Age of Discovery

Overview

Age of Discovery is a resource-allocation strategy card game designed by Alfred Viktor Schulz and published by Phalanx Games. Players take on the role of merchants and patrons during the Age of Exploration, purchasing ships and assigning them to famous expeditions (like those of Columbus and Magellan) or temporary trade contracts. The game combines card management with strategic timing decisions about when to commit ships to long-term expeditions versus short-term trade profits.

Components

50 ship cards (various colors, transport values 1-3)
12 expedition cards (6 colors, numbered 3-8)
24 trade contract cards
12 special mission cards
12 action cards
88 wooden tokens/cubes
60 coins
Victory point chart/track
1 flagship card per player
Rules booklet

Setup

Place the 12 expedition cards in the center of the table, each assigned a number (3-8) and a color.
Stack the trade contract cards and reveal the top 4 face-up.
Create the shipyard: arrange 5 stacks of ship cards with 2 rows of 5 ships (a purchase row and a filling row).
Each player receives wooden cubes, 6 coins, and places a cube on the scoring and trade contract tracks.
Each player receives special action cards, secret mission cards, and one flagship card.

Turn Structure

On each turn, a player selects two of the following four available actions:

Take Two Coins: Draw 2 coins from the bank.
Trade Contract: Purchase 1 face-up or unrevealed trade contract card (costs 1 coin).
Purchase Ships: Buy ships from the bottom (purchase) row of the shipyard. The filling row replenishes the purchase row.
Send Ships: Deploy ships to expeditions or trade contracts.

A player may choose the same action twice.

Actions

Purchasing Ships

Ships are bought from the purchase row of the shipyard
Ships have color-coded transport values (1-3)
When ships are purchased, the filling row slides down to replenish the purchase row

Trade Contracts

Temporary commitments lasting 1, 2, or 3 turns (player chooses duration when committing)
Longer commitments yield higher rewards
Ships assigned to contracts must match the contract’s color when possible
Ships are returned to the player after the contract expires
Income is generated based on contract terms

Expeditions

Permanent, long-term commitments — ships deployed to expeditions do not return
Color matching between ships and expeditions provides bonus victory points
The first ship sent to an expedition determines that expedition’s dominant color
Expeditions tie up ships for the rest of the game, making commitment a major strategic decision

Special Actions

Action cards provide one-time special abilities
Secret mission cards give bonus objectives for end-game scoring

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The game includes two scoring phases (First Scoring and Final Scoring), triggered when corresponding cards are drawn from the shipyard. Victory points are awarded based on:

Number of ships committed to each expedition
Expedition card values (3-8)
Color matching bonuses (ships matching expedition colors)
Completed trade contracts
Secret mission card conditions (bonus points for expedition control or contract completion)

The player with the most victory points after final scoring wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

The shipyard depleting triggers scoring phases, so the game pace is partly determined by ship purchasing rate
Committing ships to expeditions is irreversible; timing is critical
Trade contracts offer reliable short-term income but fewer victory points than expeditions
Secret missions can significantly alter optimal strategy; players should plan around their mission card
The flagship card provides a unique advantage per player

Player Reference

Available Actions (choose 2 per turn)

Trade Contract Duration

Expedition Values

Expedition cards are numbered 3-8, with higher numbers providing more victory points but potentially requiring more ships to dominate.