Arkwright

To set up Arkwright, first place the main game board in the center of the play area and set the timetable indicator to 1760. Next, place the end-of-game event marker face down on the 1810 event space. Separate the bureaucracy tile from the other event markers, then shuffle the remaining event markers with the bureaucracy tile and place them face down on the 1770 to 1790 event spaces. Separate the economy markers by type, shuffle them, and place them face down on the timetable, returning any unused markers to the box. Place neutral importer markers on zero on the market share table and workers on the job market, removing a number based on the player count. Create resource pools for money, goods, and machines. Each player chooses a color and takes their corresponding share value indicator, price indicators, appeal indicators, share markers, action markers, bonus markers (if using the self-actor variant), a factory mat, factory markers, quality markers, distribution markers, a harbor mat, and four contract markers. Players then set up their appeal indicators on zero, share value indicators on 10, price indicators next to the price scales, and sort their factory, action, quality, and distribution markers. Place the harbor mat (side based on player count) and contract markers. Players keep three of their five shares markers and return the rest to the bank. A start player is chosen. Place the special markers mat (side based on game type) with a timetable indicator on 1760/1770, stack ships on their spaces, and return advanced action markers based on player count. Place the charisma and one inventor tile face up next to the special markers mat, then draw additional development tiles based on player count. Players advance the timetable one spot, then in player order, choose and build their first two factories, taking workers from the job market, setting prices, and calculating starting appeal. Finally, players advance the timetable one space and pay for their factories, then move the timetable to 1770 to begin the game.

The primary objective in Arkwright is to accumulate the highest valued company by the end of the game. Your company's value is determined by multiplying the total number of shares you own by the current share value of your company. Players achieve this by strategically building and upgrading factories, managing workers, producing and selling goods, and making wise investments in the stock market. Successfully navigating economic fluctuations, competition, and events will be crucial to increasing both your share count and share value, ultimately leading to victory.

A game of Arkwright spans five rounds, or 'decades,' each comprising four 'cycles' and concluding with an 'event phase.' In each cycle, only one type of good is active, though actions taken do not have to be specific to that good. Each cycle begins by advancing the timetable. Phase 1, the Economy Phase, involves flipping an economy tile, advancing the neutral importer marker, and returning fired workers to the job market. Phase 2, the Action Phase, has players taking turns clockwise to place an action marker from their supply onto an empty admin space on the administration chart. They pay the associated admin cost (or forfeit if they cannot pay), take the main action, and may take a corresponding additional action. Players cannot pass but can pay without taking an action. If a player cannot afford an action, they must conduct an emergency sale of shares. Phase 3, the Production Phase, involves producing goods based on factory levels, selling goods (determining demand and supply, then selling clockwise), adjusting share values based on sales, paying wages for active workers and machines, and optionally shipping active goods. After all four cycles, the End of Decade Event Phase occurs, where players collect action markers, pay for ship/warehouse workers, flip and resolve an event marker, change the first player, and check for obsolete factories. Cycles and decades continue until the final end-of-game event in the fifth decade.

Final scoring in Arkwright is a three-step process to determine each player's company value. First, players incur penalties: subtract four from their share value indicator track and lose two shares for each worker placed on a factory marker (representing workers expecting to produce on a factory that has already produced in the final round). Second, for any unfulfilled contracts, players subtract the number indicated on the contract from their total. Third, players calculate their final company value by multiplying their current share value price (from the share value indicator track) by the total number of shares they own. The player with the highest company value, representing the most valuable portfolio, is declared the winner of Arkwright.

The game of Arkwright concludes after the final end-of-game event, which occurs in the fifth decade. Once this event is resolved, all players carry out a final stock exchange action. During this final action, if any player has outstanding loans, they automatically lose the game. After all players have completed their final stock exchange actions, the game proceeds to the final scoring phase to determine the winner.