Wildcatters

To set up Wildcatters, first place the main game board in the center of the play area. Next, place the share cards on their indicated spaces and the corresponding share tokens (representing four shares each) next to them. Similarly, place the worker cards on their designated spaces at the bottom right of the board and the worker tokens (representing five workers each) next to them. Place the round marker on '1' on the compass of the main board. Arrange the consolidation chips in ascending order on each of the four area spaces at the top right of the board. Separate the area cards into light and dark stacks, shuffle each, and place them next to the main board. Each player then chooses a color and collects their matching drilling rigs, trains, oil tankers, barrels, pump jacks, refineries, refinery chip, and summary card. Randomly select a start player and give them the '1' sequence chip, then distribute the remaining sequence chips in clockwise order. Players collect shares (20 of their color, 5 of the player to their left) and workers (20 for 4 players, 15-18 for 3 players, 18-20 for 2 players). Each player places their victory point marker on '10' on the track. Players then collect 3 rigs, 2 trains, 1 refinery, and 1 tanker from their components and place their tanker in one of the two Southern Africa harbors. Finally, deal each player 8 light-colored area cards, and in turn order, players discard one card and place one of their starting supplies in the area indicated on the card, ensuring no continent has more than one refinery. This continues until all players have placed their starting supplies and discarded their last two cards. The remaining light and dark area cards are shuffled together to form the area deck, placed next to the board.

The objective in Wildcatters is to become the most successful oil pioneer by accumulating the most victory points. The game lasts for a set number of rounds: 7 rounds in a 4-player game, or 8 rounds in a 2-3 player game. Victory points are earned throughout the game by drilling for oil, building rigs and refineries, transporting oil around the world, and through various bonuses and end-game scoring conditions. Players must strategically manage their resources, expand their oil empire, and make shrewd decisions to outperform their rivals and secure the highest victory point total.

A round in Wildcatters consists of two phases: the Beginning of Round and the General Action Phase (turns). The Beginning of Round is skipped in Round 1. In subsequent rounds, players receive 10 workers, advance the round marker, replenish area cards (discard top card, slide, and replenish), gain 1 share per consolidation chip owned, and in Round 5, may repay loans at 18 shares per loan (otherwise 25 shares at game end). If it's the final round, player order is determined. During the General Action Phase, players take turns in order, performing 7 steps: 1) Choose an Area Card: Select one of the 8 face-up area cards and place it in your player area. You can clear and refresh the area cards for 4 VP. 2) Get Bonus: Gain the bonus depicted on the chosen card (workers, shares of a specific color, or a refinery chip for emptying a refinery). 3) Build: Use workers to build rigs (4 workers for 1st-3rd, 6 for 4th), trains (2 workers), tankers (2 workers), or refineries (12 workers). Rigs and refineries can only be built in the chosen area or a white continent. Only one refinery can be built per round, earning end-game VPs. 4) Oil Actions: Drill for oil (8 workers if 4+ rigs in area, replacing a rig with a pump jack and 3 barrels; other players can pay 3 shares to replace their rigs too). Wildcatter disks are auctioned off, producing 1 barrel immediately and earning end-game VPs. Develop oil fields (replace rigs with pump jacks and 3 barrels for 3 workers). Transport oil from pump jacks/wildcatter disks to refineries (4 workers per barrel; other players can transport for free). Pay 1 share per barrel to train/tanker owners. 5) Move Unused Tankers: Move any unused tankers to any harbor (first move is free, subsequent moves cost 1 worker). 6) Empty Partial Refineries: Use an area card or refinery chip to empty a partial refinery. 7) End Turn: Any refinery with 5 barrels is emptied, and the owners gain shares. You can buy the consolidation chip for the active area by paying the depicted shares. Finally, refresh the area cards by sliding them up and filling in missing spots. Players can take a loan (10 shares) by placing a barrel on their color on the bank, repayable for 18 shares in Round 5 or 25 shares at game end.

Final scoring occurs after the last round. The steps are: 1) For every refinery area card, you may empty a refinery. 2) Score consolidation and refinery chips on hand. 3) Gain victory points for your area cards. 4) Gain victory points for your wildcatter disks. 5) Gain victory points for your refineries. 6) Pay off any outstanding loans (25 shares per loan). 7) Trade shares to workers at a 3:1 ratio. 8) Gain victory points for the number of workers you have. 9) Gain victory points for having the most oil delivered to each continent. The player with the highest total victory points after all these steps is declared the most successful oil pioneer and wins Wildcatters.

The game of Wildcatters concludes at the end of the final round. This is either the 7th round in a 4-player game or the 8th round in a 2-3 player game. Once the last turn of the final round has been completed by all players, the game proceeds directly to final scoring. During final scoring, players tally their victory points from various sources, including consolidation chips, refinery chips, area cards, wildcatter disks, built refineries, remaining workers, and oil delivered to continents. Any outstanding loans must also be paid off at this stage. The player who has accumulated the highest total number of victory points after all scoring is complete is declared the winner.