The Merchants of De Veilingmeesters van Amsterdam Die Kaufleute von Amsterdam by Reiner Knizia Translated by Stuart Dagger et al., April 2000

Producer: Jumbo Number of Players: 3 to 5 Components: Rules, 1 game board, an auction clock, 120 counters (24 per player colour), 84 cards, 3 disks, 1 time marker (big pawn), 5 credit counters and playing money (20 x 10 000, 20 x 20 000, 15 x 50 000, 30 x 100 000 and 12 x 500 000 florins). Introduction: Take yourself back to Amsterdam in the 17th Century when the city was becoming more powerful and more prosperous than ever before. Ships from Amsterdam travelled the oceans of the world and brought merchandise back to the home port. There they would earn big profits. The population grew by leaps and bounds within a very short time and the city had to be considerably expanded. The Arts blossomed and painters such as Rembrandt produced great masterpieces. Against this background, each player plays the role of a rich and powerful merchant family. Each family tries to achieve profits on the Commodity Exchange by cornering commodities and to expand its power in Amsterdam and in the colonies by building storehouses and trading posts. Particular advantages are enjoyed by Amsterdam's mayor and it is an office that changes hands frequently. Whoever holds it should make the most of the opportunities that present themselves. Object of the Game: At the end of the game the richest player wins.

1/12 Preparation: Place the game board in the middle of the table and put the time marker (big pawn) on the first space of the time track (1579). Each player is given 400 000 florins from the bank. One player is chosen to be the banker and takes charge of the money and the credit markers. The cards are shuffled and placed face down next to the game board. The player who has visited Amsterdam most often starts (or the players can draw lots for the privilege). The starting player is assigned position 1, his left-hand neighbour position 2 and so on around the table. Each player chooses a colour and takes the corresponding 24 tiles. If there are fewer than five players, the remaining tiles are put back in the box. Each player then places three of his tiles on the board in the positions marked by his number (a trading post, an Amsterdam storehouse and a Commodity Exchange position). The Game Board: In the middle of the game board, separated by the canals are the four districts of old Amsterdam: Nieuwe Zijde, Oude Zijde, Grachten and Lastage. Around Amsterdam is a world map showing four continents: the East Indies, the Far East, Africa and the Americas. In each continent are trading posts. At the bottom of the game board is the Commodity Exchange with four market tracks: sugar, precious stones, spices and silk. The other three sides of the game board form a time track running from 1579 to 1666.

2/12 The Merchants of Amsterdam

Game Turns: The player whose turn it is holds the office of mayor of Amsterdam and places the three large disks and the auction clock in front of him. He draws cards from the deck one at a time. If it's an hourglass card, it is resolved immediately (see below). Otherwise, the player puts the card on one of the (empty) disks. As soon as all three disks have a card, they are resolved, in the left-to-right sequence given below. Each card is discarded once played. Once the player's turn is complete, play passes to his left.

The Discard Disk The Mayor Disk The Auction Disk The card on this disk is The card on this disk is The card on this disk is discarded unused. played by the mayor. auctioned off using the auction clock. See the Auction section below. The Cards: The cards can be divided in four groups: Hourglass Cards When the mayor draws an hourglass card, the pawn is moved one space forward on the time track and the action indicated (if any) executed. See the Time Track section for a list of the icons and their meanings. Merchandise Cards The player receives three new pieces of merchandise. He is not allowed to choose three of the same type, but all other combinations are permitted. If the merchandise is of a type the player doesn't already have, he places one of his tiles on the first space of the appropriate track of the Commodity Exchange, otherwise he moves his existing tile forward. If the player's tile is already on the last space of the track, it cannot be moved further. Special Rule for 3 Players: There are six merchandise cards which are specially labelled. If only three people are playing, these cards are placed face up on the discard pile when drawn and a replacement card is drawn immediately. If there are four or five players, these cards are treated as any other merchandise card.

3/12 Trading Post Cards The player may found a trading post of the appropriate type by placing a tile on a corresponding vacant site.

