Published by Eurogames.
Designed by ??.
Translated by Kevin Jones (kevinhelen@net1.netcentral.co.uk).
A game of SERENISSIMA consists of 8 rounds with 4 players, 10 rounds with 3 players and 12 rounds with 2 players. Each round is made of 6 phases which must be in the following order:
When Phase 6 of the final round has been completed the game ends and players calculate their wealth. Wealth points are earned for the following:
Each player works out the total of his wealth points. The player with the most points wins the game.
Each player can move his galleys the same number of sea areas as there are sailors on his galleys. A player does not need to move his galleys. If a player wants to move a galley through a sea area where there is another player's galley the he must ask the other player's permission. If this is not granted then the galley must end its movement in this area.
Important: battles are always optional
If 2 players have one or more galleys in the same sea area then the player whose turn it is can decide to attack with his galleys. He chooses the attacking galley and the target of his attack. Then both players throw a die and add the number of their sailor playing pieces on their galleys to their score. Both players divide their scores by 3 and this amount is rounded down. The result is the number of sailor playing pieces which the combatants lose and which they must remove from their galleys. Both players remove the eliminated sailor playing pieces at the same time. A player can attack an opposing galley as often as he wants - either with the same galley or with another which is in the same area. He can also decide to break off the attack.
If a galley loses its last sailor playing piece then the victorious player can decide either to sink the galley or capture it. If he wants to capture the galley then he must place at least one sailor from the victorious galley onto the defeated galley. If the galley is sunk it is removed immediately from the game.
If there are trade goods aboard the defeated galley these can be transferred between the two galleys by the victorious player.
This is carried out exactly the same as a battle between galleys, except for 4 modifications:
1. The garrison of a port can never attack a galley.
2. If the garrison of a port is eliminated then the victorious player must wait until the following phase to take control of the port.
3. If the last sailor playing piece of a galley is eliminated then it sinks automatically - along with any trade goods that are on board the galley.
4. If the port is protected by a fortress then the attacker divides his score by 4 (and not by 3) to work out the number of garrison pieces to be eliminated.
When all battles have been resolved then the players take it in turn to take control of ports which have no garrison. To take control of a port a player must place at least one sailor playing piece on the port area and a flag of his nation next to the port area.
| Orange = Gems | Yellow = Gold |
| Green = Spices | Red = Wine |
| Grey = Iron | Black = Cloth |
| Brown = Wood |
Each player can acquire trade goods which are on offer in a port if one of his own galleys is in the same port area. If the port is neutral or is owned by the purchasing player then each piece of trade goods costs 100 ducats which is paid over to the treasurer. If the port is controlled by another player then he receives the money and sets the price depending on the following conditions:
- the player who controls the port does not have a monopoly over this particular trade good. He sets the price between 100 and 300 ducats
- the player who controls the port has a monopoly over this particular trade good. In this case he must control all ports which supply this trade good. A player who has a monopoly of a trade good can set the price between 100 and 1000 ducats
Purchased trade goods must be placed immediately on a galley which is in the same area as a port, while obeying the limit of 5 playing pieces of sailors and trade goods together per galley.
A player must pay 100 ducats for each sailor playing piece. The number of sailor playing pieces that a player can acquire in one round in one port must match the number of trade goods that situated in the port.
Each build costs 500 ducats. Each player can only make one build per port he controls. However he can build in other ports at the same time.
Building ships: In order to be able to build a galley there must be both wood and iron in the port or it must be supplied by the port.
Building fortresses: In order to be able to build a fortress there must be both wood and gold in the port. Fortresses enhance the defensive capability of ports (see the other side).
In order to be able to sell a type of trade good in a port, it must not be supplied by the port, nor must it have already been sold in that port. The trade good playing piece is placed on the lowest numbered free space in the port. The vendor receives a hundred times the number of ducats according to the number of the space filled from the treasurer. It is possible to receive a bonus of 500 or 1000 ducats (see page 10 of the rules: opening new markets).
