With no natural resources, the Government of Uruguay is concerned about the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuels. As a consequence, it is seeking to increase the share of domestic resources, of which the most feasible is biomass and wind energy, as well as employing end-use energy efficiency measures to increase its energy security. In addition, the government aims to use the intended growth of the domestic energy sector to foster its other objectives of increasing economic growth and creating employment.
— World Bank Documents, CASE STUDY 11: URUGUAY – WIND ENERGY PROGRAMME
The Uruguayan government has set forth incentives to improve power distribution throughout the nation. The first priority is to improve the power supply for the rural areas that make up most of the country. Second priority: Improve power delivery in general, reaching even remote areas. Fortunately for you and your company, the strong winter wind called pampero blows across Uruguay, making it prime territory to generate power via wind turbines. Some of the rural areas could even supplement their power supply with solar energy.
Use your personal set of 8 cards to perform actions that help you improve the energy infrastructure in Uruguay and earn money. If you play your cards right, you can even acquire new cards, giving you greater flexibility and income opportunities. This is important because, in the end, the most profitable player wins!
See the Add-Ons section below for information about the Nature expansion!
Thanks to all your help, we’re reaching new stretch goals regularly!
On your turn, play one of your eight cards to the leftmost open space on the top or bottom of your action board.
The location you play the card on the Action Board normally indicates in which Game Board zone (A, B, or C) that action can be taken.
Some spaces provide a choice between A or B or B or C depending upon where the card is played. Once the card is placed, pay the associated cost shown next to the visible location letter.
Action Cards include actions such as building Windmill Farms or Electrical Towers, fulfilling Contracts, etc…
After playing three Action Cards, a Consolidation Phase lets players retrieve the rightmost card from the top or bottom of the action board. Plan your actions carefully because you can only retrieve one card, and Action Cards not retrieved cannot be used during the next round!
Having the most money wins you the game, and the best way to get money is to fulfill Contracts. Move a Contract from the Main Board to a space in a column on your PG&I Board that does not have an Electrical Tower. The Contract you take must be from an area on the Main Board that does have an Electrical Tower.
The more Electrical Towers you move from your PG&I board to the Main Board, the more space that’s available on your PG&I Board to place Contracts, and the further you can move your Income Markers.
Solo gameplay was considered early in the Pampero design process, so it is a natural extension of the game. VJ, the solo automata player, has its own custom PG&I board and the 18 different solo cards provide loads of replay.
Contents
- 18 Solo automata cards
- 2-layer solo PG&I board
- Rules
The Nature expansion includes components and rules for Nature and the Cardal Transmission Project.
Nature Components
- 4 Nature Reserve Action cards (1 each player)
- 4 Nature Reserve Income Markers (1 each player)
- 5 Nature Reserve pieces
- 1 Specialist Action card
- 1 Specialist Scoring card
- 1 Built Wind Farm Bonus token
Cardal Transmissions Project Components
- 4 Pole Improvement action cards (1 for each player)
- 1 Specialist Action card
- 1 Specialist Scoring card
- 21 Electric Poles
- 1 Player Aid Card (shows reward for placing pole)
All components from the Nature expansion will fit into the base game GameTrayz. Component list subject to change.
Nature Gameplay Description
The installation of wind farms can have an impact on the natural habitat of the surrounding fauna and flora. The government has programs that reward the protection of this habitat.
A new action lets players score points for nature reserves near their transformers.
To play the new Nature Action Card, you must
- have a wind farm of your color in the sector you’ll take the action
- have a transformer in a remote location in that sector
- play a card with the Nature icon matching the wind farm and transformer
- pay the cost of the space on the Action Board, as normal
You then take a Nature Token from the supply and place it on the game board by the transformer mentioned above.
If this is the first Nature Token you’re placing, take the Nature Income Marker in your color and place it on the $1 Remote Income track space of your PG&I board. If that space is occupied, place it in the $2 space. If the Nature Income Marker is already on the PG&I board, move it up one space.
Next, you may pay 2 energy or 1 battery to move the Nature Income Marker up 2 spaces.
If the Nature Income Marker or Remote Income Marker ever land on an occupied space, they instead move to the next space.
Score the Nature Income Marker during Consolidation as per the normal income rules.
Additional Nature Specialist Cards and Build Wind Farm Token add even more play variability.
Cardal Transmissions Project Gameplay Description
Additionally, the Nature expansion includes components and rules for improving the energy grid infrastructure. The Cardal Transmission Project included with the expansion let players improve the resilience and reliability of Uruguay’s electricity transmission network.
A new Pole Improvement Action Card lets players add 1 wooden pole token to the board covering an electrical pole on the game board, as long as it is placed adjacent to a transformer. A second pole may be placed adjacent to the first. The cost for using this action is paid in batteries, not money, with placement in higher zones costing more.
The acting player then collects income based on the location of the contract associated with the transformer. The higher level the contract, the better the payout!
