Indonesia

To set up Indonesia, first place the game board in the center of the table. Separate the company deeds into three stacks based on their eras (A, B, C). Place all Era A deeds face-up on their corresponding territories on the board. Create separate supplies for the five types of goods (rice, spices, rubber, Siap Faji, and oil) along with their respective plantation markers. Also, create supplies for the city markers (yellow for Level 1, green for Level 2, red for Level 3) and neutral ship tokens. Form a bank with the game's money (or poker chips, as shown in the video). Each player receives a player aid board and 100 rupees from the bank. Shuffle the city cards for each era (A, B, C) separately, then deal one card from each era to each player. Return any remaining city cards to the box. Finally, randomly determine the player turn order and place each player's marker on the 'Turn Order' track. Each player also places one of their markers on the leftmost square of each row in the 'Research and Development' table, except for the last row.

The primary objective in Indonesia is to accumulate the most money by the end of the game. Players achieve this by engaging in various economic activities, such as acquiring company deeds, establishing and operating new companies, strategically merging companies to create larger, more powerful entities, and expanding their influence across the Indonesian archipelago. Success hinges on efficient management of resources, shrewd bidding, and effective logistical planning to transport goods to demanding cities.

A game of Indonesia is structured into three eras (A, B, and C), with each era comprising an undetermined number of years. Each year represents a round and consists of seven distinct phases: 1. New Era Phase (only if a new era begins), 2. Bid for Turn Order, 3. Mergers, 4. Acquisitions, 5. Research & Development, 6. Operations, and 7. City Growth. Players take turns performing actions within these phases, with the turn order being re-determined each year. The efficiency and scope of a player's actions are often influenced by their current position on the 'Research and Development' table.

Throughout the game, players earn money primarily through the 'Operations' phase by successfully producing and delivering goods to cities, or by having their shipping companies used for transportation. Money earned during operations is added to a player's cash. At the end of the game, all money held in a player's bank is added to their cash. A crucial rule is that earnings from the 'Operations' phase in the final year of the game are doubled. The player with the highest total amount of money (cash + bank) at the game's conclusion is declared the winner. In the event of a tie, the tied player who is higher on the 'Turn Order' track wins.

The game of Indonesia concludes at the end of the third era (Era C). An era ends if, at the end of a year, either there are no remaining company deeds of the current era on the board, or if only company deeds of a single type (e.g., only rice company deeds) are left on the board. Once Era C ends, the game immediately proceeds to final scoring. If the game ends due to the conditions for a new era being met, but there are no more eras to advance to, the game also concludes.