Poseidon is a game aboutprestige,fortune and exploration. The game is set in ancient Greece. Due to the development of ships suitablefor crossing the Ionian Sea, different nations start setting up trading routes and exploring new territory.
Eachplayer represents a rich family clan trying to multiply their riches. You invest in flourishing nations by obtaining merchant licenses and even rule some of those nations ifyou're theplayer with the most merchant licenses equaling highest influence. (Theterms 'merchant'and 'merchant license'will be used synonymously).
As the ruler of a nation,you send outyour discovery ship to establish trading routes and collect income withyour merchantfleet.
Each of the nations has a growth potential in the range ofl8to22, represented by that number of wooden disks. Those disks have 2 functions: they can be used as merchants, but also as trading posts to generate income. It's the old story: more hands in the pot means less money for each and less growth.
The game is divided into Merchant Rounds and Exploration Rounds, as shown in the column on the left side of the game board.
During the Merchant Rounds, players act by buying and selling merchants. During the Exploration Rounds, the nations act. With their trading fleets, they earn revenue that they can pay to the merchants.
With the progress of history, the game runs through 4 different phases. As soon as a certain new type of ship has been bought, a new phase riggers, bringing higher revenue, getting better results from discovery efforts, and making older ships obsolete.
Personal money and Nations' assets have to be kept separate at all times; control of any given nation may pass from one player to another player over the course of the game.
