PD-Verlag · 2010
Traditional publisher release (2010). Predates the Kickstarter board game era. Debuted at Essen Spiel.
Age of Portuguese exploration. Chart unknown seas, establish colonies in Africa and Asia, build factories and churches. Historical but abstracted — you feel the era without drowning in simulation.
Rondel action selection — move your token around a wheel to pick actions like sailing, colonizing, selling, or building. Market prices shift as players buy and sell. Elegant and tight.
Move your rondel marker 1-3 spaces (or pay to move further) and take that action: Sail to discover new regions, Colonize to claim land, Market to buy/sell goods (prices shift dynamically based on supply), Workers to hire crew, Buildings to construct factories or churches, or Privilege to gain endgame scoring multipliers. The tension is always in the rondel — the action you want might be 4 spaces away, costing you precious tempo. Factories produce goods to sell; colonies produce goods when others sell. Timing the market is everything.
Moderate — shared market creates constant indirect competition. When someone floods the sugar market, everyone feels it. No direct conflict but you're always watching others.
Good — multiple viable strategies (colonies vs factories vs churches) and the dynamic market means every game flows differently. Not as variable as card-heavy games though.
Medium
Medium. Central board with market track, player tokens, and colony tiles. Fits comfortably on a standard table.
Teach takes 15-20 min. The rondel is brilliantly simple — pick your action by moving around the wheel. Depth reveals itself over multiple plays.