# Village: Port ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2014 - **BGG Rating**: 7.9 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 2-5 (Best with: 4) - **Duration**: 90 min - **Weight**: 3.03 / 5 - **Designers**: Inka Brand, Markus Brand - **Artists**: Dennis Lohausen - **Publishers**: eggertspiele, 999 Games, Delta Vision Publishing, Gigamic, Hobby Japan, Ludonova, Pegasus Spiele, Stronghold Games, Tasty Minstrel Games, uplay.it edizioni - **Categories**: Expansion for Base-game, Farming, Medieval, Nautical - **Mechanics**: Pick-up and Deliver, Point to Point Movement, Worker Placement ## Verdict Strategy lovers with a splash of sea adventure will love this!High seas explorationFun career cardsEasy to combine with other expansionsLonger playtimeRoute details demand focusHIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description Village: Port is the expansion that takes your village to the sea – literally! With the new port board, you can hire captains, set up ships, and embark on trade and exploration missions. The Pick‑up and Deliver mechanic comes into play when you gather goods in your village and load them onto a ship, then deliver them to distant ports. Each voyage requires planning: choose the shortest route, but don’t forget weather conditions that can delay your crew. Point‑to‑Point Movement makes every step on the sea route strategic – a simple choice can cost you dearly if you miss a chance to negotiate a valuable item. Worker Placement remains strong: each family member has distinct skills, and you must decide who goes on the trade mission, who hunts for treasure, or who stays in the village tending the farm. Additionally, the expansion introduces Life‑Goal cards, letting your character pursue alternate careers – from writer to knight – while keeping the village thriving. If you already play Village, Village: Port adds a new layer of depth and adventure, turning simple farm life into a full‑blown maritime expedition. Ninety minutes of playtime ensure you won’t get bored, and the ability to combine with Village: Inn opens even more expansion possibilities. ## How to Play Objective of the Game In Village Port, players embark on a maritime journey, expanding their family's influence beyond the village. You'll hire captains, sell domestic goods, pick up foreign commodities, and send family members as missionaries to distant islands to dig up treasure chests. Additionally, the expansion introduces life goal cards, offering personal career paths like becoming a writer or a knight. The game is for 2 to 5 players, aged 12 and up. The ultimate goal is to accumulate the most prestige points by the end of the game, which is triggered when a family member is placed on the last empty space of the chronicle, the anonymous graves, or the last empty sea burial space. Preparation (Setup) Follow the setup description on page 3 of the base game rule book with the following changes and additions for Village Port: In step 3 of the base game setup, each player only receives 2 of their markers (1 for their life time track, 1 for the prestige track). The 6 markers usually used for travel are returned to the box. In step 12 of the base game setup, instead of the usual setup card, take the setup card from the Village Port expansion that matches the number of players. Place it nearby, with the side showing just an anchor face up. Cover the travel area of the game board with the sea travel board. Sort the 15 captain cards according to their cost and form 3 face-up decks: 1 deck for the 5 captains that cost 1 coin. 1 deck for the 5 captains that cost 2 coins. 1 deck for the 5 captains that cost 3 coins. Place these 3 captain decks next to the sea travel board. The order of cards within the decks is irrelevant. Shuffle the 6 treasure chests and form a face-down stack. Place this stack onto the "treasure island" on the sea travel board. Form 1 stack for the cocoa baskets and 1 stack for the tea bales. The number of tiles in each stack depends on the number of players: 2-player game: 3 tiles 3-player game: 4 tiles 4-player game: 5 tiles 5-player game: 6 tiles Place each stack onto its respective island on the sea travel board. Return any spare cocoa baskets and tea bales to the box. Give each player the wooden ship and the ship tile of their color. Each player places their wooden ship in the port on the sea travel board and their ship tile next to their farmyard. If playing with Life Goals: After the main setup but before seeding the action spaces, separate the 8 silver goals (silver back) from the 9 golden goals (golden back). Remove specific cards based on the expansions being used (e.g., "Brewer" and "Explorer" from silver goals if playing with base game + Village Inn + Village Port). Shuffle the remaining silver goals and golden goals separately. Deal each player 1 random silver goal and 1 random golden goal face down. Return any spare life goal cards to the box. Players keep their life goal cards concealed but can look at them at any time. Flow of the Game The game is played as usual, following the structure of turns and rounds from the base game. However, two specific actions are affected by the Village Port expansion: the "travel" action and the "market" action. The "travel" action is performed in an entirely new way, while the "market" action has a slight addition. Ações e Como Jogar Travel Action When you choose the "travel" action, you may move your wooden ship around the sea travel board. How the action is carried out depends on your ship's current location and its intended destination. You have three options: Set sail from the port: If your ship is in the port, follow these steps: Hire a captain: Choose any one captain card from any of the captain decks next to the game board. Pay its cost by returning the number of coins shown on the card to the supply. Place