FAQ
112 answered questions10 official
Rules questions from the BoardGameGeek forum. Answers marked Official were confirmed by Wehrlegig Games or the designers.
Common mistakes
- Buying local alliances when a crisis strikes — only alliances bought earlier in the turn and still ready can defend. Ruling · Rule
- Defending with pieces that already deployed — only ready pieces count, so an eager Commander leaves the region weak. Ruling · Rule
- Dropping Standing by 1 for every region lost — the drop grows: 1, then 2 more, then 3 more (1, 3, 6, 10 in total). Ruling · Rule
- Giving the President the trophy for a conquest — the Commander takes it. Ruling · Rule
- Putting money in the Military Affairs box at setup — only boxes with a treasury icon start with money. Ruling · Rule
- Buying Company ships while unfitted player ships wait in shipyards — only extra ships can be added then. Ruling · Rule
- Adding a tower level to a Company region after Peace — Company regions have no dome and gain nothing. Ruling · Rule
- Filling orders in a straight line only — a trade route may branch, as long as every order connects back to the home port. Ruling · Rule
- Taking a prize piece from the Crown when it can't pay a tax — by royal privilege it takes the money from the Company instead. Ruling · Rule
Showing 112 of 112
Who is Prime Minister at the start if I cannot find the wheel in the dealt cards?
The Prime Minister is always one of the starting cards. If nobody has it, you shuffled in too many Extra setup cards for your player count.
Source: BGG thread
In the 1758 and 1813 setups, which loot tokens are face up?
Tokens on the map are face up. Tokens in a Presidency box, for regions the Company already holds, are face down and give no loot. In 1813 the Governor General replaces the Director of Trade, whose card goes back to the box (rulebook p. 26).
Source: BGG thread
How does the opening setup card draft work?
Each player keeps one card and passes the rest to the left, repeating with the smaller hands until no cards are left. With five players you keep 1 of 3, then 1 of 2, then the last card.
Source: BGG thread
What do the printed years on the round track mean?
They mark each scenario's start and end. 1710 runs rounds 1-5, 1758 runs rounds 3-7, 1813 runs rounds 5-8, and the long 1710 game uses all 8. They also scale the VP value of Power.
Source: BGG thread
Does the Military Affairs box start with money?
No. It holds only officers in training. Setup places money only in boxes that have a treasury icon.
Source: BGG thread
Can firm shares be traded between players?
Yes. Shares of the Company and of firms can be traded freely (rulebook p. 8 lists shares as transferable; the firm investment reminder on p. 38 says so explicitly). Firm investment still needs the firm manager's permission.
Source: BGG thread
Can players negotiate and trade during the final Upkeep phase?
Yes. Nothing in the rules limits when deals can be made, so trading is allowed in any phase, including the last Upkeep before scoring.
Source: BGG thread
Can I pass on a promise card that another player gave me?
Yes. A promise card you received can be traded or given to a third party, even to the giver's enemy.
Source: BGG thread
Can a player cash in a promise card immediately after receiving it?
Yes. Only deals with immediate transfers are binding, and the card was part of a finished trade. Add conditions in the deal if you want a delay. It is legal, but it ruins trust.
Source: BGG thread
When I pick a card from the London Season display, must I keep it?
No. You always choose one card, but you may then keep it or discard it without applying its effect. You may look at blackmail cards before choosing.
Source: BGG thread
If I retire two pensioners, may I take two Prestige cards?
No. One card per player who retires at least one pensioner, and only if you are among the top three spenders that season, because only three cards are on offer.
Source: BGG thread
If several blackmail cards are in the display, can I peek at more than one?
Yes. "Any" means you may look at all of them before choosing.
Source: BGG thread
Does the Foundry Prestige card pay me when I buy the workshop or add the regiment?
Yes. "Any player" includes you.
Source: BGG thread
With Becky Sharp, must I keep the card I draw from the top of the deck?
Yes. You take the top card instead of one from the display and must keep it.
Source: BGG thread
Can Mercantile Connection be played after a successful check, and does it cancel the success?
