The Treasure Ship of Zheng He

About this board game

The Treasure Ship of Zheng He is a board game for 1–5 players, lasting about 120 minutes, in which commanders guide the Zheng He fleet through seven voyages and compete to contribute the most to the expedition.

Each round begins with a visit to the High Officials. Players choose officials in turn, with higher ranks requiring better gifts but providing more valuable items in exchange. The player who visits the highest-ranked official gains the first choice of voyage card and selects which leg of the voyage to captain.

Voyage cards are claimed face down, then revealed from left to right as the fleet moves away from China. Captains place the indicated ships, decide the route when the board presents a fork, and choose the lead action space. Other players select smaller action spaces, unless an Emperor’s directive allows them to use the captain’s action.

• Gather resources, gold, and weapons.
• Trade with merchants and send diplomats to increase your diplomatic level.
• Collect animals and cover as much of your player board as possible.
• Build monuments to repeat actions and benefit from adjacent monuments.
• Face pirates by fighting or bribing them, or decline and end your turn.

Ports and voyage cards introduce actions, while pirate encounters can advance your military track or provide rewards. After every player has captained a leg, the next voyage begins. Following the seventh voyage, players make a final visit to the High Officials—or pursue a grand reward from the Emperor by offering two of each rare good.

With its fleet planning, shared route decisions, official visits, diplomacy, and varied ways to contribute, The Treasure Ship of Zheng He turns a historic grand voyage into a competitive seven-round journey.