Le Havre: The Inland Port

SETUP: Each player receives a starting player board, 5 franc tokens, and a dial set to position 0. Shuffle the building cards and place 6 face-up in the market. Place the round tracker and shared production track where both players can see them. Designate a first player.

GAMEPLAY: On your turn, perform these steps in order:

1. Rotate your dial 1-3 spaces clockwise (this determines your action strength)
2. Choose one action: Build a building, Produce goods using existing buildings, or Trade goods
3. Your dial position modifies the cost or effectiveness of your chosen action
4. Pay the cost in francs and execute the action
5. Pass to your opponent

The dial mechanism is central: advancing your dial further grants stronger actions but costs more francs, creating tension between investment and economy.

BUILDING: Take a building card from the market and pay its cost minus your dial value. Buildings create production chains (e.g., Clay → Bricks → Houses). New buildings are added to the market as cards are purchased.

PRODUCE: Activate your buildings in any order to convert input goods into output goods. Your dial position increases production efficiency—higher dials yield more goods per building.

TRADE: Exchange goods with your opponent or the bank at set rates. Higher dial positions improve trading rates.

WINNING CONDITION: The game ends when 7 buildings have been sold from the market. The player with the highest total value (buildings + goods + remaining francs) wins. In a 2-player game, the direct competition is more intense than in multiplayer versions, making player interaction and blocking more strategic.

2-PLAYER ADAPTATION: The core rules remain unchanged. The reduced player count means turns come faster, creating tighter economic pressure. Players must carefully manage when opponents will take advantageous buildings or goods.