The card shows where the post may be founded —some cards show a single continent (left), others show a single type of merchandise (right). In the former case, the trading post must be on the continent indicated. In the latter case, the player may choose a vacant site on any continent but he must pick one of the indicated merchandise type. If all possible sites are occupied, the player is out of luck and can't found a new trading post. In both cases the player's tile on the Commodity Exchange merchandise track corresponding to the new post is moved one space forward. Amsterdam Cards The player may build a storehouse on a vacant site in Amsterdam. When one or more districts are highlighted, the storehouse must be built in one of those districts. If all the allowed sites are already occupied, the player is out of luck and can't build the new storehouse. In addition, one of the player's tiles on the Commodity Exchange is moved forward one space, chosen from the merchandise tracks indicated on the card. Auction: The mayor begins by setting the clock. He rotates the pointer in the direction of the arrow to the 'Start' position. Then he places the clock so that all the players can reach it easily. The mayor also takes part in the auction.

4/12 The Merchants of Amsterdam

He decides how much time to give the players before the auction begins and then he pushes the button in the middle of the clock. The pointer will then run slowly backwards so that the price to be paid (in thousands of florins) gets ever lower. The first person to press the button acquires the card. The longer one waits, the cheaper the card becomes. If the pointer is stopped between two prices, the buyer pays the higher price. (This is the traditional Dutch auction system) As soon as the pointer passes 50 it stops. The auction is then over, the card may no longer be bought and it is discarded. If a player presses the button before the pointer reaches 200, the clock is reset. All players then take part in a new auction, but this time the price will be twice the amount indicated. Should the pointer reach 100 on this second run, the card goes to the player who stopped the clock on the first run, at a price of 200 000 florins.

If the player who stops the clock cannot pay the price indicated, the auction is held again without him. The Time Track: When the mayor turns over an hourglass card, he moves the time marker forward one space. On some spaces nothing happens, but on most there is an instruction to be followed. If there is a symbol under the year number, the following list explains what to do. The instructions are to be carried out immediately. When the instructions affect everybody, the player to the left of the mayor acts first. The others then follow in clockwise order, ending with the mayor.

· 400 ƒ: This is the start space. Each player receives 400 000 florins starting capital from the bank, as already mentioned in the Preparation section.

· Ship: Each player may move one of his tiles on the Commodity Exchange one space forward (or start a new tile on the first space of one of the tracks).

· Globe: Each player may found a new trading post. To do this, he places one of his tiles on a vacant site of his choice. Once the post has been founded, move the corresponding tile on the Commodity Exchange one space forward.

· Amsterdam's Coat of Arms: Each player may build a new storehouse on a vacant site in Amsterdam.

· Credit: Each player may borrow 120 000 florins from the bank. When doing so, the player also receives a credit marker which is paid back to the bank at the end of the game at a cost of 200 000 florins.

· Negated Coat of Arms: Each player must remove one of his storehouses from Amsterdam.

· Negated Globe: Each player must remove one of his trading posts from the map. The Commodity Exchange tracks are not affected.

5/12 The Merchants of Amsterdam

· Negated Ship: Each player must move one of his Commodity Exchange tiles back one space (or remove his tile from the first space of one of the tracks).

· Arrowed Ship: On each merchandise track on the Commodity Exchange, the tile that is furthest forward moves back one space. If more than one tile is tied for first place, all of them move back.

· Number Grid and Ship: Commodity Exchange scoring takes place (see the Scoring section). There are three of these spaces on the time track.

· Number Grid and Coat of Arms: Amsterdam storehouse scoring takes place (see the Scoring section). There are two of these spaces on the time track.

· Number Grid and Globe: Trading post scoring takes place (see the Scoring section). There are two of these spaces on the time track.

· 1585, 1596-97, 1600 and 1665 spaces: Nothing happens.

· Last space of the time track: Final scoring in all three areas —Commodity Exchange, trading posts and Amsterdam storehouses. This last scoring will often determine the winner of the game. (The numbers 50 000 and 200 000 on the spaces for 1600 and 1665 simply record the population of Amsterdam in those years. See the Historical Notes) Scoring: Eight of the spaces on the time track are scoring turns. There are always four areas to be contested: four types of merchandise on the Commodity Exchange, four districts in Amsterdam or four continents on the map. On the Commodity Exchange the biggest bonus goes to the commodity where the leading tile is furthest forward. With storehouses or trading posts the biggest bonus goes to the area containing the most tiles. After the ranking order of the four areas has been established, determine which two players have the most tiles/goods in each area. Only these two players collect money. The first amount in the scoring table goes to the player with the most tiles, the second goes to the runner-up. Amsterdam is a special case: when ranking players, instead of counting the total number of storehouses each player owns, one considers only each player's largest contiguous group of storehouses. To be contiguous, two storehouses must have a common boundary along an edge. For example, say Amsterdam is worth 100/60, 80/40, 60/40 and 40/20. One counts to see which district contains the most tiles. The player with the largest group of tiles in that district collects 100 000 florins, the player with the second largest group collects 60 000 florins. For the district with the second highest number of tiles, the player with the largest group of tiles collects 80 000 florins and the player in second place collects 40 000 florins. And so on.

