Directions
Object: Accrue water, money, and status for your water utility. The utility with the most money at the end of the game wins!
Materials:
Cards:· Regional happenings
· Local happenings
· Infrastructure proposal / Optional cards:
· Climate change
· Aging Infrastructure
Per water manager:
· 1 balance sheet
· 1 coin
· 40+ water units (suggested: blue bingo chips)
· 40+ money units (suggested: green bingo chips)
· 10+ status units (suggested: yellow bingo chips)
To play:
Start the game:
· Set up: Each water manager gets one utility balance sheet and 1 coin. All units and cards go in the middle to share. Create discard piles for used cards.
· Reserves: These are what a water utility has to spend. Placing appropriate units on your balance sheet, each water manager should:
o Add up three coin flips to get number of water units.
o Repeat for money units.
o Flip once to get number of status units.
· Flows: These are what a water utility has coming and in and out of their reserves each turn. Place appropriate units on your balance sheet. Each water manager should start with:
o +1 water units: Each utility is collecting a little more water than it uses, due to nice, new infrastructure.
o 0 money units: Each utility is breaking even, collecting just enough revenue to cover expenses and debts.
Take a turn:
1. Process flows: Add (if positive) or subtract (if negative) the number of water and money flows to your reserves on your balance sheet, from the stash of free units in the middle.
2. Regional happenings: Choosing for all players, one person should draw a card from the regional happenings deck. All players (the whole region) should comply with card directions.
3. Local happenings: For each utility, a water manager should draw a local happenings card, and only they should comply with directions.
4. Consider making any of the following business decisions.
· Take out a loan: Add three money units to your reserves, and subtract one from your flows (for pay-back) and one from your status (for credit score).
· Infrastructure acquisition:
o Draw as many infrastructure proposal cards as you like, paying (discarding reserve money) one money unit per card drawn (for engineering fees).
o Accept the terms on as many of the cards you have drawn as you like, paying accordingly.
· Interbasin transfer: Approach any neighboring water manager (those sitting beside you) and negotiate an exchange of water and money from your reserves.
· Rate Increase: Apply to the utilities commission for a rate increase. Flip a coin:
o Heads: Your application is accepted. Add one money unit to your flows, and subtract one status unit from reserves.
o Tails: Your application was denied. Do nothing.
· Publicize/advertise: Pay (discard from reserve) two money units; add one status unit.
5. Any utility whose reserve balance of money, water, or status reaches zero at any time loses.
6. If playing climate change, shuffle one climate change card into the regional happenings deck.
7. If playing aging infrastructure, shuffle two aging infrastructure cards into the local happenings deck.
Repeat turns as desired. The utility with the most money at the appointed game’s end, or the last one left playing, wins.