Yes. It can be played after a success or a failure, and playing it after a success denies that success.
Source: BGG thread
What happens when the Chairman takes Joseph Sedley and nobody else is in the Court?
The Chairman family member moves to the Court as a plain share, then must be traded away or removed. The Chairman post can stay vacant, and the Hiring phase will fill it only if a share exists.
Source: BGG thread
Who starts the Family phase when nobody is Chairman?
The former Chairman. The Chairman plaque stays with the previous holder until a new Chairman is elected.
Source: BGG thread
What happens to Company Debt left over when the Stock Exchange has no family members to move?
The remaining Debt stays on the track. New Company shares only come from family members available on the Stock Exchange.
Source: BGG thread
Who can the Director of Trade hire as a President, and who can a President hire as a Governor?
The Director of Trade hires any writer or Governor from that region's own Presidency. A Governor is hired from the writers of that Presidency or the officers of that region's Army.
Source: BGG thread
When the Director of Trade is hired from another office, when is that vacancy refilled?
In the same hiring phase. The new Director takes over the stress cubes, the old office moves to Vacant Offices in numerical order, and hiring continues as if it had been vacant all along.
Source: BGG thread
Do window icons on retirees count for Power and tiebreakers?
Yes. Each retired family member counts the window icons of the space they sit on.
Source: BGG thread
Can the former Chairman set the share count needed to win the Chairman election?
No. He only announces the number: more than half of all Company shares. There is no choice involved.
Source: BGG thread
If I lose the Chairman election, does my candidate share go anywhere?
No. It stays in the Court. Losing the election has no cost beyond not becoming Chairman.
Source: BGG thread
Must the Director of Trade pass a check before making the two transfers?
No. The transfers happen whatever the check result. The exception is a critical failure, where the Director is fired at once and cannot transfer.
Source: BGG thread
Can the former Chairman stay out of the election?
Yes. He may abstain, and if nobody wins the majority the former Chairman chooses a shareholder.
Source: BGG thread
Can the Chairman keep raising Debt past the end of the track?
No. The Chairman may not advance Debt beyond the last space (rulebook p. 18). Only an emergency loan can push the Company further, and the marker still does not move past the end.
Source: BGG thread
Can the Manager of Shipping buy Company ships while unfitted ships remain?
No. The Manager of Shipping may not buy a Company ship if any unfitted ships remain, but may still buy extra ships.
Source: BGG thread
Can a Governor place a ship into the Superintendent of Trade in China?
No. Only the Manager of Shipping, the Director of Trade or the Governor General can send ships there. It counts as the Eastern sea only for storms, expenses, events and laws (rulebook p. 25).
Source: BGG thread
Does a trade route have to be a single line?
No. Branching is fine, such as a Y shape. All filled orders just have to be connected and include your home port.
Source: BGG thread
If a President suffers a catastrophic failure, do his Commander and Governors still act?
Yes. A Presidency's operation involves several offices, so the others still get their turns.
Source: BGG thread
Do filled orders and writers stay on the map between years?
No. Upkeep and Refresh clears all filled-order tokens and sends writers back to their Presidencies, so trade profits are collected afresh each year (rulebook p. 36).
Source: BGG thread
After a failed trade roll of 3 or 4, are the old dice kept?
No. Trying again is a brand new check and the earlier dice are discarded. You may choose any number of dice your funds allow, and once a President succeeds he cannot roll again.
Source: BGG thread
Can a Presidency Trade with no writers available?
Yes. Once writers run out, plain filled-order tokens stand in. A President can only fill as many orders as he has ships in his sea zone.
Source: BGG thread
Can officers who defended one region defend another region in the same round?
No. Officers and regiments become exhausted whether they deploy or defend, so they are not available again that round.
Source: BGG thread
Do surviving officers get paid when I Deploy only to clear unrest or open orders?
Yes. The loot minimum applies, so there is always at least officers plus one pounds to share among the surviving officers and Commander, even in a Company-controlled region with no tower.
Source: BGG thread
Does it matter that the target of a Deploy is part of an empire?
