At the end of the 17th century, Macao – the mysterious port city on
the southern coast of China – is a Portuguese trading post in the Far
East. The players take on the role of energetic and daring adventurers.
Many exciting tasks and challenges await the players, whether they are a
captain, governor, craftsman, or scholar. Those who chose the wisest
course of action and have the best overall strategy will earn the most
prestige at the end.
Macao lasts twelve rounds, and in each
round players select one new card from a display specific to that round,
two of which were revealed at the start of the game and others that
were revealed only at the start of the round. The deck of 96 cards
includes all sorts of special abilities, with the more powerful actions
costing more resources to put into play.
One player rolls six different-colored dice, then each player selects
two of those dice (possibly the same ones chosen by opponents), then
places cubes equal to the number and color of the two dice on a
personalized "ship's wheel." For example, if a player chooses the blue
die that shows a 5, he places five blue cubes on the ship's wheel
position five spots away from the current round. (A player can never
claim more cubes than the number of remaining rounds).
Players rotate their ship's wheels each round, then use the cubes
available to them in that round to perform various actions: activating
cards selected in that round or earlier rounds, buying city quarters and
collecting the goods located there, moving that player's ship around
Europe to deliver those goods, acquiring gold coins, taking special
actions with card previously activated, and advancing on a turn order
track.
Players score points by delivering goods, paying gold coins, using
the powers on their cards, and building in Macao. Whoever has the most
points at the end of twelve rounds wins.
