Game Objective

The objective of the game is to accumulate the highest amount of Victory Points (VPs) by the end of the match. Players earn VPs through cargo transport, building Trading Houses, and specific actions. The game ends when the last steamer is purchased from the ship market, followed by one additional round. The winner is the player with the most VPs. In the event of a tie, the owner of the newest ship prevails.

Setup

To start the game, follow these steps:

• Ship Distribution: Each player receives one random Sailing Ship. The owner of the oldest ship becomes the starting player and takes the "Starting Player" card.
• Steamer Purchase: Players, in counter-clockwise order, purchase a steamer from the ship market. The cost includes the ship's base price plus an additional fee based on its position in the market.
• Initial Deployment: After purchase, each player must immediately deploy one of the new ships, following the rules of order by construction year.
• Hidden Cards: Players keep their action cards hidden in their hands.

Game Flow

The game progresses in turns, with each player executing actions according to the rules below:

1. Player Turn: Each player plays an action card and executes the associated actions. Played cards are stacked visibly for all to see.
2. Director Cards: When playing the "Director" card, the player returns all played cards to their hand and immediately plays a new card from the deck.
3. Ship Deployment: New ships are placed on top of sea regions. Older ships are pushed down. If a region is full, the oldest ship is discarded or redeployed, if possible.
4. End of Game: The game ends after the purchase of the last steamer. One additional round is played to finalize the scoring.

Actions and How to Play

Available actions are executed by playing specific cards. The main ones are listed below:

• Shipyard: Purchase 1 or 2 steamers from the market and deploy one immediately. The other remains on the table.
• Region: Deploy a ship and collect income from another player's oldest ship in the chosen region.
• Transport: Transport with up to 2 of your own ships, losing 1 unit of coal per steamer. Earn income and VPs with Trading Houses.
• Global: Transport with 1 ship per region or per flag. Earn VPs for different flags.
• Blue Riband: Transport with as many ships as the number of Blue Ribands the player possesses.
• Director: Retrieve all cards from the discard pile (minimum 4) and play a new action immediately.
• Invest: Build Trading Houses, buy coal, or earn income markers.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends after the purchase of the last steamer, followed by a final round. Scoring is calculated as follows:

1. VPs per Ship: Each ship is scored based on its flag (e.g., 7 VPs per blue flag).
2. Trading Houses: 1 VP per ship in regions where the player has Trading Houses.
3. Money: 1 VP per £100 in cash.
4. Line Markers: Complete lines of markers on the player board generate increasing VPs (5, 10, 15, 20). Incomplete markers also score.
5. Victory: The player with the most VPs wins. Ties are resolved by the newest ship.

Tips for Winning

Based on the manual, it is recommended to:

1. Maximize Trading Houses: Build Trading Houses in regions where your ships are located to earn extra VPs.
2. Manage Coal: Use actions like "Coal" to refuel steamers and avoid waste.
3. Use the Director Strategically: Recover valuable cards to play critical actions at the right moment.

Consult the manual for details on sections not covered here.