Green Gold

Green gold by Mark Bethell

You each play a sibling on the olive grove, hiring workers each round to pick and box your olives or press and bottle your olive oil and other workers to sell your goods to gain money (points) A game consists of 2 years and each year consists of 5 or 6 rounds (see die).

SETUP: Roll a die to determine what type of year it will be. 1,2,3, = Standard year. Die on 'N' = 5. Each player gets 4 meeples & 7 cubes in their colour;
4 = Economic crisis. Same as standard but only 5 cubes per player;
5,6 = Long season. Same as standard but die starts on 6.

At the start of each year, you each place 1 meeple on the 'olive picking row' at 'B'. Place the rest on the olive grove at 'A'. Determine a starting player who places 1 cube next to the die at 'N' which they cannot use this round. Place a disk of each player colour on zero at ‘P’. Give the extra disk to the starting player.

GAMEPLAY: There are 3 phases in a round: Bid for Workers, Use Workers, Sell Goods.

(1) BID: Going clockwise, starting with the starting player, you each place a number of your cubes on 1 of the spaces H,I,J,K,LM. This continues until no one can or wants to bid (you may pass and later re-join). The starting player places the extra red disk on top of their first bid, which cannot be overbid. Each colour shows the minimum number of cubes that have to be paid (e.g., each orange space costs a minimum of 3 cubes). You may also bid at least one more cube than a current bid to replace it (unless covered by the starter’s disk). Overbid cubes are returned and may be reused in a new bid on that players own turn.

(2) USE: Workers you have bid for are now used in order of columns (green to orange to purple) with the order per column being top to bottom. Cubes are returned as a player uses a worker. • Green workers pick olives (move 1 meeples from A->B), or box olives (1 meeple B->C) • Orange workers press olives (1 meeple B->E) or bottle olive oil (1 meeple E->F) • Purple workers take a good to market (1 basket meeple C->D or 1 bottle meeple F->G). • Black worker can used as a green, orange or purple worker. This will always go before the top space in that colour. • Brown space at ‘L’ controls the only mule for the round, which allows 1 purple worker to take 2 goods instead of just 1 to the market (from ‘C’ and/or ‘F’ to ‘D’ and/or ‘G’). • Red space shows which player will start the next bidding round.

(3) SELL: Sell goods (meeples) that have made it to the market ‘D’&’G’. First players with meeples at ‘D’, each put the number of cubes shown on the die in their hands behind their back. Each place cubes in their right hand to indicate their base selling price, and put their hands closed on the table. Simultaneously show your hands. The market accepts the lowest price. The player(s) gain points equal to this price + the bonus in yellow on their square(s). If tied, then the price paid to each player is reduced by one (unless this would become zero). Any meeples not sold are returned to ‘D’. Now do the same for players selling bottles in the market at ‘G’. Mark the points gained with your own coloured disk on the track at ‘P’. The meeples that were sold no longer take part in this year, set them aside.

END OF A ROUND: Return cube at ‘N’ to player, replacing it with 1 cube from the red space at ‘M’ (return other cubes to the player). No cubes on ‘M’? then current starter’s cube remains at ‘N’. Now reduce the number on the die by 1 and the next bidding round starts with the starting player. If the die was already on 1 then it is the end of the year.

END OF THE YEAR: Basket meeples at ‘C’ get 1 point each, bottle meeples at ‘F’ get 2 points each. Follow the setup rules again except there will already be a starting player (who’s cube is at ‘M’. At the end of year 2 the game ends and the player with the most points on the track wins.

2 PLAYER RULES: Each player has 2 colours (Blue/White or Yellow/Red). Colours are played separately, e.g. A Blue ‘green worker’ cannot be used by White. For bidding follow the clockwise order of colours on the score track corners. A player sets only one price per market for both their colours. Add final scores together.