One set of actions consists of playing one card, then performing one action with that card, then playing a second card and performing a second action with that card. Once each player has completed one set of actions this step is complete. Each player completes their set of actions before play passes to the next player. In player order each player completes one set of actions. Your Income Level is reduced every time you take a loan. When you can flip a counter depends on its type, which will be explained in more detail later. Whenever you flip an Industry counter to its other side you immediately move your Income marker a number of spaces up the Income track equal to the value in the gold circle. You start the game with zero income! Income level It may be necessary for you to remove more than one Industry counter from the board.
You then use this money to pay for your negative Income Level. You collect an amount of money equal to half, rounded down, of the cost of building this counter. If you do not have enough cash in hand to pay this then you must remove one of your Industry counters, (your choice), from the board. If your income level is negative then you have to pay that amount into the bank. The position of your wooden disc on the Income/VP track shows how much money you take from the bank. Repeat the sequence above until all players have played all of their cards. With three players there will ten rounds in each period.Įach round of play consists of the following steps: With four players there will be eight rounds in each period. The Player Action phase consists of a number of rounds, which varies depending on the number of players. The remaining cards are placed face down in the box indicated on the board. Without revealing them, place these cards to one side. Three Players - in the Canal Period remove 9 cards, in the Rail Period remove 6 cards. Now remove the following number of cards from those remaining inthe deck:įour Players - in the Canal Period remove 6 cards, in the Rail Period remove 2 cards. The game will end at the end of the Rail Period. Each period consists of the following phases: The game is divided into two periods, the Canal Period and the Rail Period. You are now ready to start playing the game. Each silver counter is worth £5, while each copper counter is worth £1. The plastic money counters should be placed in a bank by the side of the board. Mark the order of play on the Player Order display, using a wooden disc from each player. The order of play should go clockwise from that player in the very first turn. Randomly determine the first player in a manner of your own choosing. Shuffle the Distant Market tiles and place face down in the space marked 'Distant Market Tiles'. Place the black marker on the top space of the Cotton Demand track. Place the remaining cubes by the side of the board to form a stock. Place one orange iron cube in each space on the Iron Demand track. Place one black coal cube in each space on the Coal Demand track. In each pile the counters should be ordered by Tech Level, with the lowest Tech Level on top and the highest Tech Level at the bottom.ĮXAMPLE: When arranging your cotton mills you must make sure all of the Tech Level 4 mills go at the bottom, with the level 3 mills on top of them, then the level 2 mills, with the level 1 mill on top of the stack. You must arrange your Industry counters into piles of the same type. You should keep your Victory Point (VP) counters to one side as they will not be needed until the end of the first period.
Each player should place one of their wooden discs on the £0 space of the Income/VP track. Each player should select a set of counters and wooden discs.