If a player controls his own major town then he receives 300 ducats as assured income.
Note: Players do not need to display how much money they have.
Description of playing pieces
When you first open the game follow these instructions:
1. Playing pieces: Separate the pieces from the plastic surrounds which the pieces are attached to. It is also possible to remove the playing pieces with scissors or a knife. Not all the playing pieces are needed in order to start a game.
2. Flags: Put the self adhesive flags on the middle of the flag poles and stick the backs together (see illustration). Then the poles can be attached to the galleys or the stands.
A game of Serenissima consists of:
The players represent the naval forces of the era: the Venetians, the Genoese, the Spanish or the Turks.
To begin each round each player secretly bids a certain amount of money to decide which player begins the round. The currency in SERENISSIMA is the Ducat. The 1000 Ducat coins are gold coloured, the 500 Ducat coins are silver coloured and the 100 Ducat coins are bronze coloured.
In the course of a round, the players will build new galleys or fortresses, buy trade goods and transport sailors. The trade goods will be placed on the galleys, the sailors are also placed on the galleys or, for defence, placed in the ports. On each galley you can place no more than 5 trade goods and sailors. The number of sailors on a galley corresponds with the number of sea areas which a galley can move in one round.
Then the galleys will be moved over the map of the Mediterranean. If there are galleys of different players in one sea area, then they can - however they don't have to - fight each other. At the start of a game all the ports with the exception of major towns are neutral. As the game goes on most of the ports will be controlled by the players. If a port comes into a player's possession then he marks the port with his flag.
After the moves and resulting conflict between Galleys the players can sell their trade goods in the ports. In addition each player receives 300 Ducats from the state treasury of his towns. The game round marker is moved on another place and a new round begins.
The wealthiest player at the end of the 8, 10 or 12th round* of a game of SERENISSIMA wins. The wealth of a nation is measured not only by the amount of money in the State treasury but also by the number of ports controlled and by the level of its Mediterranean trade. The precise calculation of wealth points is explained a the end of the rules.
* Depending on the number of players: 4, 3 or 2
With 2 players there are two start options: one player controls the Venetians, the other the Genoese (historical option) or one player controls the Spanish and the other the Turks.
With 3 players the first player controls the Venetians, the second the Genoese and the third the Spanish. With 4 players each of them controls one of the sea trade powers: Venetians, Genoese, Spanish and Turks.
Before the game commences each player is given 2 galleys, 10 sailors and 2000 Ducats. The galleys should have the appropriate flags and are placed in the sea areas bordering their major town of their nation. The sailors can be placed either on the galleys or in the main town for defence by choice of the player. (See illustration)
The game round marker is placed on the first space. Each player receives a set of flags of his nationality, which are used to mark his own Galleys and harbour.
One player is chosen to be treasurer for the duration of the game: he distributes Ducats, Galleys, Sailors and trade goods , if any of these are earned by the players. For simplicity the treasurer can lay out the game parts in the following manner.
Every game round is made up of 6 phases, whose order must always be followed:
In the first phase each player hides an amount of ducats in order to determine the player turn order in the following phases. Each phase will be played through by each player one after another according to the turn order. In order for the next phase to begin, every player must have completed the current phase. When the 6th phase is ended a new game round begins and the players again determine the turn order for playing each separate phase.
At the start of each round the round marker is moved on one space. Then each player puts in his hand a chosen sum of ducats. As soon as each player had decided how much to play then the stakes are revealed. The player who has played the most money can choose whether he will be first, second, third or last in each single phase and he places his state counter on the matching space: I, II, III or IV. Then the other players chose their order depending on their stake and they place their state marker accordingly. If 2 or more players have played the same amount of money, they then they throw the die (the highest roll wins) to determine who will choose first in which order he will play the phases. When the order has been determined by the players who have played money, the order of players without any money is determined by a dice roll. The player with he highest score on the die is allowed to choose first. All the stakes are then given to the treasurer.
