Council of 4: Building Trading Empires

The Empire’s three kingdoms are going through a time of rapid innovation and prosperity. Trade routes are opening throughout the land, allowing merchants to hock their wares. However, setting up a new business to sell your goods takes more than just walking into town and finding an open location. The three kingdoms each have their own Council, made up of members of the various ruling houses, and to get a license to sell goods, merchants must make deals with the Council. When necessary, the Council can be bypassed, as the Queen rules over all the Empire. When the Council is being too stubborn, merchants can go directly to the Queen for the required permits. The race is on, as the various merchants race to create the largest trading network throughout the entire land.

In Council of 4, players take on the role of merchants who are trying to create a trading network throughout the Empire. To do this, they must manipulate the Council in the various Kingdoms, acquire cards that match the Councilors sitting on those Councils, and maneuver the Queen around the board, whenever the Council is just not working out the way they wanted. By dealing with the Council and the Queen, the players’ networks will grow, allowing them to set up trading hubs across the three Kingdoms. As their networks expand, so do the bonuses they get when a new city is added. In the end, the player with the largest network is declared the winner.