Objective of the Game
Macao is a strategic board game where each player develops a settlement in the city of Macau. Players collect victory points by fulfilling various roles, shipping goods, and building city districts. The goal of the game is to have the most victory points at the end of the game.
Game Components
- Game board depicting the city of Macau and surrounding sea
- Dice in various colors
- City district cards
- Action cards
- Victory point markers
- Player markers and tableaus for each player
Game Setup
- Prepare the game board: Place the board in the center of the table.
- Role and city district cards: Shuffle and place them ready for play. Each player draws a role card which gives specific bonuses.
- Player starting equipment: Each player takes a tableau to plan their actions and player markers to track progress.
- Prepare dice: Place the dice within reach.
- Determine starting order: Use dice rolls or draw tokens to set the initial play order.
Gameplay
The game proceeds over several rounds, each consisting of different phases:
1. Dice Phase
Players start each round by rolling the colored dice which determine the available actions for players to choose. Each player selects two dice that indicate the number of cities they can develop in that round.
2. Expansion Phase
Players execute their planned actions: - Play action cards: Utilize role or ability determined by cards laid out. - Build city districts: Players can build districts that provide additional victory points. - Ship goods: Engage in trade to accumulate additional victory points.
3. Settlement Phase
- Sell goods: At the end of the round, players may ship and sell goods for points.
- Control Check: Verify if certain city or role conditions are met for extra points.
4. Victory Point Phase
All collected victory points are recorded onto the game board during this phase.
End of the Game
The game concludes after a predetermined number of rounds. The player with the most victory points wins.
Strategic Tips
- Use roles wisely: Making timely use of special roles and abilities can provide a significant advantage.
- Stay flexible: Be ready to adjust strategy based on dice results and card layouts.
- Optimize goods shipping: Finding the right times to sell and ship goods can make a critical point difference.
