The Manhattan Project

2012

In The Manhattan Project board game, lead your nation's atomic weapons program, manage resources, and strategically outmaneuver your rivals to become the world's dominant superpower!

120
minutes

2 - 5
player(s)

13+

Medium

About the game

The Manhattan Project is a captivating and strategic board game that transports players back to the era of World War II, offering a glimpse into the intense race towards nuclear development. A game of strategy and wits, it is primarily set within the walls of clandestine laboratories and the secretive realms of government facilities, where players are responsible for managing their nation’s nuclear program.

The Manhattan Project is not just about building bombs, but also about managing resources, recruiting labor, and maintaining a lead in the nuclear arms race. The game’s core mechanics revolve around worker placement and resource management, with players handling a variety of tasks such as mining yellowcake, enriching uranium, and constructing bombs.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

The Manhattan Project is an engrossing strategy board game that includes a variety of components. Each piece plays a vital role in the gameplay and contributes to the overall experience. Here’s a breakdown of all the components and their functions:

1. Game Board: The game board is a central platform where players organize their cards and workers. It has multiple sections such as Main Board, Bomb Design section, and the Building Market. The Main Board is where players place workers to take actions, the Bomb Design section is where players design and build bombs, and the Building Market is where players purchase and build buildings.

2. Workers: These are the discs that represent the players’ workforce. There are three types of workers: Laborers (yellow), Engineers (purple), and Scientists (white). Workers are used to perform various actions on the game board. They allow players to mine resources, build buildings, develop bombs, and more.

3. Building Cards: These cards represent the various buildings that players can purchase and add to their personal tableau. Each building card provides a unique ability, such as generating resources or providing additional worker spaces.

4. Bomb Cards: These cards represent the different types of atomic bombs that players can develop. Each bomb card has a specific requirement of resources and workers to complete. Once built, these cards provide victory points at the end of the game.

5. Resource Tokens: These tokens represent the different resources available in the game. There are four types of resources: Yellowcake (yellow), Uranium (green), Plutonium (purple), and Money (grey). These are used to construct buildings and develop bombs.

6. Airplane Miniatures: These miniatures represent the bombers that players can use to attack other players’ buildings. The use of these airplanes can disrupt other players’ strategies, adding a competitive aspect to the game.

7. Espionage Tokens: These tokens are used to perform espionage actions, allowing players to use other players’ buildings. This introduces a strategic element of competition as players can hinder each other’s progress.

8. Player Boards: Each player has a board that serves as their personal tableau. This is where they place their workers, buildings, and bombs. The player board also has a track for storing resources.

9. Player Aids: These are reference cards that help players understand the rules and actions available during their turn. They provide a quick summary of the gameplay and can be very helpful, especially for new players.

10. Damage Tokens: These tokens are placed on buildings when they are bombed by other players. A building with a damage token cannot be used until it is repaired.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

The Manhattan Project is a strategic board game where players are tasked with designing, building, and testing nuclear bombs. The following steps guide you through how to set up the game:

Step 1: Setting up the Game Board and Placing the Cards

Place the main board in the middle of the play area. Shuffle the Building cards and place them face down in the designated spots on the board. Reveal a number of Building cards equal to the number of players plus two, placing them face up in the market area. Shuffle the Bomb cards and place them face down in their designated spot on the board. Reveal the top five Bomb cards and place them face up in the Bomb Design area.

Step 2: Distributing Player Components

Distribute to each player a player board, a set of worker tokens of one color, and two Engineer cards. The Engineer cards should be placed face up near the player’s board.

Step 3: Setting up Initial Resources

Each player places one worker token on the 0/50 spot on the score track. Each player receives $10, three yellowcake, and a University building card that they place on their player board. The rest of the player’s workers are placed in their personal supply.

Step 4: Establishing Player Roles

The player who most recently used a microwave goes first and takes the first player token. The game continues clockwise from the first player.

Step 5: Setting up the Resource Supplies

Prepare a supply of money, yellowcake, and bomb pieces off to the side of the game board. This will be the bank from which players draw resources during the game.