Example: The Venetian plays 300 ducats, the Turk 500 ducats and both the other players play nothing. The Turk has played the largest amount and wants to play last. He places his state marker on the "IV" space. The Venetian wants to play first and places his state marker on the "I" space. The Genoese and the Spanish player must throw a dice. The Genoese player throws a "6" and the Spaniard a "2". The Genoese player wants to play second and the Spaniard is therefore the third player. They place their state markers accordingly on the spaces "II" and "III".
This then displays the player order for each separate phase. That means that the first player buys trade goods first, moves his galleys first and resolves any resulting battles first.
Each player can make as many trade purchases as he wishes in his turn... if he thinks it is worthwhile and if he has enough money. He can, for example, first of all buy trade goods, build a galley, place pieces, and still buy another trade good, hire sailors, then place another piece and finally build another fortress.
1. General
Each player can buy goods in any port in which he has a galley. In each port he can only buy the trade goods which are displayed by the coloured symbol in the circle shown by the port.
A player doesn't need to control a port in order to be able to buy trade goods there. A player can never prevent another player from buying or selling goods in port controlled by him.
A galley is considered to be in a port if it is in the sea area adjacent to the port.
It is also possible for players to trade between themselves if at least one galley of each player is in the same sea area. (See the special rules at the end).
2. Purchase prices of trade goods in a port
The purchase price of trade goods depends on whether the port is neutral or whether another player controls it, or if the purchaser controls the port. It the port is neutral or controlled by the player who is acquiring the goods then the purchase price for each playing piece of trade goods is 100 ducats. The purchase price is paid over to the treasurer. If the port is controlled by another by another player then there are 2 possibilities:
- the controlling player has not got a monopoly of this trade good: he can set a purchase price between 100 and 300 ducats. the purchase can either accept this price or make a counter bid. The vendor can accept the counter bid or not. If the counter bid is not accepted the purchase can either accept the vendor's offer or choose not to complete the purchase. In order to limit the amount of playing time that such trading uses the following sequence should be followed: offer, purchase or counter offer, purchase or a refusal to purchase.
- the controlling player has got a monopoly of this trade good: for this to be the case the player must control all the ports that offer this particular trade good for sale. There is a single port for gems, two ports for gold and spices, four for wine, cloth and iron and 6 ports for wood. A player who has a monopoly over a particular trade good can set the purchase price for such a trade good between 100 and 1000 ducats. The order for the sale of trade goods is described above.
If the purchase of a trade good is completed then the vendor receives the relevant sum and the purchaser receives the trade good, which is placed on a galley in the relevant sea area. A player can buy as many trade goods as he likes, with the proviso that there is room on his galleys which are in the sea area. There must be a least one sailor playing piece on each galley. Therefore the maximum is 4 trade good playing pieces on one galley.
The number of trade good playing pieces is limited by the actual number of playing pieces. Should one type of playing piece run out then no more of this type can be purchased, although it could be the case that a player has these type of trade goods on agalley and wants to sell them to a player who has a galley in the same area (see special rules).
Building ships and fortresses
In order to increase the size of his fleet and to better protect his ports a player can build additional galleys and fortresses in the ports he controls. Only one galley or fortress can be built per round in a single port. Players can build in other ports at the same time. The building of a galley or fortress costs 500 ducats which is paid over to the treasurer.
The following restrictions apply to the building of galleys and fortresses:
Building galleys
Building new galleys increases the volume of trade. It is possible for players to increase the strategic capabilities of their fleet at the same time. In order to be able to build a galley in a port there needs to be both wood and iron trade goods present.
Example:In either Tunis or Alexandria someone must have sold wood and iron in order for a player to build a galley. In Ragusa only iron needs to have been sold as Ragusa supplies wood itself.
