BORDERS – Rulebook

A Prohibition-era smuggling game · 3–8 players · 14+ · about 45–75 minutes

Philadelphia, 1925. Three miles off the coast, in international waters, the smuggling ships lie at anchor. This is "Rum Row". At night, fast motorboats bring Puerto Rican rum and Scotch whisky into Delaware Bay – on paper, of course, it is coffee and smoked fish. On the docks the federal Prohibition agent is waiting for them, an honest man, or at least that is what he says about himself.

1. Goal of the game

As a smuggler you bring goods from the ships anchored at sea through the port of Philadelphia into your warehouse. You can do it legally, but contraband earns more – until you get caught. Each round one player (two from six players up) plays the Prohibition agent and decides whose crate to open.

The end of the game approaches when the main resource cards in the middle have all been taken, that is, the smugglers have collected them all. The agent cycle in progress is still completed (everyone must be agent the same number of times – these are the "last shipments", see chapter 6), and then the player with the most points wins.

2. Components

368 cards with a common back:
- 346 goods cards (legal, contraband and premium),
- 22 action cards.
12 main resource cards (with a different back).
8 warehouse boards, one per player.
8 opaque crates. A cloth bag, an envelope or a box will do, as long as nobody can see inside.
2 agent badges: "A" and "B".
Gold coins: worth 1, 5, 10 and 20. A game for 8 players needs about 600 gold.
1 six-sided die.
1 hourglass or phone timer (1 minute).
8 reference cards.

Every goods card shows:

its name and type, shown by colour: green is legal, red is contraband, gold is premium;
top right, its value, the number of points it is worth at the end of the game;
bottom right, its fine, the amount to be paid because of it at a check;
bottom left, its deck mark: ●, ●● or ●●●.

3. Setup

3.1 Building the deck by player count

Players	Cards used	Deck
3	only ● cards	187 cards (no tobacco, Havana or Cuban cigars)
4–5	● and ●● cards	247 cards
6–8	all cards (●, ●● and ●●●)	368 cards

Put the other cards back in the box. Shuffle the deck and place it face down: this is the draw pile. Leave room next to it for the discard pile.

3.2 The main resource cards

Shuffle the 12 main resource cards. In a 3-player game first remove Corn and Coal, because they need tobacco. Draw the number of cards matching the player count and place them face up in the middle of the table:

Players	3	4	5	6	7	8
Main resource cards in the middle	3	3	4	4	5	6

The remaining main resource cards are out of this game.

3.3 The players

Each player receives:

a warehouse board,
a crate,
50 gold,
6 cards from the draw pile (kept secret).

If a player gets an action card in the starting hand, they may keep it. The action card becomes active in their first round (see chapter 7).

3.4 The agent(s)

Players	Agents
3–5	1 agent (badge A)
6–8	2 agents (badges A and B)

With 1 agent: the youngest player takes badge A.
With 2 agents: the youngest player takes badge A, their left-hand neighbour badge B.

The agent(s) of the first round receive +3 gold from the bank. This balances the disadvantage of the first agent.

4. How a round works

Every round has 5 phases. The agent(s) do not pack a crate; all other players are smugglers this round.

1. MARKET  →  2. PACK THE CRATE  →  3. ANNOUNCEMENT  →  4. BORDER CHECK  →  5. END OF ROUND

4.1 Market

At the start of the Market, before anyone discards, the action cards 2. Night Raid and 5. Robbery may be played (see chapter 7).

Then, starting with the smuggler to the left of the agent and going in turn, each smuggler:

may discard 0–5 cards from their hand onto the discard pile, face up;
draws back up to 6 cards from the draw pile.

The agent(s) do not take part in the Market.

Tip: the discard pile is open. Watch who discards what, because it shows what they are collecting.

4.2 Packing the crate

Every smuggler, at the same time and in secret, puts 1–5 goods cards into their crate and closes it.

Action cards cannot be put into the crate.
At least 1 card must be put in.

4.3 Announcement

Starting to the left of the agent, every smuggler announces:

how many cards are in their crate (this must be true!),
and one single legal type of goods (cane sugar, coffee, tobacco or smoked fish).

Example: "Four crates of coffee."

The announced type can be a lie. Contraband or several types cannot be announced. The crate is then handed to the agent or, with 2 agents, placed in the middle of the table.

