The opening of foreign trade in Yokohama led to an economic boom, making it the premier destination for trade in Japan. The merchants of Yokohama were ultimately responsible for the incorporation of foreign technology and culture into Japan, in exchange for fine Japanese products, of course.
You are a merchant of Yokohama, vying to gain fame through successful business ventures. There are a number of ways to gain fame, such as fulfilling orders with foreign powers, learning foreign technology, and developing the city by building shops and trading houses. In order to achieve these goals, you will roam the streets of Yokohama, gaining the benefits of various areas of the city, and earn the favor of foreign agents. This is Yokohama!
Gather Your Workers!
One of the central mechanics of Yokohama is the placement of workers and the president of your merchant venture. Players will place workers from their hand onto the various production areas and pick workers up to place again in future turns. Players must think carefully about where they place their workers, for their production options are dictated by where workers and the president are placed.
Worker placement is key, because it will determine how many resources you produce, where you can build shops and trading houses, and how well you can purchase technologies and fulfill orders for foreign nations!
Trade with the Best of Them!
Gather your workers and set them off to their tasks! There is plenty to keep you busy in the port city of Yokohama! Gather resources and trade with foreign powers to earn as many points as possible!
Produce!
There are various production areas spread throughout the city, and you'll need to assign workers to those areas to produce resources. When you take an area action in the area your president occupies, the number of workers you have in that area, as well as whether you have built a shop or trading post there, will determine how many of that area's resources you will receive. Those resources will be used to fill orders or purchase technologies that will help you score points and strategize for future rounds of the game.
Build!
If player performs an area action with sufficient enough power (4-5 power provided by workers, president, they will be allowed to build shops and trading houses in that production area. Those buildings will provide additional power for future actions, as well as giving you a one-time bonus for building. You may only build one shop and trading house per production area, so don't get too carried away!
Trade!
The resources gathered from your area actions will be used to fill orders and purchase foreign technology. Filling orders awards points and buying technology provides you with bonuses and special modifiers that will help you out in future rounds. Each of these things can also provide you with a foreign agent, should you curry enough favor with a single foreign power.
Become the Best Merchant in Yokohama!
When all is said and done, the player who collected the most points throughout the game wins! Prove you are the most capable merchant! Pick up your copy of Yokohama today!
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