As soon as the treasurer is given 500 ducats the new galley is placed in the appropriate sea area. The owner of the new galley places at least one sailor playing piece on the galley - either newly hired or taken from the garrison of the port - and also one of his flags. The galley can be loaded straight away with trade goods either with trade goods that have been bought in the port or from another galley which is in the same sea area.
Building of fortresses
The building of a fortress gives better defence against attack (see attack/defence of ports). In order to build a fortress there must be both wood and gold in a port.
Example: In order to build a fortress in Sicily a player must have sold wood and gold in the port. In order to build in Tunis it only needs someone to have sold wood as Tunis offers gold for sale.
As soon as the treasurer is given 500 ducats the new fortress is placed in the relevant port.
Hiring of sailors
A player can acquire additional sailor trading pieces in one of the ports he controls in order to enhance the use of galleys or to strengthen the garrison of a port. Hiring of sailors is directly connected to the economic activity of a port: the more trade in a port the more sailors can be hired. The number of trade good playing pieces in a port equals the number of sailor playing pieces that can be hired in a single port in a game round.
Example: In the port of Smyrna there are 3 trade good playing pieces. the player who controls Smyrna could acquire 2 or 3 sailor pieces.
A player must pay 100 ducats for each sailor playing piece acquired, which is given to the treasure. Sailors who have been hired can either be placed as a garrison in the port or on a galley in the sea area of the port.
Placing playing pieces
Players can reorganise their sailor and trade good playing pieces within a sea area/port. Sailors can be moved from galley to galley or port (adjacent to the same sea area) to galley of from galley to port. Trade goods can be moved from galley to galley.
There are only two rules which must be observed when placing playing pieces:
1. There can be no more than 5 playing pieces - sailors or trade goods - on a galley
2. There must be at least one sailor playing piece on a galley. A galley sinks immediately if a player does not keep at least one sailor on board the galley.
If both these rules are observed then players can transfer playing pieces within a sea area. when all players have completed their trades they wish to then move onto Phase 3
Each player can move his galleys as many sea areas as there are sailors on board his galleys. A galley with 4 sailors can move between 1 and 4 sea areas.
The players do not have to move their galleys. It is possible to leave galleys in the same sea area for several turns. These galleys are considered to be either anchored in port or navigating the relevant sea area.
The presence of other players' galleys
A galley can always either alow or prevent to movement of one or more galleys belong to other players. A player cannot move through a sea area that an opposing player is in if he doesn't get permission from this player. If more than one player has a galley in the relevant sea area then permission is required from each player to move through this sea area. If permission is not granted then the galley ends its move in this sea area and loses any remaining movement points. It can leave this sea area in subsequent rounds.
Example of movement:
As he has 3 sailor playing pieces on board the Turkish player can move 3 areas. He can move one area without asking for permission from the Genoese player with whose galley he begins his move. The same applies for movement into area 3. If he wants to be certain of moving into area 4 then he needs the permission of the Spaniard. if the Spaniard will not grant it then the movement of the Turkish galley is ended for this round.
Permission for passing through an area
This is independent of any previous trades or conversations between players: permission for passing through an area is either granted or denied at the point in which the galley enters an area. If permission is not given then the movement of the galley is ended for this turn and it cannot be moved back. If permission for passage is granted then the player can choose any direction in which to go even if he had already announced an intended direction for the continuation of his move.
In other words a player cannot be forced to declare his true destination when passing through a sea area if the galley has not yet entered an area. A player cannot take back permission if he sees the galley moved in a different direction then had been promised.
As soon as a player has moved all his galleys then the next player can move all his galleys. When all players have moved their galleys then the game proceeds to Phase 4.
There are two types of battle: battles between two galleys and attacks on a port. It is important to note that fighting battles is always optional. Each player can decide whether to make one or more attacks in his turn.
Battles between galleysIf two players have one or more galleys in the same area then the player whose turn it is can decide to attack with his galleys in this sea area. He chooses the attacking galley and declares which opposing galley he wants to attack - it must be in the same sea area of course.