Yes. An empire region defends with the combined strength of all the regions in that empire. Deploying into a Company region has no strength to beat but still opens orders and clears unrest.
Source: BGG thread
Can a Commander target a region of another Presidency?
No. A Commander cannot target another Presidency's home region, nor a Company-controlled region belonging to another Presidency. Early printings read looser; the errata fixed it.
Source: BGG thread
Do hired local alliances have to join a Deploy?
No. The Commander chooses whether to send them. Held back, they can defend against a rebellion later, but each can only be spent once per round.
Source: BGG thread
Do Commanders add strength or roll for losses in a Deploy?
No. Strength comes from the exhausted officers, regiments and local alliances, and only the officers roll for losses. The Commander is only at risk when the Deploy ends in a catastrophic failure.
Source: BGG thread
For a Commander's target, are borders the white map borders or the dotted trade lines?
The white map borders. The dotted lines only matter for the Trade action and for resolving cascades, so Delhi and Bengal do share a border.
Source: BGG thread
Who shares the loot of a Deploy?
Only the officers and regiments used in that Deploy that survived, plus the Commander. Units used in earlier Deploys that round get nothing. Keeping the current group half-exhausted on the board helps.
Source: BGG thread
Can a Commander Deploy several times in one action?
Yes, as often as the army can afford. After each Deploy, check losses and share the loot among only the pieces used in that Deploy and the Commander.
Source: BGG thread
Can a Company hire local alliances when it is attacked in Events in India?
No. Alliances must be arranged at the start of the Commander's action, during the Presidency phase. You cannot buy them once an attack happens or after a failed Deploy.
Source: BGG thread
Can a Commander Deploy into a neighbour before taking the Presidency's home region?
No. A Commander may target the President's home region, a region associated with the Presidency, or a neighbour of an associated region. A region is only associated once the Company has conquered it, so start with the home region.
Source: BGG thread
Can a Company region move to another Presidency?
No. Governorships never transfer. The region must first fall back to local control, and then another Presidency's army can conquer it.
Source: BGG thread
Is a Deploy against unrest or closed orders rolled like a normal one?
Yes. Exhaust the pieces you choose, roll their dice and check for losses. You may exhaust fewer units than you have. A success still pays one pound per surviving officer plus one for the Commander.
Source: BGG thread
Can I Deploy into a Company region only to open an order?
Yes, as long as the Deploy changes something: it must open a closed order or remove unrest. With the Governor General, this is the only way to open orders in Company regions (the Special Envoy only opens orders outside Company control).
Source: BGG thread
Can an army with no Commander Deploy or buy local alliances?
No. Without a Commander it can only exhaust pieces to defend. Military Affairs makes those choices, or the Chairman if that office is vacant (rulebook p. 33).
Source: BGG thread
Can a President stop his Commander from acting or from buying alliances?
He cannot stop the Commander acting; he must give him a chance at some point in the Presidency turn. He may refuse to pay for local alliances.
Source: BGG thread
Can a Commander Deploy using only local alliances and no officers?
Yes, as long as a Commander is in place.
Source: BGG thread
Can a Commander buy local alliances in response to a Crisis?
No. Alliances must have been bought earlier in the turn and left unused. Exhausted officers, armies and alliances cannot help defend.
Source: BGG thread
Can a Commander Deploy into a region that only has rebel cubes?
Yes. It must be your Presidency's home region, a region already associated with it, or a neighbor of one not tied to another Presidency. A win removes the unrest and still pays the loot minimum, but gives no trophy or governor.
Source: BGG thread
Who gets the trophy from a Deploy, the President or the Commander?
The Commander. The President can receive only a governor position to assign later.
Source: BGG thread
If I roll a six on the Governor General check and the check also fails, do I place two unrest?
Yes. The unrest for each six and the unrest for a failed check are separate and both apply.
Source: BGG thread
How do I tell which regions are Company-controlled once the Governor General is in play?
Any region without a dome is Company-controlled. The dome comes off when the Company takes the region, and the individual Governor overlays and cards are removed when the Governor General arrives.
