Frequently Asked Questions

Compiled by Bradley Keen

Special Thanks to Emanuele Ornella and the BGG Community
Updated 2/27/2007

Q1: If a player did not win any product tiles they get to draw a free product tile from
the bag at the end of the phase. If they draw a single good tile, do they get the option
of increasing the price of that good?

A. If you draw a tile with a single product from the bag, you do not have the chance to
increase the value of that product.

Source: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1354971#1354971

Q2: If a player passes during the placement of their workers in the market, do they
pass out of the entire phase or are they able to later place more of their workers. So,
for example, if the player decides not to place their second worker, do they have the
option of later placing their third and fourth workers?

A. If you decide to pass, and do not place a buyer, you may place other buyers later in the
phase. However, you have forfeited the right to place that buyer during this phase.

Note from the designer: Passing during placement in the market phase is generally not a
good idea. To have one less buyer in the market reduces your chances to win tiles.
Moreover, one buyer more in a row should be worth $4, if you have all of your buyers in
the same row. The only notable reason to pass would be on the rare occasion that you
have no money at all.

Source: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1354971#1354971

Q3. When do you need to have the money available to pay for your movement action?

A. You do not need to pay the bank for your travel expenses until after you have sold
your goods or until after you have completed your action.

Source: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1147406#1147406
 Q4. Is a player forced to place a production building when they complete a region?

A. Placing a Production Building is not mandatory when you close a region.

Note from the designer: Normally you want to place production buildings because they
are worth money immediately and/or money at the end of the game, but you may decide
to avoid this placement for some reason. One reason may be the lack of remaining discs
in your supply. Remember that if you place a Production Building, you reduce your
opponent’s ability to place a building and profit in that spot, but you will get the final
score only once even if you have more than one Production Building of a certain good.

Source: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1338111#1338111

Q5. In a 4 player game, you leave the top row of booths empty, and in a 2-3 player
game you also leave the bottom row of booths empty. Can you place Buyers in the
passage above below the empty top or above the empty bottom rows?

A. No, you are not allowed to place Buyers in these areas of a reduced Market.

Source: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1223635#1223635

Q6. In a two player game, does the player who places the Shared Color piece receive
any income?

No, the player who places the Shared Color does not receive any income. As a general
rule, there is no money involved in the use of a Shared Color piece (Buyer, Trade Station
or Production Building).

Note from the designer: There are 2 reasons why you may desire to place a Trade Station
of the Shared Color: (1) you hope that your opponent will come to sell in that Village
where you already own a Trade Station, so that you will get $2 instead of $1 from the
Bank or (2) you want to complete a Region with the Shared Color, so that a Shared Color
Production Building will be added to the correspondent row in the Table. In this case
you can stop your opponent from building a Production Building in the future.
Remember that only the "5" and "1" squares are available in a 2 player game.
Source: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1173070#1173070
 Q7. Does a “movement without selling action” consume one of your available Trade
Stations?

A. Yes. If you take this action you must place one of your available Trade Stations back
into your general supply.

Source: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1147406#1147406

Q8. Can I sell a good or end a movement in a village where I already have a Trade
Station?

A. No, you may only sell or end your movement in villages where you do not have a
Trade Station located.

Source: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1147406#1147406

Q9. Can I sell more than one good at a village if I have a tile that displays more than
one type of good?

A. No, you can only sell one type of good at a village, and only if you do not already
have a Trade Station placed in that village.

Source: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/152211

Q10. Can I travel through villages where I already have a Trade Station?

A. Yes, as long as you do not end your movement in one of those villages.

Source: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1173070#1173070

Q11. In the German rules it states that each player starts with $10. Is this correct, or
should each player start with $20?

A. The correct starting amount is $20. There was a misprint in the German rules.

Source: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1145470#1145470
 Q12. How does the “Shortcut” Tile work?

A. The special Tile "Shortcut" works in the same way as the "move without selling"
action; you simply just add all the road costs and then divide by 2 (rounding down). You
can use this Tile only with the " move and to sell" action. You cannot divide your travel
costs by 4 if you take the "move without selling" action. Remember that the Shortcut tile
can only be used once during your turn. You may choose which travel action you want to
apply the tile to and then you must discard it.

For example, you can move from A to D passing through the B and C, you would
normally have to pay the entire cost for all of the roads. So for instance if:
• the road from A to B costs $5
• the road from B to C costs $3
• the road from C to D costs $2
you would normally have to pay $10. If you decide to use the “Shortcut” Tile, you would
only pay half of the cost of the entire travel, or $5. Further, if you used the “movement
without selling” action and did not have the “Shortcut” tile, your movement would also
only cost $5.

Source: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1173070#1173070

Q13. What happens if the nobility row fills up?

A. If the nobility row is full, players may no longer place their Production Buildings on
this row
.
Source: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/139956

Q14. What is the purpose of the “6” Action Tile?

A. You can use the Action Tile number 6 instead of another Tile or in addition to the
other Tiles to extend the length of the game.

Note from the designer: Be careful, because in a 2 or 3 player game you do not have
enough Trade Stations for all of the possible actions. If you run out of Trade Stations you
cannot sell your goods. You must carefully manage your “selling” and “movement
without selling" actions to avoid finding yourself at the end of the game without the
ability to sell because you ran out of your Trade Stations. There is no need to apply this
rule in a 4-5 player game.

Source: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1145467#1145467