Then both players throw a die and add the number of their sailor playing pieces on the participating galleys to their score. Both then divide their result by 3 and round it down. The result is the number of sailor playing pieces that the combatants lose and must remove from their galleys. Both players remove the eliminated sailor playing pieces at the same time (see the example below).
After this first round of combat the player whose turn it is can attack another time either with the same galley or with another galley. The same applies for the target of the attack - the player can attack the same galley once more or choose a new target to attack. Casualties of the battles are removed from the galleys which have taken part in the battle. The casualties of playing pieces cannot, under any condition, be divided between more than one of your own galleys.
If a galley loses its last sailor piece then the winner can either sink the galley or capture it. If he decides to sink it, it is immediately removed from the board. If he wants to capture the galley then he has to place one or more of his victorious galleys' sailor playing pieces - and only from this galley - onto the defeated galley. He can even decide to put all his sailors onto the defeated galley in which case he must sink his own galley. In each case the victorious player can transfer trade goods that remain between both galleys as long as the limit of 5 playing pieces per galley is not exceeded.
Note: A player cannot eliminate one of his own sailor pieces by choice in order to create a place for a trade good.
If a player captures a galley he replaces its flag with one of his own: the captured galley is now part of his fleet.
A player can decide to break off combat after the first or subsequent battle round.
Example of a battle between galleys
The Turkish player attacks one of the Genoese galleys with his galley No.1. He throws a 2 and the genoese player loses a sailor playing piece (2 + 3 sailors, divided by 3 and rounded down). The Genoese player throws a 3 and the Turkish player loses 2 pieces (3 + 3 sailors, divided by 3 equals 2). The Turkish player now decides to attack again, this time with galley No.2. He throws a 4. With his 3 sailors he has a result that allows him to eliminate the 2 remaining genoese sailor playing pieces. The latter still has the opportunity to throw a die once more because combat takes place simultaneously. He throws a 3 which enables him to eliminate one of the Turkish sailor playing pieces. The battle is now ended. The Turkish player can place one of his sailor pieces onto the Genoese galley from his galley No.2 in order to capture it. He replaces the Genoese flag with one of his own. If he does not want to capture the galley he can load the wine and gold trade goods onto his galley and sink the Genoese galley, which is removed from the board.
Attacking a port
If during his turn a player has one or more of his own galleys in a sea area that has one of an opposing players' controlled ports he can attack this port. He chooses the galley which will carry out the attack and both players roll dice. The outcome is calculated in exactly the same way as a battle between galleys: the first player adds together his dice roll to the number of sailor playing pieces on the galley, the defender adds his dice roll to the number of sailor playing pieces which make up the garrison in his port. The result is divided by 3 and the number of casualties that the combatants cause is worked out (always rounding down). If the port is fortified (with a fortress playing piece next to the port), then the attacker has to divide his score by 4 instead of 3. This represents the better defence of the town through the strength of the fortress.
Example: A Venetian galley with 5 sailors attacks the prot of Smyrna which is defended by 4 Turks. The Venetian throws a 4 and the turk a 6. If the port is not fortified than the battle has the following result:
- Total for the Venetian: 5 + 4 = 9, divided by 3 = 3. The Turk loses 3 playing pieces.
- Total for the Turk: 4+6 =10, divided by 3 = 3.33, rounded down to 3. The Venetian loses 3 playing pieces from his galley. If the port had been fortified then the Turk would have lost less playing pieces. The total of the Venetians = 9 divided by 4 = 2.25 which rounded down to 2. Instead of losing 3 pieced he only loses 2 pieces from his garrison. The Venetians loses 3 playing pieces.
The rules for battles between galleys are also relevant for attacks on ports. With 3 exceptions:
1. The garrison of a port can never attack a galley. They can only defend an attack from a galley.
2. If, after one or more rounds of combat, all the playing pieces of a garrison have been eliminated the victorious player cannot immediately place one or more of his playing pieces into the port from his galleys, he must wait until the next phase (see Phase 5:capture and control of ports). Other players, including the player who currently controls the port may have galleys in the same sea area. If these players have not yet had their turn they could still decide to fight the victorious galleys who have eliminated the garrison of the port.
