As one of the premier builders in the kingdom, you pride yourself on a reputation cultivated with ingenuity and precision. It has been made clear that no challenge is too difficult, no task too great for you to accomplish. Thus, when you, along with several of your biggest competitors, received a formal invitation to the palace from Queen Himiko herself, you were sure whatever task she had to give could be tackled with grace and ease. Her demands were simple and final: Build the capital of Yamataï and make it the jewel of the archipelago.
In Yamataï, you will compete with your fellow players to build the most prestigious city possible in order to earn the favor of Queen Himiko. You will need to make use of everything at your disposal to accomplish your aims. Recruit specialists, gather your fleets, and set out, for only one name will be remembered as the greatest builder of Yamataï!
Build a Better City
Yamataï is a Modular Board, Route/Network Building game for 2-4 players. Players will take turns selecting fleets, deploying ships, and building up the islands of Yamataï in order to gain prestige points and impress Queen Himiko. With a large number of specialists ready to be recruited for the right price, your plans will shift to accommodate new options as you and your opponents compete to build in the best places. It will take careful planning to accomplish this goal, but you're more than up to the challenge! Earn money, build palaces, gain prestige, and fight to become the best builder in Yamataï!
The Perfect Plan
A player's turn follows the same five steps every round. First, choose a Fleet Tile. Second, Trade. Third, place boats on the board, collect culture tokens, or build. Fourth, place remaining boats on your player mat. And finally, recruit a specialist. The actions you take during these five steps will help you to plan your strategy for your future rounds. Be careful, though, that you don't set your opponents up for success!
Gather Your Fleets
The first thing players will do on their turn is gather their fleets, taking one of five revealed Fleet Tiles from the row. The tile you take will note which ships you will have to work with that turn as well as what special action you will get to take. Each Fleet Tile also has a number at the bottom that determines where the player will be in turn order for the next round. The best fleets come at a higher cost, putting you further back in the turn order for the next round in exchange for the best options now. If you plan carefully, you might even be able to set up back to back turns!
Buildin' On Up
With new resources in tow, now players may trade for an additional ship in order to set up their next move. Then they may place those ships along routes through the archipelago, taking Culture Tokens or building along the way. Players are free to take a culture token from an island touching a ship they just placed, or they may choose to build a building if the ships surrounding an island meet that building's requirements. Buildings are one way for a player to build up Prestige over the course of the game, and placing them optimally is just as important as building them in the first place!
Specialize
Now that the bulk of the turn is over, players can reserve a ship on their player mat and are given the option of recruiting the services of a Specialist. For the cost of two matching Culture Tokens, or three different ones, a player may take a Specialist from the row and will have access to that power for the rest of the game. The Specialists break the rules, so the effect they have on the game can be powerful and the boost of money they give you when you recruit them can be a huge boon. Some are the most useful near the beginning of the game, while some will show their true worth as you enter the critical middle turns. Either way, the Specialists are yours for the taking, and they will be of great help to those who wish to be the best builder in Yamataï.
Be the Best!
The player who managed to gather the most prestige over the course of the game will be crowned the winner, and be blessed by Queen Himiko! Put your building skills to the test and pick up your copy of Yamataï today!
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