Overview

Archipelago is a semi-cooperative game of exploration and colonization set during the Age of Discovery. Players explore a modular archipelago, gather resources, build settlements, and manage native populations. Each player has a secret objective that determines victory, but all players share the risk of colony-wide rebellion. If the rebellion level gets too high, the game ends and a “sympathizer” player (if present) wins, while everyone else loses. The game blends Euro-style resource management with negotiation, hidden objectives, and variable game length.

Components

• Modular hex tiles for the archipelago
• Exploration tiles
• Player boards
• Worker meeples (colonists and natives)
• Resource tokens (wood, stone, iron, cattle, fruit, spices)
• Ships
• Markets and town tiles
• Cards: trend cards, character cards, evolution cards, objective cards
• Crisis cards
• Rebellion track
• Turn order track
• Rulebook

Setup

1. Place the starting hex tiles as indicated. Set up the market board.
2. Each player takes a player board, starting resources, and ships.
3. Shuffle and deal secret objective cards (one per player).
4. Prepare the evolution, trend, and character card decks.
5. Set the rebellion track to its starting position.
6. Determine first player.

Turn Structure

Each round:

1. Balance of Power: Determine turn order.
2. Action Phase: Players take turns performing actions (exploring, building, harvesting, trading, etc.).
3. Crisis Phase: Reveal and resolve a crisis card. All players must collectively meet the crisis requirements or the rebellion track increases.
4. Market Phase: Adjust market prices based on supply and demand.
5. Check End Conditions: If an end-game trigger occurs, proceed to scoring.

Actions

On your turn, you can perform several actions:

• Explore: Place new hex tiles to expand the archipelago, discovering new lands and resources.
• Recruit Workers: Hire colonists or employ native workers.
• Harvest Resources: Collect resources from territories you control.
• Build: Construct ports, towns, markets, temples, or fortresses.
• Reproduce: Increase population in your settlements.
• Sell/Buy at Market: Trade resources at current market prices.
• Navigate: Move ships between sea hexes.
• Use Character Cards: Play character abilities for special actions.
• Negotiate: Trade, make deals, or negotiate with other players.
• Taxation: Collect taxes, raising funds but potentially increasing rebellion.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Game End Triggers (variable):

• A player completes their secret objective’s end condition
• The evolution deck runs out
• Other scenario-dependent triggers

Scoring: Each player’s secret objective determines which accomplishments score them points. Common scoring criteria include: most resources, most territories, most buildings, most money, etc.

Rebellion Loss: If the rebellion track reaches its maximum at any point, the game ends immediately. If a “sympathizer” player exists, they win. All other players lose.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Semi-cooperative: Players must work together on crises or risk rebellion, but compete for individual victory.
• Sympathizer: One secret objective may designate a player as a sympathizer who wins if the colony collapses.
• Native Population: Natives can be employed but mistreatment increases rebellion.
• Crisis Cards: Each crisis has requirements (food, shelter, military, etc.). Players negotiate who contributes. Unresolved crises raise the rebellion track.
• Variable Game Length: Short, medium, or long game variants change the number of evolution cards used.
• Market Fluctuation: Resource prices change based on what is bought and sold.
• Exploration: Hex tiles are drawn randomly, creating a unique map each game.

Player Reference

Phase	Action
1. Balance of Power	Determine turn order
2. Actions	Explore, build, harvest, trade, etc.
3. Crisis	Collectively resolve crisis card
4. Market	Adjust resource prices
5. End Check	Check for game-end triggers

Key Risk	Consequence
Rebellion maxed	Sympathizer wins, all others lose
Crisis unresolved	Rebellion increases
Native mistreatment	Rebellion increases