3. If the garrison eliminates all the sailor playing pieces on the attacking galley they cannot capture the galley - it sinks automatically. It is removed from the board along with any trade goods that happen to be on board.
Note: An attack on nor the income of a port have any effect on the fortresses and trade goods that are situated in the port.
When all battles have been completed the players take turns in landing sailors and capturing ports which have no garrison. Ports either have no garrison because they have ben neutral so far in the course of the game or because the garrison had been eliminated in battle. Sailors who are taking control of a port must, of course, be situated on a galley which is in the same sea area as the port.
As soon as a sailor playing piece lands the player gains control of threat port immediately and to show this he places a flag of his nationality next to the port and removes the flag of the previous owner (if there was one) from the board.
Special case: A player can use their last remaining sailor playing piece on a galley to capture a port. The galley sinks along with any trade goods that were on this galley.
When the players have completed landing then the game moves onto Phase 6.
Sale of trade goods
Players can only sell trade goods which are on board galleys in port areas in their turn. The sale of trade goods cannot be prevented, i.e. the port can be neutral, belong to another player or be owned by the vendor himself - the sale still takes place. In order to be able to sell trade goods there must not be any of these particular trade goods in the port and in addition they must not be supplied by the port.
If these conditions are met then the goods being sold are placed in the port. They are placed on the space with the lowest number which has not yet been filled. The player receives a total of 100 times the number of the space that the trade good has been placed on from the treasurer. Ducats are also paid out even if the player does not control the port. A player can sell more trade goods in the same phase, if the conditions set out above are met.
The sale of trade goods is always optional.
Example of the sale of trade goods:
It is the Genoese players turn to sell trade goods. He receives 300 ducats for the sale of spices and 400 ducats for the sale of iron. He cannot sell any gold or wine as the port already has gold and wine. In the next round he could negotiate to purchase one or more playing pieces of gold.
Opening new markets
In those days you could make enormous profits from the sale of rare commodities. If a player sells trade goods in a port controlled by another player and if there are none of these goods there and also none in any other port of that player, and these goods are not supplied in any of their ports either then he receives a bonus of 500 ducats.
This bonus is increased to 1000 ducats if the sale takes place in the major town of another player: Valencia, Genoa, Venice or Istanbul. These bonuses are added to the sale price. Trade goods which are on another player's galley are not taken into account.
Note: Players do not receive the bonus if they trade in their own or neutral ports.
Income
Each player ads an additional 300 ducats to the state treasury of his nation to the income from the sale of trade goods. The treasurer gives this income to the players. Warning! If a major town is captured by an opposing player then the bonus of 300 ducats is lost.
Each player works out the total of his wealth points. The player with the most points wins the game.
These rules explain special situations and are in the form of "Questions & Answers".
Can players sell or barter goods between each other?
If both players have at least one galley in the same sea area (excluding the 4 "High Seas" sea areas, sea ares without coastlines) they can sell to each other goods which are on these galleys. The players decide the sale and purchase prices for the completion of the trade you must once more follow the procedure described above: offer, purchase or counter offer, purchase or refusal to purchase.
The sale of trade goods on a galley is always optional. To remind you: at the end of the completion of selling/purchasing you are allowed a maximum of 4 trade good pieces on a galley.
Can unwanted trade goods be discarded and other trade goods purchased in their place?
Yes. A player can remove trade goods he would like to lose from his galley in order to create space for new trade goods (one assumes that the trade goods are very cheap in a certain port). These trade goods are placed back in the box. The player receives nothing for the "Sale". You can also discard sailors if your galley is in a sea area that contains a port. If the port belongs to the player then the sailors strengthen the garrison of the port. If the port belongs to another player then the sailors are put back into the box. The player receives no compensation for this action.