4.4 Border check

This is the heart of the game. The agent deals with the crates one by one, in any order. Each crate gets 1 minute: if time runs out and the agent has not opened it, the crate passes.

Haggling

During the check everyone may haggle freely. In a deal the following can be offered:

gold (at most what you have),
goods from the warehouse (legal goods or contraband),
goods from the crate,
a promise for the future, for example: "if I become the agent, I will let you through".

Rules for haggling:

A deal made of gold or goods is binding if the agent accepts it and keeps it, that is, does not open the crate.
A promise for the future is not binding. It can be broken.
Smugglers may also haggle with each other, and an agent may accept money from a smuggler to check somebody else.
Goods in the crate can only be used as payment if the crate passes. If it turns out that the promised goods are not inside, they do not have to be paid. (This is why such an offer should be accepted with care.)

Decision

For every crate the agent decides:

A) Lets it pass

The smuggler opens the crate and puts its contents into their warehouse:
- the legal goods face up, sorted by type;
- the contraband and premium goods face down.
About the contraband, only the number of cards is revealed.
The accepted deal must be paid.

B) Opens it

If the announcement was true (every card is of the announced type): the agent pays the smuggler as much gold as the sum of the fines on the cards. The goods go to the warehouse.
If the announcement was false:
1. the cards of the announced type go to the warehouse;
2. all other cards are confiscated and go onto the discard pile;
3. the smuggler pays the agent the sum of the fines of the confiscated cards.

If the gold runs out: payment is made first with legal goods in the warehouse (at the card's value), then with contraband. There is no change. If nothing is left, the remaining debt is forgiven.

4.5 End of round

Collecting a main resource. Starting to the left of the agent, in turn, everybody (the agent too) may collect at most one main resource card from the middle. Details: chapter 5.
Expired action cards. Action cards that became active during the round but were not used must be discarded (see 7.2).
End of the game? See chapter 6.
Refill. Everyone draws back up to 6 cards.
New agent(s).
- With 1 agent: badge A moves one place to the left.
- With 2 agents: both badges move two places to the left. (So, for example, with 8 players everybody is agent once every 4 rounds.)

If the draw pile runs out, shuffle the discard pile; it becomes the new draw pile.

5. Main resource cards

Every main resource card shows a requirement (which goods are needed) and a point value.

Collecting (in the End of round phase):

Show the cards from your warehouse that match the requirement. Contraband must be turned face up for this.
Put the cards on the discard pile.
Take the main resource card in front of you, face up.

How cards count:

Premium goods count as 2 or 3 pieces of their own legal type, as shown on the card. They also count as contraband, so they can satisfy an "any contraband" requirement as well. One card can fulfil only one part of a requirement at a time.
"Any contraband": beer, Puerto Rican rum, Scotch whisky, Thompson gun or any premium goods (chocolate, molasses, oysters, coffee, cigars).
"N of the same legal": N pieces of the same type of legal goods.
"N different legal": N different types of legal goods, 1 piece of each type.

Black-market top-up: in one collection you may replace at most 1 missing piece by paying 10 gold to the bank.

Limits:

A player can hold at most 2 main resource cards.
Per round and player, at most 1 collection is possible.

6. End of the game

The game ends at the end of the agent cycle in which the last main resource card in the middle was collected.

An agent cycle lasts until everybody has been agent the same number of times. In practice: when the next agent badge(s) would go back to the first agent or agents, a cycle has ended.

Players	3	4	5	6	7	8
Length of one cycle (rounds)	3	4	5	3	7	4

So if the last main resource card runs out in the middle of a cycle, the cycle is still played out. This is the time of the "last shipments": you can still play for filling warehouses and for the bonuses.

Fallback rule: if the draw pile runs out for the second time, the game ends at the end of the cycle in progress even if main resource cards are left.

7. Action cards

7.1 General rules

The action cards are in the draw pile, with the same back as the goods.
They count towards the hand limit (6).
After being played they go onto the discard pile.
They are not goods: they cannot be put in a crate and are worth no points.

7.2 Lifetime: "in the round in which you drew it"

An action card can be used in the round in which it came into your hand.
A card received at the end-of-round refill (and in the starting hand) belongs to the next round.
If you are agent in that round, cards 1, 3, 4 and 6 do not become active but move on to the next round in which you are a smuggler. You can use cards 2 and 5 as an agent too.
At the end of the round every active card that was not used must be discarded.
If you take an action card from somebody with Night Raid, it is active for you in the same round.

