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Indonesia

2-5 players 180-240 min 7.9 Board Game Geek Rating

Players develop Indonesia's economy by acquiring production and shipping companies to deliver goods like rice, spices, and oil to growing cities. Companies earn money for delivered goods but must pay shipping costs. Players can research advantages and merge companies to steal profitable assets. The game spans three eras, with the wealthiest player winning after final earnings count double.

Published 2005

Indonesia

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Distribute player aids
Give each player one player aid card and 100 rupees starting money
2
Prepare city cards
Divide the City Construction cards into three piles (a, b, and c), then distribute one card from each pile to every player
3
Assign player colors
Give each player a set of wooden markers in one color
4
Place R&D markers
Each player places one marker on the first position of each of the five R&D tracks
5
Determine turn order
Randomly choose the starting turn order and indicate it on the turn order track
6
Set up company shares
Divide company shares into three sets (a, b, and c), then place the first set (a) on their respective provinces using the coordinate system
7
Agree on money visibility
Decide whether money amounts will be secret or public; if not agreed upon, money defaults to secret
8
Build initial cities
In turn order, each player builds one city in an empty coastal land area in one of the three provinces shown on their era-a City Construction card

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Phase 1 - New Era
Check if a new era begins when no companies from the previous era remain or only one type remains
2
Phase 2 - Turn Order Auction
Bid money once (0 is permitted) to determine turn order for subsequent phases
3
Phase 3 - Mergers
Announce and auction mergers between companies (requires at least one step on Mergers R&D track)
4
Phase 4 - Acquisitions
Start new companies if you have free slots
5
Phase 5 - Research and Development
Advance one step on one R&D track
6
Phase 6 - Operations
Operate each company once in turn order
7
Phase 7 - City Growth
Cities that received all produced good types up to their capacity grow one size

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
End game trigger
The game ends during Phase 1 when era c finishes (only one type of era-c companies remains or all era-c companies were acquired)
2
Calculate final earnings
Double all money earned during the final Operations phase
3
Determine winner
The player with the most total money (including Bank money) wins
4
Break ties
In case of a tie, the player first in turn order wins
5
Two-player variant
Each player receives two City Construction cards per era and builds two cities each during New Era phases, alternating placement

watch & Learn

Let the pros teach you with these top videos.

Peaky Boardgamer Episode #73 - Indonesia - Full rules explanation (English)

Peaky Boardgamer Episode #73 - Indonesia - Full rules explanation (English)

Instructional

Indonesia (revisited) - 5p Teaching, Play-through, & Roundtable Discussion by Heavy Cardboard

Indonesia (revisited) - 5p Teaching, Play-through, & Roundtable Discussion by Heavy Cardboard

Session

MORE VIDEOS

FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

PDF RULEBOOK

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