Theme: Building a Maritime Empire
Welcome to Rival Seas, where you will command your very own maritime empire! Your mission is to chart the most efficient sea routes, fulfill the demands of bustling coastal towns, and secure a fortune in credits. Success in this cutthroat industry requires more than just navigation skills. You must strategically acquire shares in cargo companies, strive to become their CEO, siphon company wealth into your own hands and turn your portfolio into valuable assets. Only the savviest entrepreneur, who can acquire the highest capital by fulfilling demand and securing valuable stocks, will emerge victorious!
Gameplay Summary: Trade, Stocks, and Financial Mastery
Rival Seas is a strategic board game played over 3 intense rounds. Players manage a tight budget within a precious time limit as they race to dominate the seas.
On Your Turn: The core of the game is using your limited time on the Timetrack to perform actions. Each action you take moves your tracker further on the Timetrack. You can keep taking actions as long as you aren't the player who spent the most time. You can end your turn at any time as long as you aren't in the last position on the Timetrack.
Actions involve:
Build navigation points
Manufacture containers
Load containers
Influence demand of coastal towns
Invest in companies (and become CEO)
Acquire prestige and upgrades
Move your ship
Deliver containers (this also affects future container prices)
End of round:
Each round new cointainers enter play that can be loaded and delivered to coastal towns. Also the CEO of each company will receive his wage and if the company has enough funds left, the CEO can also decide to pay a dividend to all shareholders.
Scoring: After the third and final round ends, players calculate their final victory points based on their personal capital and prestige (Stock value, Credits, Investments).
Remark:
A Crucial Distinction => Company Funds vs. Personal Capital
A unique mechanism in Rival Seas is the strict separation between a company's funds and your personal credits. When you buy shares, the money goes to the company. Company funds are used to finance operations, such as placing Navigation points and the company will also get paid if players use these Navigation points. Your ultimate goal is to generate personal wealth (your Victory Points), which you primarily do by making deliveries and, critically, through the Payout Phase where the CEO receives a wage and decides dividends will be paid from the company's funds to shareholders.
—description from the publisher
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