Step 6: Random Elements

The Bomb cards are shuffled and placed face down, with the top 5 revealed. This brings in the element of chance, as players do not know what bombs will become available during the game. Buildings available in the market also bring in randomness, as they are drawn from a shuffled deck.

After the setup is complete, players may proceed with the first round of the game. The first player begins their turn and gameplay continues in a clockwise direction. The objective of the game is to accumulate 50 bomb points. The player who reaches this goal first is the winner of The Manhattan Project.

Game flow Round and round we go

The Manhattan Project is a strategic board game where players are tasked with managing their own nuclear weapon project. The game combines elements of worker placement and resource management, and is played over several rounds until a player achieves the end game condition.

Game Setup:

At the start of the game, each player receives a player board, 5 workers, 4 scientists, and some money. The main game board is laid out with buildings, bombs, and fighter planes. The game begins with the youngest player.

Game Rounds:

The game is played in rounds, each consisting of two main phases: the ‘Placement Phase’ and the ‘Management Phase’.

Placement Phase:

During the Placement Phase, players take turns placing their workers on the main board or on their player board to perform actions. These actions include:

Buying Buildings: Players can buy buildings from the main board to add to their player board. These buildings provide additional actions or resources.
Building Bombs: Players can build bombs by using scientists and uranium or plutonium. Bombs provide victory points needed to win the game.
Researching: Players can use scientists to research new technology, giving them access to more powerful bombs.
Collecting Resources: Players can collect resources such as money, uranium, and plutonium, which are needed for various actions.
Attacking: Players can use fighter planes to attack other players, disrupting their progress.

Management Phase:

In the Management Phase, players retrieve their workers from the main board and their player board. They can choose to do this at the start of their turn instead of placing a worker. This allows them to use their workers again in the next round.

End of the Game:

The game ends when a player has built a certain number of bombs, depending on the number of players. The player with the most victory points from their bombs wins the game. In case of a tie, the player with the most money wins.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

In ‘The Manhattan Project’, a player’s turn consists of selecting and performing actions that will allow them to develop nuclear technology, construct buildings, and manage their workers. Each turn is crucial to their overall strategy and progression in the game. The choices made during a player’s turn can greatly affect the game outcome.

1. Placing Workers:

Placing workers is one of the main actions a player can make during their turn. This involves choosing a worker from their personal supply and placing it on an available action space either on their personal board or the main board. The type of action carried out is determined by the space where the worker is placed. Some of the possible actions include:

Mining – This allows the player to gather the resources necessary to build bombs and structures.
Building – This lets the player construct buildings that provide them with additional action spaces or abilities.
Designing Bombs – This action lets the player design a bomb, which can be built for points.
Espionage – This action allows the player to place workers on opponents’ buildings, potentially disrupting their strategies.

2. Retrieving Workers:

Instead of placing a worker, a player can choose to retrieve workers. This means all the player’s workers on the main board and personal board are returned to their supply. This action does not require a worker to perform and ends the player’s turn. It is an important strategic decision, as it allows the player to reutilize their workers in future turns.

3. Building Bombs:

Building bombs is a core element of ‘The Manhattan Project’. To build a bomb, a player must first have designed one and then gather the necessary resources. Once built, the bomb can be loaded onto a bomber for additional points. This action drastically affects gameplay, as it brings players closer to the game’s end condition.

4. Attacking Other Players:

Although ‘The Manhattan Project’ is not a war game, attacking other players is a key strategic choice. A player can launch air strikes to damage other players’ buildings or carry out espionage actions to place workers on opponents’ buildings. This can greatly disrupt opponents’ plans and give the attacking player a significant advantage.

5. Strategic Choices:

While playing ‘The Manhattan Project’, players need to make strategic decisions based on their current position in the game, the actions of their opponents, and their long-term goals. Deciding when to retrieve workers, which buildings to construct, which bombs to design and build, and when to launch attacks can all have a significant impact on the game’s outcome.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The Manhattan Project is a game of strategic resource management and city development, where players compete to build and detonate atomic bombs. The game ends when a player reaches a certain number of points, depending on the number of players. At that point, players finish the current round so that everyone has an equal number of turns. After that, final scoring occurs.

