Objective of the Game

Welcome to Yokohama! You're a savvy merchant at the dawn of the Meiji era, striving to become the most capable and famous trader in all of Japan. How do you achieve this grand goal? By skillfully navigating the city streets, fulfilling orders for foreign powers, embracing new technologies, and developing Yokohama with your shops and trading houses. The merchant with the most fame (Victory Points) at the end of the game will be crowned the winner!

Preparation (Setup)

Let's get Yokohama ready for some bustling trade! Here's a step-by-step guide to setting up your game:

1. Area and Management Boards: First, select the appropriate Area Boards and Management Boards based on your player count. Any unused boards go back in the box.
   • 2 Players: Use Bank, Church, Copper Mine #1, Customs, Employment Agency, Fishing Ground #1, Laboratory, Port, Silk Mill #1, Tea Plantation #1 Area Boards. Use Church, Customs, Laboratory, Port Management Boards.
   • 3 Players: Add Docks, Chinatown, Canal, Fishing Ground #2 Area Boards. Add Docks Management Board.
   • 4 Players: Use all Area Boards and all Management Boards.
2. Layout the Area Boards: Shuffle the selected Area Boards face down, then flip them over one by one into the configuration shown in your manual for your player count.
3. Position Management Boards and Score Track: Place the Score Track directly above the Area Boards. The Management Boards should flank each side of the Score Track.
4. Building Site Cards: Shuffle the Building Site Cards and place 1 face up on the indicated space in each Area Board. Return the rest to the box.
5. 5-Power Tokens: Shuffle all 5-Power Tokens face down and place 1 face up on the '5' space in each Area Board. Return the rest to the box.
6. General Supply: Place the following components near the Area Boards, forming a general supply:
   • 1-Yen Coins
   • 3-Yen Coins
   • Copper
   • Silk
   • Tea
   • Fish
   • Imports
   • All Foreign Agents (face up)
   • The Station Token
7. Start Player: Give the Start Player Token to the player who most recently visited Yokohama. If no one has, choose a method to determine the first player. (Note: The Start Player Token does not change hands during the game.)
8. Player Components: Each player chooses a color and takes their corresponding Warehouse Board. They also receive:
   • 1 President (in hand)
   • 1 Score Counter (in hand – place on the Score Track when you score your first VP)
   • 20 Assistants (8 in hand, 12 in warehouse)
   • 8 Shops (2 in hand, 6 in warehouse)
   • 4 Trading Houses (in warehouse)
   • 1 of each: Copper, Silk, Tea, and Fish
   • 4 Yen (the start player receives only 3 yen)
   Remember: Keep items in your hand separate from those in your warehouse!
9. Order Cards: Shuffle all Order Cards face down to form a deck. Return a certain number of cards to the box based on player count (16 for 2p, 5 for 3p, 0 for 4p). Draw and place Order Cards face up in each space on the Port (and Docks) Management Board(s). Then, deal each player two orders. Each player secretly chooses one to keep and returns the other to the box.
10. Technology Cards: Shuffle all Technology Cards face down to form a deck. Draw and place Technology Cards face up in each space on the Laboratory (and Research Center) Management Board(s).
11. Achievement Cards: Divide the Achievement Cards into A, B, and C decks and shuffle them face down. Draw 1 card from each deck and place them in their corresponding spaces on the Score Track. Return the rest to the box.
12. 2-Player Blocking: If playing with 2 players, block the indicated spaces on the Church and Customs Management Boards by placing an Assistant of an unused color there.

You're all set to begin your journey as a Yokohama merchant!

The Turn of Play

The game unfolds in rounds, with players taking turns clockwise from the start player. Each turn is divided into three main phases:

1. A) Additional Action Phase (1st half)
2. B) Main Action Phase
3. C) Additional Action Phase (2nd half)

Let's break down the Main Action Phase first, as it's the core of your turn.

B) Main Action Phase

You must resolve these steps in order. Steps 4 and 5 are optional, but the others are mandatory.

1. Placement Step: This is where you deploy your Assistants to the city! You have two options:
   • a) Place 1 Assistant into each of up to 3 different areas: Choose up to three different Area Boards and place one Assistant from your hand into each.
   • b) Place 2 Assistants into a single area: Choose one Area Board and place two Assistants from your hand into it.

   Important Placement Rules:

   • Assistants must come from your hand.
   • You MAY NOT place Assistants in the Canal.
   • You MAY place Assistants in an area containing your President.
   • If an area contains an opposing President, you must pay that opponent 1 Yen for each Assistant you place there. No payment, no placement!
2. Movement Step: Time to move your President! You have a few choices here, but option 'c' is the most common:
   • a) Move your President (and Assistants) to your hand: Return your President and any Assistants from any area (not from Management Boards) to your hand. If you do this, you skip Main Action Phase Steps 3-6 and go straight to the Additional Action Phase.
   • b) Move your President from your hand to an area: If your President is in your hand (like at the start of the game or after choosing option 'a'), place it into any legal destination. Then, continue to Step 3.
   • c) Move your President from one area to another: This is your usual move! You can move your President through any number of adjacent areas to a LEGAL DESTINATION. A Legal Destination is an area that contains at least 1 of your Assistants and NO opposing Presidents.
     • Each adjacent area you move into must have at least 1 of your Assistants.
     • If an area contains an opposing President, you MUST pay that opponent 1 Yen. If you can't pay, you can't move into or through that area.
     • Your President MAY NOT return to its starting area.
     • Note: If you can't reach a legal destination, you must choose option 'a' instead.