Source: BGG thread
If a Governor rolls a catastrophic failure after earning bonus, does he keep it?
Yes. The family keeps the bonus earned from earlier rolls, and a promise card for the officeholder's bonus cannot take it away once the Governor has been fired.
Source: BGG thread
Do local alliances cost upkeep in Revenue?
No. Local alliances are neither officers nor regiments, so they cost nothing at upkeep. Extra leased ships do cost the usual £1 each.
Source: BGG thread
Does paying ships, armies and debt interest in Revenue lower the Debt marker?
No. Paying interest does not reduce Debt. It only goes down when new Company shares are created while seeking shares in the Family phase, or through laws.
Source: BGG thread
Are bonuses in the Bonuses phase paid from the Company Balance?
No. Bonuses come from the bank and do not reduce the Company Balance.
Source: BGG thread
After a successful Foreign Invasion, when does the Elephant move?
Only if the Elephant sat fully inside the invaded Company-controlled region. Then it performs an Elephant's March using the circle shape, and its position is worked out with the normal elephant procedure.
Source: BGG thread
Where do Leader events happen: where the Elephant is, or where the top region card points?
In the region shown on top of the draw stack, not where the Elephant stands. The Elephant only moves if it was fully inside a Company-controlled region that successfully rebelled.
Source: BGG thread
When does the Elephant end up in the middle of a region?
When the region it marches to is Company-controlled, or when it would point outward from a Company region after a successful Company Deploy. For a region ruled by an empire it points at the capital instead.
Source: BGG thread
If an Indian region invades a capital and wins, does the old capital become dominated?
Yes. All of the defeated empire's flags are removed, including the capital's, then the victorious region becomes the new capital and the defeated one is dominated.
Source: BGG thread
During the Elephant's March, which regions does a sovereign region skip?
It skips only regions it already dominates, moving clockwise to the first region it does not control. Capitals are not skipped, and a region dominated by another empire can be targeted.
Source: BGG thread
Does a Company-controlled region gain a tower level after Peace?
No. Company-controlled regions have no dome and gain nothing. When the Governor General replaces governors, control is shown by the EIC mark on the map (rulebook p. 31).
Source: BGG thread
When the Elephant lands on a Company-controlled region, what does a Crisis there mean?
If the Elephant points at a Company region from another region, it is an invasion with towers, the card modifier and unrest. If it should point from a Company region to another one, it instead sits fully in the Company region and the Crisis is a revolt without towers.
Source: BGG thread
Are orders closed after every successful invasion or rebellion?
No. Orders close only when Region Loss happens, which means the invaded or rebelling region was Company-controlled, or when a rebellion hits a capital.
Source: BGG thread
If an attack on one region succeeds, do I lose every region of that Presidency?
No. Only the attacked region is lost. You may still lose more regions if rebellions then succeed elsewhere, which is why a failed defense with unrest around often snowballs.
Source: BGG thread
When I defend, can I hold back some readied strength for an easier fight later?
No. You only have to exhaust enough to win, but if you cannot win you must still exhaust everything you can. You cannot keep strength in reserve for a better battle.
Source: BGG thread
Are Invasions and Rebellions against the Company resolved differently?
The procedure is the same; only the starting strength differs by Crisis type. Resolve the primary Crisis first, then resolve a Rebellion in every other region that has unrest, using that region's unrest as its strength.
Source: BGG thread
When a Foreign Invasion takes Madras, does Hyderabad fall too?
No. Only the invaded region is lost. Hyderabad stays Company-controlled and stays attached to the Madras Presidency.
Source: BGG thread
What happens to a writer standing on an order that closes?
The writer is lost and returns to its owner's supply.
Source: BGG thread
How is a Rebellion's strength worked out?
Add the modifier on the event tile to one for each unrest cube in that region. A region with no tower has base strength 0 (rulebook pp. 6, 32 and 33).
Source: BGG thread
When the Company beats an empire, what happens to the dominated regions?
They become sovereign again: the flags are removed. If the Company's units were exhausted in the attack, a later invasion or rebellion finds no defenders unless its strength is 0 or less.
