Overview

Barrage is a resource management and worker placement strategy game where players take on the roles of CEOs of energy companies competing to harness hydroelectric power. Players build dams, conduits, and powerhouses along a shared river system, then use water flow to produce energy. The construction wheel mechanic means resources spent on building must be rotated back through the wheel before they can be reused. The player with the most Victory Points after five rounds wins.

Components

• 1 Patent Office board
• 1 Double-sided map
• 1 Management board
• 1 Energy track
• 4 Company boards (with construction wheels)
• 202 Wooden pieces (engineers, excavators, concrete mixers, technology tiles)
• 148 Tiles (contracts, bonus tiles, objective tiles, headstream tiles)
• 35 Plastic components (water drops, dams)
• Rulebooks (standard and introductory)

Setup

1. Assign company boards and executive officers to players.
2. Each player receives: 6 Credits, 6 Excavators, 4 Concrete Mixers.
3. Place 4 neutral dams (one each at Mountains level 1, Hills level 2, Plains level 3).
4. Distribute headstream tiles, bonus tiles, objective tiles, and contracts.
5. Position turn order markers and scoring markers.
6. Place water drops as indicated for the first round.

Turn Structure

The game is played over 5 rounds. Each round consists of 5 phases:

Phase 1: Income and Headstreams

• Players simultaneously collect income from built structures (income activates at the 2nd, 4th, and 5th structure built).
• Place water drops on headstream tiles as indicated by the round indicator.

Phase 2: Actions (Worker Placement)

Players take turns placing engineers on action spaces. The number of engineers required increases with each structure built:

Structure Number	Engineers Required
1st	1 engineer
2nd	2 engineers
3rd-4th	3 engineers
4th+	3 engineers + 3 Credits

Phase 3: Water Flow

Water drops cascade from headstreams following the natural flow pattern, filling dams to capacity before overflowing downstream to the next dam.

Phase 4: Scoring

• Award VP for highest energy production in the round.
• Activate bonus tiles if player produced 6 or more energy units.
• Fulfill contracts for VP rewards.

Phase 5: End of Round

• Prepare next round’s resources.
• Replace used patent office tiles.
• Return engineers to players.

Actions

Construction Actions (Company Board)

Build structures by placing engineers and paying resources from your supply (fed into the construction wheel):

Structure	Plains Cost	Hills Cost	Mountains Cost
Base (Dam)	3 Excavators	4 Excavators	5 Excavators
Elevation	2 Concrete	3 Concrete	4 Concrete
Conduit	2x value Excavators	2x value Excavators	2x value Excavators
Powerhouse	2 Concrete (+1 per existing)	2 Concrete (+1 per existing)	2 Concrete (+1 per existing)

• Base: Creates a dam foundation.
• Elevation: Stacks on bases (max 2 elevations per dam); increases dam capacity.
• Conduit: Connects dams to powerhouses; has a production value.
• Powerhouse: Required to produce energy; placed on designated spaces.

Management Actions (Shared Board)

• Turbine Station: Produce energy using water drops through your dams, conduits, and powerhouses. Production value = (Water Drops) x (Conduit production value).
• Water Management: Place 2 water drops on headstreams OR place 1 drop that flows immediately.
• Bank: Gain credits equal to engineers placed (non-exclusive action space).
• Workshop: Rotate construction wheel to recover spent resources.
• Machinery Shop: Purchase additional excavators and concrete mixers.
• Contract Office: Acquire private contracts (free or 1 Credit for two).
• Patent Office: Purchase advanced technology tiles for 5 Credits.

Construction Wheel

Resources spent on building are placed on the construction wheel and must be rotated before becoming available again. The Workshop action rotates the wheel, freeing resources for future turns.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

During the Game

• Round scoring: VP for highest energy production each round.
• Bonus tiles: VP when producing 6+ energy units.
• Contracts: VP for fulfilling energy production requirements from single actions.

End of Game

• Objectives: Top 3 players score 15, 10, or 5 VP based on objective tile criteria.
• Remaining Resources: 1 VP per 5 machinery pieces or credits combined; 1 VP per water drop in your dams.

The player with the highest VP total wins. VP markers flip after exceeding 100.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Water flow is deterministic: drops always flow downstream, filling each dam to capacity before overflowing.
• You can use an opponent’s dam to route water to your conduit/powerhouse, but only if it flows naturally.
• Conduits connect specific dam locations to specific powerhouse locations on the map.
• The construction wheel is a core constraint: resources are tied up until rotated back.
• The number of engineers you have is limited; plan their deployment across the round.
• Neutral dams are placed during setup and cannot be built upon by any player in the introductory game.
• Elevation increases dam capacity: base = 1, base + 1 elevation = 2, base + 2 elevations = 3.

Player Reference

Round Structure

1. Income & Headstreams
2. Actions (place engineers)
3. Water Flow
4. Scoring
5. End of Round

Construction Costs Quick Reference

| Structure | Base Cost | Per Level | |———–|———–|———–| | Dam Base | 3-5 Excavators | By altitude | | Elevation | 2-4 Concrete | By altitude | | Conduit | 2x production value Excavators | Same all altitudes | | Powerhouse | 2+ Concrete | +1 per existing powerhouse |

Key VP Sources

• Round scoring (energy production ranking)
• Fulfilled contracts
• Bonus tiles (6+ energy threshold)
• End-game objectives (15/10/5)
• Remaining resources