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System Requirements:
You must use a standards-compliant web browser with PNG image support to play this game. Internet Explorer does not currently include the appropriate image support and is therefore not a suitable browser. A current version of Mozilla or some other Gecko-based browser is recommended.
Object of the Game:
The object of the game is to develop a self-sufficient society in the New World and to promote enough political support to gain independence from your European rulers. The first player to generate 50,000 liberty bells wins.
General Game Play:
The game board consists of a grid-style map of various terrain types. Map areas appear black until they have been explored. New colonies can be established on any land sector. Within each colony, you can assign your citizens to perform different tasks, either by working outdoors or in the town's shops and factories. Outdoor work allows colonists to harvest natural resources such as lumber, food, ore, etc.; colonists working indoors can produce weapons, improvements to the colony, or merchandise which can be sold to Europe for a profit. Ships are needed to transport units and resources to and from Europe.
Establishing Colonies:
Any non-military land unit can establish a new colony on any land sector of the map by using the "Build Colony" option. New colonies must be placed at least three sectors away from existing colonies. It is a good idea to build your first colonies next to water so that ships can dock in town to load and unload cargo. The only way to transport materials to and from a landlocked colony is with a wagon train.
After creating a new colony, you should zoom to it to set tasks for your first workers. Press the "colony list" button from the main menu, then click on the colony on the main map.
The colony view is separated into several areas including a view of the town, a view of the surrounding terrain, a list of the colony's resources, a loading dock for ships and wagons, a list of colonists waiting to be assigned tasks, and a drop-down list containing construction options.
Assigning Professions:
Each colonist should be assigned a place to work and a specific task. To put a colonist to work outdoors, click the colonist then click the location where he should begin working. Then, to set the type of resource that colonist should begin producing, hover the mouse over the unit and press "space bar" on the keyboard. A menu of options will appear from which you can select the worker's profession.
To put a colonist to work within the town, select the colonist by clicking its icon once, then click again on the building within the town where you would like the colonist to work. The unit will immediately begin producing the resource associated with the building he's working in.
Units outside the colony can be equipped with weapons and set to defend the colony from attack. To arm a colonist who is waiting outside, hover the mouse over the unit and press "space bar" on the keyboard. A menu of options will allow you to arm the unit with muskets and horses. Each newly armed unit requires 100 horses/muskets from the town's stockpile.
Transporting Resources:
To move materials to or from a colony, you will need either a ship or a wagon train. To load or unload a vehicle, select one of the awaiting ships or wagons, then use the available controls to fill or empty the ship's cargo holds. Cargo holds have a maximum capacity of 100 units.
Sailing to Europe:
Ships can return to Europe by crossing either the Atlantic or the Pacific oceans. To cross the Atlantic, send your ship to the far right side of the map. When your ship hits the right-most sector, it will disappear while it makes its voyage across the ocean. To cross the Pacific, move your ship to the far left side of the map. It takes four turns for a ship to cross an ocean.
European Docks:
The European docks offer a variety of services to help you continue the growth of your new country. Any resources you've transported from the new world can be sold to the European market at the current bid price. You may also purchase goods from the market at the current asking price. Prices will move up and down based on rules of supply and demand.
Once you have money in your treasury, you have the option of purchasing additional units, such as new colonists, cannons, or ships. Each time you purchase a unit from Europe, the marginal cost of that unit type will increase. Purchased land units will line up along the docks waiting for the next ship with available cargo holds to transport them to the New World.
Colonist Types:
Some colonists have special skills that make them better able to produce certain resources. Here is a list of colonist types:
 Free Colonist - An ordinary citizen with no special abilities.
 Indentured Servant - A lower-class worker with unpaid debts. Lazy and less productive than free colonists.
 Slave - A prisoner who is forced to work against his will. Good at outdoor jobs.
Experts - Highly skilled workers who produce twice as much as free colonists when producing the expert's specialty output:
 Farmer
 Fisherman
 Fur Trapper
 Sugar Planter
 Tobacco Planter
 Cotton Planter
 Ore Miner
 Lumberjack
 Hatter
 Distiller
 Tobacconist
 Weaver
 Blacksmith
 Gunsmith
 Carpenter
 Statesman
Resource Types:
 