Source: BGG thread
Who defends a Company region where there is no army, like Delhi or Mysore?
The army of the Presidency the region is associated with. Each region is defended as its own attack, the Commander picks the order, and each defense must exhaust pieces up to the attack's strength or as many as possible.
Source: BGG thread
After a successful Foreign Invasion, is a new empire created with flags?
No. The invaded region becomes sovereign: remove its flags and dome, and set its strength to half the Invasion's strength, rounded down (rulebook p. 33). A capital's whole empire breaks apart.
Source: BGG thread
Can I defend with pieces already exhausted this round?
No. Only readied pieces can defend, so a Commander who has already deployed leaves the region weaker. Convince him to hold back if you expect an attack.
Source: BGG thread
After a Foreign Invasion takes a Company region, can the Company loot it again?
Only weakly. Return the loot token face down, so reclaiming the region yields only the tower level's loot, not the printed amount.
Source: BGG thread
Can a home port suffer closed orders, and does a Foreign Invasion form an empire?
Yes to closed orders: home ports can be closed. No to the empire: a Foreign Invasion has no attacking Indian region, so it creates no flags.
Source: BGG thread
If the Company fails during Events in India, do the remaining events still happen?
No. Region Loss that causes failure ends the phase immediately and play moves to Final Scoring (rulebook p. 29).
Source: BGG thread
How many steps does Company Standing fall when several regions are lost in one turn?
The drop equals the number of regions lost this turn, counting the current one, so 1, 3, 6, 10 in total for 1 to 4 regions (rulebook p. 29).
Source: BGG thread
Does Term Limits make the Chairman retire at the final retirement?
No. The final retirement is not a London Season, so the Term Limits law does not trigger, and the Chairman rolls for attrition like everyone else.
Source: BGG thread
If everyone votes against with one vote each, who becomes Opposition Leader?
The first player to vote against, going clockwise from the Prime Minister. Remember the coalition rule: a player can have another's votes counted for them with consent, and that adds to their total.
Source: BGG thread
In a Coalition in Opposition, whose total do the votes count towards?
They count for the player who voted on behalf of the other, who must have voted against or commit to doing so. Two opposition players can therefore pool their votes to make one of them Opposition Leader (rulebook p. 35).
Source: BGG thread
After Trade Regulations or Treasure Reform passes, who gets the pay?
The Company Balance takes it instead. Presidents lose their trade bonus, and Commander and officers get no loot split. Writer income is unaffected for Trade Regulations.
Source: BGG thread
Which points go on the VP track straight away, and which wait until the end?
Move the marker at once for retirement prizes, prestige cards and luxuries (also when they are traded or a prize is lost to unpaid upkeep). Power, shares and workshops are only scored at final scoring (rulebook pp. 8, 11, 13, 36). The tracks have no upper or lower limit.
Source: BGG thread
If a law taxes me more than I can pay, may I drop pensioners first to keep my cash?
No. You pay what you can, and what you cannot pay is lost. You never get cash back. A law that taxes twice is two separate passes.
Source: BGG thread
Do final retirements happen if the Company fails?
No. There is no attrition roll or final retirement. You draw and resolve a Company failure card instead. Special retirements from firms still happen.
Source: BGG thread
What happens if I cannot pay the window tax on a luxury card?
The luxury goes back to the supply. Window tax applies to each enterprise and each family member on a prize, and anything you cannot pay for is returned (rulebook p. 34).
Source: BGG thread
Does a firm's dividend record reset each round?
No. It stays as it is, and only goes to zero when the firm does not hobnob and pays out nothing. See Hobnobbing Firms under Firm Dividends in the rulebook.
Source: BGG thread
How can I get my shares out of a failing firm?
Only by giving or selling them to other players, or through a merger that pushes the firm over the ten-share limit. A hostile takeover is never automatic, so a quiet exit can be negotiated with the manager.
Source: BGG thread
Where does a ship go when a firm buys it from a player?
Onto the firm's charter, the same as a ship the firm fits itself.
Source: BGG thread
Does dissolving a firm need every shareholder?
