Overview

Anno 1701: Das Brettspiel is a resource management and settlement-building board game designed by Klaus Teuber and published by KOSMOS in 2007. Based on the Anno 1701 video game, players have been commissioned by the Queen to settle an island, generate wealth, and establish a flourishing commercial town. The goal is to earn the Queen’s independence by placing 5 favour markers before any other player.

Components

• Main game board (sea map for ship exploration and colony placement)
• Individual player island boards (for settlement building, housing raw material production areas)
• Resource cards (bricks, wood, tools, cloth)
• Building/development tiles
• Ship tokens
• Favour markers (5 per player)
• Colonist tokens (citizens, merchants, aristocrats)
• Gold coins
• Dice

Setup

1. Place the main game board in the center.
2. Each player takes an island board and starting resources.
3. Each player receives their ship tokens and favour markers.
4. Shuffle and place building/development tiles within reach.
5. Place colonist tokens, gold, and other resources in a supply.
6. Determine first player.

Turn Structure

On each turn, a player:

1. Produce resources: Gain raw materials (bricks, wood, tools, cloth) from the island landscape based on production rules.
2. Build and develop: Use resources to construct buildings and developments on the island board, improving the settlement.
3. Build ships: Construct ships to explore the world and establish colonies on the main board.
4. Explore and colonize: Move ships on the main board to discover and establish colonies.
5. Settle new colonists: Attract citizens, merchants, and aristocrats to the island by meeting their requirements.
6. Earn favour: Gain favour markers from the Queen through various achievements.

Actions

Building and Development

• Use resource combinations to place buildings on the island board.
• Buildings provide bonuses to production, military strength, or prestige.
• Special buildings like Opera and Theatre earn the Queen’s favour.

Ship Building and Exploration

• Build ships using resources.
• Ships explore the main board to discover new lands.
• Establish further colonies to expand your commercial empire.

Colonist Promotion

• Settle citizens on the island by meeting basic requirements.
• Promote citizens to merchants by providing advanced goods and services.
• Promote merchants to aristocrats with luxury improvements.
• Each tier of colonist settled may earn the Queen’s favour.

Earning Favour

Favour markers can be earned by:

• Settling new citizens, merchants, and aristocrats
• Improving naval power
• Expanding the mercantile empire
• Keeping the population happy
• Sending gold to the Crown
• Building an Opera or Theatre

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The first player to place all 5 favour markers wins the game by earning independence from the Queen. The game ends immediately when this condition is met.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Never published in English: The game was only published in German, but fan-translated English rules are available on BoardGameGeek.
• Resource management: The island provides sufficient raw materials, but efficient allocation is key to outpacing opponents.
• Multiple paths to victory: Favour can be earned through military, economic, cultural, or diplomatic means, allowing different strategies.
• Gold to the Crown: Players can send gold directly to earn favour, providing a catch-up mechanism for players behind in development.

Player Reference

Favour Source	Method
Population	Settle citizens, merchants, aristocrats
Naval power	Build and deploy ships
Commerce	Establish trade colonies
Happiness	Keep population satisfied
Gold tribute	Send gold to the Crown
Culture	Build Opera or Theatre

Win condition: First to place all 5 favour markers earns independence and wins