Game End Conditions: The game of The Manhattan Project ends when a player achieves or exceeds a specific number of points during the Bombing phase of their turn. The exact number of points required depends on the number of players in the game:

For a 2-player game, the target is 70 points.
For a 3-player game, the target is 65 points.
For a 4-player game, the target is 60 points.
For a 5-player game, the target is 55 points.

End of Round: After a player reaches the target points, all other players get one final turn to potentially increase their score. This ensures each player has an equal number of turns in the game.

Final Scoring: Each player adds up their points from various sources:

Points from successfully detonated bombs. The value of each bomb is indicated on its card.
Points from buildings. Some buildings provide points as indicated on their card.
Points from various bonuses, if applicable. For example, some cards or abilities may grant extra points.

After adding up the points, the player with the highest total wins. If there’s a tie, the player with the most leftover resources (as indicated by their resource track) wins.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

The Manhattan Project is a strategy board game where players compete to build and detonate atomic bombs. The scoring system is primarily based on the construction and detonation of these bombs.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the scoring system:

Building Bombs: The primary way to earn points in ‘The Manhattan Project’ is by building and detonating atomic bombs. Each player receives a blueprint for a bomb at the start of the game. These blueprints have a point value ranging from 7 to 50. Once a player has gathered the necessary resources and completed the bomb, they can detonate it to earn its point value. The player then marks their score on the scoring track.
Loaded Bombs: A player can choose to load a bomb without detonating it. Loaded bombs are worth double their face value at the end of the game. However, they require additional resources to load and do not contribute to the player’s score immediately.
Plutonium and Uranium: Each player can also earn points by collecting plutonium and uranium. Each piece of plutonium is worth 1 point, and each piece of uranium is worth 2 points. These resources can be used to build bombs or kept for their point value.
Building Buildings: Finally, players can earn points by constructing buildings. Each building is worth a number of points equal to its cost, and these points are scored immediately upon construction.

Tie-breaking rules: If two or more players have the same number of points at the end of the game, the tie is broken in the following order:

The player with the most completed bombs wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most loaded bombs wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most valuable single bomb wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most buildings wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most workers wins.

It’s worth noting that a game of ‘The Manhattan Project’ ends when any player reaches or exceeds a certain point threshold, which varies depending on the number of players. The round is completed so that each player has an equal number of turns, and then final scores are calculated.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

The Manhattan Project is a highly strategic board game that involves players taking on the role of a nation’s leader during the race to build and design an atomic bomb. As players navigate through the complexities of managing their nation’s resources and workforce, there are several special rules and exceptions that come into play.

Placing Workers:
In general, a player can place their workers on any available spot, either on their own player board or on the main board. However, there are two exceptions to this rule. Firstly, a player cannot place a worker in a location occupied by another worker. Secondly, a player cannot place a worker in a location they already occupy until all of their workers have been recalled.

Using Bombers and Fighters:
While bombers and fighters can be used to carry out air strikes and espionage respectively, they can’t be used in the same turn they are built. They have to wait a full turn before being deployed. This represents the time needed for these units to be ready for action.

Building Bombs:
When a player is ready to build a bomb, they must have a scientist or engineer available to do so. However, the bomb does not become active until the player’s next turn. This is a special rule that only applies to bomb construction.

Espionage:
When carrying out an espionage action, a player can use another player’s buildings. However, they cannot use buildings that are currently occupied by another player’s workers. Additionally, the espionage action does not prevent the building’s owner from using it on their turn.

Recalling Workers:
A player can recall their workers at any time during their turn, but they must recall all of their workers at once. This action does not cost a turn.

Ending the Game:
The game ends immediately when a player completes a certain number of bombs. This number depends on the number of players in the game. However, it’s important to note that the game does not end until the current round is over. This allows each player an equal number of turns.

Understanding these nuances can significantly impact a player’s strategy and success in ‘The Manhattan Project’. It’s always best to fully understand these special rules and exceptions before starting a game.