Overview

Anno 1503 is a resource-management and exploration board game designed by Klaus Teuber (creator of Settlers of Catan) and published by KOSMOS in 2003, based on the popular Anno computer game series. Players are settlers in the Age of Exploration, sending ships to discover uncharted islands, gathering resources, recruiting and promoting colonists, and building public buildings. The goal is to be the first player to achieve three out of five possible victory conditions.

Components

• 1 game board (5x12 grid of ocean squares with island placement areas)
• 4 home island boards (one per player, with space for 7 colonists, 5 public buildings, docks for 4 outposts and 3 trade agreements)
• 32 island tiles
• 28 colonist tiles
• 14 public building tiles
• 90 commodity cards
• 16 coat of arms markers
• 8 wooden ships (2 per player)
• 1 six-sided die
• Gold coins
• 1 rulebook

Setup

1. Place the game board in the center of the playing area.
2. Each player takes a home island board, starting ships, and initial resources (commodity cards and gold coins).
3. Shuffle island tiles and place them face-down in stacks near the board.
4. Sort colonist tiles and public building tiles into separate supply piles.
5. Determine first player.

Turn Structure

Each turn consists of the following steps:

1. Roll the die:
   • On a result of 1-5: Each player gains a commodity from one of their five workshops (the specific workshop depends on the number rolled).
   • On a result of 6: A random event occurs (pirates, fire, or good fortune). Negative events are twice as likely as positive ones, and tend to affect players who are in the lead.
2. Player actions (active player only): The player who rolled the die may perform any combination of the following:
   • Buy commodities from the bank at listed prices.
   • Sell commodities to colonists for gold (no trading between players is allowed).
   • Recruit new colonists by paying the required commodity combinations.
   • Promote existing colonists up the rank ladder (Pioneer → Settler → Citizen → Merchant) by paying the required commodities.
   • Build ships by paying the required resources.
3. Explore (optional): After building and promoting, the active player may move all their ships. Ships can explore the ocean to discover new islands, establish outposts, or form trade agreements.

Actions

Exploration and Ships

• Ships move across the ocean grid to reveal face-down island tiles.
• Discovered islands may offer resources, outpost opportunities, or trade agreement possibilities.
• Establishing an outpost requires placing a ship at an island and paying the required resources.
• Trade agreements are formed with certain discovered islands.

Colonists and Promotion

• Colonists are recruited using commodity combinations and placed on the home island.
• Colonists have four ranks: Pioneer → Settler → Citizen → Merchant.
• Promoting a colonist requires specific commodities.
• Having at least 4 colonists unlocks the ability to construct public buildings.

Public Buildings

• 8 types of public buildings are available, each providing a unique advantage.
• Buildings cost no gold but require having at least 4 colonists first.
• Public buildings are placed on the home island.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

A player wins by being the first to achieve three out of five victory conditions:

1. Four outposts established on discovered islands.
2. 30 gold accumulated.
3. Three trade agreements formed.
4. Three merchants (colonists promoted to the highest rank).
5. Four public buildings constructed.

The game ends immediately when a player achieves their third victory condition.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• No player-to-player trading: Commodities can only be bought from or sold to the bank / colonists, not other players.
• Random events on a 6: These events disproportionately target the leading player, providing a catch-up mechanism.
• Island variety: The more players in the game, the more islands are used, scaling the exploration area.
• Ship movement: Both ships belonging to a player can move in the same turn.
• Public building prerequisite: You must have at least 4 colonists before you can build any public buildings.

Player Reference

Victory Condition	Requirement
Outposts	4 outposts on islands
Gold	30 gold accumulated
Trade agreements	3 trade agreements
Merchants	3 colonists promoted to Merchant rank
Public buildings	4 public buildings constructed

Win condition: First to achieve any 3 of the 5 victory conditions.

Turn flow: Roll die → Produce (all players) → Buy/Sell/Recruit/Promote/Build (active player) → Explore (active player)