ATLANTIC STAR

OBJECTIVE OF ATLANTIC STAR: The objective of Atlantic Star is to be the player with the highest merit when the game comes to an end.  

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 to 6 Players 

MATERIALS: 1 Game Board, Play Money, 1 Pen, 6 Overview Charts, 1 Charter Agency, 24 Voyage Record Plaques, 132 Ship Cards, and Instructions 

TYPE OF GAME: Set Collection Board Game 

AUDIENCE: Ages 10 and Up 

OVERVIEW OF ATLANTIC STAR 

Set in the 19th century, Atlantic Star allows for players to compete with one another to build the best, and most popular, cruise available. There is a strong competition, as this is a smaller business to attempt to monopolize, with fewer pawns than any other. Act as a ruthless captain as you battle your way to the top, sinking anyone that gets in your way.  

SETUP 

To begin setup, place the Board and the Agency in the center of the play area, ensuring that they are within reach of all players. The ship cards are then shuffled and placed beside the Charter Agency. The top four cards are then revealed and placed on the four spaces between the three thousand and zero marks on the Agency board.  

If there are two to three players, the players will receive thirty-six thousand marks each, but if there are four to six players, then the players will receive eighteen thousand marks. Any money that remains will be placed to the side to form the bank. The players will choose an emblem to represent them throughout the course of the game, an overview chart that matches, and their record plaques.  

Any remaining plaques are used by Package Cruise Operators, and their value is set at the start of the game. These are not owned by any player throughout the game. Their plaques are placed onto the board only after the initial voyage has been staged. Once the board is set, the game is ready to begin. 

GAMEPLAY 

The last player to be on a ship will begin the game, and gameplay will continue around the group in clockwise order. During a player’s turn, they have three actions that they may complete. The player may choose to take a loan out on a voyage that has already begun, they can pay two thousand marks to replace any ships in the Charter Agency, and then the player must conduct a voyage or charter a ship.  

Players may choose to complete the first two actions, but they must complete the third action. When chartering a ship, the player must choose a card from the Agency and purchase them with the charter fees, paying them to the bank. A player may only charter one ship during their turn.  

Players have a maximum number of ships that they can have in their hand, depending on which voyage the player chooses to take. When a player conducts a voyage, they must pay the assigned number of ships of the voyage that they chose. If players need to, they are permitted to take a loan out throughout the game, only allowing them to take a loan out for only one voyage.  

Once the player completes their actions, the next player will begin their turn. The game will continue in this manner until it comes to an end.  

END OF GAME 

Once all of the voyage record plaques are placed on the board, the game comes to an end. Each player will tally their victory points found on the left side of their voyage record plaques. The player with the most victory points, wins the game! If two or more players have the same number of victory points, then the player with the most money, wins the game.  

Ellie Phillips
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