Archipelago

Setting up Archipelago involves preparing the game components based on player count. The two-to-four player side of the action wheel is placed face-up (or flipped for five players). Colored cubes representing resources are organized in the insert's six slots. Stacks of explorer tokens, money tokens (five and one florin denominations), and the evolution card deck are placed in their designated areas. The domestic market, export market, colony stability, and available worker boards are arranged. Each player receives a color-matching set of meeples, ships, turn-order markers, action discs, and a privacy screen, along with ten florins in starting currency. Players determine first-turn order, draw a secret trend card, and receive a private objective card detailing their specific victory conditions and end-game triggers.

Players represent European exploration teams sent between 1492 and 1797 to discover, colonize, and exploit island regions. The core objective is maintaining peace by providing for the local population's needs while exporting commercial goods back to Europe. Players must carefully balance servicing the islands and industrializing the area, as mistreating natives leads to rebellion and potential war for independence, which prematurely ends the game for everyone unless a separatist player wins.

Each round follows six structured phases: 1) Disengagement, where occupied meeples stand back up and cards untap; 2) Order of Play, where players bid hidden money to choose turn order; 3) Population Effects, where resource markets shift and worker availability changes; 4) Balance of the Archipelago, resolving domestic and export crises such as resource shortages or temple building effects; 5) Actions, where players take turns placing action discs to collect resources, trade, recruit workers, reproduce, migrate, explore new map tiles, construct buildings and ships, or engage market ports; and 6) Evolution Card Purchase, allowing players to buy progress, character, or wonder cards from the market row.

Scoring happens at the end of the game after tallying points from everyone's secret objective cards, the shared green trend card, built wonder cards, and any special character cards that grant end-game bonuses. The player with the most total victory points is crowned the grand winner, with ties broken by the most money.

The game ends in one of two ways: either the black meeple on the rebellion track reaches or passes the white meeple representing total population, triggering the War of Independence where natives win and players lose (unless a separatist player's secret condition is met); or a player's secret end-game condition card is triggered, finishing the current player's turn and revealing all objective cards for final scoring.