Container reference sheet

Overview

• Economic supply-chain game for 3–5 players [p.4 — Game Overview]
• Goal: earn the most total cash by game end [p.4 — Game Overview]
• Core loop: produce containers → sell to opponents → ship to Container Island → auction off [p.4 — Game Overview]
• You can never buy or ship your own containers [p.4 — Game Overview]
• Secret scoring card determines value of containers in your scoring area [p.4 — Game Overview]
• Game ends when any 2 container colors run out of supply [p.18 — Game End]

Setup

1. Place Container Island and Off-Shore Bank boards in the center [p.2 — Setup]
2. Place loan cards, bid tiles, reserve tokens, and auction tokens (per player count) next to Bank [p.2 — Setup]
3. Set out cash card supply; set $0 bluff cards aside [p.2 — Setup]
4. Count out warehouses, factories, and containers per player count and game length (see table) [p.2 — Setup]
5. Place 2 containers on Bank lot 'I', 1 on lot 'II'; place $1/$2/$3 in Bank cash slots I/II/III [p.2 — Setup]
6. Each player: 1 free warehouse, 1 random factory (free), 1 container of that factory's color in $2 lot [p.3 — Player Setup]
7. Each player: $20 cash (five $1s, five $2s, one $5) + 2 bluff cards [p.3 — Player Setup]
8. Deal 1 secret scoring card per player [p.3 — Player Setup]

Turn structure

Each turn has 3 steps in order [p.6 — Playing the Game]:

1. Pay Loan Interest — Pay $1 to the Bank per outstanding loan
2. Win Broker Auction — If you hold the highest Bank bid, collect your winnings
3. Take 2 Actions — Choose from the 7 actions (same action twice is allowed; Call Bank max once)

Free actions (unlimited, any time on your turn): request/repay loans, load containers at Bank, Harbor Purchase when docking [p.6, p.11 — Free Actions]

Actions

• Harbor Purchase is a free anchor action when you first dock at an opponent's harbor [p.11 — Anchor Actions]
• Loading containers from your Bank holding area is also a free anchor action at the Bank [p.11 — Anchor Actions]
• Arriving at Container Island triggers a mandatory Delivery Auction; turn ends immediately after [p.11 — Anchor Actions]

Combat

Delivery Auction (triggered when your ship arrives at Container Island) [p.15 — Delivery Auctions]

1. All opponents secretly bid facedown cash (bluff $0 cards allowed)
2. Reveal bids; highest bidder wins (ties → runoff auction)
3. Accept: collect winning bid + equal amount from supply (double payout); place containers in winner's scoring area
4. Buyout: pay winning bid amount to the Bank instead; place containers in your own scoring area
5. Turn ends immediately after auction — no further actions [p.15 — Important]

Runoff tie: tied players add more facedown cash to their original bid; highest total wins [p.16 — Runoff Auction]

Scoring

Final scoring steps [p.18 — Final Scoring]

1. Discard most common color from your Container Island scoring area ($0 for those)
2. Score Container Island using your secret scoring card values
3. Two-value container: worth $10 if you have ≥1 of every color (incl. discarded); else $5 [p.18 — Two-Value Containers]
4. Leftover containers: ship + Bank holding area = $3 each; harbor = $2 each; factory = $0 each
5. Loans: each outstanding loan costs $11 ($10 principal + $1 final interest)
6. Tiebreaker: most containers in factory district wins [p.18 — Determine Winner]

End of game

• Game ends when any 2 container colors run out of supply [p.18 — Game End]
• Active player finishes their turn, then game ends immediately
• Active Bank auctions resolve instantly; winning containers go to holding area, worth $3 each in scoring [p.18 — Resolving Bank Auctions]
• Cannot use Call Bank action on the turn you trigger game end [p.18 — Important]
• Winner: player with most total cash after final scoring [p.18 — Determine Winner]

Glossary

• Factory District: bottom half of player board; produces containers and sets factory prices [p.4 — Player Boards]
• Harbor District: top half of player board; stores purchased containers and sets harbor prices [p.4 — Player Boards]
• Scoring Area: player's section on Container Island where won auction containers are placed for end-game scoring [p.6 — The Islands]
• Holding Area: space on the Bank board where won Bank containers wait to be loaded onto your ship [p.6 — The Islands]
• Reserve Token: placeholder on your board marking storage space used by containers currently on the bid tile [p.13 — Reserve Tokens]
• Government Subsidy: when you accept a delivery auction, the supply matches the winning bid — you earn double [p.16 — Government Subsidy]
• Auction Buyout: paying the winning bid to the Bank to claim your own delivered containers [p.16 — Auction Buyout]
• Default: when you can't pay loan interest; Bank seizes 1 container per unpaid loan from a priority list [p.17 — Default]
• Two-Value Container: the color on row 2 of your scoring card; worth $10 (all colors collected) or $5 (not all colors) [p.18 — Two-Value Containers]
• Union Wages: $1 paid to the player on your right each time you take a Produce action [p.8 — Produce Action]

FAQ

• Q: Can I buy containers from my own factory or harbor? — A: No. You can never buy or ship your own containers. [p.4 — Game Overview]
• Q: Can I discard containers to make room? — A: No. You may never discard stored containers to make room in factories, harbors, or on your ship. [p.9, p.10 — Details]
• Q: Can I repay a loan after a delivery auction on my own turn? — A: No. Your turn ends immediately after the auction; repay on your next turn. [p.15 — Important]
• Q: Can I use cash on the bid tile to pay loan interest? — A: No. Cash placed on the bid tile is locked until you lose the bid or win the auction. [p.12 — Bidding Cash for Containers]
• Q: Do containers on the bid tile count toward my storage limit? — A: Yes. Reserve tokens mark their space; count them when checking limits. [p.13 — Reserve Tokens & Storage Limits]
• Q: What happens if I can't pay interest and already have 2 loans? — A: Resolve default: Bank seizes 1 container per unpaid loan from the priority list. [p.17 — Default]