the captain card face up next to your ship tile. You must hire a captain to move your ship out of the port. More expensive captains require fewer influence cubes for movement. If you cannot hire a captain (due to cost or empty decks), you cannot move out of the port. Load your ship: Your ship tile has 3 holds, each capable of holding exactly 1 playing piece. You may load up to 3 different playing pieces that you own onto your ship tile (1 onto each hold). You can load fewer or none. If loading a family member, it must come from your farmyard. Your ship cannot carry more than 1 playing piece of the same type at once. All family members are considered the same type, as are all treasure chests. The types of playing pieces your ship can carry are: horse, ox, plow, wagon, scroll, bag of grain, family member, cocoa basket, tea bale, treasure chest. The last three can only be picked up at islands. While your ship is at sea, loaded playing pieces cannot be used for actions in the village. Move your ship: Move your ship step by step along connected water spaces. There are two kinds of water spaces: time water-spaces and island water-spaces. Moving to the next water space along a water line is 1 step. You may move multiple steps. The first step of your movement is free, as shown in the lower left corner of your captain card. For any additional steps, you must return the influence cubes shown in the lower right corner of your captain card to the supply. Some captain cards may show icons indicating: For each orange and pink cube returned, move 1 additional step. For each green cube returned, move up to 2 additional steps. For every 2 cubes (of one or more colors) returned, move 1 additional step. For each time water-space your ship enters, you immediately lose 1 time on your life time track. You can enter and stop at any water space regardless of other ships. If you enter an island water-space, you may choose to land on that island. If you land, your movement immediately ends. Your ship stays on that island water-space, and you may perform any number of the actions allowed by that island: Sell goods/bag of grain: If the island shows a parchment with goods/a bag of grain, you may return any of those from your ship tile to the supply and immediately gain the prestige points shown for each. Pick up cocoa basket/tea bale/treasure chest: If there is a stack of tiles on the island, take the top tile (cocoa basket, tea bale, or treasure chest) and place it onto an empty hold of your ship tile. This is free. You may secretly look at the value of a treasure chest (3, 4, or 5 coins) before placing it face down on a hold. If an island's stack is empty, you cannot load a tile from it. You cannot throw any load overboard to make room. Place a family member onto a missionary church: If there is an empty missionary church on the island, you may place a family member from your ship tile there. First, pay the cost in front of the arrow pointing to the church's missionary space (e.g., return a wagon from a hold to the supply, return influence cubes from your farmyard). Then place your family member onto the missionary space and immediately gain that space's prestige points. An occupied missionary church remains occupied until the family member on it dies. You cannot use the "family" action to return a family member on a missionary church or on your ship tile to your farmyard. Continue sailing from anywhere at sea: If your ship is already on a water-space or island water-space, the same rules described in "3. Move your ship" above apply. Return to the port: You may immediately return your ship to the port. Place your ship back in the port and lose exactly 1 time (regardless of where you returned from). Then unload your ship by taking all playing pieces off your ship tile and placing them in front of you. Finally, return your captain to the box (used captains are removed from the game). When unloading a treasure chest, keep it face down. At any point, you may turn it face up, take the indicated coins from the supply, and return the treasure chest to the box. Market Action The market day is triggered and held as usual. However, each time it is your turn during a market day, you can either serve a customer as usual OR sell 1 cocoa basket or 1 tea bale at the new stalls. Only cocoa baskets and tea bales that you have brought home (not those still on your ship tile) can be sold. The first sale by the triggering player is free; subsequent sales cost 1 green influence cube and 1 time. Selling a cocoa basket immediately gains you 7 prestige points. Selling a tea bale immediately gains you 5 prestige points and 1 coin. Sold cocoa baskets and tea bales are returned to the box. The 2 new stalls are always open and can handle multiple sales during the same market day. A Family Member Passes Away at Sea When a family member dies while either placed on a missionary church OR on your ship tile: Check if there is still an empty space in the travel section (green crest) of the village chronicle. If so, place the family member there as usual. If there is no empty space in the chronicle, the family member is not placed onto an anonymous grave but buried at sea instead! Place it onto an empty sea burial space on the sea travel board and immediately gain any prestige points shown on that space. Life Goal Cards Life goal cards offer a new way to score points. They do not change any other rules. At any point during the game (even at game end), if you meet or exceed all requirements of a life goal card, you can turn it face up and immediately gain the number of prestige points shown on the card. Then return the card to the box (you do not get a new card). You only need to meet the requirements; you do not surrender anything other than the card itself. Silver goals: Requirements are met if you have gathered all playing pieces