· If only one player has a presence in an area, the money for second place is not paid out.

6/12 The Merchants of Amsterdam

· If several players are tied for the lead in an area, the prize money for first and second place is added together and divided equally between them. Runners-up receive nothing.

· If several players are tied for second place in an area, the money for second place is divided equally between them.

· If the amount being divided is one that will not divide evenly, each player's share is rounded down to the nearest 10 000 florins.

· If more than one area is tied in the rankings, a tie-breaker operates. Each area is numbered from 1 to 4 by rhomboids. The area with the lowest number wins the tie. For example, with the continents, the Americas (1) would win a tie with Africa (2). With commodities, sugar (1) would win a tie with silk (4).

Detailed Example: The time marker stands at 1611 and so we are scoring commodities, using the values 100/60, .80/40, 60/40 and 40/20. The track with a tile furthest forward is that for precious stones, so it qualifies for the 100/60 payoff. Blue is alone in first place and collects 100 000 florins. Yellow and Green are tied for second and split the 60 000, getting 30 000 florins each. Sugar and silk tie for second place on the 'furthest forward' criterion and so the tiebreaker comes into play. Sugar has the number 1 and silk the number 4, which means that sugar takes the second spot and silk the third. For the sugar track Orange gets 80 000 florins and Blue 40 000; for silk it is 60 000 to Green and 40 000 to Orange. For spices, finally, Blue and Orange are tied for first place; so each gets 30 000 florins.

Extra Bonuses: · As soon as a player has tiles advanced at least as far as the second space on all four tracks of the Commodity Exchange, he may immediately build a free storehouse in Amsterdam. · If you establish a trading post in each of the four continents, you earn 100 000 florins. · If you build storehouses in each of Amsterdam's districts, you earn 100 000 florins. · If you build storehouses at both ends of a bridge in Amsterdam, you earn 40 000 florins. · If as the result of an action a player no longer meets the conditions for any one of these bonuses, he must surrender the bonus, i.e. he must take down a storehouse or give back the money, as the case may be. It doesn't need to be the original storehouse. If a player doesn't have the necessary money, he must borrow 120 000 florins from the bank, together with a credit marker —so that at the end of the game he will have to pay 200 000 florins back to the bank.

7/12 The Merchants of Amsterdam

End of the Game: The number of cards ensures that each player gets the same number of turns as mayor. If at the end there are some hourglass cards left over (because they ended up at the bottom of the deck), the last mayor simply plays them one after the other and doesn't get to place any cards on the disks. The time marker is then moved to the final space and there is a final payoff for the Commodity Exchange, the storehouses in Amsterdam and the trading posts. The players repay their loans (200 000 florins per credit marker) and count their remaining money. The richest player wins. HISTORICAL INFORMATION It is not necessary to read what follows in order to be able to play the game. It is additional information for players who are interested in the historical background, information that tells you about the real historical events behind the pictures and symbols on the time track. The notes are necessarily brief, but if your interest is aroused you will find that Amsterdam's rise to prominence and wealth is a story with a rich literature. 1579: Establishment of the Union of Utrecht, a military alliance against Spain which is formed by the seven Northern Provinces. For over 200 years, this agreement will serve, for the lack of something better, as the constitution of the Republic of the United , also known as the United Provinces. The establishment of the Union can be seen as the start of the Dutch State. 1585: After a spectacular eight month siege, the Spanish commander Parma conquers the city of , the most important trading city of the Netherlands. As a result, ships switch to other harbours and numerous merchants leave the city. After a time, many set up business in Amsterdam and, in conjunction with Jews who have fled from Spain and Portugal, they see to it, with their capital and knowledge of trade, that Amsterdam gains a leading position in international commerce. 1588: England defeats the "invincible" Spanish fleet, the Armada, thanks in part to the Dutch fleet which stops Parma's invasion army from joining up with the ships' crews and prevents the return of the defeated ships through the English Channel. The Armada, which was the biggest fleet seen up to that time, had been intended to crush England with a single powerful blow. 1596/97: Unsuccessful attempt by Jacob van Heemskerk and Willem Barents to find the northern sea route to India. They remain trapped in the pack-ice and winter on the island of Nova Sembla (Novaya Zemlya), north of Russia, in huts built with timber from the ships and the wrecks. In June 1597 the crews' survivors and their sloops reach the mainland and finally, in October, their homeland, where they are received with great honour by the mayor of Amsterdam.