7.3 The six action cards

1. 🗺️ The Smugglers' Secret Route (3 copies with 6–8 players)

When: when an agent announces that they will open your crate. Effect: show the card. Nobody may open your crate. All goods go into your warehouse as if they had been let through: contraband face down. Nobody pays a fine. The deal made with the agent must still be paid. With 2 agents it protects against both.

2. 🌙 Night Raid (2 copies with 6–8 players)

When: at the start of the Market, before anyone discards. Can be used as a trader and as an agent. Effect: draw one random card from the hand of every opponent, face down. Then discard cards onto the discard pile until 6 remain in your hand. Your opponents draw back up to 6 in their own Market turn, the agents at the end of the round.

3. 📦 False Bottom Crate (4 copies with 6–8 players)

When: when an agent announces that they will open your crate. Effect:

Shuffle the cards of your crate and lay them out in a row, face down.
The agent chooses and looks at all but one. They decide which one is left out.
The card left out stays hidden: it goes face down into your warehouse and passes without a fine.
The cards looked at follow the usual rule. If all are of the announced type, the agent pays only the fines of these.

With a one-card crate the agent cannot look at any card, so the card passes.

4. 💼 Syndicate Fund (3 copies with 6–8 players)

When: after you have paid a deal made in gold to an agent. Effect: show it. The other smugglers jointly reimburse the amount you paid. The agents do not pay, and neither do you.

They pay in equal shares, rounded up, but at most 5 gold each.
You can get back at most what you paid.
Anybody who does not have enough gold pays what they have.

Example: 8 players, 2 agents, a deal of 18 gold. The other 5 smugglers would pay ⌈18/5⌉ = 4 gold each, which would be 20, but only 18 is due back. The last payer therefore gives only 2 gold.

5. 🎲 Robbery (6 copies with 6–8 players)

When: at the start of the Market, before anyone discards. Can be used as a trader and as an agent. Effect: choose another player and roll the die. The chosen player pays you the number of gold rolled. If they do not have that much, they must give you all their gold.

6. ⚖️ The Lawyer (4 copies with 6–8 players)

When: when a deal that was made has to be paid. Effect:

With 1 agent: the agent receives only half of the amount of the deal (rounded down).
With 2 agents: you add up all deals made on your crate and only one agent receives half of that (rounded down). The other receives nothing. You choose which agent receives it.
If the deal was in goods, the agent receives half (rounded down) of the offered cards, and you choose which ones.

The Lawyer and the Syndicate Fund can be played together: the halving counts first, and the fund reimburses the amount actually paid.

7.4 Action cards in the online version

In the online game the server checks when a card may be played and offers the card at the right moment. Playing a card costs no gold.

Card	Where / when to click	Note
🗺️ Secret Route	When an agent chooses the "Open" button at your crate, a 🚨 window pops up.	It asks after each agent's decision. With 2 agents it protects against both.
🌙 Night Raid	In the action window (at the start of the round, before the Market) with the 🌙 button.	If you end up with more than 6 cards you choose what to discard. When time runs out the lowest-value ones go.
📦 False Bottom Crate	When the crate is opened, in the 🚨 window.	The agent chooses the card that stays hidden blind (from face-down cards).
💼 Syndicate Fund	When paying a deal that includes gold, made on your own crate, in the payment window.	For a deal paid to open somebody else's crate it is not offered in the online version.
🎲 Robbery	In the action window: choose a target, then 🎲.	The server rolls the die.
⚖️ The Lawyer	When paying the deal, in the payment window.	With 2 agents you choose there who gets the half. For a deal made in goods the online version automatically hands over the lowest-value cards (half, rounded down).

8. Two agents (6–8 players)

With two agents the rules above are extended as follows:

The crates go into the middle of the table. Either agent can deal with any crate, and they may negotiate in parallel. The time limit is 1 minute per crate, no matter how many agents haggle over it.
Deals are made separately for each agent. You can make a deal with A, with B or with both, and the amounts can differ.
An agent who has accepted a "let you through" deal may not open that crate. The deal must be paid to them even if the other agent opened the crate, because they kept their word.
If only one agent opens the crate: the fine belongs to them alone, or, if the announcement was true, they alone pay.
If both open it:
- with a true announcement the two agents pay the fine half and half;
- with a false announcement they receive the fine half and half.
- With an odd amount the remaining 1 gold goes to the bank, or the bank pays it.
The agents are not obliged to work together. They may haggle against each other too ("I will let you through for 4, but if B opens, that's not my problem…").