Yes. All shareholders must agree before a firm is dissolved (rulebook p. 37).
Source: BGG thread
Does a firm pay to fit its own family's ships?
Yes. Fitting costs the same whoever owns the ship.
Source: BGG thread
Can the Vote to Deregulate be held several times?
Yes. If it fails, it stays available for later special sessions until it passes. Each failure moves share values by one step further, up to +3 or -3.
Source: BGG thread
In a merger, who ends up in charge?
The highest-value firm among those merging becomes the primary firm and survives. Ties are chosen by the players involved.
Source: BGG thread
In the solo game, do I lose a favor cube every time I am Chairman?
Yes. The Chairman handbook line is mandatory, so you lose a cube whenever you hold the office. Nothing happens if you have no cubes left.
Source: BGG thread
What is the Crown's army strength when it decides on a local alliance?
The number of officers plus regiments in the army it commands, whoever owns the pieces. It is the dice the army could roll in a Deploy.
Source: BGG thread
How does a Crown Prime Minister use the Military Oversight law? Official
The errata wording is a typo. A Crown Prime Minister always demotes a non-Crown Commander if a Crown officer is available in that army, immediately after Military Affairs acts, and it repeats every turn. If two Commanders qualify, the current Crown card decides: the black-arrow Presidency first, then the white-arrow one.
Source: BGG thread
Does the Crown spend its family treasury on Company offices?
No. Nobody, human or Crown, may use family money to fund Company office actions.
Source: BGG thread
Which Presidency does the Crown's Director of Trade take a ship from? Official
The one with the shortest trade route, to the one with the longest, no matter how many ships they hold. If the shortest route has no ship, that transfer is skipped and the Crown moves on to its next step.
Source: BGG thread
Does the Crown lose a prize if it cannot pay a tax? Official
No. Under Royal Privilege the Crown draws on the Company treasury and takes emergency loans if needed, even if that makes the Company fail. It never loses family members from prizes.
Source: BGG thread
When Royal Privilege forces an emergency loan, does the Crown keep the leftover? Official
No. The normal emergency loan rules apply: the Company borrows enough to cover the shortfall, any surplus is lost, and the Company Balance ends at zero.
Source: BGG thread
Does the Crown shift its mood again for the vote to deregulate? Official
No. The Crown does not shift climate again for that vote.
Source: BGG thread
What do the Crown Director of Trade's transfers look like in detail? Official
"Longest" and "shortest" refer to trade route length regardless of ships. The Crown steps down the transfer list once from top to bottom, never repeating an item. When origin or target is a tie, use the arrows on the Crown card for both.
Source: BGG thread
Is the Crown's second free Enlist Writer step dependent on the first? Official
Yes. The second free enlistment, for a vacant Presidency with no Crown writer, only follows the first, which needs four or more vacant offices.
Source: BGG thread
How does the Prime Minister move when the Crown plays? Official
As normal: a law that passes keeps the PM, and a failed law passes the PM to whoever voted most against it. The one difference is that a Crown PM may vote against the law, so you only take the dial by voting more against than the Crown does.
Source: BGG thread
If the Crown is PM and defeats a law, does it still move the policy marker? Official
Yes. The PM has changed, just not to one of the player families, so the Crown moves the policy as the new PM would.
Source: BGG thread
How are the Crown's longest and shortest trade routes counted? Official
They count the maximum orders a President could fill, ignoring ships. Routes may branch and need not be a straight line, and you still cannot enter another President's home region.
Source: BGG thread
How does the Crown's -X Deploy favor work?
You may swap pieces it chose to exhaust for others of the same total strength. The favor cost equals the strength you swapped, which changes loot sharing but not combat strength.
Source: BGG thread
Does Letters of Introduction give me every other spouse's retirement discount?
Yes. It gives you the discounts of all other players' spouses at once, not just one.
Source: BGG thread
Can the Hiring Preference blackmail card be used to become Chairman?
No. The Chairman is elected by shareholders, so there is no single hiring player to force. The card works only for offices that one hiring player fills.
Source: BGG thread