8/12 The Merchants of Amsterdam

1597: Return of three of the four Dutch ships which have accomplished the first journey to the Dutch East Indies. These are under the leadership of Cornelis de Houtman, who has previously, in Portuguese service, gained knowledge of the region. From a commercial standpoint this first naval journey to the Dutch East Indies is not a success, among other reasons because of the tactless behaviour of de Houtman, but as a precursor of the trade with Asia it is of inestimable value. 1600: Amsterdam has 50 000 inhabitants. In the preceding decade there has been an influx into the city of refugees, mainly from the southern Netherlands, many on account of their Protestant beliefs, some fleeing acts of war and others leaving their home towns for economic reasons. The influx of immigrants has created a great shortage of space within the city. 1602: Founding of the United East Indies Company which receives from the State the monopoly for all trade east of the Cape of Good Hope. The company has a "modern" business structure, with investors being given shares in return for their capital, and is thus the world's first "multinational". The monopoly means that prices can be kept artificially high. 1609: Founding of the Amsterdam Exchange Bank. A trustworthy institution for the exchange of gold had become indispensable as a result of Amsterdam's growing international trade and the amount of foreign currency now in circulation. The Bank also initiates a type of clearing service for international payments. 1609-1621: Twelve year armistice. Although the negotiations with Spain fail to produce a peace treaty, they do lead to an armistice. As a result the journey through the Mediterranean becomes much safer, which —initially via the rich trading city of Venice— makes it possible to develop trade with the Levant. This is where the trade routes from China, India and Egypt all end and luxury goods such as silk, perfumes, dyes and products from the Arab countries can be bought. 1611: Opening of a stock market built over the waters of the and structured on the Italian and Antwerp models. Here merchants from all countries meet together, trading in a great variety of goods and concluding business transactions. This central meeting point for everybody who deals in trade and shipping gives a great boost to business in Amsterdam. 1613: The city, whose area in 1600 was very little bigger than it had been in 1500, is extended on its western side to include a large area inside a ring of new modern fortresses. Here are laid out the (Lords' Canal), (King's Canal) and (Princes' Canal) for the upper classes and the quarter for the common folk. On the new canal ring are built luxurious houses with beautiful gardens, coach houses and stables at the rear, such as did not exist inside city walls anywhere else in Europe.

9/12 The Merchants of Amsterdam

1619: On the island of Java in present day Indonesia, Jan Pietersz Coen founds the state of Batavia on the ruins of Jakarta, which he had sacked, and he transfers the Dutch settlement of the United East Indies Company to here from Bantam. With this step he moves the main centre of Malaccan trade to the strategic sea lanes of Sunda. The city founded by Coen remains to this day the centre of government for the area. 1621: Following the model of the United East Indies Company, the Patent West Indies Company is founded to create trade with Africa and America (sugar) and also to put pressure on Spain in its colonies. The initial monopoly will later lie, not with the company, but with individual merchants who will be able to achieve great profits. 1624: After the Dutch try in vain to gain a foothold in the silk and porcelain trade in China, they settle on an island group off the coast of Fukien. When the negotiations over free trade break down completely, the fortress there has to be given up under pressure from the Chinese army and the Dutch transfer their settlement to the island of Formosa. 1625: Colonists in North America buy the island of Manhattan from the native population for goods to the value of 60 florins and found, on its southern tip, the city of New Amsterdam, which later under English rule will be called New York. The trade in fur and skins, especially those of the beaver, is very lucrative. Beaver fur is used in Amsterdam for the popular black hats worn by the men (see the Rembrandt illustration on the box lid). 1628: Admiral Piet Heyn succeeds in capturing the Spanish silver fleet. Each year this heavily armed convoy, richly laden with gold and silver from the mines in Spain's American colonies, travels to Spain and each year Dutch and English pirates attempt to rob it, but only Piet Heyn is successful (with 31 ships, 689 canons and 4000 soldiers). The booty consists of 177 000 pounds of silver, 66 pounds of gold, 37 000 skins, 1000 pearls and many precious objects. 1632: The already fairly successful Leyden painter Rembrandt van Rijn is now working in Amsterdam in the studio of the art dealer Hendrich Uylenburg. After almost four years he sets up on his own but has difficulty getting commissions, partly because of his (non-Calvinist) religious beliefs but probably also because of his less than tactful manners. 1636-37: Irrational options trading in tulip bulbs. Bulbs that do not exist are bought and sold for ever higher sums, which people do not have. A single tulip bulb can fetch 3000 florins, the price of a considerable country estate. When the speculative bubble bursts, many are ruined. c. 1640: Despite the concluding of an armistice with the Portuguese, the Dutch send boats year after year into the Bay of Manila in order to impede the enemy from putting to sea and thus trading.