shown on the right side of the card. For the Explorer, the required playing pieces must actually be on your ship tile. Golden goals: These have specific requirements, such as: Aristocrat: Served at least 6 customers. Carter: At least 1 family member on the 4th stage in the council chamber and own the next starting player marker. Secretary: At least 3 family members in the church: 1 on each of the 3 rightmost windows. Acolyte: At least 1 family member of the 4th generation in the church. Merchant: At least 4 family members in the "crafts" (on craft buildings or in the "crafts" section of the village chronicle). Innkeeper: At least 1 family member (not just a marker) in the city in the upper right corner of the travel map and served at least 2 customers. Master Historian: At least 4 villager cards in hand (unplayed). Saint: Family members on at least 2 missionary churches. Travelling salesman: Family members in at least 4 sections (professional categories) of the village chronicle (a family member placed via the Bard does not count). New Villager Cards (when combining with Village Inn) These cards show an anchor in the upper right corner: Admiral: When hiring a captain, you may play this card instead and place it face up next to your ship tile. It functions like any other captain, allowing you to move 1 additional step per influence cube of any color returned to the supply. Discard the Admiral when you return to port. Cartographer: During a travel action, instead of moving your ship via your captain, you may play this card and immediately place your ship onto any island water space (this costs no time or influence cubes). The Cartographer only replaces the movement cost; you still need to have hired a captain to move at all. Perform any possible actions at the island as usual. Discard the Cartographer afterwards. Helmsman: When hiring a captain, you may play this card and place it face up next to your captain. When moving your ship, you may move 1 additional free step (for a total of 2 free steps before paying influence cubes). Discard the Helmsman along with your captain when you return to port. Quartermaster: Play this card when loading something onto your ship, either at the port or at an island. This once, you may load 2 playing pieces of one type (each item still needs its own hold). If picking up a tile on an island, you may immediately load the top 2 tiles from the island's stack onto your ship free of charge. Discard the Quartermaster afterwards. Fim de Jogo e Pontuação The end of the game is triggered when a family member is either placed onto the last empty space of the chronicle, the anonymous graves, or the last empty sea burial space. All other rules for game end are identical to those of the base game. During the final scoring, skip the "travel" part, as any points from the sea travel board are always awarded immediately during the game. Scoring for Life Goal cards is also done immediately when their requirements are met, even at game end. There is no penalty if you do not manage to fulfill one or both of your life goal cards. Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção. Dicas para Vencer When planning your "travel" action, consider the cost-benefit of different captains. A more expensive captain might save you influence cubes during movement, allowing for longer voyages or more actions on islands. Strategically choose which playing pieces to load onto your ship. Remember that items on your ship tile cannot be used for village actions, so prioritize goods that will yield high prestige points when sold at ## FAQ ### What is the average playtime with Village: Port? A typical game lasts between 90 and 120 minutes, depending on player count and chosen routes. ### How many players can join? The game accommodates 2 to 5 players, with the experience being richest in 3‑to‑4 player groups. ### What are the main components? Besides the port board, there are new navigation boards, Life‑Goal cards, captain tokens, and additional worker pieces. ### Is Village: Port compatible with Village: Inn? Yes, the expansion can be combined with Village: Inn, offering even more expansion options. ### Is the game suitable for beginners? Yes, although route and delivery mechanics may need a bit of practice, the game is accessible with a gentle learning curve. ### Any recommended winning strategy? Managing transport resources well and choosing routes that maximize point gains are key to success. ### How do Life‑Goal cards work? At the end of each round, you can pick a Life‑Goal card that grants bonuses when you meet certain conditions, such as writing a book or conquering an island. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 17.79 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=1435180&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 20.21 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=489583&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 20.74 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=3440587&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 21.82 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6954322&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 24.47 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=5044917&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 24.52 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=1658731&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 25.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=4887750&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 28.03 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=1667392&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 30.83 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=1667391&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/11830/village-port?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com