Food
Produced by: Farmer or Fisherman
Uses: Each colonist eats 2 food per turn. Surplus food production can be used to raise horses. New colonists grow when food stockpiles reach 500.
Furs
Produced by: Fur Trapper
Uses: Raw material for hats.
Sugar
Produced by: Sugar Planter
Uses: Raw material for rum.
Tobacco
Produced by: Tobacco Planter
Uses: Raw material for cigars.
Cotton
Produced by: Cotton Planter
Uses: Raw material for cloth.
Ore
Produced by: Ore Miner
Uses: Raw material for tools.
Lumber
Produced by: Lumberjack
Uses: Raw material for production.
Hats
Produced by: Hatter
Uses: Valuable commodity.
Rum
Produced by: Distiller
Uses: Valuable commodity.
Cigars
Produced by: Tobacconist
Uses: Valuable commodity.
Cloth
Produced by: Weaver
Uses: Valuable commodity.
Tools
Produced by: Blacksmith
Uses: Raw material for muskets. Used for certain types of construction.
Muskets
Produced by: Gunsmith
Uses: Enables the assignment of riflemen.
Production
Produced by: Carpenter
Uses: Allows the construction of new buildings.
Liberty Bells
Produced by: Statesman
Uses: Encourages independence from Europe.
Books
Produced by: Teacher
Uses: Allows unskilled colonists and indentured servants to learn new abilities.
Terrain Types:
 
Ocean
Primary Resources: Food
Bonus: Fish (+2 food)
  
Grassland
Primary Resources: Food, Sugar, Tobacco
Bonus: Sugarcane (+3 sugar), Tobacco Leaf (+3 tobacco)
 
Grassland Forest
Primary Resources: Furs, Lumber
Bonus: Big Tree (+4 lumber)
 