10/12 The Merchants of Amsterdam

1641: The Japanese emperor expels all foreigners from the country but allows the Dutch to transfer their trading settlement to the man-made island Deschina in the Bay of Nagasaki, from where the Portuguese had been banished a short time before. The United East Indies Company has had permission to trade in Japan since 1609. The Dutch trading settlement will be Japan's sole contact with the outside world until the 19th century. 1652-54: The first English War (known to the English as the first Dutch War) is caused by increasing English competition in the area of trade and shipping. The immediate cause is the passing of an English Navigation Act that excludes the Dutch, with the exception of produce from their own country, from transporting goods to England and its American colonies. 1656: Rembrandt van Rijn goes bankrupt. The painter is unable to pay off the 'Rembrandt House' in St Antoniebreestraat, which he had bought at too high a price in 1639 and where he has spent his money on paintings and expensive rare objects. Because of the business crisis resulting from the first English War, trade has completely collapsed and he cannot raise the necessary money. 1662: One of the Chinese pirates chased away from the coast of Fukien captures Formosa and turns the Dutch out of Fort Seelandia. This seriously endangers the trade route with China. An attempt with the Chinese to retake the island fails. 1664: Shortly before the outbreak of the second English War (1665-67), an English fleet sails to New Amsterdam and the governor Peter Stuyvesant is forced to hand over the city. With the peace of 1667 all the Dutch colonies in North America are handed over to the English in return for Dutch Surinam (Guyana) in South America. 1665: 200 000 inhabitants in Amsterdam. The population of Amsterdam grows throughout the whole of the 17th century. The reason lies not in the birth rate but rather in the influx of immigrants. Lured by the economic bustle, men and women come to the city from nearly all the countries of Europe to look for work. 1666: The building of the second part of the canal rings sees the Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht extended round to the Amstel. Next door to the existing city, on the famous 'Curve of the Herengracht', were built the magnificent city mansions which remain to this day as a symbol of the prosperity that trade and shipping brought to Amsterdam in the 17th century.

11/12 The Merchants of Amsterdam

Evaluation: The game looks good and has sufficient tactical possibilities and a little unpredictability. It looks to me at first sight like a mixture of Stephenson's Rocket and Union Pacific, a great combination. The auction clock makes it of course more interesting. The game plays rather quickly, so there is almost no down-time. In everyone's turn you participate during the auction. The place where you put the auction clock is a bit problematic, since the game board occupies the middle of the table. Suitable for novice and experienced players. Game Components: They look fine. The box size is handy and the cards look good albeit a bit small. The counters are cardboard, but feel good. The game board folds in four and is not too big. Why three disks instead of a little extra game board is not clear to me. The auction clock works fine and makes a rattling sound. The game rules are well written; although the extra earnings part looks like it was added afterwards. There is no mention of it on the game board. They forgot to mention in the game rules that you have to multiply the value on the auction clock by 1 000! The playing money isn't well divided and you have to make change quite often. Strategy: As expected from designer Reiner Knizia you have to divide your attention between many areas and you can do so little each time. The scoring is a lot more obvious than in his other games: just get the majority. A nice touch is the forming of groups in the Amsterdam districts, but you also have to look for the bridges to get extra earnings. Those extra earnings prompt you to divide your attention between more areas than you really want to. It looks like the Commodity Exchange is the most important; not only does it have one extra scoring round, but also the first, so you can invest the extra money a lot sooner. The prizes on the auction clock don't often drop below 140 000 because it is worth the investment. Don't pay a lot more than 240 000, because you won't earn it back. Remember that you have to take back some counters at the end of the game. Sometimes you have to choose between giving up an extra earning you had or lose a majority. The special rule for Amsterdam about the storehouses in a group is not that important because the number of storehouses is limited; you won't suffer from it very often. Most of the time you compensate it with the extra earnings for building on both sides of a bridge.

12/12