FAQ
30 answered questions7 official
Rules questions from the BoardGameGeek forum. Answers marked Official were confirmed by Quined Games or the designers.
Common mistakes
- Counting major cities instead of connection points — San Francisco is worth 2. Ruling · Rule
- Leaving a linked city out to dodge a slow region — the lowest level of all linked regions counts. Ruling · Rule
- Sending an employee on a Mission without the goods cubes to build — not allowed. Ruling · Rule
- The first player picking one action and using their own Action Choice tile to do another. Ruling · Rule
- Spending all study points on one tab or one track — you may split them freely. Ruling · Rule
- Taking a track's last-space bonus again as income — it is paid once; the income there is 2 VP. Ruling · Rule
Showing 30 of 30
Is the first income event of the game useless?
Yes. If the first Timeline space chosen shows a region, nobody has employees on Missions yet, so nobody collects anything. Every later income event can pay.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
On the last Timeline spaces, which do I do first — take income or donate?
Both, in your own order, before the next player does theirs. Most players take income first, so the money can pay for the donation.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
What happens when I choose a row whose action marker is already at the End?
You can still choose it. The marker in the row below is turned over and its next space gives the event; at the end of the round it turns back and moves forward. So if one action is taken more than five times, another is taken fewer times.
Source: BGG thread
May the first player use an Action Choice tile to take a different action from the one they picked? Official
No. The first player chooses the action once, for everyone including themselves. The tile is meant for the other players.
Source: BGG thread
Can I send an employee on a Mission if I cannot pay for the rest of the action?
No. You can't send an employee on a Mission when you can't meet the rest of the effect — no Mission to build without the goods cubes.
Source: BGG thread
Which employee goes on the Mission?
The standing employee of the Department you are using — the one that took the action — not one from another Department.
Source: BGG thread
Must I send employees to the region named by this round's event?
No. Send them to any region you like. Construction then builds in the region you sent the employee to.
Source: BGG thread
Is the New Lobby a way to move employees between the two Lobbies?
No. Recruits and returning employees may arrive in either Lobby; it does not let you move them from one Lobby to the other.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
Does an employee lie down after using its Department?
No. Employees lie down only when they move. An employee that uses a Department stays standing, unless the Department sends it on a Mission.
Source: BGG thread
Can I split study points between several project tabs and transportation tracks? Official
Yes — spread them over as many tabs and tracks as you like. Unused points are lost at the end of your turn.
Source: BGG thread
Do I score a tab's VP spaces if the disks before them are not built?
Yes. Every VP space you have revealed scores at the end, built disks or not.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
Building in a small city with the income mark — what do I get?
Only the transport income under your disk on that region's track, once. Project income comes only from Take Income events.
Source: BGG thread
Do I get the last-space bonus of a track again as income?
No. The $10 or 3 goods cubes come once, when you arrive. The income of the last space is 2 VP.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
Does the fifth donation cost $20 or $25?
$25 — each donation costs $5 more than your previous one, without limit.
Source: BGG thread
Do Housing and Commerce both count for the Human Rights donation?
Yes: 2 VP for each Housing and each Commerce project, your setup Housing disk included, up to your donation limit.
Source: BGG thread
When do I pay for the Welfare donations?
You place the disk during the game like any donation; the goods and money for its VP are paid only during final scoring.
Source: BGG thread
Can Charitable Giving put my disk on a neutral disk? Official
No. The neutral disks of a 2–3 player game are not another player's donation.
Source: BGG thread
Do I count the number of major cities or their connection points?
Connection points: San Francisco is worth 2, the other major cities 1. Three cities including San Francisco make 4 points — that is why the rulebook example scores 27 VP.
Source: BGG thread
Can I leave a linked city out of my network to avoid its slow transport level?
No. Your network scores at the lowest level among all the regions holding its major cities.
Source: BGG thread
Can two routes between the same cities score twice?
No. A city counts once; with two separate networks only the better one scores.
Source: BGG thread
Can I still sell goods cubes during final scoring?
Yes. Goods cubes can be sold for $1 at any time.
Source: BGG thread
Does Andrew take two copies of the same Department in one Management action? Official
No. He takes one copy of a Department at a time, but may take the same Department again in a later round. He also always plays first, and the setup is the same as a 2-player game.
Source: BGG thread
Must I spend my goods and money on Andrew's Welfare donations? Official
Yes, but only after you have scored yourself. If nothing is left, Andrew scores nothing for them.
Source: BGG thread
Does Andrew keep the 12 VP limit if my tabs raise mine? Official
Yes. Andrew's limit stays at 12 VP per donation.
Source: BGG thread
An R&D line says 4 spaces, but the rulebook says 1–3. Which wins?
Follow the card: several advanced cards move 4 spaces.
Source: BGG thread
With A New Beginning, in which order do players place their Housing disk and reserve a Department? Official
The online version of the module, revised by the designer, plays setup step 10 in turn order, starting with the first player, instead of in reverse.
Source: BGG thread
How can I lose VP for money in A New Beginning when everyone starts at 0?
Subtract those VP from your total at the end of the game.
Source: BGG thread
What type is a New Donation tile placed over another column?
It scores its own printed conditions, but a donation on it counts as the type of the column it covers.
Source: BGG thread
Can a New Donation tile cover another New Donation tile?
No — only a donation column printed on the board.
Source: BGG thread
How does the Post Office add connections?
It adds exactly 1 connection point to your total; reaching 6 points (only possible with it) gives 9 VP more.
Source: BGG thread