Yunnan

About this board game

Yunnan is a tactical development game for 2–5 players, with games lasting about 90 minutes. Set in the home of Pu’er tea, it casts players as tea dynasties seeking to build the broadest and most secure trading network along the historic Tea-Horse Road.

From Pu’er, players prepare their operations by training new traders, acquiring better horses, and requesting border passes that open routes to distant provinces. Tea caravans travel through the jungles of Yunnan, across the steppes of Sichuan, and over the peaks of the Himalaya as each dynasty works to deliver tea farther than its competitors.

Trading alone will not secure victory. Social influence and a prestigious tea house can help win over the province inspector, while bridges create shortcuts and trading posts in remote locations protect your path along the network.

• Develop a tea dynasty from its Pu’er home location.
• Train traders, improve horses, and obtain border passes.
• Use influence, tea houses, bridges, and trading posts to strengthen your position.
• Choose when to compete directly and when to react to opponents’ plans.

Yunnan’s interlocking mechanisms keep players involved throughout the game. Its wide range of available actions supports different strategies, but success depends on careful calculation, choosing the right opponents to challenge, and responding quickly to changing circumstances.

With no elements of chance, every decision matters. The player who develops most effectively and manages the competition along the Tea-Horse Road will lead their dynasty to victory.