Its a game for 2 - 4 players in which you run your own container shipping line. You may decide to be a Conference line or an Independent line. You may decide to sail from Northport, Southport or Gulfport. You may decide to accept cargo, pass, or bid competitively for it. Every day on the North Atlantic, ships cross the ocean, carrying American cago for sale in Europe. A week or so later, these same ships are unloaded and refilled with containers of European goods, which are brought back to America. Some of the shipping lines belong to a Conference, an association in which all members agree to charge the same rates and do business in an identical way to other Conference members. Some shipping lines remain Independent, which means they set their own rates (generally slightly lower than Conference rates) and do business in a way they feel is best for them and their customers. Some ships sail from Northern parts, and others sail from Southern or Gulf Coast parts, where the weather at sea is generally calmer. Shipping lines naturally prefer to carry cargo which pays the highest rate and often bid against each other to win an account. If they lose the bid, sometimes they must sail with an empty container. Some lines prefer to carry lower-priced cargo since they would rather have a lower profit than no profit at all, which is the case when you have to sail with an empty container. In the real world, of course, there are many more things to consider when you own a shipping line. We describe them in the pages following these rules. But the concepts referred to above are what you will be concerned with when you play...