   Once you've moved to a legal destination, proceed to Step 3.

3. Area Action Step: Now for the fun part! You'll perform the action of the area where your President now resides. The more influence you have, the stronger the action!

   First, calculate your Power in the area:

   • President: 1 Power
   • Assistant: 1 Power each
   • Shop: 1 Power
   • Trading House: 1 Power
   • Station: 1 Power (if present)

   Perform the action based on your total Power Level (maximum of 5 power). Refer to the specific Area Board descriptions for details. Any opponent with a Trading House in the area receives 1 Yen from the bank (you don't get money from your own Trading House on your turn).

4. 5-Power Bonus (Optional): If you achieved a 5-power action in the previous step, you might snag a bonus! Each area starts with a 5-Power Bonus Token, awarded to the first player to perform a 5-power action there. If it's still available, take the token, resolve its effect, then turn it face down and keep it.
5. Construction (Optional): If you performed a 4- or 5-power action this turn, you can build!
   • a) Construct a Shop: If you don't already have a Shop in this area, place one from your hand onto an empty Shop Space and gain the reward shown. You can only have one Shop per area.
   • b) Construct a Trading House: If the Trading House Space is empty, place a Trading House from your hand onto that space and gain the reward. You don't need a Shop in the area first. Only one Trading House per area.
6. Recovery Step: Time to regroup! You MUST take ALL Assistants from the area where you just performed your action and return them to your hand.

A) & C) Additional Action Phases

At the beginning and end of your turn, you get to perform these actions as many times as you like, in any order:

• a) Use a Foreign Agent (once per turn): Turn a Foreign Agent face down to show it's used. Choose an area containing at least 1 of your Assistants (but NOT your President). You can even choose an area with an opposing President without paying them! Then, carry out steps 3 through 6 (Area Action, 5-Power Bonus, Construction, Recovery) in that chosen area. Remember, only one Foreign Agent per turn!
• b) Fulfill an Achievement: If you meet the requirements on an Achievement Card, place an Assistant from your hand onto the card. This Assistant stays there for the rest of the game. The first player to fulfill an achievement gets the higher VP value; subsequent players get the lower value. You can fulfill each achievement once.
• c) Fulfill an Order: Place an Order Card from your hand face up in front of you and discard the required Trade Goods. Then, gain the rewards listed on the card. Each Order Card has a country icon. If fulfilling an order gives you a matching pair (2, 4, 6, etc.) of country icons across your fulfilled orders and technology cards, you immediately gain a Foreign Agent of that country!

End of Game and Scoring

The game is almost over when any of these conditions are met:

• Any player has built all 4 of their Trading Houses.
• Any player has built all 8 of their Shops.
• When replenishing Order Cards, there aren't enough to fill the management board.
• A certain number of Assistants have been placed on the Church Management Board (5 for 2p/3p, 6 for 4p).
• A certain number of Assistants have been placed on the Customs Management Board (5 for 2p/3p, 6 for 4p).

When any of these conditions are met, finish the current round, and then play one final full round. This ensures everyone gets the same number of turns!

Final Score Calculation

After the final round, tally your scores in this order:

1. Church Bonus: Players with the most and second-most Assistants on the Church Management Board receive bonus points (6 for most, 3 for second-most). Ties are broken by the rightmost assistant.
2. Customs Bonus: Players with the most and second-most Assistants on the Customs Management Board receive bonus points (8 for most, 4 for second-most). Ties are broken by the rightmost assistant.
3. Technology Bonus: Players with the most and second-most total industry value on their Technology Cards receive bonus points (10 for most, 5 for second-most). Ties are broken by turn order (closest to the start player wins).
4. Country Bonus: Group the country symbols on your completed orders and technology cards into sets of different countries.
   • 5 different icons: 12 points
   • 4 different icons: 8 points
   • 3 different icons: 4 points
   • 2 different icons: 2 points
   • 1 different icon: 0 points
5. Remainder Scoring: Score points for remaining tokens in your possession:
   • Unused Foreign Agents: 1 point each
   • Imports: 1 point each
   • Every 2 Yen: 1 point
   • Every 3 Trade Goods (any combination): 1 point

The player with the most points wins! In case of a tie, the tied player closest to the start player wins.

Tips for Winning

Yokohama offers many paths to victory, but here are a couple of pointers to get you started:

• Maximize Your Power: The more Assistants, Shops, and Trading Houses you have in an area, the stronger your action will be. Aim for 4 or 5 power actions to unlock construction and those sweet 5-power bonuses!
• Strategic Movement: Your President's movement is key. Plan your route to ensure you can reach a Legal Destination. Don't be afraid to pay a Yen to pass through an opponent's area if it gets you where you need to go, but also consider returning your President to your hand if you're stuck or need to reset.
• Don't Forget Additional Actions: The Additional Action Phases are powerful! Using a Foreign Agent for an extra area action, fulfilling Achievements for instant VPs, and completing Orders for rewards and more Foreign Agents can significantly boost your score and options.