Plains
Primary Resources: Food, Cotton
Bonus: Cotton (+3 cotton)
Plains Forest
Primary Resources: Furs, Lumber
Hills
Primary Resources: Ore
Swamp
Primary Resources: Ore
Swamp Forest
Primary Resources: Lumber
Mountains
Primary Resources: Ore
Desert
Primary Resources: Ore
Construction Options:
Town Hall
Effect: Allows statesmen to produce liberty bells.
Workshop
Effect: Allows carpenters to produce construction.
Saw Mill
Effect: Doubles carpenter output.
Construction Cost: 150 work
Hatter's House
Effect: Allows hatters to produce hats.
Hat Shop
Effect: Doubles hatter output.
Construction Cost: 300 work + 20 tools
Hat Factory
Effect: Increases hat production by an additional 50%.
Construction Cost: 800 work + 100 tools
Distiller's House
Effect: Allows distillers to produce rum.
Construction Cost: N/A
Liquor Store
Effect: Doubles distiller output.
Construction Cost: 300 work + 20 tools
Rum Factory
Effect: Increases rum production by an additional 50%.
Construction Cost: 800 work + 100 tools
Tobacconist's House
Effect: Allows tobacconists to produce cigars.
Construction Cost: N/A
Cigar Shop
Effect: Doubles tobacconist output.
Construction Cost: 300 work + 20 tools
Cigar Factory
Effect: Increases cigar production by an additional 50%.
Construction Cost: 800 work + 100 tools
Weaver's House
Effect: Allows weavers to produce cloth.
Construction Cost: N/A
Weaver's Shop
Effect: Doubles weaver output.
Construction Cost: 300 work + 20 tools
Cloth Factory
Effect: Increases cloth production by an additional 50%.
Construction Cost: 800 work + 100 tools
Blacksmith's House
Effect: Allows blacksmiths to produce tools.
Construction Cost: N/A
Hardware Store
Effect: Doubles blacksmith output.
Construction Cost: 300 work + 20 tools
Tool Factory
Effect: Increases tool production by an additional 50%.
Construction Cost: 800 work + 100 tools
Armory
Effect: Allows gunsmiths to produce muskets. Allows production of cannons.
Construction Cost: 500 work + 40 tools
Arsenal
Effect: Doubles gunsmith output.
Construction Cost: 1000 work + 80 tools
Musket Factory
Effect: Increases musket production by an additional 50%.
Construction Cost: 2000 work + 200 tools
Warehouse
Effect: Increases maximum resource storage capacity to 300.
Construction Cost: 200 work
Large Warehouse
Effect: Increases maximum resource storage capacity to 500.
Construction Cost: 300 work + 30 tools
School
Effect: Allows a teacher to produce 1 book.
Construction Cost: 250 work
College
Effect: Doubles teacher output.
Construction Cost: 500 work + 50 tools
University
Effect: Doubles teacher output again.
Construction Cost: 1000 work + 100 tools
Docks
Effect: Allows fisherman to harvest food from the sea.
Construction Cost: 90 work
Dry Dock
Effect: Allows damaged ships to be repaired in the New World and performs repairs faster than in Europe.
Construction Cost: 400 work + 50 tools
Shipyard
Effect: Enables the construction of new ships.
Construction Cost: 500 work + 100 tools
Stables
Effect: Allows horses to reproduce.
Construction Cost: 225 work
Barn
Effect: Doubles horse growth.
Construction Cost: 600 work + 20 tools
Stockade
Effect: Adds a 75 point defensive bonus to military units within the colony.
Construction Cost: 300 work
Fort
Effect: Adds an additional 75 point defensive bonus to military units within the colony.
Construction Cost: 1000 work + 100 tools
Fortress
Effect: Adds an additional 75 point defensive bonus to military units within the colony.
Construction Cost: 2000 work + 200 tools
Printing Press
Effect: Required for liberty bell production.
Construction Cost: 350 work + 20 tools
Newspaper Office
Effect: Doubles statesmen's liberty bell production.
Construction Cost: 750 work + 50 tools
Attacking:
Although the New World offers a bounty of natural resources, you must compete against fellow Europeans for the most desirable land. There are three land-based military units that can be used to attack your enemies:
Rifleman
Maximum Attack Power: 100
Dragoon
Maximum Attack Power: 200
Cannon
Maximum Attack Power: 400
When indentured servants are converted to riflemen or dragoons, they will have only 75% their normal attack power. Slaves have only 50% normal attack power.
Among the ships, only frigates can initiate an attack. Other ship types still have the ability to defend against an attack by a frigate:
Caravel
Defensive Power: 100
Merchantman
Defensive Power: 200
Galleon
Defensive Power: 400
Frigate
Attack Power: 800
The outcome of a battle is based on a random value derived from the sum of the powers of both units engaging in combat, plus any defensive bonuses. For example, when attacking a cannon with a cannon, there is a 50% chance you will be successful. A dragoon versus a cannon has a 1/3 chance of success.
A cannon defeated in combat is destroyed. A rifleman or dragoon defeated in combat will lose an amount of horses or guns equal to half the opposing unit's strength. If a rifleman or dragoon would lose more weapons in a defeat that it has available, the unit is destroyed.
Ships defeated in combat will either be destroyed or damaged. A damaged ship is automatically returned for repairs to a colony with a drydock or to Europe if a drydock does not exist. Damaged ships cannot be used until repairs are complete.
If an attack is conducted against an enemy colony with no units remaining to defend it, the attacker will capture the colony.
Abandoning Colonies:
To abandon a colony, remove all units from the colony location and end the turn. Abandoned colonies will disappear on the first turn during which no units are present. This results in the loss of all colonial improvements and stockpiled resources.
Starvation:
Each unit working within a colony consumes two food per turn. If there is not sufficient food available to feed all the colonists, one colonist will die each turn until food becomes available.
Education:
If a teacher is present in a colony, unskilled colonists and indentured servants can learn new abilities. Their newly acquired skill will match that of the teacher's. For example, if you place an expert farmer in the school, unskilled colonists will become expert farmers. Upgrading the school to a college or university will increase the rate at which colonists acquire new skills. Before upgrading to a college or university, it takes about 30 turns for a colonist to learn a new skill from a teacher.
Taxes:
Occassionally, the king of your mother country will increase the taxes imposed on your colonial exports. When selling goods in Europe, taxes are subtracted from your sales.
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