Rival Seas

From BoardGameGeek:

Theme: Building a Maritime Empire Command your own maritime empire in Rival Seas, a highly interactive strategy game where the oceans are your market and your rivals are ruthless. Chart efficient routes and fulfill the shifting demands of coastal towns to secure quick credits. But true victory requires more than just navigation - it takes corporate warfare. Acquire shares, seize control as CEO, and siphon company wealth into your personal portfolio. Only the savviest entrepreneur will outsmart the competition and claim the ultimate fortune. The sea is calm, but the competition is cutthroat. Do you have what it takes to rule the waves? Key points: Dynamic Maritime Economy: Adapt to ever-changing market demands and supply bustling coastal towns for instant profit. Corporate Warfare: Strategically buy stocks, seize CEO positions, and cleverely siphon company wealth into your own pockets. Easy to Learn, Hard to Master: A streamlined, accessible rule system that delivers a non-stop stream of tough, meaningful decisions. Gameplay Summary: Trade, Stocks, and Financial Mastery Rival Seas is a strategic board game played over 3 intense rounds. Players manage a tight budget within a precious time limit as they race to dominate the seas. On Your Turn: The core of the game is using your limited time on the Timetrack to perform actions. Each action you take moves your tracker further on the Timetrack. You can keep taking actions as long as you aren't the player who spent the most time. You can end your turn at any time as long as you aren't in the last position on the Timetrack. Actions involve: Build navigation points Manufacture containers Load containers Influence demand of coastal towns Invest in companies (and become CEO) Acquire prestige and upgrades Move your ship Deliver containers (this also affects future container prices) End of round: Each round new cointainers enter play that can be loaded and delivered to coastal towns. Also the CEO of each company will receive his wage and if the company has enough funds left, the CEO can also decide to pay a dividend to all shareholders. Scoring: After the third and final round ends, players calculate their final victory points based on their personal capital and prestige (Stock value, Credits, Investments). Remark: A Crucial Distinction => Company Funds vs. Personal Capital A unique mechanism in Rival Seas is the strict separation between a company's funds and your personal credits. When you buy shares, the money goes to the company. Company funds are used to finance operations, such as placing Navigation points and the company will also get paid if players use these Navigation points. Your ultimate goal is to generate personal wealth (your Victory Points), which you primarily do by making deliveries and, critically, through the Payout Phase where the CEO receives a wage and decides dividends will be paid from the company's funds to shareholders. -description from the publisher