Overview

At the Gates of Loyang is an economic strategy game set in ancient China where players are farmers supplying vegetables to the flourishing city of Loyang. Players plant and harvest six types of vegetables, then sell them to regular customers, casual shoppers, or at market stalls. The goal is to advance as far as possible along the Path of Prosperity by spending cash to move forward. The game is played over exactly 9 rounds, each with harvest, card drafting, and action phases.

Components

• 4 T-shaped game boards (with Path of Prosperity and Shop)
• 12 Satisfaction markers (blue/red)
• 24 small 1-Cash coins
• 14 large 5-Cash coins
• 237 wooden vegetable tokens: 48 Wheat (yellow), 46 Pumpkins (orange), 44 Turnips (red), 36 Cabbages (white), 32 Beans (light green), 25 Leeks (dark green)
• 4 Scoring markers
• 2 Starting player tokens (1 larger, 1 smaller)
• 120 Cards including:
  • 4 “Storehouse / Cart” cards
  • 4 “Turn Summary” cards
  • 6 “Loan” cards
  • 36 Private fields (green backs): 4 Home fields (9 spaces), fields with 3/4/5/6 spaces
  • 70 Action cards (brown backs): 6 Common fields, 14 Market stalls, 14 Regular customers, 14 Casual customers, 22 Helpers

Setup

1. Place money, vegetables, Satisfaction markers, and Loan cards in the supply.
2. Shuffle Action cards; place face-down as the Draw pile.
3. Each player receives: 1 T-shaped board, 10 Cash, 1 Home field, 1 Scoring token (bottom of Path of Prosperity), 1 Storehouse/Cart card, 1 Turn Summary card.
4. Stock each player’s Shop with: 3 Wheat, 2 Pumpkins, 2 Turnips, 2 Cabbages, 1 Bean, 1 Leek.
5. Each player receives 8 Private fields (2 sets of 4 with 3/4/5/6 spaces), shuffled and stacked face-down.
6. Choose a Starting player (takes larger token).
7. Starting with the Starting player, each player buys 1 vegetable from their Shop and plants it on their Home field (only Wheat, Pumpkins, or Turnips; max 2 players per vegetable type).

Turn Structure

The game lasts exactly 9 rounds. Each round has 3 phases:

Phase 1: Harvest Phase (Simultaneous)

1. Turn over the top Private field from your Field pile (no new field in the last round).
2. Harvest exactly 1 vegetable from each of your fields. Place harvested vegetables on your Cart.
3. Move any vegetables stored in your Storehouse to your Cart.
4. Remove fully harvested Private fields from the game. Common fields from the Action deck go to the Discard pile.

Phase 2: Card Phase

1. Shuffle the Discard pile into the Draw pile.
2. Deal each player 4 Action cards.
3. Distribution round: Each player plays exactly 2 Action cards (1 from hand + 1 from the Courtyard):
   • Starting player places 1 card from hand face-up in the Courtyard.
   • Players take turns clockwise. On your turn, either: (a) place 1 card from hand into the Courtyard, OR (b) take 1 card from the Courtyard + 1 card from hand, play both, and place remaining hand cards in the Courtyard (you are done).
4. When a Regular customer is played, place a Satisfaction marker (blue side up) on it.
5. When a Market stall is played, immediately fill it with the indicated vegetables.
6. When a Common field is played, pay 2 Cash immediately.
7. Remaining Courtyard cards form the Discard pile.
8. New Starting player: Last player to play 2 cards gets the large Starting player token; second-last gets the small token.

Phase 3: Action Phase

Players take turns in Starting player order. On your turn, you may perform any actions in any order, as many times as desired (except “Buy a Two-pack” which is once per round).

Actions

A) Sow Vegetables as Seed

• Buy a vegetable from your Shop and place it on an empty field.
• All remaining spaces on that field are then filled with the same vegetable type from the supply.

B) Buy Vegetables from the Shop

• Pay the dark price tag amount on your board to buy a vegetable from your Shop.

C) Sell Vegetables to the Shop

• Sell a vegetable to your Shop for the pale price tag amount. Place the vegetable back in the empty Shop slot.

D) Use or Discard Helpers

• Play a Helper card’s ability. Helpers can be discarded at any time (unique among card types).
• 22 different Helpers exist with various abilities.

E) Deliver to Regular Customers

• Regular customers require specific vegetables delivered each round in a set sequence.
• Satisfied delivery: Flip the Satisfaction marker to show the completed side.
• Failed delivery: If you cannot deliver what a Regular customer needs, turn the marker to its red side and pay a 2-Cash penalty.
• Regular customers provide ongoing income when satisfied.

F) Sell to Casual Customers

• Casual customers buy specific vegetables for a one-time payment.
• Each Casual customer card shows what vegetables they want and the payment amount.

G) Trade at Market Stalls

• Market stalls allow trading vegetables according to their conversion rates.

H) Buy a Two-Pack (Once Per Round)

• Purchase 2 vegetables of the same type as a bundle.

Storing and Scoring (End of Action Phase)

• At the end of your turn, store leftover vegetables. Your Cart has unlimited capacity but the Storehouse has a limit.
• Move your Scoring marker along the Path of Prosperity by paying the indicated cost for each step.
• Each step costs progressively more money.

Loans

• At any time during the game, take a Loan card to receive 5 Cash.
• Each outstanding Loan reduces your final position on the Path of Prosperity by 1 step.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• After 9 rounds, the game ends.
• Each player’s position on the Path of Prosperity determines their score.
• Subtract 1 step for each outstanding Loan.
• The player furthest along the Path of Prosperity wins.
• Tiebreaker: The player with the most Cash remaining wins ties.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Vegetable hierarchy: Wheat is cheapest/most common; Leek is rarest/most expensive. Shop prices increase with rarity.
• Field capacity: Fields produce 1 vegetable per round until depleted. Home fields hold 9 vegetables.
• Card restrictions: Once played, Action cards cannot be discarded until used (exception: Helpers can be discarded anytime).
• 2-player variant: During the Distribution round, a player may flip the top Action card from the Draw pile into the Courtyard before choosing.
• 4-player variant: Starting player chooses a partner; both pairs take actions simultaneously. “Other player” effects only target your partner.
• Common fields cost 2 Cash; Private fields are free.
• Satisfaction markers: Blue = satisfied, Red = unsatisfied (penalty of 2 Cash per round for each unsatisfied Regular customer).
• Path of Prosperity costs escalate: Early steps are cheap; later steps are very expensive, forcing careful financial management.
• Solo game: Separate rules section available.

Player Reference

Round Structure: Harvest → Card Phase (deal 4, draft 2) → Action Phase

Vegetables (cheapest to rarest): Wheat → Pumpkins → Turnips → Cabbages → Beans → Leeks

Key Actions: Sow, Buy from Shop, Sell to Shop, Use Helpers, Deliver to Regular Customers, Sell to Casual Customers, Trade at Market Stalls, Buy Two-Pack (1/round)

Loans: 5 Cash received, -1 Path of Prosperity step at game end

Game Length: Exactly 9 rounds

Victory: Furthest on the Path of Prosperity (minus loans)