9. Scoring

At the end of the game, cards left in hand are worth nothing. Everybody turns their warehouse face up and adds up their points:

Value of the goods: every card in the warehouse – legal, contraband and premium goods.
Gold: 1 gold = 1 point.
Main resource cards: the point value on the card.
King and Queen bonus for every legal type of goods. Premium goods count as 2 or 3 pieces of their own type.

Goods type	King (most)	Queen (second most)
🎋 Cane sugar	20	10
☕ Coffee	15	10
🍂 Tobacco (from 4 players)	15	10
🐟 Smoked fish	10	5

Ties:

Tie for the King title: the King and Queen bonuses are added together and divided equally among the tied players (rounded down). In this case there is no Queen bonus.
Tie for the Queen title: the Queen bonus is divided equally (rounded down).
Tie for the win:
1. the player with more main resource cards wins;
2. if that is equal too, the one with more legal goods;
3. if that is also equal, they share the victory.

10. Frequently asked questions

May I lie about the number of cards? No. The number must always be true. Only the type can be a lie.

May the agent look at my crate before deciding whether to open it? No. They may not even feel the crate from the outside.

What happens if I show the Secret Route but the agent did not want to open? The card can only be played if the agent has announced that they will open the crate. If they did not announce it, you do not have to use the card. If an activated card is not used by the end of the round, it must be discarded.

With the False Bottom Crate, may the agent see the backs of the cards? Yes, but all cards have the same back. That is why the cards must be shuffled before you lay them out.

Can I collect a main resource card as an agent? Yes. In the End of round phase everybody, including the agent, can collect.

What if the middle of the table runs out of main resource cards and somebody still has 0? Nothing special. The game ends at the end of the cycle and the points decide.

Can the Syndicate Fund only be used for a deal made in gold? Yes. Not for a deal made in goods.

11. Quick summary (for the reference card)

MARKET        → (action: 2, 5) · smugglers: discard 0–5, draw up to 6
CRATE         → 1–5 goods in secret
ANNOUNCEMENT  → exact count + 1 legal type
CHECK         → haggling · let pass / open (1 minute / crate)
                 true → agent pays the fine · false → confiscation + smuggler pays
                 (action: 1, 3 when opening · 4, 6 when paying a deal)
END OF ROUND  → collect main resource (max 1, top-up: 10 gold per piece)
                 → discard activated action cards → draw up to 6 → badge(s) to the left
END OF GAME   → at the end of the cycle after the last main resource is gone

12. The cards in detail

This chapter summarises how to use every card. In the online game the same description is available by hovering over a card, or with the 📖 Cards button. Number of copies: 3 players / 4–5 players / 6–8 players.

12.1 Legal goods

They can be announced. If the agent opens the crate and every card is of the announced type, the agent pays you the fines of the cards.

Goods	Value	Fine	King / Queen	Copies	For main resource
🎋 Cane sugar	2	2	20 / 10	51 / 51 / 77	Sugar, Oak barrel
☕ Coffee	3	2	15 / 10	39 / 39 / 58	Malt, Yeast
🍂 Tobacco	3	2	15 / 10	0 / 39 / 58	Corn, Coal
🐟 Smoked fish	4	2	10 / 5	26 / 26 / 38	Yeast, Ice shipment, Copper still

12.2 Contraband

They cannot be announced. If they get through, they go into your warehouse face down (the others do not see them) and are worth their value at the end of the game. If the agent opens the crate they are confiscated, and you pay the fine for them. They all count for every "any contraband" requirement too.

