Nippon Zaibatsu reference sheet

Overview

• 2–4 players (+ Solo mode), economic strategy, ~90–120 min [p.2 — Game Overview]
• Set in Meiji-era Japan; players manage a zaibatsu (industrial conglomerate) [p.2 — Game Overview]
• 3 Periods, each ending with Influence Scoring in Regions [p.8 — Gameplay]
• Core loop: take Workers → perform actions → build factories/spread influence → Consolidate [p.8 — Gameplay]
• Win by scoring the most VP from Influence majorities and Zaibatsu development [p.8 — Gameplay]
• Tiebreaker: tied player who took their final turn last wins [p.19 — Final Scoring]

Setup

Common Setup

1. Place Main board; put 8 random Demand tiles face up on City spaces (1 per city, random orientation) [p.4 — Common Setup]
2. Place Round markers on leftmost dark and bright spaces of Round track [p.4 — Common Setup]
3. Place Expert Workers and Upgraded Department tokens (1/2/3/4 of each type for 1/2/3/4 players) in Iwakura Mission area [p.4 — Common Setup]
4. Fill bag: all 48 Workers (4p) / 42 Workers (3p) / 36 Workers (2p); fill Hiring spaces with 3 Workers each; fill Worker Queue (all 3 rows 4p / top+mid 3p / top only 2p) [p.4 — Common Setup]
5. Place available Factories: 4/3/2 of each type for 4/3/2-player game [p.4 — Common Setup]
6. Place Goods, Resources, Money in general supply [p.5 — Common Setup]

Individual Setup (each player)

1. Place 6 Ships, 6 Machines, 6 Trains on Zaibatsu board [p.6 — Individual Setup]
2. Place 3 Track markers on leftmost spaces of R&D, Mining, Finance tracks [p.6 — Individual Setup]
3. Place Influence tokens (3/5/7 values) on left side (unavailable); 7 remaining tokens in supply [p.6 — Individual Setup]
4. Place all 8 Contracts face up; separate Favor tokens by level onto Zaibatsu [p.6 — Individual Setup]

Starting Conditions

• Reveal 3/4/5 random pairs of Starting tokens A+B (2/3/4p); choose in reverse turn order [p.6 — Starting Conditions]
• Apply token A effect, place Scoring disc on indicated space, gain token B bonuses [p.6 — Starting Conditions]

Turn structure

On your turn, choose one:

Option 1 — Perform an Action

1. Choose an action on the Main board [p.8 — Gameplay]
2. Take 1 Worker from the Hiring space above that action; place it in your Workers area [p.8 — Gameplay]
3. Pay activation cost(s) and apply effect(s); up to the allowed number of activations [p.8 — Gameplay]

Option 2 — Consolidation (must choose if no valid action available)

• See Consolidation section [p.8 — Gameplay]

End of Turn

• If any Hiring space is empty, move Workers from topmost filled Worker Queue row to fill it [p.8 — Running Out of Workers]
• If Worker Queue is fully empty when a Hiring space is empty → round ends [p.18 — End of the Round]

Actions

• Action modifiers from Factories apply once per action (not per activation) [p.10 — Factory Action]
• Silk may be spent as R&D boost (1/3/6 Silk = +1/2/3 R&D level) when building a Factory, or as Money (1 Silk = 1 Money) anytime [p.8 — A Note on Silk]

Scoring

During the Game — Influence Scoring (3×, end of each Period)

• Rank players by total Influence (tokens + Trains) per Region [p.18 — Influence Scoring]
• Trains count as 2 Influence only if owner has at least 1 Influence token in that Region [p.18]
• 1st/2nd/3rd/4th place earn descending VP values shown below Round track; ties split sum and round down [p.18]
• Players with 0 Influence in a Region score nothing there [p.18]
• In 2-player game, 2nd VP value is skipped [p.18]

End of Game — Final Scoring

• Personal Objectives (Favor tokens): 5/8/10 VP (lower threshold) or 10/16/20 VP (higher threshold) per lvl 1/2/3 token for Ships, Machines, Trains, tracks; Factories/Contracts use printed VP table [p.19]
• Resources/Goods: 1 VP per 3 Coal/Silk/Iron/Goods combined [p.19]
• Money: 1 VP per 5 Money [p.19]

End of game

• Game ends after 3 Periods; the final 3 rounds are triggered when the first Round marker reaches the second Round marker [p.18 — Final Rounds]
• Each player gets exactly 3 more turns in the final rounds [p.18 — Final Rounds]
• After the last round, all players simultaneously make a Final Consolidation [p.19 — Final Consolidation]
• Then perform Final Scoring; highest VP total wins [p.19 — Final Scoring]
• Tiebreaker: the tied player who took their final turn last wins [p.19 — Final Scoring]

Solo Mode: Win only if all selected Solo Goals are achieved; then check score against rating table (150+ Forgettable → 240+ Emperor's favorite) [p.23 — Solo Mode]

Glossary

• Zaibatsu: each player's personal board representing their industrial conglomerate [p.6 — Individual Setup]
• Activation: one use of an action's effect; some actions allow 1–3 activations per turn [p.8 — Gameplay]
• Consolidation: end-of-turn option to gain Favor token, income, and Department bonuses; clears Workers [p.17 — Consolidation]
• Department Bonus: colored bonus (Coal/Iron/Money/R&D/Mining) triggered by Worker color during Consolidation or by Ships/tracks [p.13 — Department Bonuses]
• Upgraded Department: gained by sending a Ship to a Destination; doubles the Department bonus [p.12 — Build a Ship]
• Favor Token: placed on Personal Objective spaces during Consolidation; scored at game end [p.17 — Consolidation]
• Influence Scoring: VP scoring at end of each Period based on Influence majority per Region [p.18 — Influence Scoring]
• Overseas Companies: preprinted Influence values on the board that compete in Influence Scoring but do not score VP [p.18 — Influence Scoring]
• Expert Worker: special Worker gained from Iwakura Mission Destinations; treated as normal Worker during Consolidation [p.12 — Build a Ship]
• Worker Queue: reserve rows of Workers refilled each round; when empty and a Hiring space is vacant, the round ends [p.8 — Running Out of Workers]

FAQ

• Q: Can I apply action modifiers from multiple Factories in one turn? — A: No. Only 1 Factory's action modifier may apply per action (not per activation). [p.10 — Factory Action]
• Q: Do Trains always count as 2 Influence during scoring? — A: Only if you have at least 1 Influence token in that Region; otherwise they grant 0. [p.18 — Influence Scoring]
• Q: Can I spend Silk as Money? — A: Yes. At any moment on your turn, spend 1 Silk to gain 1 Money, any number of times. [p.8 — A Note on Silk]
• Q: What happens if I cannot pay salaries during Consolidation? — A: Lose 1 VP per Money you cannot pay; you must not spend your last 1 Money (lose 1 VP instead). [p.17 — Consolidation]
• Q: Can I replace my own Influence tokens in the Local Market? — A: Yes, even tokens placed during the same action. [p.14 — Local Markets Action]
• Q: In a 2-player game, can I place a 3rd Influence token in a Local Market? — A: Yes, but it must have a higher value than at least one existing token; immediately return the lowest-value token to its owner. [p.14 — Local Markets Action]