige building...). The color and number of the bottom tile are completely irrelevant and do not cause additional cost. On the other hand, the top tile can cause the usual additional costs. You must also add two resources to the building, so that the total number of resources is equal to the

## FAQ
### How long does a game last with the expansion?
The game stays around 45 minutes, like the base game, since the expansion adds only new components and rules.

### How many players can play with the expansion?
The expansion keeps the 2‑5 player range, but works best with 3‑4 to use all modules.

### Does the expansion increase game complexity?
Yes, complexity rises slightly due to new open‑draft and keep‑a‑card rules, but it remains approachable.

### Do I need to buy the expansion if I already own Ginkgopolis?
Yes, the expansion only works with the base game, as it adds modules that integrate into the existing system.

### Which module is best for more strategy?
The Green Spaces and Events modules add more strategic depth, offering area bonuses and flow‑shifting events.

### Can the expansion be used with other Ginkgopolis expansions?
Yes, you can combine it with other expansions, just make sure there are no rule conflicts.

### Are the experts really character cards?
Yes, each player starts with expert cards that add a character element to the game.

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