Goods	Value	Fine	Copies	For main resource (by name)
🍺 Beer	6	4	19 / 24 / 35	Corn, Ice shipment, Coal
🏝️ Puerto Rican rum	7	4	17 / 22 / 34	Malt, Oak barrel, Motorboat
🥃 Scotch whisky	8	4	10 / 13 / 19	Yeast, Copper still, Motorboat
🔫 Thompson gun	9	4	5 / 5 / 8	Motorboat

12.3 Premium goods

They count as contraband (they cannot be announced, they are confiscated when opened, and you pay the fine). If they get through:

at the end of the game they are worth their value;
for the King/Queen count they count as N pieces of their own legal type;
when collecting a main resource they can be used either as N pieces of their own type, or as 1 "any contraband" – only as one of the two at a time. For an "N different legal goods" requirement they can stand for their own type.

Goods	Value	Fine	Counts as	Copies
🍫 Chocolate	4	3	2 × Cane sugar	4 / 4 / 5
🍯 Caribbean molasses	6	4	3 × Cane sugar	2 / 2 / 3
☕ Colombian coffee	6	4	2 × Coffee	2 / 2 / 3
🚬 Havana cigar	6	4	2 × Tobacco	0 / 2 / 3
🚬 Cuban cigar	9	5	3 × Tobacco	0 / 1 / 2
🦪 Delaware Bay oysters	8	4	2 × Smoked fish	2 / 2 / 3

12.4 Main resource cards

They can be collected from the warehouse at the end of the round (online: the "Main resources" phase): the cards used go onto the discard pile, the main resource card stays yours, and at the end of the game it is worth its point value. One missing piece can be replaced for 10 gold (black market). At most 2 per player, 1 per round. Online, collected cards appear on the player's panel and in your own Warehouse row as gold tokens (click one to open its description).

Card	Requirement	Points	Players
🧂 Sugar	4 Cane sugar + 1 any contraband	22	from 3 players
🌾 Malt	3 Coffee + 1 Puerto Rican rum	24	from 3 players
🌽 Corn	3 Tobacco + 1 Beer	24	from 4 players
🧫 Yeast	2 Smoked fish + 1 Coffee + 1 Scotch whisky	28	from 3 players
🧊 Ice shipment	3 Smoked fish + 1 Beer	26	from 3 players
⚗️ Copper still	2 Scotch whisky + 2 Smoked fish	34	from 3 players
🛢️ Oak barrel	2 Puerto Rican rum + 3 Cane sugar	30	from 3 players
🍾 Bottles	3 different legal goods + 2 any contraband	32	from 3 players
⛏️ Coal	2 Beer + 3 Tobacco	30	from 4 players
🚤 Motorboat	1 Thompson gun + 1 Scotch whisky + 2 Puerto Rican rum	42	from 3 players
🚚 Truck	5 legal goods of the same type + 2 any contraband	40	from 3 players
🏚️ Secret warehouse	5 any contraband	45	from 3 players

12.5 Action cards in brief

#	Card	When	Effect	Copies
1	🗺️ The Smugglers' Secret Route	At a check, when an agent announces that they will open your crate.	Show it: nobody may open your crate. All goods go into your warehouse as if they had been let through. Nobody pays a fine. A deal already made must still be paid.	1 / 2 / 3
2	🌙 Night Raid	At the start of the Market phase, before anyone discards (as a trader or as an agent).	Draw one random card from the hand of every opponent. Then discard down to 6 cards (onto the discard pile, face up). Your opponents draw back up to 6 in their own Market turn.	1 / 1 / 2
3	📦 False Bottom Crate	At a check, when an agent announces that they will open your crate.	Shuffle the cards of your crate and lay them out face down. The agent chooses and looks at all but one. The card left out stays hidden: it goes face down into your warehouse and passes without a fine. The rest are settled as usual.	2 / 3 / 4
4	💼 Syndicate Fund	After you have paid a deal made in gold to an agent.	Show it: the other smugglers (except the agent(s) and you) jointly reimburse the amount of the deal. They pay in equal shares, rounded up, but at most 5 gold each. You cannot get back more than the amount due to you.	1 / 2 / 3
5	🎲 Robbery	At the start of your own Market turn, or as an agent at any time during the Market phase.	Choose another player and roll a six-sided die. The chosen player pays you the number of gold rolled. If they do not have that much, they must give you all their gold.	3 / 4 / 6
6	⚖️ The Lawyer	When a deal that was made has to be paid.	With one agent: the agent receives only half of the amount of the deal (rounded down). With two agents: you choose which agent receives half of the deal; the other receives nothing.	2 / 3 / 4

Lifetime and agent limits: 7.2. Online play: 7.4.